Etsy vs. Sex

The online marketplace is putting in place a new safety-oriented policy, banning the sale of “mature” products, including vintage Playboys and many sex toys.

Etsy has long been a go-to website for artisans and collectors to sell their goods. Think crochet patterns, novelty doormats, 3D-printed jewelry and antique ceramics. Soon, though, its wares will be a little less varied.

Starting July 29, many sex toys will be banned, the company said, including products that are penetrative, like dildos and vibrators.

So will any “printed or visual materials” that exist for “the purpose of sexual arousal or stimulation.” (Say goodbye to old Playboy issues and other vintage adult magazines.)

So will anything printed or embroidered with a sexual slogan related to “daddy,” “mommy” or any other family member. (Etsy offered examples that cannot be printed in a family newspaper.)

The new policy, released by Etsy on Thursday and reported by Mashable on Friday, is the company’s attempt to “continue to keep our users safe,” Alice Wu, the head of Etsy’s trust and safety team, wrote in a public letter. The company declined to comment further.

Not all sex-related products will be banned. Accessories like handcuffs and harnesses will still be allowed, along with paintings or sculptures that show “visible breasts and buttocks.” But the “more rigorous guidelines,” as Ms. Wu’s letter referred to them, mean that some Etsy sellers will have to leave the platform entirely or substantially shift their offerings.