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(RNS) — For years, witches found a home on Etsy. Now they’re facing a problem even magic can’t fix.
Etsy witches hit the zeitgeist last year due to a series of viral videos and a controversial article about Etsy witches hexing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, but in recent months, longtime spellcasters have begun exiting the platform.
Since its 2005 launch, the online marketplace has been known as a purveyor of homemade goods, vintage clothes and craft supplies — and, for those with magical inclinations, as a destination for the occult. Alongside personalized ornaments and embroidered tote bags, buyers could peruse spells for love, passing exams and good weather for a wedding.
Some practitioners say they’ve left as Etsy cracks down on metaphysical content and grapples with an influx of AI-generated listings. But though Etsy may no longer be witches’ platform of choice, their offerings, practitioners say, remain as in demand as ever.
“There’s been a migration from Etsy to platforms on the web,” said Florida-based spellcaster and gemologist Hank Mason, who co-founded the online shop Crystal Conjure Magic. “The whole concept of metaphysical services has had a difficult time finding a commercial platform to be on.”
The tradition of purchasing spells is as old as witchcraft itself, said Courtney Weber, a witchcraft author and tarot reader based in Portland, Oregon. “There’s always been somebody in the community who could make the luck charm, who could make a love charm,” she said.
These days, many of those purchases happen online. And research shows the practices may be losing their taboo. Last year, Pew Research Center found that nearly 1 in 3 Americans consult a fortune teller, tarot cards or astrology on a yearly basis, meaning Americans are about as likely to consult these practices as they are to attend religious services at least monthly. Scholars who study religion and modern witchcraft say the popularity of click-and-buy spells show that many buyers are seeking agency and guidance at a time of cultural upheaval.
That popularity was especially evident last year. In 2025, beyond the Kirk controversy, Etsy witches gained new visibility as influencers posted about paying them to change wedding-day weather, repair romantic relationships, sway sports outcomes and secure big work wins.
New York City-based influencer Jaz Smith posted a May 2025 TikTok with the caption: “me trying to explain to people that they got perfect weather for the holiday weekend because I paid a etsy witch for good weather for my wedding.” The video has over a million views.
Today, searches for spells on Etsy turn up thousands of listings, many featuring images of candles or women draped in shawls. Some have AI-renderings of the spell’s desired outcome: a picturesque wedding day, an illustration of weight loss. Most spells are digital-only products; the purchaser submits information about the desired effect or questions they are seeking insight on, and the seller sends a picture of the ritual setup and an Etsy message with a summary of the ritual. Almost all include disclaimers that specific outcomes aren’t guaranteed.
“In terms of people selling spells, there’s probably a gamut there that runs from people who certainly believe in their own power to help other people through magic, all the way to people who are charlatans and are taking advantage of other people because they can make a buck,” said Sabina Magliocco, professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Anthropology who studies the modern pagan movement.
Within the metaphysical community, these spells can be divisive. Sociologist Helen Berger, who has studied contemporary witchcraft and magic since the 1980s, said many older witches — especially those who belong to a coven or who are Wiccan — feel that commercialization has tainted the practice. They value the tradition of passing down knowledge in community free of charge.
“They feel that it’s moving away from the real meaning, spiritual meaning, of their practice,” said Berger. “The emphasis in the beginning was to move away from commercialization and move closer to nature, closer to a direct interchange with the divine or with the other world.”
But other witches, including Weber, are glad to see spellcasters making a living whatever way they can. She said online platforms make witchcraft more accessible and can still be avenues for spiritual meaning and connection, even across the virtual divide.
Still, witches with online storefronts have faced hurdles. EBay halted the sale of spells in 2012, and since 2015, Etsy’s services policy has banned metaphysical services, including spellcasting, rituals and items that advertise attracting specific outcomes. Historically, practitioners have evaded the policy by offering tangible goods along with their spells and labeling their spells as “for entertainment only.”
But Mason of Crystal Conjure Magic said that last year, as Etsy witches gained attention, the platform began more strictly enforcing its ban on metaphysical content.
“We left Etsy last summer,” said Mason, explaining he received an email from Etsy notifying him that it would be enforcing its rules. