Reselling on Etsy: What you can (and can’t) sell in 2025

Unlike Poshmark or eBay, reselling on Etsy means following strict reselling guidelines that catch many sellers off guard if they don't understand them first.

To illustrate, traditional reselling involves buying mass-produced items wholesale and reselling them for profit. However, Etsy bans this practice because the platform was built exclusively for handmade goods, vintage items over 20 years old, and craft supplies.

We’ll walk you through what items you can and can’t resell on Etsy, Etsy’s policy toward dropshipping, how to avoid account suspensions, and how using Nifty can help you sell more on Etsy and other platforms. 

What can you sell on Etsy?

Etsy allows you to sell 3 types of goods: handmade items that you personally create, vintage goods at least 20 years old, and craft supplies for other makers. 

Here are some of the goods that you can sell on Etsy: 

• Handmade jewelry: Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings crafted from materials like silver, gold, beads, or polymer clay

• Custom clothing: Hand-sewn dresses, embroidered jackets, screen-printed T-shirts, or knitted sweaters

• Home decor items: Macramé wall hangings, hand-painted signs, ceramic vases, or wooden shelves

• Candles and soaps: Hand-poured soy candles, artisan soap bars, bath bombs, or aromatherapy products

• Paper goods: Custom invitations, greeting cards, art prints, planners, or stationery sets

• Leather goods: Handcrafted wallets, belts, bags, or personalized keychains

• Toys and dolls: Handmade stuffed animals, wooden toys, crocheted dolls, or fabric playsets

• Artwork: Original paintings, illustrations, sculptures, or hand-drawn portraits

Is reselling allowed on Etsy?

No, traditional reselling or flipping most items on Etsy is not allowed. You can’t bulk purchase items and sell them on Etsy like you would sell them on Poshmark, eBay, or Depop. The marketplace strictly prohibits reselling mass-produced items because it was explicitly built for sellers who make items by hand for sale. 

However, Etsy doesn’t completely ban reselling. You can resell items from the following 3 product categories:

1. Vintage items: You can sell vintage items that are over 20 years old. Sellers offering 8-bit Nintendos from the 1980s are more than welcome to sell them on Etsy. When listing vintage items, Etsy might ask you questions to verify their authenticity. 

2. Craft and party supplies: Source materials and tools, and sell them to makers, so they can assemble their handicrafts. For example, Etsy allows users to sell bulk Fimo clay, yarn, fabric, or paintbrushes because they’re materials and tools. 

3. Gift baskets: You can offer gift baskets on Etsy if you’ve personally made or curated the contents. For example, combining your own handmade soap with sourced lotion is acceptable. But ready-made retail gift baskets purchased elsewhere cannot be resold.

Risks of reselling on Etsy

Violating Etsy's resale policies carries serious consequences that can damage your reputation permanently. You may face immediate termination of your account and lose all existing inventory, sales history, and customer reviews.

Can you sell used items on Etsy?

It depends on what kind of used items you’re aiming to sell on Etsy. The marketplace allows you to sell the following used items on Etsy:

• Authentic vintage clothing pieces: Clothing and accessories manufactured in 2005 or earlier qualify as vintage under Etsy's 20-year rule. You can source these items from estate sales, thrift stores, or vintage wholesalers. Answer Etsy’s authentication questions to prove that they fall under Etsy’s vintage category.

• Collectible vintage home goods: Retro kitchen items, antique furniture, and vintage decorative pieces from past decades attract collectors willing to pay premium prices. You may find success by specializing in specific eras, like mid-century modern or 1970s boho, to build a recognizable brand.

• Pre-owned craft supplies: Craft supplies like unused fabric bolts, antique buttons, or old sewing patterns fit Etsy's categories. Makers actively search for these materials to incorporate authentic vintage elements into their handmade creations, creating steady demand for quality secondhand craft inventory.

Used items like modern clothing, recent electronics, and new furniture are not allowed unless they meet the vintage requirement.

Reselling vs. dropshipping on Etsy

Etsy doesn’t permit dropshipping because sellers must disclose production partners and maintain direct involvement in creating or curating their inventory. Dropshipping involves selling products that are shipped directly from a third-party supplier without customization, personal involvement, or storage of the products. 

For example, a dropshipper (seller) might list jewelry from a supplier. When a buyer purchases the jewelry, the seller forwards the buyer’s shipping details to the supplier. The supplier then ships the item directly to the buyer, so the seller never handles, designs, or customizes the jewelry.

Sellers on Etsy must understand that dropshipping differs fundamentally from selling handmade or vintage products. Dropshipping mass-produced goods without transparency breaks Etsy’s core marketplace rules and destroys shop credibility before generating sustainable income.

