Etsy recently announced that it would soon prohibit people from peddling things like lighter fluid, drugs, and preserved human remains on its site, because apparently archaeologists have figured out that, in a down economy, they can sell the shrunken-head necklaces they acquired in New Guinea to hipsters looking to get the inside track on ironic baubles. According to CNET's Dara Kerr, Etsy already had an extensive list of things people couldn't sell, which included no-brainers like pornography, live animals, firearms or weapons, and items that demean other people based on race, disabilities, ethnicity, gender, etc.
The new additions include things like "smokeable products," which means anything from tobacco to "herbal smoking blends" (incense is still cool, though). Etsy's policy manager Lauren Engelhardt notably included a "no human bones" clause in the new banned items list, because, as she so prosaically writes in Etsy's policy change announcement, the site has had "issues surrounding the sale of human bones." Not only are bones off-limits, but so too are bodily fluids and preserved tissues and organs, which is just a polite way of saying, "No mummies, thanks." Human hair and teeth, however, are still game, so if you were thrifty enough to hold out on the tooth fairy and save your baby teeth to make jewelry out of, Etsy remains your e-commerce market of choice.
Etsy cracks down on skulls, drugs, lighter fluid for sale [CNET]