36. Can I Use AI-Generated Mockups on Etsy? | Tips for Etsy Sellers

n today’s episode, I’m answering the question, “Can I use AI-generated mockups on Etsy?” I’m talking about when mockups are allowed for print-on-demand products, why the finished image still needs to accurately represent what the buyer will receive, and what to know if your AI-generated mockup includes a realistic person.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Hey there, welcome to the Modern Etsy Seller Podcast and What You're Wondering, the segment where I answer one specific Etsy question in under five minutes. I'm Melissa, a busy working mom with two profitable Etsy shops, and I help other busy women make money with Etsy and print on demand. In today's episode, I'm answering the question: can I use AI generated mock-ups on Etsy? I figured I would continue on with the AI theme for the week. That's what my Tuesday episode was about, and I'm just gonna keep going with it for today. As print on demand sellers, where we create the design but work with a production partner who prints that design onto a base product and handles the shipping, the answer is yes. Etsy generally wants sellers to use the original photos of the finished product the buyer will receive. Print on demand, however, is one of the exceptions. And so Etsy says sellers working with production partners may use stock photo mock-ups to show the finished item. Personalized products have slightly different rules. Etsy says the first image, that thumbnail, it needs to show a finished, customized product similar to what the buyer will receive, rather than a blank product or placeholder text, such as like name goes here. The most important thing if you are using AI-generated mock-ups, either ones you create yourself or ones you buy, is making sure that the mock-up accurately shows what the customer is buying. AI can create a really beautiful image, but it can also change things. It may make the product bigger or smaller or wider or a different shape, or it could change the color or texture, and it can add packaging or accessories or things that are not actually included with what they're getting. And we don't want the buyer to receive the product and think this doesn't look like what I ordered, or where's the XYZ that I thought I was gonna get? So if you are using AI to create an entire product mock-up, you just want to carefully compare it with the actual product from your provider. Now I've recently started experimenting with creating my own mock-ups, and so I've been using the product image from my print provider with no background. So there's always like one image that they have where it's all white behind. So I've been taking that image and uploading it to AI and having AI create a lifestyle setting where the product could fit and take center stage, but I don't have it put that product in it. So there is no product included in the image, just a background or a scene where I could then place the image in a way that looks natural. Once ChatGPT, which I like over Clawed for this purpose, I still prefer Claude for many other things, but for this I like ChatGPT. Once it creates the background or the scene around the product, I take the actual product image with my design on it now, no background still, from Printify. So that way it's gonna show the correct shape, angle, proportions, and I place that into the background that ChatGPT made for. And once I have it placed correctly, it's super easy to use over and over again for all my other designs by just you know uploading them to Canva and dragging them over, and it pops right into that same spot. So it's been working really well, but I'm still playing around with it, trying to figure out the right prompts and things like that. But even though I'm not on YouTube yet, I have been thinking about creating a tutorial showing the process once I feel like I've nailed it. So I will keep you posted on that. Now, something to keep in mind with AI generated mock-ups, if it includes a person, you need to be aware of a new disclosure requirement. New York recently put a law into effect. It was about two months ago that they did this. They put a law into effect requiring advertisements to include a clear disclosure when they use what that law is calling a synthetic performer. So an AI person. Even if you don't live in New York, your Etsy listings can still be shown to customers who do. So as sellers, we still need to disclose it anytime there's a realistic AI generated person in a product. And it's easy to do, just add a disclosure right on the image itself, writing something like AI generated model, or image includes an AI generated person. It may be easier to avoid AI generated people altogether, but I know sometimes it truly is necessary for showing the product. So, yes, you can use AI generated mock-ups on Etsy, especially when you are a print-on-demand seller selling an original design printed out by your production partner. Just make sure the finished image accurately represents the product and that it doesn't show anything the buyers won't receive. And make sure it includes that disclosure if you use a realistic AI generated person. Now, if you have any questions that you'd like me to answer on a future episode of What You're Wondering, then you can go on over to melissacarol.co slash question or click the link in the show notes. And one more thing before you go. If this episode helped you in any way, I'd love it if you could leave the podcast a quick review. Reviews help more Etsy sellers find the show, and your feedback helps me create more of the episodes you want to hear. Thanks so much for listening, and I will see you next time.