I’ve been noticing a trend on Etsy that I wanted to bring here for discussion. Some sellers are using Etsy almost like a directory to funnel traffic to their Zazzle products. The listings are usually low‑priced “digital downloads,” but the download itself is just a PDF containing a link to their Zazzle shop or product blog.
Research says Etsy’s TOS clearly says sellers cannot direct buyers off‑platform, yet enforcement seems inconsistent, and some sellers are doing it anyway to boost their Zazzle sales. On the surface it looks like a clever workaround, but when you look closer, it’s not as simple or as safe as it appears.
I’m curious how others see this. Is using Etsy as a directory a smart strategy, or is it too risky given Etsy’s policies.
I’m not planning to do this myself I’m just trying to understand the trend and whether it’s something Zazzle creators should be aware of.
Etsy doesn’t police their site very well, because they like raking in those listing fees. Sellers can get away with violating the TOS until somebody reports them.
I don’t think I understand what you mean, though. Are you saying that a customer would buy the low-priced digital download, and then they get the link to a Zazzle product that they also have to buy? That would make me mad if I was a customer thinking I was actually getting the product download.
@Connie , no that’s not what I meant. I’m not talking about customers being tricked into buying a download and then having to buy something else.
I’m referring to the listings where the “digital file” is literally just a PDF with an external link in it. Some sellers are using that as a traffic funnel to their Zazzle shops, even though Etsy’s TOS says you can’t direct buyers off‑platform.
My point was simply that the practice exists, enforcement is inconsistent, and it’s something Zazzle creators should at least be aware of. I was opening a discussion about the trend, not endorsing it.
For digital files many of us offer the customer to print using print of love services, in my case I use corjl and they also are offering printing services, also suggest canva printing services to the customers since many of them ask if the digital file can be upload to canva, I don’t see this wrong, since etsy don’t offer printing services, but they way i understand their polices is that we are not allowed to send the customer to our on e.commerce site. I see people selling nakins templates on etsy and they send their customers to zazzle for printing, i guess using a referral link, i don’t sure about etsy’s TOS in this particular case. For digital files, many of us offer customers the option to print using various services. In my case, I use Corjl, which also offers printing services. Additionally, I suggest Canva printing services to customers since many ask if they can upload the digital file to Canva. I don’t see anything wrong with this, considering that Etsy doesn’t provide printing services. However, my understanding of their policies is that we are not allowed to direct customers to our own e-commerce sites.
I’ve noticed some sellers offering napkin templates on Etsy who direct their customers to Zazzle for printing, possibly using a referral link. I’m not entirely sure how this aligns with Etsy’s TOS in this particular case.
I might be wrong here, but I’m pretty sure that if the customer ends up buying the actual product on Zazzle instead of Etsy, then Etsy counts that as sending the sale off‑site. I don’t think the printing part matters as much as where the purchase actually happens. But maybe I’m misunderstanding something.
If a customer has already purchased the file, they can use any printing service, including Zazzle. However, if the seller is promoting their Zazzle store on Etsy, that may violate the terms of service, but I’m unsure.
If the customer has to go to Zazzle to get the item printed, they would have to purchase it again on Zazzle? . Its my understanding that Etsy doesn’t have any way to “transfer” a paid Etsy order to another platform for fulfillment. I always thought that you you can sell your Zazzle products on Etsy, but you must manually fulfill the orders, by buying them and Zazzle then reselling the products then ship them to the customer. I could be wrong.
It’s true that many Etsy sellers use third‑party printers, but the important difference is how the customer is actually charged. When someone uses a standard POD partner like Printify, Printful, or Gooten, the buyer pays on Etsy and the seller then pays the printer behind the scenes, so the entire transaction stays on Etsy the way Etsy requires. Zazzle works differently because it isn’t a backend printer at all, it’s its own retail marketplace, which means that if an Etsy seller sends a buyer to Zazzle for printing, the buyer ends up paying once on Etsy for the template or file and then paying again on Zazzle for the physical product, creating / printing two separate purchases on two different platforms. This sounds so confusing, and like @Connie says if I were a customer and had to pay on Etsy then go to Zazzle to pay again I would not be happy!
It’s less about sending people off of etsy to buy the physical product and more about how you’re describing what you’re selling.
If the customer purchases the digital file on Etsy, then that’s fine as long as the listing is clearly marked that it’s a digital file and describes what the file is. After the digital file is downloaded the transaction on Etsy is over, so sending someone to a different platform to print it isn’t against the TOS on Etsy. The listing description would have said what the customer was buying and as long as that’s what’s delivered then it’s okay.
However, if the listing says that it’s for the physical product you can’t do what you’re describing, the physical product has to be sent to the customer. You can’t combine a digital file and a physical product in an Etsy listing, so that probably isn’t what you’re describing.
If someone has a listing for a design file like an SVG or an invitation file that they can edit and says that people can have it printed anywhere, then puts a link to their Zazzle shop in the download as a suggestion of where to have it printed, that’s okay because you’re selling the SVG and not the product, and they could theoretically ignore your suggestion and have it printed anywhere they want to.
BUT…If they buy an invitation file and the listing says that it’s the file, and you send them a PDF that says “go buy this in my Zazzle shop” that’s not allowed, because you’re advertising a digital invitation file, and that wasn’t delivered. It’s not because you’re sending them off of Etsy, it’s because you’re not delivering what you said the person was paying for.
As long as you’re selling the file and delivering it, it’s not against Etsy’s TOS. But If I was the customer who bought the file and it said to go to Zazzle to have the printing done, I’d be irritated that I paid for the file to begin with since I could just have gone to Zazzle for free. People might go to Zazzle and do what you’re suggesting, but it would leave a bad taste in my mouth if I was the customer.
