To all plant sellers deprived by new policy

[Botanicastle]

Hello everyone;

Concerning the new plant selling policy to the united states and the faulty restrictions that get thrown upon us. 

Has anyone had their issue escalated, looked at by the etsy team with the outcome that they can no longer sell to the united states? Or do all shops eventually get fixed?

[GlassyFields]

I'm not an expert but hasn't importing live plants into the US always been subject to restrictions? Is this something new or something that Etsy is now enforcing?

Your plants look really nice - and I love plants but buying outside of US seems like a risky thing to do - because of customs, etc. I don't even buy tulip bulbs when I'm in the Amsterdam airport. One of the questions asked when entering the USA is do you have any plants or food purchased outside the country and who knows what will happen if one says yes.

[Botanicastle]

Thank you! Ive shipped many orders to the us, and almost all of them arrived in great condition 

[JMOldeVintage]

@Botanicastle - There have always been many government restrictions regarding the importation of plant seeds, plants & plant materials into the USA. You can do a google search to find out was the regulations are & what is required.

As for Etsy's current deactivation of listings &/or the limitations placed on listings - where they can be seen in search results, etc. - this is something new. The reasons as to why Etsy is doing this is not clear. But they do have a reason.

What Etsy will eventually do remains to be seen. When Etsy will correct any wrongly deactivated listings will take time. Shop owners will need to be very patient.

In the meantime for anyone selling plants, seeds, plants materials I would suggest you add all your Horticultural licensing information to your about section & review where you ship to. If you do not have the proper licensing for your location, or the proper licensing for where you ship to, obtain the required licensing &/or make the necessary changes to your shipping profiles.

[Botanicastle]

Thank you for your reply. I am from the netherlands and i do have the required licensing to legally ship to the us. Since most of you are from other parts of the world and many from the us, i dont know what to specifically list as for the information your referring to 

[hopeandjoystudios]

 Prohibited and Restricted Items | U.S. Customs and Border Protection (cbp.gov) 

and probably beyond this are things that just Etsy prohibits due to being toxic etc.

[FallenAngelBrass]

@Botanicastle 

It's not a matter of being licensed (is there such thing?) it's a matter of knowing what is and is not legal to ship into the USA.  

[ThePurplePuppy]

@FallenAngelBrass 

Yes, there is such a thing. MY father  had a licensed nursery after he retired (It was a hobby) and he had to out a copy of said license on every package he shipped --and this was within the US.

[ZehOriginalArt]

The restrictions are likely in place at least in part because there are plants being sold that are invasive if planted outdoors in parts of the US. Philodendron is one example. Online sellers of plants are supposed to follow each state's restricted list, but many do not. If they don't, plants are delivered, planted outside (even if they are houseplants people may do that) and they can cause a tremendous problem for the ecosystem when they invade.

[Botanicastle]

I understand your point. I have done research and the majority of my plants are legal. But not a single listing is visible to the united states 

[CraftyCornishMaids]

there are a lot of restrictions,

including knives to UK,

and amber most places, and kiddies clothes with drawstrings, and swaddling for babies, and cuba, and ivory

more and more restrictions come in all the time, due to government regulations

sometimes etsy overreacts, and sometimes, being a worldwide site, it's easier to ban them for everyone, just not the one country.

expect things to get more restrictive, not less

[Botanicastle]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. Some shops have been fixed already, thats why im confused 

[hopeandjoystudios]

How did this shake out? Did Etsy ever state what the issue was? What the new policy was?

[hopeandjoystudios]

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/import-information/permits
this seems to be new info as it was updated August 1st 2022

[hopeandjoystudios]

Plants and Plant Products Permits 
Plant and Plant Product Permits include Plants for Planting such as nursery stock, small lots of seed, and Postentry; Plant Products such as fruits and vegetable, timber, cotton and cut flowers; Protected Plants and Plant Products such as orchids, and Threatened and Endangered plant species; Transit Permits to ship regulated articles into, through, and out of the U.S.; and Controlled Import Permits to import prohibited plant materials for research. 

Transit Permits
Transit Permits are required by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) in advance of arrival for the unloading, landing or other movement of plants, plant products, plant pests, or soil in cargo through the United States.

[moonbeamgifts]

Customs has always had regulations and with the new developments of killer hornets or various other bugs, I wouldn't be surprised at all for regulations to get even tighter for plants/vegetation.    

I sell some unfinished wood craft pieces and no longer offer international shipping because of the regulations and chances at customs - they're dead wood and I've had complications in the past - I can't imagine navigating with something live.

[hopeandjoystudios]

Seems the are cracking down on things that may harm honey bees and "bio ecologicals" which I assume are bugs that kill other bugs? Lol..if you have ever been to Tennessee it doesn't take long to figure out that the railroad importing Japanese kudzu for "weed control" on the tracksides back in the day was an ill-conceived plan. It grows everywhere and even pulls down trees and can cover acres.

[moonbeamgifts]

We're in MD and last week, they put out a photo of some bug you're supposed to kill immediately if you see it because it eats pretty much everything it can get onto.   It's a shame because it's pretty but apparently destructive to the max.

[vintageNCtreasures]

I saw that about that bug.
It's called a Spotted LanternFly and is very destructive.

It got in the US from overseas.
1st detected in PA in 2014.
Since then, it has also been found in New York, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia.

[FallenAngelBrass]

@moonbeamgifts 

The Spotted Lantern Fly decimates entire industries - specifically orchard and lumber.  They just made their way to my area (Long Island, NY) and we're all on orders to kill on sight. 

I've always been shocked that Etsy allows any plant material to be sold here at all since so many invasive insects and seeds can piggyback their way into new places.  

[moonbeamgifts]

That's it!  LOL   I will try to remember to keep a picture handy as I'm sure if I saw something similar, I'd be hopping around, trying to find the picture because I don't want to kill if it's not absolutely necessary.

[JMOldeVintage]

From this link:
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/import-information/permits/plants-and-plant-pr...

"Plants and seeds for planting pose a significant risk to U.S. agriculture and natural resources because they can carry insect pests and pathogens. Seeds can also be mixed with noxious weed seeds. To safeguard U.S. agriculture, APHIS regulates the importation of plants and seeds for planting, including plants and seeds purchased through e-commerce sites, to ensure they meet U.S. import requirements and are free of pests of concern.

People and businesses that buy or sell plants and seeds for planting from another country through an e-commerce site must comply with all applicable U.S. import requirements, including obtaining an import permit from APHIS, obtaining a phytosanitary certificate from the national plant protection organization of the country of origin, properly labeling and shipping the plants and seed, and meeting unique requirements for certain plant species and seed types."

The page linked naturally includes other links & more details on various topics. Reading through some of them is interesting & may be an eye opener for both shop owners & buyers. 

[hopeandjoystudios]

WHY could Etsy not just link to this info and post it in the announcements section with a Hey! Plant and seed sellers! New policies!

[JMOldeVintage]

@hopeandjoystudios - IMO posting a notice about a "new policy" when maybe it should have been policy all along may be sort of admitting fault?
I think about the thread on knives of all kinds suddenly being limited in the UK. Yet the law has been in effect for some time now.

[ZehOriginalArt]

@JMOldeVintage 

True. Etsy consults with lawyers on everything. They like to err on the side of caution by saying nothing.