How to avoid getting flagged when selling on Etsy

You can stay compliant with Etsy's policies to protect your shop from getting flagged. Follow these tips to avoid getting flagged while selling on Etsy:

• Know Etsy's handmade definition: Etsy considers items handmade when you design them, significantly alter them, or hand-assemble them yourself using your own creative process. So, your creative input must be visible in the final product.

• Stick to approved resale categories: Limit reselling activities strictly to vintage items at least 20 years old, or craft supplies that other makers can use. Attempting to resell modern secondhand clothing, mass-produced home goods, or drop-shipped products outside these categories will lead directly to account suspension.

• Provide transparent sourcing information: Clearly state where you obtained vintage items, disclose any repairs or alterations you made, and explain your role as a curator rather than a manufacturer. 

• Watch for suspension warning signs: Multiple buyer reports about product authenticity, receiving copyright infringement notices, or getting Etsy warning messages indicate serious trouble. Address these red flags immediately by reviewing your listings and responding promptly to platform inquiries.

• Avoid the prohibited items: Selling items that land on this list can get you suspended from Etsy. Make sure your store has none of them. 

When to consider Etsy alternatives for reselling

Some reselling business models simply don't fit Etsy's handmade-focused marketplace. If you prefer reselling and flipping, check out these Etsy alternatives:

• Poshmark for fashion reselling: Poshmark specializes in clothing, shoes, and accessories, attracting fashion-conscious buyers seeking brand-name items. The platform's social sharing features and virtual live-streams appeal to style enthusiasts who enjoy discovering trendy pieces and connecting with users.

• eBay for diverse inventory: eBay welcomes nearly any resellable product from electronics and collectibles to furniture and vehicle parts, attracting bargain hunters and collectors seeking specific items. The auction format and broad category options make eBay an ideal platform for resellers with diverse inventories.

• Mercari for volume sales of almost any product: Mercari offers a simple listing process and lower fees, attracting casual buyers seeking everyday items such as home goods, toys, books, and electronics at reasonable prices.

• Depop for vintage aesthetics: Depop combines reselling with Instagram-style visual discovery, attracting Gen Z and millennial buyers hunting for Y2K fashion, vintage streetwear, and unique statement pieces.

Multi-platform crosslisting and automation tools like Nifty become even more valuable when you're managing inventory across several marketplaces simultaneously. They provide automated crosslisting, bulk editing, and centralized sales tracking.

Grow smarter: Manage reselling across platforms with Nifty

Reselling vintage items on Etsy, Depop, and eBay doesn’t have to be copy-and-paste chaos. The remedy is Nifty. It’s a crosslisting and automation tool that lets you manage all your Etsy, Depop, eBay, Mercari, and Poshmark listings (more platforms coming soon!) from one centralized interface. 

Here’s how Nifty can help:

• AI listing made easy: Snap a pic and let Nifty’s AI build a polished listing with SEO-ready titles, trending tags, and every dropdown pre-filled. It’s mobile-friendly, cloud-based, and fast.

• Automatic delisting handled: When something sells, Nifty’s sales detection auto-delists it from every other marketplace. Skip the double-selling headaches and “sorry, it’s gone” messages.

• Bulk tools that save time: Relist, discount, or update dozens of items at once. Schedule drafts to drop while you’re asleep and keep your shop active without daily busywork.

• Track profits with clarity: See sales, fees, bestsellers, and slow movers in one clean dashboard. Perfect for resellers who want to know what’s working and what needs to go.

After just a few weeks, Nifty pays for itself. See why over 10,000 sellers use Nifty to help manage their inventory and start your 7-day free trial today.

FAQs

1. What is considered “handmade” on Etsy?

Items are considered handmade on Etsy when you personally design, significantly alter, or hand-assemble them using your own creative process. You must be directly involved in creating the product through substantial manual work, original design choices, or meaningful artistic transformation that makes each piece uniquely yours.

2. Can I sell vintage or used items on Etsy? 

Yes, you can sell vintage items on Etsy if they are at least 20 years old. This includes authentic vintage clothing, collectible home goods, and pre-owned craft supplies. Etsy may review your listings and ask questions to verify authenticity if an item is flagged, but there is no formal authentication service.

3. What happens if Etsy flags my account for reselling?

When Etsy flags your account for reselling violations, you'll receive warning messages requesting verification of your production process and product authenticity. Continued violations lead to listing removals, temporary shop suspension, or permanent account termination with complete loss of inventory, sales history, and customer reviews.