This policy is a part of our Terms of Use. By using any of our Services, regardless of your location, you agree to this policy and our Terms of Use. It is up to you to familiarize yourself with this policy and the sanctions and trade restrictions it summarizes.
As a company based in the U.S. with operations around the world, Etsy must comply with economic sanctions and trade restrictions, including, but not limited to, those implemented by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC"). Etsy also complies with economic sanctions and trade restrictions imposed by the European Union, United Kingdom, and United Nations, among others. This means that Etsy, as well as anyone using our Services cannot take part in transactions that involve restricted people, places, or items as determined by agencies like OFAC, and must also comply with all other applicable trade restrictions imposed by related laws and regulations.
For example, these sanctions and trade restrictions may prohibit, or otherwise restrict transactions involving:
- Certain geographic areas, such as Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and the Donetsk People’s Republic (“DNR”), Luhansk People’s Republic (“LNR”), Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, or any individual or entity operating or residing in those places;
- The exportation of certain items to Syria;
- Certain activities, including the exportation of certain items to Russia and Belarus;
- Individuals or entities identified on sanctions lists such as OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals (“SDN”) List or Foreign Sanctions Evaders (“FSE”) List;
- Nationals of Cuba, regardless of location, unless citizenship or permanent residency outside of Cuba has been established;
- Certain items originating from areas including Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Crimea, or the DNR and LNR, with the exception of informational materials such as publications, films, posters, phonograph records, photographs, tapes, compact disks, and certain artworks;
- Any goods, services, or technology from DNR, LNR, Kherson, or Zaporizhzhia with the exception of qualifying informational materials, and agricultural commodities such as food for humans, seeds for food crops, or fertilizers.
- The importation into the U.S. of the following products of Russian origin: fish, seafood, non-industrial diamonds, gold, and any other product as may be determined from time to time by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
- The exportation from the U.S., or by a U.S. person, of luxury goods and other items as may be determined by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to any person located in Russia or Belarus (a list and description of ‘luxury goods’ can be found in Supplement No. 5 to Part 746 under the Federal Register); and
- Items originating outside of the U.S. that are subject to the U.S. Tariff Act or related Acts concerning the use of forced labor.
In order to protect our community and marketplace, Etsy takes steps to ensure compliance with applicable sanctions and trade restrictions. For example, Etsy prohibits members from using their accounts while in certain geographic locations. If we have reason to believe you are operating your account from a sanctioned location, such as any of the places listed above, or are otherwise in violation of any economic sanction or trade restriction, we may suspend or terminate your use of our Services. Members are generally not permitted to list, buy, or sell items that originate from sanctioned areas. This includes items that pre-date sanctions, since we have no way to verify when they were actually removed from the sanctioned location. Etsy reserves the right to request that sellers provide additional information, disclose an item's country of origin in a listing, or take other steps to meet compliance obligations. We may disable listings or cancel transactions that present a risk of violating this policy.
In addition to complying with U.S. and applicable non-U.S. laws, Etsy members should be aware that other countries may have their own sanctions or trade restrictions and may prohibit exports or imports of certain items. You should consult the laws of every relevant jurisdiction when a transaction involves international parties.
Finally, Etsy members should be aware that third-party payment processors may independently monitor transactions for sanctions compliance and may block transactions as part of their own compliance programs. Etsy has no authority or control over the independent decision-making of these providers.
The economic sanctions and trade restrictions that apply to your use of the Services are subject to change, so members should check sanctions resources regularly. Etsy continuously monitors relevant regulatory developments and reserves the right to revise this policy as needed in response to changes in applicable law or to Etsy's internal policies. For legal advice, please consult a qualified professional.
Resources: US Department of the Treasury; Bureau of Industry and Security at the US Department of Commerce; US Department of State; European Commission
Last updated on Aug 20, 2026