When listing items on Etsy, whether directly or via Printful, it’s important to use tags correctly. Etsy tags help match your product to buyers’ searches, but you need to follow certain rules so they work properly.
Etsy tag rules
- Character limit: Each tag can be up to 20 characters
- Tag count: You can add up to 13 unique tags per listing
- Uniqueness: Tags must be different; no duplicates allowed
- Allowed characters:
Learn more about Etsy tags here
What happens if your tags don’t follow the rules?
- Etsy will skip any invalid tags and still apply the valid ones.
- If you encounter the error message “Product was not added! Unknown Etsy client exception” while using Printful, it typically indicates that one of your tags has surpassed the 20-character limit. Review your tags and attempt the action again.
Why good tags matter
Beyond avoiding errors, tags help Etsy match your listing to shoppers. Tags act like keywords; using all 13 and choosing descriptive multi-word phrases (rather than generic single words) boosts your visibility.
Quick reference
| Rule | Limit / Notes |
| Tag length | ≤ 20 characters |
| Number of tags | ≤ 13 tags per listing |
| Tag uniqueness | No duplicate tags |
| Allowed characters for English tags | Letters, numbers, hyphen, apostrophe, space, underscore, ™, © |
| Allowed characters for French/German tags (includes accents) | À Á Â Ã Ä Å Æ Ç È É Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï Ñ Ò Ó Ô Õ Ö Ø Œ Ù Ú Û Ü Ý Þ ß à á â ã ä å æ ç è é ê ë ì í î ï ñ ò ó ô õ ö ø œ ù ú û ü ý þ ÿ ' - |
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