Google Merchant Center is one of the most valuable traffic sources for Etsy sellers who also have their own website or use Etsy's Google Shopping integration. When that GMC account gets suspended, it cuts off Shopping traffic entirely. Etsy sellers face a specific set of GMC suspension causes that other e-commerce platforms do not, mainly because of how Etsy handles product identity, policy pages, and seller verification.
This guide covers the five most common reasons Etsy sellers get suspended on Google Merchant Center and the specific fix for each.
Scan for All 43+ GMC Issues (Free, 60 Seconds)Etsy is a marketplace with its own checkout, its own policy pages, and its own product identity system. Google Merchant Center, by contrast, was built for stores that own their own domain and control their own checkout. When Etsy sellers connect to GMC, several structural mismatches create policy violations automatically.
Understanding these mismatches is the first step to fixing them.
Handmade, vintage, and one-of-a-kind products genuinely do not have GTINs (barcodes). Google knows this. The problem arises when your GMC feed omits the GTIN field entirely without specifying that the product does not have one. By default, GMC assumes branded products require a GTIN, and a missing GTIN on what looks like a product that should have one triggers a data quality flag.
Fix: For every handmade or custom product in your feed, explicitly set identifier_exists: FALSE (or identifier_exists: NO depending on your feed format). This tells GMC you are not withholding a GTIN; the product simply does not have one. This prevents the misrepresentation flag for genuine handmade items.
For more on GTIN requirements, see the full GTIN guide.
Etsy's shop policies are visible when you browse an Etsy shop, but they are served under etsy.com's domain and structure. Google's crawler checks for your return policy and privacy policy on the landing page domain you submitted. If your customers land on your Etsy shop page, the policies must be visible without requiring the customer to click through multiple pages or log into Etsy.
The specific issue: some Etsy shops have their policies set to visible only to logged-in Etsy users. Google's crawler does not log in. It sees no policy page and flags a missing return policy violation.
Fix: In Etsy's shop settings, ensure your return policy is set to public visibility. Verify that etsy.com/shop/yourshop displays your return policy directly on the page without requiring any login. For more detail on what GMC checks in your return policy, see the missing return policy guide.
Etsy listings often reference brand names in titles and descriptions: "Pandora-style bracelet," "designer-inspired handbag," "Lego-compatible bricks." On Etsy, these qualifiers ("style," "inspired") are accepted. On Google Merchant Center, using a trademarked brand name in a product title when you are not an authorized reseller of that brand is a counterfeit or misrepresentation flag.
Google's AI verification is particularly aggressive about this. A title like "Louis Vuitton inspired wallet" will almost certainly trigger a suspension. Even more subtle uses like "Pandora-size charms" can get flagged depending on how closely the product photos match the brand's visual identity.
Fix: Remove all brand name references from product titles and descriptions for products you do not resell directly from the brand. Rewrite descriptions to describe the product itself: material, dimensions, design, use case. Avoid any language that implies brand affiliation. See our counterfeit suspension guide for what triggers the AI detection and how to avoid it.
GMC requires a phone number, email address, and business address to be visible on your website or Etsy shop. In 2026, Google's AI verification cross-references the contact details you list against public business registration databases and WHOIS records. If your Etsy shop shows a Gmail address and no physical address, while your domain registration shows different details, you can get flagged for misrepresentation or identity verification failure.
Fix: Add consistent contact information across your website, your Etsy shop's About section, and your Merchant Center business information. Use a business email address (not Gmail) if possible. See the missing contact information guide for the complete checklist.
Some Etsy sellers run both an Etsy shop integrated with GMC and a separate Shopify or WooCommerce store with its own GMC account. Google's policy prohibits operating multiple GMC accounts for what is functionally the same business. If the same products, same business name, and same contact details appear across two Merchant Center accounts, Google flags this as circumventing systems and suspends both.
Fix: Use one Merchant Center account for your business. If you sell on both Etsy and your own website, use a single GMC account and submit your products under the verified domain that best serves your customers (usually your own website). For a deep dive on this policy, see the circumventing systems guide.
Yes. You need a verified domain, public policy pages, and product data that meets GMC requirements. Etsy's own platform policies do not substitute for GMC's requirements.
Missing GTINs on products that look like they should have them. Fix it by setting identifier_exists: FALSE in your feed for genuinely handmade items.
Only if it is publicly visible on your Etsy shop page without requiring a login. Check this from an incognito browser before submitting your appeal.
No. Use one GMC account per business. Two accounts selling the same products from the same business triggers a circumventing systems suspension.
Run the free gmcsuspension.com audit, fix every issue it identifies, then submit a request review through Merchant Center.