A growing group of Etsy users is staging a boycott of the platform in protest of its decision to allow merchandise branded with “Alligator Alcatraz,” the nickname for a Florida ICE detention center, to be sold on the site.
While similar products — like mugs, shirts, stickers, and patches — are available across major e-commerce outlets including Amazon, eBay, and Shopify, Etsy is drawing sharper criticism due to its stated policies. “Etsy, its users argue, has a published Discrimination and Hateful Content Policy, which lists ‘immigration status’ as a protected class — meaning both behavior and merchandise cannot contain or display discriminatory behavior toward the listed protected classes.” Critics claim the platform is violating this policy by enabling merchandise that celebrates a facility where detainees are reportedly caged and mistreated, as documented by media outlets including The AP, CBS, Newsweek, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Tampa Bay Times.
Etsy currently displays 20 pages of “Alligator Alcatraz”-themed products. The boycott effort, though loosely coordinated, has picked up momentum on platforms like Threads and Reddit. “For example, one Threads post that references the boycott received more than 26,500 likes and a Reddit post exclaiming ‘What are they thinking over at Etsy?!’ has 69,000 upvotes.” The phrase “Boycott Etsy” returns a flood of posts on Threads, with hundreds of comments debating the issue.
Some sellers, not affiliated with the controversial merchandise, worry about collateral damage to their shops. Others argue the listings fall under free speech, regardless of their political stance. Meanwhile, sellers have begun threatening to shut their shops, and buyers say they’re deleting their accounts. Mentions of the boycott are also popping up across other social platforms like X, TikTok, and Facebook.
Despite the backlash, Etsy’s iOS app remains stable in the U.S. rankings. “According to data from app intelligence provider Appfigures, Etsy’s iOS app in the U.S. hasn’t slipped in the ranks at this time — it’s been in the top 20 apps in the Shopping category throughout the month.”
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