What Happened to the Etsy Witches?

By Hank, Graduate Gemologist & Professional Spell Caster | Crystal Conjure Magic

If you’ve spent time on TikTok lately, you’ve seen the phrase “Etsy witch” — and maybe you went looking for one and found the shop you remembered was gone. What happened depends on which kind of seller you mean, because “Etsy witch” was never one kind of seller. Here is what Etsy’s own rules say, what reporting says happened, and where each kind of seller is now.

What the phrase covers

“Etsy witch” covers a range of sellers. Some make things you can hold — candles, oils, crystals, tarot decks. Some read cards or charts. Some cast spells to order, performing the work on your behalf. Etsy treats these three kinds very differently, and that difference is the key to the whole story.

The rule everything turns on

Etsy’s rules turn on one line: you can sell an object, but you cannot advertise a magical result. Etsy’s policy states plainly that “metaphysical services may not be sold on Etsy,” and lists spellcasting among them. The same rule bars “items that advertise a metaphysical outcome,” with the examples “attracting wealth, love, gambling luck,” and the like.¹ Etsy’s own help pages give the everyday version: supplies such as “herbs, crystals, candles, and tinctures, may be sold on Etsy as long as they are not listed with metaphysical claims.”²

An Etsy spokesperson explained the same line in 2015: sellers “may continue to sell astrological charts, tarot readings, and other tangible objects, as long as they are not making a promise that object will effect a physical change or other outcome”; “a prayer that cures cancer would be just as prohibited as a spell that cures cancer.”³ Etsy sets the rules for its own marketplace.

What happened

That rule dates to 2015.⁴ In late 2025 and early 2026, sellers reported that Etsy was enforcing the rule more rigorously, and that spell-casting shops were being removed.⁵ Etsy declined to comment to the outlets that covered the story.⁵ No source has reported how many sellers were affected, and we won’t guess.

Where each kind is now

So where is everyone? The answer follows the same line between objects and claims.

Sellers of physical goods — candles, crystals, herbs, tarot decks — are still on Etsy, which Etsy’s rules still allow, as long as their listings don’t promise a magical outcome.^1, 2 The object is fine; the promise is not, so some sellers had to reword what they list.

Readers are still allowed too, when a reading comes as something tangible — a recording, photos of the spread, the written text — and claims no outcome.¹

The spell casters — the ones who perform the service — are the group Etsy’s rules do not permit. Reporting says the removed casters moved to their own websites, built with tools like Shopify, and that buyers now find them through Instagram and TikTok before ordering off-platform.⁶ Vice also named a niche marketplace, Witchly, among the destinations.⁶

One catch comes up again and again: many buyers still search Etsy first,⁷ and a seller’s own website, as one customer put it, “just doesn’t hit the same.”⁶

Our own part is simple. Crystal Conjure Magic offered spell casting, so we are in that last group. We built our own website, crystalconjuremagic2.com, in early 2024, and we left Etsy in September 2025. We are spell casters, not witches.

Where that leaves you

The right place depends on what you want. If you want candles, crystals, or a tarot deck, Etsy still has sellers — described as objects, not promises. If you want a reading, look for one that comes as something tangible. If you want a spell cast for you, that is the service Etsy’s rules do not allow, and reporting says those casters now work from their own sites⁶ — ours among them.

If a spell cast for you is what you’re after, our Spell Finder can help you find the right one. And if you only wanted to know what happened — now you do.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an “Etsy witch”?

A catch-all for several kinds of sellers: makers of candles, crystals, oils, and tarot decks; card and chart readers; and spell casters who perform a spell to order.

What does Etsy actually prohibit?

Etsy’s rules bar metaphysical services, including spellcasting, and any listing that advertises a metaphysical outcome — for example a product promising to attract wealth, love, or luck. Physical supplies like candles and crystals may still be sold, as long as they aren’t listed with magical claims.

Are the Etsy witches still on Etsy?

The answer depends on the kind of seller. Makers of physical goods and tangible readings can still list, without outcome claims. Spell-casting services are not allowed, and in 2025–26 sellers reported those shops being removed.

Where did the spell casters go?

Reporting says they moved to their own websites (built with tools like Shopify), are found through Instagram and TikTok, and in some cases a niche marketplace called Witchly; many buyers still search Etsy first.

Is it safe to have a spell cast online?

It can be, and it can also be a scam — like any service bought online. Telling the difference takes a real look at the seller, which we cover in other posts.

Sources

1. Etsy Services policy: “Metaphysical services may not be sold on Etsy,” including spellcasting; and it bars “items that advertise a metaphysical outcome (e.g., attracting wealth, love, gambling luck…).” Readings are allowed only when they include a tangible good and advertise no outcome. Etsy Services policy
2. Etsy Help, What Can I Sell on Etsy?: supplies “such as herbs, crystals, candles, and tinctures, may be sold on Etsy as long as they are not listed with metaphysical claims.” Etsy Help
3. Etsy communications director Sara Cohen, 2015. Vice, 2015
4. Etsy’s 2015 policy: a metaphysical service that “promises or suggests it will effect a physical change… or other outcome… is not allowed, even if it delivers a tangible item.” TIME, 2015
5. In late 2025–early 2026, sellers reported Etsy enforcing the rule more rigorously and removing spell-casting shops; Etsy declined or did not respond to requests for comment. Vice; Daily Dot; Inc.
6. Removed casters moved to their own websites (built with Shopify), are found via Instagram/TikTok, and to a niche platform, Witchly; “Website Witch just doesn’t hit the same.” Vice; NBC News.
7. Many buyers still search Etsy first (Wall Street Journal, via Wikipedia: Etsy witches).

Listen to the Podcast

Our podcast goes deeper — a plain-English conversation about what happened to the Etsy witches and where the sellers went. This is not a reading of the post.

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