How to delete your Etsy account
Etsy is a marketplace for handmade goods, vintage items, and craft supplies, with around 90 million active buyers. Etsy stores your full purchase history, favorites, saved listings, addresses, payment methods, reviews left, conversations (Messages) with sellers, and (if you're a seller) your shop, listings, payout banking, 1099-K tax forms, and detailed analytics. Sellers face a stricter closure flow because Etsy is required to retain transaction records for tax purposes.
Delete your Etsy account, step by step
- 1Sign in to etsy.com
- 2Click 'You' > 'Account settings' > 'Privacy'
- 3Or go to etsy.com/your/account/privacy directly
- 4Scroll to 'Permanently close your account'
- 5Click 'Close account'
- 6Confirm — buyers' accounts close within a few days; sellers' shops require a separate closure flow first
- 7Etsy retains transaction records as required by law (typically 5–7 years)
What actually happens when you delete
Gets removed
- ✓Your buyer/seller username, profile, and shop (if separately closed)
- ✓Saved addresses and payment methods
- ✓Favorites, saved listings, and curated collections
- ✓Messages with shops visible from your side
- ✓Shop listings, descriptions, photos, and tags (sellers — after shop closure)
Stays behind
- ✗Order history retained for 5–7 years for tax / consumer-protection compliance
- ✗Reviews you wrote stay on shop profiles (re-attributed)
- ✗Messages persist in shops' inboxes
- ✗Records Etsy keeps for billing, fraud, and seller 1099 reporting
- ✗Cached listing pages on Google and Etsy archives
Before you delete
Sellers must close their SHOP first via Shop Manager > Settings > Options > 'Close Shop' BEFORE they can close the user account. This involves ending active listings, settling open orders, and downloading tax forms. Buyers can close more easily, but Etsy retains your purchase history for warranty/refund disputes and tax records. Cancel any Etsy Plus subscription and Etsy Ads campaigns. Reviews you left for shops may be re-attributed but stay on the shop's profile.
Download your data from Etsy first
Most platforms only honor a data-export request while the account is still active. Do this before you delete.
- 1Open Account settings > 'Privacy'
- 2Click 'Request your data'
- 3Choose categories (profile, orders, favorites, messages, shop data)
- 4Verify via email
- 5Etsy responds within 30 days with a downloadable archive
Want to take a break instead? Deactivate
Deactivation hides your profile without permanently destroying it. Logging back in restores everything.
- 1To stop using Etsy without deletion: unsubscribe from emails (Account > Email preferences > 'Unsubscribe from all')
- 2Remove saved payment methods (Account > Settings > Credit Cards & Payment Methods)
- 3The account becomes effectively dormant while preserving purchase history
If deletion fails — or you live in the EU, UK, or California
You have a legal right to request erasure of your personal data under GDPR (EU/UK) and CCPA (California). Use these official channels if the self-service flow doesn't work.
- GDPR / data-subject request form →
- Privacy contact: dpo@etsy.com
- Full privacy policy →
Etsy deletion FAQs
How do I close my Etsy shop before closing my account?+
Sign in, go to Shop Manager > Settings > Options > 'Close Shop'. Etsy requires you to handle open orders, refund pending cases, and download tax forms first. Once the shop is closed and the cooling-off period passes, you can then close your buyer/seller account.
Will my Etsy purchase history be deleted?+
No. Etsy is legally required to retain order records for tax and consumer-protection purposes (typically 5–7 years). You lose login access but the underlying transaction data is preserved on Etsy's servers.
What happens to my reviews of shops?+
Reviews you left stay on shop profiles because they're public marketplace data. Etsy re-attributes the reviewer name to a deleted user. You cannot retroactively delete a review after your account is closed.
Will Etsy refund Etsy Plus or active ad campaigns?+
Cancel Etsy Plus BEFORE closure (subscription doesn't refund prorated). End all Etsy Ads campaigns and pay outstanding ad invoices before closing the shop — otherwise you may receive collection notices for unpaid ad fees.
How do I download my Etsy seller tax forms?+
Shop Manager > Finances > 'Legal and tax information' > download 1099-K for each tax year. Do this BEFORE closing the shop because regaining access after closure requires a support ticket and can take weeks.
Can I close my Etsy account with pending orders?+
No. Etsy blocks closure if you have open orders, in-progress cases, or unresolved disputes. Buyers must wait for orders to deliver and the return window to expire; sellers must fulfill or refund every open order.
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