I think my point may have been misunderstood. I’m not talking about legitimate digital files like SVGs or editable templates where the customer receives exactly what the listing describes. I’m referring specifically to the listings where the “digital download” is nothing more than a PDF containing a link to a Zazzle product page. In those cases, the file itself isn’t the product it’s just a redirect. Etsy’s TOS is clear that sellers can’t use listings to send buyers off‑platform to complete a purchase, and a PDF that only contains a link falls into that category. That’s the trend I’m seeing, and that’s what I was raising for discussion.
If I were a customer who paid for a link to a Zazzle product, I would report the shop to Etsy because I would feel deceived. However, other customers might be okay with this.
Could you send me a message with a link to a listing like that so that I can see what they’re doing? I’m interested because I have a youtube channel where I’ve been talking about Etsy for over ten years, and I was thinking of doing a video about deceptive pricing. Someone in my Facebook group mentioned someone doing something similar with a download as a low-priced bait for physical products, and what you’re describing sounds just as shady.
But again, if the listing title and description say “a pdf with the links to my zazzle shop” and someone buys that and gets it, it’s not against the Etsy TOS. They got what they bought. (I doubt that’s what it says, though.)
Once the transaction on Etsy is completed, it’s okay to put business cards etc into the packages when you send products in order to get people to go shop on your website in the future. The thing about sending people off of Etsy to buy is only for the immediate transaction. So if someone contacted me about something and I told them to go buy it on my website, that’s against the TOS. If I let them buy it on Etsy, then put business cards for my website and a note offering them discounts on my website in the future, that’s fine.
I’ve never seen a listing like what you’re describing, it sound totally shady, I wouldn’t do it, but it might technically be within the Etsy TOS. Even if it is, Etsy can shut your shop down at any time and they don’t have to give you a reason, so I wouldn’t tell people to do that.
There seems to be a misunderstanding about what I’m referring to. The only reason these listings exist is because Etsy doesn’t catch everything immediately. That doesn’t make the practice legitimate. Etsy’s TOS is clear that listings can’t be used to redirect buyers off‑platform to complete a purchase, and a PDF that contains nothing but a link does exactly that. The fact that these listings are visible doesn’t change the policy. It just means enforcement isn’t perfect. That’s the trend I’m pointing out..
I’m not trying to be argumentative. If you can send me a link to one of these listings I’d still be interested in seeing it.
If someone is able to download a PDF from an Etsy listing then they’ve purchased something, so Etsy’s TOS aren’t being violated because the purchase was completed on Etsy. If you put “Go to my Zazzle shop” in the listing description and bypass the purchase, then that’s violating the TOS.
What you’re describing sounds super shady and Etsy would probably shut your shop down if they catch you doing it, but if someone is able to download something that they bought on Etsy chances are the TOS aren’t being violated even if it’s a scammy thing to do.
There still seems to be a misunderstanding about why I brought this up.
I’m not here to provide examples for your videos, classes, or content, and I’m not outing individual sellers. That’s not my role and not something I would ever do.
I raised this topic because it’s a trend that could get Zazzle creators into trouble if they assume it’s allowed. Etsy’s TOS is clear about redirecting buyers off‑platform, and a PDF that exists solely to send someone to a Zazzle product page falls into that category.
The fact that some listings slip through doesn’t make the practice legitimate. Anyone who wants to research it further can easily find examples on Etsy themselves. My only intention was to make creators aware of the risk so they don’t accidentally violate policy.
I’m stepping out of this conversation now. I’m not here to provide research or material for anyone’s videos, classes, or expert positioning. That’s not why I raised this topic. I brought it up because it’s a trend that could put Zazzle sellers at risk if they assume it’s allowed, and I wanted to make people aware so they can make informed decisions. The passive‑aggressive tone in this thread has gotten old, and I’m not going to feed the dynamic or the performance that’s happening here. Anyone who wants to explore the issue further can do their own research.
You’re really misunderstanding what I’m asking, it was a genuine question to clarify what you’re seeing. Sorry that you think I’m being passive aggressive, but I only blame myself because these forums are wild.
I spend a lot of time on etsy looking at products that might compete with me on Zazzle with respect to pricing. I also am spending more and more time looking at a how etsy sellers are moving into personalization. I have never seen this tactic,but I will definitely email you if I see it and would love to get your take on it.
I think there are a few different scenarios being mixed together in discussions about this.
If an Etsy seller lists a “digital download” but the download is only a PDF that sends the buyer to purchase the actual item somewhere else, then yes, that could potentially fall into Etsy’s off-platform transaction rules.
However, many Etsy sellers sell legitimate digital templates or printables that the customer edits themselves using platforms like Canva, Corjl, or Templett. In that case the buyer already receives the product they paid for — the editable design or printable file.
After the customer finishes their design, some sellers simply provide printing guidance. For example, they may recommend printing services such as Zazzle or Prints of Love. Often the link goes to a blank product on the printing platform (for example a blank invitation, card, or poster) where the customer uploads their own JPG, PNG, or PDF design to print it.
In that situation the buyer is completely independent — they already have the finished design and can print it at home, at a local print shop, or with any online printer they choose. The recommendation is simply a convenience for people who want an easy printing option, not a requirement to purchase the product elsewhere.
So the key distinction is whether Etsy is being used only as a gateway to force buyers to purchase somewhere else, or whether the seller is delivering a real digital product and simply suggesting optional printing services afterward.