Etsy exempts registered Alaska Native craftsmen from fur sales ban

Alaska Native craftsmen registered with the Indian Arts and Crafts Board will keep selling fur products on Etsy after Sen. Dan Sullivan negotiated an exemption to the company's new animal product policy, which takes effect August 11, 2026.

The exemption covers taxidermy, fur products, and byproduct materials from registered sellers. Without it, Etsy's blanket ban would have cut off an e-commerce revenue stream that rural Alaska Native communities depend on. Registered sellers qualify for the carve-out; unregistered Alaska Native craftsmen remain subject to the ban after August 11.

Sullivan contacted Etsy CEO Josh Silverman in May after learning of the planned policy. His office argued the ban conflicted with the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which explicitly permits Alaska Natives to create and sell authentic Native articles of handicrafts and clothing from lawfully harvested animals, and with the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. The outcome is the latest in a series of similar conflicts: Sullivan says he resolved an earlier Etsy policy issue in 2018 that had banned Alaska Native products containing sealskin, sea otter, and ivory, and in February 2019 he worked with Facebook to clarify Marketplace policies on artwork made with animal parts or fur.

"Just a month after the signing of my ARTIST Act into law, we've secured another significant win for Alaska Native craftsmen who've sustainably harvested wildlife and created clothing, handicrafts, and artwork for thousands of years," Sullivan said Friday.

The exemption is limited: craftsmen not registered with the Indian Arts and Crafts Board do not qualify, making registration status a practical concern before the August 11 deadline. The Board maintains a source directory of American Indian and Alaska Native owned and operated arts and crafts businesses, which determines who qualifies under the exemption.