How do I open a new Etsy shop at 18 if my old shop was under a parent?

Hi! Yes—you can open a brand-new Etsy account/shop now that you’re 18, and that’s usually the cleanest (and safest) way to get everything under your own legal name, bank, and tax details. The key thing is: you can’t “take over” or transfer your parent-owned shop to you, and if you keep the old shop open, Etsy will still treat it as your parent’s shop (your parent stays responsible for taxes, payouts, and any policy issues).

Here’s the safest way to transition without raising avoidable red flags:

1) Set up your new shop the “normal” way (fully in your name)

• Create a new Etsy account using a different email address (each Etsy account can only have one shop).
• Open your new shop and complete Etsy Payments onboarding with your legal name, your bank account, and your taxpayer info (whatever Etsy requests for your location).
• In the Public Profile area, list all shops you run (Etsy requires this when you run multiple shops).

2) Don’t run the exact same listings in two shops for long
Etsy allows multiple shops, but running the same products/listings in two shops at the same time can look like you’re trying to double-dip exposure in search (and it can confuse customers if both shops are active). I’d avoid having identical items available in both shops simultaneously, or keep any overlap extremely short and controlled during the handoff.

A simple “low-risk” migration approach:

• Recreate listings in the new shop as drafts first.
• When you’re ready, publish a batch in the new shop and then deactivate (or renew off) the matching listings in the old shop right away.
• If you need a transition window, consider putting the old shop in Vacation Mode once all outstanding orders are fulfilled, and leave a clear shop announcement pointing buyers to the new shop name.

3) Handle open orders and customer service before you wind down the old shop
Before you slow/close the parent shop:

• Make sure every order is shipped/complete and any messages are answered.
• Keep enough funds available for potential refunds/chargebacks (since the old shop’s payment method is tied to your parent).
• Don’t “abandon” the old shop with unshipped orders—nothing triggers problems faster than late shipping and cases.

4) Reusing your photos/descriptions is fine if you own them—just don’t copy other sellers
If you created the product photos and listing text, you can reuse them in your new Etsy listings. (If anything was made by someone else—photographer, designer, etc.—make sure you have the rights.)

5) Be careful about “changing details” on the old shop
If the old shop is truly under your parent’s identity, don’t try to morph it into your identity in a way that looks like an ownership transfer. Since Etsy doesn’t allow account transfers, a sudden full swap of who the shop “is” can create verification issues. The cleanest setup is: old shop stays your parent’s until it’s wound down; new shop is yours from day one.

If you tell me whether the old shop currently has any open orders (and whether your parent wants to fully close it or keep it running as their shop), I can suggest the smoothest step-by-step timeline for your exact situation.