Witch hunt: Etsy bans sale of magical spells, "metaphysical community" up in arms

Policy change comes without date or official warning for mages and warlocks

Etsy has banned the sale of handcrafted magic spells and other supernatural goods and services.

The online marketplace has reportedly been suspending individual sellers' shops, sending emails informing them that the site's terms and conditions have "recently" changed, saying: "We've recently clarified our spells-related policies in a way that impacts your shop. Because of this, your shop has been suspended."

Etsy has indeed brought in changed terms and conditions, but they are undated. And the clause that affects witches, warlocks, shamen and magicians in particular is a thorny one, an exception being "any metaphysical service that promises or suggests it will effect a physical change (e.g. weight loss) or other outcome (e.g. love, revenge) is not allowed, even if it delivers a tangible item."

The "tangible item" clause is the problem for magical practitioners, as it used to be possible to ship a magic spell with an accompanying digital download, or any other manner of added value.

An Etsy magic seller told The Daily Dot that emails were being sent to magic sellers up until early June reminding them to include "something tangible", but the rules have since been changed almost overnight.

As if by magic, even.

But it seems services will still be allowed as long as they do not promise an effect, with administrative staff backing up this notion on forums, despite the ongoing user debate into the exact nature of Etsy's crackdown.

Seller discussions on Etsy are becoming ever-more fraught, with one magic vendor commenting: "I'm going to throw out my opinion... I think all this stems from someone in the White House... we Americans seem to be having all we have taken from us... we will soon have no rights to or for anything".

Online auction site eBay already banned the sale of "advice, spells, curses, hexing, conjuring, magic, prayers, blessing services, magic potions, [and] healing sessions", back in 2012 in order to "build trust in the marketplace and support sellers".