Handmade by real makers · Thoughtful buyers

Effective date: September 8, 2026

ShopMyNest is a marketplace for handmade and one-of-a-kind goods. That promise is the reason Buyers come to ShopMyNest and the reason independent makers list here rather than on a general-purpose marketplace. This Handmade & Authenticity Policy sets out what “handmade” means on ShopMyNest, how to be transparent about your production, and how ShopMyNest verifies and enforces the standard.

This policy is part of the Seller Agreement and applies alongside the Terms of Service, the Prohibited & Restricted Items Policy, and the Return & Refund Policy. Where this policy is more specific than Seller Agreement §3, this policy controls.

1. The handmade standard

To list an item on ShopMyNest, one of the following must be true:

  • (a) You designed and produced it yourself. You did the design work and you physically produced the item.
  • (b) You designed it and hand-finished each piece with disclosed production assistance. You are the designer, you are still involved in each unit’s production or finishing, and you have disclosed any production assistance in your shop bio or the listing description.
  • (c) It is a genuinely one-of-a-kind vintage or upcycled piece you have the right to sell. A single antique, a single upcycled find, or a single reworked piece qualifies. A batch of identical drop-shipped items does not.

If none of (a), (b), or (c) is true, the item is not handmade for ShopMyNest’s purposes and may not be listed. This mirrors Seller Agreement §3.1.

2. Makers vs designers

Two roles show up on ShopMyNest, sometimes in the same Seller:

  • A maker designs and physically produces the item. If you cut, sew, throw, glaze, forge, carve, weld, cast, print, paint, letter, mix, bake, or otherwise do the physical work, you are a maker for that item.
  • A designer does the design work — sketching, prototyping, materials selection, pattern-making — and may have production assistance for some or all of the physical steps.

Both are welcome on ShopMyNest. If you are a designer using production assistance, you must:

  • Disclose the production assistance in your shop bio and, where relevant, in the listing description.
  • Stay involved in each unit’s production or finishing — a designer whose only involvement is emailing a factory does not meet the standard.
  • Name the production partner in your shop bio if you use a named partner (a specific small workshop, a named collaborator). You do not need to disclose the identity of an individual employee who works in your own studio.

3. Production assistance — what is and isn’t allowed

Allowed with disclosure. A person or small workshop that helps you produce your designs — an assistant in your studio, a small workshop that cuts your patterns, a collaborator who casts your molds, a printer who prints your original artwork onto paper you specify. The relationship must be a working collaboration on your designs, and you must disclose it.

Not allowed. Mass-production facilities that would make the item indistinguishable from off-the-shelf goods; overseas contract manufacturers you brief with a photo and then receive by container; any arrangement where you are functionally a reseller of another factory’s stock catalog. If a Buyer would reasonably think the item came off an assembly line rather than out of a maker’s studio, the arrangement is not allowed on ShopMyNest.

4. Being transparent about your business

Your shop bio is the single place a Buyer can learn who is behind the shop. It must disclose:

  • Who makes each item — you alone, you plus named collaborators, or you plus a small workshop.
  • Where the item is made — the town, city, or region is enough; you do not need to publish a home address.
  • What materials you use — at a level of detail that a Buyer with allergies, ethical concerns, or gift-giving needs can rely on.
  • Any production partners — see §2.

If any of these change, update your shop bio and your affected listings before you accept new orders.

5. Photography and representation

Photos in your listings must be of your actual work. That means:

  • Photos of the item you will ship, or, for made-to-order items, of a representative unit you produced.
  • No stock photos from a supplier catalog.
  • No photos taken from another maker’s shop, portfolio, or social media.
  • No AI-generated renderings presented as photos of a physical item you will ship.

You may use tasteful mockups or lifestyle scenes so long as the item shown is your item and the listing makes clear which images are mockups.

6. What isn’t handmade

The following are examples of what does not meet the handmade standard on ShopMyNest:

  • Drop-shipping. Listing an item you do not physically handle, that ships from a supplier’s warehouse under the supplier’s label.
  • Print-on-demand from someone else’s design. Selling apparel, mugs, or prints produced by a POD provider using a design you did not create.
  • Wholesale flipping. Buying finished goods from a wholesaler or overseas platform and reselling them, with or without minor tweaks.
  • Mass-produced goods with slight modifications. Off-the-shelf items with a bow tied on, a tag swapped, or a logo removed do not become handmade.
  • Unauthorized reproductions. Copies of another maker’s work, whether or not you physically made them.

For the broader prohibited-item categories, see the Prohibited & Restricted Items Policy — in particular §8 (mass-produced, drop-shipped, and non-handmade items).

7. How we verify

ShopMyNest may verify the handmade standard at any point — during onboarding, at intake for a listing, in response to a Buyer or Seller report, or on periodic review. Verification may include a request for:

  • Progress photos showing the item in stages of production.
  • Workspace photos showing the tools, materials, and setup you use.
  • Process video of a short segment of the production or finishing work.
  • Supplier receipts or licensing documentation for materials or licensed designs.

Requests for verification are more common for new Sellers, for high-value categories, and after a report. If you are asked to verify and you decline, or you cannot produce reasonable evidence within the time we specify, we may remove the listing and take further action under §9.

8. Reporting a non-handmade listing

If you are a Buyer or a fellow Seller and you believe a listing does not meet the handmade standard, email help@shopmynest.com with:

  • The listing URL or the item title and shop name.
  • What specifically makes you think the item is not handmade (for example, a matching stock image on a supplier catalog, identical listings on a drop-ship site).
  • Any supporting evidence — screenshots, links, side-by-side comparisons.

ShopMyNest reviews every report and follows up with the reporter when review is complete. Reports are treated confidentially.

9. Enforcement

A listing that fails the handmade standard is subject to two overlapping enforcement paths:

  • As “significantly not as described” (SNAD). A non-handmade item sold as handmade is a misdescription of the item. Buyer refunds may be issued under Return & Refund Policy — Step 3, including from the Seller’s balance where warranted.
  • As a Seller Agreement violation. Non-handmade listings violate Seller Agreement §3. Consequences may include removal of the listing, a warning, suspension, or termination of the Seller account under Seller Agreement §12. Repeated or serious violations — including drop-shipping at scale or intentional misrepresentation of a supplier catalog — will be treated as serious violations subject to immediate action.

10. Contact

Questions about this Handmade & Authenticity Policy? Email help@shopmynest.com or write to ShopMyNest LLC.