# 2026 Seller AI-Disclosure Rules (US Indie Sellers) **Free lead magnet · Seller Ops Brief · selleropsbrief.com** **Cycle:** September 15, 2026 **Not legal advice. Not regulatory advice.** Verify every rule against the live platform page before you change a listing. --- ## What this is A short, cited checklist of **platform and US federal rules** that matter when US indie sellers use AI on Etsy-style shops, Amazon KDP, freelance marketplaces, eBay listings, and their own storefronts. Sources were fetched from public pages on 2026-09-15. Policies change — open the linked pages yourself. **VERIFY — Etsy handbook / Creativity Standards:** Etsy’s fuller Creativity Standards and Seller Handbook AI pages were **not fully fetched** in the research cycle (403 / timeout from the research environment). AI disclosure claims for Etsy in this guide are grounded in Etsy’s Help Center article **“What Can I Sell on Etsy?”**. Before you scale an AI-assisted shop, open Etsy’s live Creativity Standards / Seller Handbook in your own browser and confirm wording. **VERIFY — eBay User Agreement:** The live eBay User Agreement page returned a security/captcha wall from the research egress. eBay notes below cite a 2023 trade analysis that quotes UA language. Re-read the live User Agreement before relying on those points. --- ## Executive summary “AI disclosure” in 2026 is **not one federal label** on every listing. It is a stack: 1. **Platform duties** (tell Amazon; tell Etsy buyers; honor freelance client expectations) 2. **Truth-in-advertising / fake-review rules** (FTC) — fake AI reviews stay illegal even if a marketplace never asks about AI 3. **Optional but useful transparency** on your own site and Google surfaces ### Highest-action rules | Channel | What to do | |---------|------------| | **Amazon KDP** | Tell Amazon if the book has **AI-generated** text, images (incl. cover), or translations when you publish or republish. **AI-assisted** (you wrote it; AI only edited/brainstormed) need not be disclosed to KDP. Heavy editing does **not** turn generated into assisted. | | **Etsy** | Seller-prompted AI creations are allowed under “designed by seller” / digital paths but **must disclose AI use** in the listing. *(See VERIFY above for handbook.)* | | **Fiverr / similar** | AI OK if refined and client expectations are clear; honor explicit **no-AI** requests; no deceptive deepfakes. | | **FTC (US)** | No fetched “universal 2026 AI product label” for all US listings. Fake/false reviews & testimonials (incl. AI-fabricated) violate the Consumer Reviews Rule (eff. Oct 21, 2024). Paid/gifted endorsements need clear material-connection disclosures. Disclosure does **not** cure fake reviews. | | **Own site / Google** | Mass genAI pages without value risk scaled content abuse; give readers context; Merchant Center has AI image/product-data labeling expectations. | | **eBay** | Treat as **accuracy + seller responsibility** for AI-assisted listing content until you re-read the live UA *(VERIFY)*. | --- ## 1. Amazon KDP **Source:** Amazon KDP Content Guidelines — Artificial intelligence (AI) content https://kdp.amazon.com/help/topic/G200672390 KDP requires you to **inform Amazon** of **AI-generated** content (text, images, or translations) when publishing a new book or editing and republishing an existing book. AI-generated images include cover and interior artwork. - **AI-generated:** content created by an AI-based tool — still “generated” even after substantial edits. - **AI-assisted:** you created the content yourself and used AI to edit/refine/error-check, or used AI only to brainstorm then created the text/images yourself — **no** duty to inform Amazon of that assistance. You remain responsible for intellectual property and all other content guidelines. **Action:** Answer KDP’s AI questions honestly. Keep a private log of tools so “generated vs assisted” is defensible. --- ## 2. Etsy **Source (fetched):** What Can I Sell on Etsy? https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360024112614-What-Can-I-Sell-on-Etsy Etsy’s Help Center states that original designs sold as digital downloads (or produced by a third party) include **seller-prompted AI creations**, and that **seller-prompted AI creations must disclose the use of AI**. Digital items must be made and/or designed by the seller; disclose production partners when used. **VERIFY:** Creativity Standards / Seller Handbook AI stance pages were not fully fetched this cycle. Confirm in a normal browser before launch. **Action:** Put a clear AI-use sentence in the listing description when AI generated the creation from your prompts. --- ## 3. Freelance marketplaces (Fiverr verified) **Source:** Using AI on Fiverr: Guidelines for freelancers and clients https://help.fiverr.com/hc/en-us/articles/37333301560593-Using-AI-on-Fiverr-Guidelines-for-freelancers-and-clients Fiverr permits AI when use is responsible. Freelancers remain fully accountable. AI-assisted/generated work must be high-quality, original, and **meaningfully refined**; unmodified generic AI fails the quality bar. Honor explicit client **non-AI** requests. Deceptive deepfakes and manipulative synthetic media are prohibited. Disputes weigh expectations, quality (including hallucinations), and meaningful human input. **Action:** State your AI workflow in the gig/scope before work starts. *(Upwork’s public AI help page was blocked by Cloudflare during research — not summarized here. Check Upwork Help yourself if you sell there.)