Published 3:10 am Monday, July 20, 2026 From: Doug Chiasson, executive director of the Fur Institute of Canada, Ottawa Dear editor, A little while has passed since I sent an open letter on behalf of the Fur Institute of Canada to Etsy, the popular e-commerce platform for small-scale artisans and creatives. In my letter, I urged Etsy to reconsider its ban on the sale of fur products. I have not heard anything in response and as far as I know, neither have any other concerned parties, including the Yukon legislative assembly, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), and the Fur Takers of America. On Etsy’s part, this shows an utter disregard for the artisans, craftspeople, and Indigenous communities who rely on selling fur products to earn a well-deserved and much-needed income based on an equally legitimate and real demand from Canadian consumers. On April 2, Etsy announced that a revised animal product policy would take effect in August. The policy would ban selling items containing “fur from animals killed primarily for their pelts, regardless of age or origin.” In an email to sellers, Etsy described the move as part of “ongoing biodiversity efforts”. Seasoned observers of the fur trade knew that Etsy’s new policy was aimed not at biodiversity, but at placating the anti-fur group harassing it. Many retailers, designers, and even governments have already folded in the face of such brazen intimidation. We saw this with B.C.’s blanket ban on the mink industry, which left many farmers and their families devastated, as well as with the European Union seal ban, which continues to harm Indigenous and coastal communities that depend on a legal, sustainable trade. For the anti-fur lobby, e-commerce companies are the latest target. Etsy’s small-business owners and Indigenous artisans are especially vulnerable, as they make up the platform’s niche market. Many of these sellers live in remote areas. Several are part of Indigenous communities whose economies are inextricably tied to the harvesting of wild furbearers. Ironically, many of these individuals are also on the front lines of conservation—playing a key role in protecting the very biodiversity that Etsy claims motivates it. Consider what Etsy has in common with many retailers that have bowed to the anti-fur lobby, such as Fairmont Hotels, Condé Nast, and Canada Goose: its “animal product policy” is intentionally vague and self-serving. For such a policy to sound convincing, it must appear to take wildlife conservation seriously. Etsy achieves this by citing the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species as a basis for banning trade in species that are considered “endangered.” Clearly, Etsy finds it irrelevant that trade in these species is already strictly controlled. Etsy then adds additional species, including bears, seals, and others, concluding with “certain additional at-risk animals”. This vague phrase provides the wiggle room needed to effectively ban trade in any species it chooses. Etsy’s competitors are no better: eBay bans listing all species of bats, bears, marine mammals and migratory birds, while Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram) bans the sale of “animal parts” from any species, with no reference to their conservation status. The local craftspeople and Indigenous artisans whose platform is being pulled from under them will suffer if Etsy continues to ignore Canadians on this issue. Now is the time for those who work with fur to think about their next step. Make no mistake — whatever route those who work with fur decide to take, it will not be easy. They already have several hoops to jump through, and Etsy’s departure from fur just adds one more. In the short term, they may switch to another e-commerce platform — and hope it doesn’t draw the attention of the anti-fur lobby. If they have the skills, time, and money to spare, they may start selling their wares on their own websites, as some already are. About a decade ago, both Etsy and Facebook banned the selling of seal products. The Fur Institute of Canada launched two online stores to fill the gap: Canadian Seal Products and Proudly Indigenous Crafts and Designs. Thanks to the free marketplace, small business owners can — and should — become Etsy’s new competition.
Opinion: Etsys planned fur ban is forcing Indigenous communities and Canadian artisans to look to new business platforms
