Introduction
If you have spend any time on Etsy in the past few years, you have probably seen the flood of AI generated art assets – clipart, backgrounds, photographs, etc. Finding genuine photographic stock has become a huge challenge, and Etsy are not providing ways for their customers to even filter out AI-generated content. So I have been playing around with adblockers to try and find a way to at least block some of these listings during my own searches for useful stock imagery.
In this blog post I’ll show you how to block Etsy listings and stores using AdBlocker Ultimate, or uBlock Origin, for Firefox.
(Option 2): Install AdBlocker Ultimate
You can download this addon from the Firefox Addons page: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adblocker-ultimate/
Open the AdBlocker Ultimate settings by clicking on the icon in your browser’s addons section (top right of the screen, little red shield icon), and then press Settings.
From there, go to the Custom Rules tab. This is where we will add our filters.
Option 2: Install uBlock Origin
This addon for Firefox can be downloaded at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/
For Chrome users, you’ll have to use uBlock Origin Lite from https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublock-origin-lite/ddkjiahejlhfcafbddmgiahcphecmpfh
When installed, the extension icon will be a red shield as well, but darker red than AdBlocker Ultimate
To go into Settings, click the red shield icon, then click the small icon at the bottom right that looks like 3 cogs.
Then, go to the My Filters / Custom Filters tab.
Method 1: Blocking Specific Product Listings
This method has not been tested on a product after it’s been renewed. Presumably a listing that expires and is reposted will have a new product ID and therefore you’ll need to block it again.
Step 1: Get the Listing ID
In a new tab, open Etsy, and go to a listing you want to block. In this example, I am going to an AI-generated pack of linen textures https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/1586481382/linen-fabric-texture-pack-luxury
In the URL, you can see an ID number. In this case it is 1586481382. Note that number.
Step 2: Create your Rule
In the adblocker’s custom rules, add this line:
etsy.com##div[data-listing-id=”1586481382″]
Replace the number with your product’s ID.
The list will autosave when you stop typing.
Hard refresh your Etsy page (in Firefox this is done with Crtl Shift R), and you should see that listing disappear from view.
You can add more blocking rules, each on a new line with a different product ID.
Method 2: Block Sellers / Stores
If you want to block all listings by a seller, that can also be done with adblock filters.
Note that this method will not stop you from visiting that store by directly typing in their URL in a browser. It only works on search pages.
Step 1: Get the Seller’s Name
When performing a search, you can click on their store name to go to that store’s homepage. It will display the store’s name at the top, underneath their banner image.
For example, this is the page for the store RomanticLetters. Look at the red underlined text.
So we will copy that name exactly as it appears there.
Step 2: Create Your Rule
In the adblocker’s custom rules, add this line:
etsy.com##.listing-link:has(span:has-text(RomanticLetters))
Replace the text RomanticLetters with your string from Step 1.
Hard refresh your Etsy page (in Firefox this is done with Crtl+Shift+R), and you should see all the listings from that creator disappear from view.
You can add more blocking rules, each on a new line with a different store name.
My Etsy AI Block List
If you want to save time and block over 300 stores that sell AI cliparts and stock, I’ve made a custom filter list. You can either copy the text into the Custom Rules as we did above, or download the file and then click the Upload button in the Filters page.
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1uezTYSVtJ9L_t-UCz3XCWIC3nUiD1OgS
I have also uploaded the project to GitHub so you can also access it from there, or fork it as needed.
https://github.com/aneuroticdoctor/Etsy-AI-Store-Hider
To use the GitHub list with adblockers that support URLs, make sure you paste in this URL:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aneuroticdoctor/Etsy-AI-Store-Hider/refs/heads/main/etsyaiblocker.txt
This is an intense manual process, so if you want to show your support for this project, please consider donating via PayPal or Ko-Fi.
Does This Technique Work With DesignBundles.net?
Yes! Use this layout for the adblock rule:
designbundles.net##.product-box:has(a:has-text(STORE NAME HERE))Does This Technique Work With CreativeMarket.com?
Yes! Use this layout for the adblock rule:
creativemarket.com##.sp-product-card:has(a:has-text(STORE NAME HERE))
Conclusion
I hope this guide helps you filter out your unwanted Etsy listings! If you have any questions, or want to share your own block lists, leave a comment below!
Peace, love & sunshine,
Jessica
