Most sellers do not argue with the idea of disclosing AI. They get stuck on the wording. Should it be a paragraph? Do you name the tool? Does it go in the title, the description, or the attributes? Does editing a photo with AI count?
The rule is simpler than the internet makes it sound: if AI created the item, disclose it in the listing description. One short, factual sentence is enough. The confusion comes from mixing up four different situations — AI-created items, AI-edited photos, seller-authored instructions, and listings where AI was not involved at all.
Here is the wording I use, by product type, plus where it goes and what not to write.
First, work out which situation you are in
1. AI created the item
Examples: an AI-generated illustration printed as wall art, an AI-assisted design used on a POD shirt, a seller-prompted AI artwork sold as a digital download.
Disclosure is required. Seller-prompted AI creations are allowed when you played a real creative role — your prompts, your curation, your refinement — and you disclose the AI use.
2. AI only edited your photos
Examples: background cleanup, lighting adjustment, colour balance, cropping, or resizing on photos of a real physical item.
Disclosure is recommended, not mandatory, as long as the item still looks like what ships. If the edit is material — anything a buyer could reasonably call misleading — fix the image instead of writing around it.
3. You wrote the instructions, AI helped with formatting
Examples: a crochet pattern, recipe, woodworking plan, or instructional PDF that you wrote and tested, then edited for clarity.
Use an authorship line. The product is allowed because the instructions are your own work. The line makes that clear and separates you from AI-generated instruction products, which are prohibited.
4. AI was not involved
No AI-created item and no AI-edited photos. No disclosure is required — but do not write “100% handmade, no AI” unless that is actually true. A false purity claim is worse than a disclosure.
Where the disclosure goes
Put it in the listing description, near the top or in a dedicated disclosure block. In the 9-block description structure I use, it belongs in Block 8 — AI & Image Disclosure, before shipping and FAQ details. Not in the title. Not in the tags. Not buried under your shop policies.
If your listing editor also offers a “Created by an AI generator” option, select it. The description line and the listing attribute are not substitutes for each other — use both when both are available.
Keep it to one line. The disclosure is a compliance statement, not marketing copy.
The exact lines to copy
AI-created item (required)
Created with AI assistance using my own prompts and refined by me.
Use this for AI-generated artwork, AI-assisted designs, and seller-prompted AI creations sold as physical or digital products.
AI-edited photos only (recommended)
Some listing images were edited with AI tools for lighting and background; the item itself is shown accurately.
Use this only when the item itself was not created by AI. If AI created the item and you also edited the photos, use the AI-created line — do not stack both.
Seller-authored pattern, recipe, or plan
This pattern was written and tested by me. The instructions were not generated with AI.
Swap “pattern” for “recipe,” “plan,” or “guide” as needed. This line is for products where the written instructions are the product.
Examples by product type
AI-created SVG or PNG bundle
Created with AI assistance using my own prompts and refined by me.
Add a real preview of the actual files, not just a lifestyle mockup. Digital downloads need a visual preview or excerpt of what the buyer receives.
Print-on-demand shirt with an AI-created design
Created with AI assistance using my own prompts and refined by me.
Use a licensed mockup that preserves the real print placement, scale, colour, and base product. Disclose your production partner separately if Etsy asks for one — that is a different disclosure.
Printable wall art created with AI
Created with AI assistance using my own prompts and refined by me.
Include a page preview or design grid so buyers can see the actual files. A framed lifestyle image alone does not show what is being downloaded.
Custom pet portrait generated from the buyer’s photo
Created with AI assistance using my own prompts and refined by me.
If you also retouch the final image by hand, say so in your own words outside the disclosure line — but keep the AI statement intact.
Handmade physical item with an AI-assisted design
Created with AI assistance using my own prompts and refined by me.
The item still needs at least one real, unedited photo of the finished product on a real background. The disclosure does not replace the photo requirement.
Pattern or recipe PDF written by you
This pattern was written and tested by me. The instructions were not generated with AI.
Include a real photo of a finished result made from the pattern or recipe. AI images cannot be the only finished-result images.
Physical product with AI-edited photos only
Some listing images were edited with AI tools for lighting and background; the item itself is shown accurately.
Make sure at least one photo in the listing is real and unedited, and that the edited images do not change colour, texture, condition, or scale.
Prompt bundle
There is no disclosure line that fixes this. AI prompt bundles are a prohibited category. Sell the finished artwork instead of the prompts, or do not list the product.
What not to write
Do not write an apology paragraph.
“I’m so sorry, I know some people don’t like AI, I used Midjourney for the background but I promise I designed it myself…”
This hurts conversion and still may not satisfy the rule. Use the one-line disclosure.
Do not use the disclosure as a selling point.
“✨ AI-powered original art — made with the latest model!”
The disclosure is not a marketing feature. Keep it factual and move on.
Do not claim a tool or model you did not use. Naming the tool is optional. Accuracy is not.
Do not write “100% handmade, no AI” unless you can prove it. If AI touched the item or the photos, that claim is false — and false claims are their own problem.
Do not hide it at the bottom of the description. A disclosure buried under shipping times is not a disclosure a buyer can reasonably see.
Do not stack every template. One line is enough. If AI created the item, use the AI-created line; the photo-edit note is redundant.
A quick decision tree
- Did AI create the item? → Use the AI-created disclosure. Required.
- If not, did AI edit any photos? → Use the AI-edited photo note. Recommended; make sure at least one real photo remains.
- Is the product a pattern, recipe, or plan you wrote? → Use the authorship line. Make sure the instructions are genuinely yours.
- None of the above? → No AI disclosure needed. Do not invent a “no AI” claim.
When you are genuinely unsure whether AI materially contributed, disclose. A short line costs nothing. A removed listing costs the listing history, reviews, and ranking signals.
Audit the listings you published before October 2026
The rules were published on 22 October 2026, but they apply to existing listings too. Start with the products most likely to be affected:
- AI-generated digital downloads and printables
- POD products with AI-created designs
- Custom or personalised work generated from buyer photos
- Patterns and recipes whose text was AI-assisted
- Any listing using AI-edited hero images
Add the disclosure where required, replace the hero image where the item is physical, and add a real file preview where the product is digital. If a listing is removed before you get to it, use the Etsy listing removal appeal playbook — do not relist it unchanged.
For the full policy context, read Etsy’s AI and image rules explained.
The Etsy Seller SEO System picks the right disclosure line automatically based on the product type, adds it to the description, and puts the missing image or preview step into the pre-publish checklist. It is free, open source, and runs inside Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini.
Sources
- Etsy Seller Handbook — Important updates to AI use on Etsy
- Etsy — Creativity Standards
- Etsy Seller Handbook — Etsy’s stance on AI creations
- Etsy — Listing Image Requirements
Policy details change. This article is operational guidance, not legal advice — verify the current policy in your Shop Manager and consult your own counsel for edge cases.