* --- ## 4. eBay **VERIFY — primary User Agreement not fetched** (captcha). Secondary trade analysis of the Sept/Oct 2023 UA update quotes language making sellers responsible for listing accuracy/content **including** content created with generative AI tools, and notes eBay clarified that generative AI tools/content may be offered. **Source (secondary):** https://www.valueaddedresource.net/ebay-user-agreement-update-9-25-23/ **Action:** Confirm on the live eBay User Agreement. Until then, assume **responsibility for accuracy**, not a documented mandatory in-listing AI badge. --- ## 5. Own storefront + Google This guide does **not** claim a Shopify-wide “AI checkbox.” Sellers still face Google’s public guidance: **Source:** Google Search’s guidance on using generative AI content on your website https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/using-gen-ai-content (Last updated note on page: 2025-12-10 UTC) - GenAI mass pages without user value may violate **scaled content abuse**. - Focus on accuracy, quality, and relevance; consider telling readers how content was created. - For ecommerce / Merchant Center: AI-generated images should use IPTC `DigitalSourceType` `TrainedAlgorithmicMedia`; AI-generated product title/description attributes should be labeled as AI-generated. --- ## 6. US federal overlay (all channels) ### Fake reviews & testimonials **Source:** FTC — The Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: Questions and Answers https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/consumer-reviews-testimonials-rule-questions-answers Rule effective **October 21, 2024**. Targets fake or false consumer reviews and testimonials. Staff Q&A: no blanket ban on AI stock avatars / virtual influencers, but fake/false underlying testimonials remain prohibited; avatar use can still be deceptive under the FTC Act. Fabrication is not cured by a disclosure. ### Endorsements / free product / affiliates **Source:** FTC’s Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking Material connections (payment, free product, employment) that would affect how people evaluate a recommendation must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. Guides revised 2023; apply to social media. **Action:** Never buy or generate fake reviews “with AI.” Disclose paid/gifted posts. Keep marketing claims truthful whether or not a marketplace asked about AI. --- ## One-page checklist | Channel | Disclose / report? | To whom? | |---------|-------------------|----------| | KDP book | Yes if AI-**generated** text/images/translations | Amazon (KDP form) | | Etsy AI-created item | Yes | Buyers (listing) — VERIFY handbook | | Fiverr delivery | Communicate; honor no-AI | Client | | eBay listing | Confirm live UA; accuracy always | Buyers / eBay — VERIFY | | Google Shopping / site | Merchant metadata; avoid scaled junk | Google / readers | | Reviews & influencer posts | Never fake; disclose material ties | Public / FTC Act | --- ## Sources (fetched 2026-09-15) 1. Amazon KDP Content Guidelines (AI) — https://kdp.amazon.com/help/topic/G200672390 2. Etsy Help — What Can I Sell on Etsy? — https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360024112614-What-Can-I-Sell-on-Etsy 3. Fiverr — Using AI on Fiverr — https://help.fiverr.com/hc/en-us/articles/37333301560593-Using-AI-on-Fiverr-Guidelines-for-freelancers-and-clients 4. FTC Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule Q&A — https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/consumer-reviews-testimonials-rule-questions-answers 5. FTC Endorsement Guides FAQ — https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking 6. Google Search — Using generative AI content — https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/using-gen-ai-content 7. Value Added Resource — eBay UA update (secondary) — https://www.valueaddedresource.net/ebay-user-agreement-update-9-25-23/ 8. Authors Guild — KDP AI disclosure context (secondary) — https://authorsguild.org/news/amazons-new-disclosure-policy-for-ai-generated-book-content-is-a-welcome-first-step/ --- ## Disclaimer This free guide is for education and listing hygiene. It is **not legal, tax, or professional advice**. It is not a substitute for reading live platform policies or consulting a qualified attorney. Research used public pages only; some marketplace legal pages were blocked (see VERIFY notes). This document was AI-assisted; factual claims are tied to the sources above or marked VERIFY. © 2026 Matthew Stadnik / Seller Ops Brief · Free lead magnet · Not for resale as a competing product Weekly brief: https://selleropsbrief.com · hello@selleropsbrief.com