Marketplace reporting
How to report stolen artwork on Etsy
What to check before reporting an Etsy listing, which details to collect, and how to use Etsy’s Reporting Portal to submit and follow your report.
The starting point
Check the listing and your authority to report first. Etsy directs intellectual-property complaints to its Reporting Portal, where you identify the work, add the relevant listings and review your submission.
A customer sends you a link: your illustration appears to be offered as a digital download by an unfamiliar Etsy shop. Before reporting it, separate what you can see from what you still need to establish. The clearest complaint starts with a carefully reviewed listing.
This guide covers preparation and the reporting route, with links to Etsy’s official instructions. It is general information, not a decision about whether a particular use infringes your rights. Platform procedures can change; consult the linked guidance when you submit.
Check the complete listing first
Open the listing, inspect its image gallery and read the description. Note what is being offered: a physical print, a downloadable file, a finished product or something else. A search thumbnail may hide important context, and the image used to advertise an item may raise a different concern from the item itself.
Compare your source artwork with specific details in the listing. Record distinctive lines, lettering, arrangement and any alterations. Check whether a licence, stockist agreement or collaboration could explain the use. If the artwork uses shared stock elements, identify what is original to you before describing the concern.
Hypothetical example: your drawing of three moths appears in a digital bundle. The individual marks and arrangement seem identical, but the colours are changed. Your review note should describe those observations and identify which bundle image shows them. Avoid claiming the entire bundle is copied when you have only checked one design.
What to gather before you report
Make a compact record before opening the reporting form. Keep supporting material organised so you can answer a request for clarification without reconstructing the search. You do not need to publish your working files on the blog or send every file to the seller.
If somebody found the listing for you, ask them to send the link and observations privately. A factual record is more useful than encouraging multiple people to submit complaints about rights they do not control.
- Identify the original artwork by title, source file and a page showing your work, if available.
- Save each relevant Etsy listing URL, shop name and a dated screenshot.
- Write a short comparison explaining exactly where the artwork appears.
- Check whether you own the rights or have authority to act for the owner.
- Record any relevant permission, licensing or prior-contact history.
Use Etsy’s intellectual-property Reporting Portal
Etsy says reports must come from the rights owner or an authorised representative. Its guidance recommends trying to resolve the issue with the seller and directs intellectual-property reports to the Reporting Portal. A general item report is a different route.
The portal process is to register or sign in, add the intellectual property, create a report, attach the relevant listings and review before submitting. Use the current instructions for the fields that apply to your type of right. Etsy’s guide explains how representatives provide authorisation.
Check your links and explanation before submitting
Before submitting, open every URL again. Does it lead to the actual listing? Can a reviewer tell which part of the listing concerns you? If you have several artworks, make sure each reported listing is associated with the correct original. Similar file names are easy to mix up when you are upset or in a hurry.
Use observations you can support. Replace ‘this seller steals everything’ with a description of the particular work and its location. Do not invent registration numbers, sale counts or legal conclusions to make the report sound stronger. Read every declaration before agreeing to it.
Etsy’s intellectual-property policy explains that report information may be shared with the affected member. Review that policy before providing details. It also sets out the treatment of copyright counter notices; a removal may not be the final outcome.
What happens after you submit a report?
Etsy’s help page says you can follow report status in the portal and receive email updates. Save those updates alongside your original record. If the listing changes, document what changed and when you observed it.
A useful log distinguishes ‘reported’, ‘awaiting response’, ‘listing unavailable’ and ‘disputed’. That prevents you from treating a missing page as proof of why it disappeared. If a page appears again at a new address, save the new URL and compare it with the original record before taking another step.
For a counter notice or a substantive ownership dispute, consult a qualified adviser. Avoid treating an informal email template as a complete response to a legal process.
Keep looking without starting from scratch
Save the reference image and search terms that found the listing. When you check again, keep previously reviewed sellers and permission decisions close at hand. A recurring sighting should prompt you to revisit the existing record, rather than create another disconnected pile of screenshots.
Copywatch can help artists with public Shopify catalogues run recurring searches and review possible matches, including marketplace pages that those searches surface. It does not import an Etsy store, search every Etsy listing or submit reports to Etsy for you. You retain control of the decision and submission.
Less searching. More creating.
Keep useful sightings in one place
Sell your original work through Shopify? Start with one sample product scan and see how possible matches are presented for review.
Try a Shopify sample scanOne example product. No sign-in required for the initial scan.