{"id":681035,"date":"2025-07-22T20:00:29","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T17:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/etsy-faces-user-boycott-over-alligator-alcatraz-branded-products\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T20:00:29","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T17:00:29","slug":"etsy-faces-user-boycott-over-alligator-alcatraz-branded-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/etsy-faces-user-boycott-over-alligator-alcatraz-branded-products\/","title":{"rendered":"Etsy faces user boycott over ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ branded products"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Florida GOP<\/a> isn\u2019t the only one profiting from the detention center known as \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d by selling<\/a> merchandise. A subset of Etsy buyers and sellers began a boycott of the online marketplace this month over its decision to allow \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d-branded merchandise on its site. <\/p>\n

Today, this sort of merchandise \u2014 including T-shirts, hats, mugs, stickers, patches, and other items \u2014 can be found across e-commerce platforms beyond Etsy, ranging from large retailers like Amazon to online marketplaces like eBay to seller storefront providers like Shopify and more.<\/p>\n

However, Etsy users have taken particular issue with the company\u2019s decision to allow the merchandise, which celebrates the controversial ICE detention center in Florida, where detainees are held in cages and subjected to reportedly horrible conditions, according to outlets like the AP<\/a>, Newsweek<\/a>, The Washington Post<\/a>, CBS<\/a>, The NYT<\/a>, Tampa Bay Times<\/a>, and others.<\/p>\n

Etsy, its users argue, has a published Discrimination and Hateful Content Policy<\/a>, which lists \u201cimmigration status\u201d as a protected class \u2014 meaning both behavior and merchandise cannot contain or display discriminatory behavior toward the listed protected classes. Boycotters believe that Etsy is in violation of its policy, as the company notes that prohibited behavior includes not only hate speech, but also \u201ccontent which directly or indirectly contains violent or degrading commentary against protected classes listed above.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Etsy\u2019s site has 20 pages of \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d-branded merchandise.<\/span>Image Credits:<\/strong>Etsy screenshot<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Etsy boycott has been loosely organized on social media<\/a> platforms like Meta\u2019s Threads<\/a> and Reddit<\/a> so far, where there are thousands of posts and comments. For example, one Threads post<\/a> that references the boycott received more than 26,500 likes and a Reddit post exclaiming \u201cWhat are they thinking over at Etsy?!\u201d<\/a> has 69,000 upvotes.<\/p>\n

When searching for the term \u201cBoycott Etsy<\/a>\u201d on Threads, you\u2019ll find a long stream of posts debating the boycott, many of which have hundreds of replies. Some Etsy sellers worry their online businesses will suffer as a result, even though they are not selling this type of merchandise. Others, including those who disagree with the Trump administration\u2019s policies, believe the merchandise is protected free speech.<\/p>\n

On Reddit\u2019s Etsy Community and elsewhere, boycotting<\/a> sellers<\/a> are threatening to close their shops<\/a>, and buyers say they\u2019re closing<\/a> their accounts. There are also references to the boycott across other social media sites like X<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, and others.<\/p>\n

Because the effort is so far only loosely organized, it\u2019s difficult to tell how many are participating. According to data from app<\/a> intelligence provider Appfigures, Etsy\u2019s iOS app in the U.S. hasn\u2019t slipped in the ranks at this time \u2014 it\u2019s been in the top 20 apps in the Shopping category throughout the month.<\/p>\n

Etsy is not alone in profiting from this type of merchandise, as some sellers and buyers have also pointed out. Many major selling platforms have not banned \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d-branded products at this time. Among those TechCrunch reached out to, only Amazon was willing to defend its choice to host this merchandise, pointing us to its policy around controversial products and content<\/a>. The company also said the \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d merchandise was compliant with its guidelines<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Etsy did not respond to multiple requests for comment. eBay responded to an email request, but never shared a comment. Shopify didn\u2019t respond, nor did smaller platforms like Redbubble and Teepublic. (Walmart and Target were not found to be hosting this type of merchandise at this time.)<\/p>\n

Etsy also featured a couple of sellers with pro-\u201cAlligator Auschwitz\u201d branded merchandise, among other listings for merchandise calling for its abolition (as seen in the screenshot below).<\/p>\n

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Image Credits:<\/strong>Etsy screenshot<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

E-commerce platforms have weathered storms like this before, and have been known to host products that promote both right-wing and left-wing views without taking a political stance themselves.<\/p>\n

But in more extreme cases, the companies have capitulated to customer backlash. For instance, earlier this year, Shopify was caught hosting a storefront run by Kanye that was selling a Swastika T-shirt and took it down, though it continued to host other stores that featured antisemitic content. In previous years. Amazon also previously faced backlash<\/a> over its decision to host right-wing militia merchandise and products celebrating QAnon conspiracies, and also pulled<\/a> those products<\/a> down<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n