Etsy Updates Policy to Ban Sale of Most Adult Pleasure Products, Content

Etsy Updates Policy to Ban Sale of Most Adult Pleasure Products, Content

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Etsy will ban sales of most pleasure products and content that depicts sex acts and genitalia starting July 29.

Etsy’s revised Adult Nudity and Sexual Content policy was published last week.

As of the end of July, Etsy will prohibit the sale of adult products that are “inserted into the body; applied to the genitalia; or designed for genitals to be inserted into them.”

The company specified that the new policy applies to adult products such as dildos, vibrators, anal plugs, sex dolls and Fleshlights.

Etsy will continue to allow the sale of “non-insertable and non-penetrable adult toys and sexual accessories, as long as they meet our requirements for sale on Etsy. This includes items such as restraints, handcuffs, nipple clamps, body harnesses, sex furniture, and BDSM accessories.”

Even permitted adult products and accessories, however, “may not be shown in use or worn by human models in listing or review photos,” according to the new policy, which urges sellers to “consider using a mannequin or flat lay photography instead.”

Also banned are products, such as T-shirts, featuring “sexual language referencing familial relationships,” which the company defines as “references to sex acts, sexual bodily fluids, fetish acts (including BDSM acts such as spanking), genitalia, sexual arousal, and sexualized terminology such as ‘slut’ or ‘whore’” in combination with “terms that refer to parents, step-parents, children, step-children, siblings, step-siblings, grandparents, aunts or uncles and nieces or nephews.”

“This includes slogans such as ‘Daddy’s slut’ or ‘Choke me Mommy,’” the policy specifies.

The policy also bans the sale on Etsy of “pornographic content,” which the company defines as “printed or visual materials that explicitly describe or display sex acts, sex organs, or other erotic behavior for the purpose of sexual arousal or stimulation; materials produced by pornographic publishers (e.g. Playboy, Brazzers), including vintage adult magazines and films; materials marketed and/or described as pornographic in listing titles, descriptions, or tags, regardless of whether there is any nudity or sexual content within the listing images themselves; items modeled by a human in listing or review photos when a human model is featured in a listing or review photo for an item, genitalia, anuses, gluteal clefts, and female nipples/areolas may not be visible.”

The ban also includes all photography and photorealistic content depicting “sex acts, genitalia or anuses, even if they are obscured in listing images,” but exempts “depictions of buttocks and nipples, so long as these body parts are obscured in the first listing image” as described in its “Listing Mature Content Correctly” policy. 

For content that is neither photographic nor photorealistic — such as paintings, illustrations, sculptures and line drawings — Etsy will allow some kinds of adult nudity, including “visible breasts and buttocks; genitalia or anuses without any additional sexual context (such as sex acts, visible arousal, sexual stimulation, sexual body fluids, or sexually suggestive posing); and sex acts without visible genitalia or anuses.” All other depictions of sex acts, genitalia or anuses will be banned.

Also explicitly banned is the sale of “fetishized items (e.g. items that have been intimately used by a specific individual, such as worn underwear), and custom photographs and videos depicting nudity or sexual content, or content that sexualizes a specific body part (e.g. ‘foot pics’).”

Etsy VP of Trust and Safety Alice Wu Paulus issued a statement explaining that the rationale for the expansion of sex censorship was “to keep Etsy and its community safe.”

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

B-Vibe's 'Rimming Plug' Highlighted in Buzzfeed Article

B-Vibe's Rimming Plug vibrator has been recognized by Buzzfeed as one of 28 "must-have" pleasure products.

BranditScan Names Subgirl Newest Brand Ambassador

BranditScan has named content creator Subgirl its newest brand ambassador.

Arcom Reports Age Verification Enforcement Actions Against 5 Adult Sites

French media regulator Arcom released a statement Tuesday detailing recent actions to enforce age verification rules as set forth under France’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.

Dame Acquires Chakrubs

Sexual wellness brand Dame has acquired pleasure brand Chakrubs.

Pineapple Support, Clips4Sale to Host Performers' Partners Support Group

Pineapple Support and Clips4Sale are hosting a free online support group for partners and family members of adult industry professionals.

FSC Mourns the Loss of Board Director Emeritus Mark Kernes

Free Speech Coalition has released a statement regarding the passing of Board Director Emeritus Mark Kernes.

Alexa Creed Launches New Paysite

Creator Alexa Creed has launched a new membership site through MyMember.site.

BeYourLover Debuts 'Cloud' Vibrator Collection

BeYourLover has introduced its new Cloud series of vibrators.

Lovense Reveals Results of 'Relationship Rut' Survey

Lovense has released the results of a survey asking 2,000 respondents if they felt their relationships were in a rut.

Tonga Now Shipping 'Romantic Rose' Vibe From Blush

Tonga BV is now shipping the new Romantic Rose vibrator from Blush's Play With Me line.

Show More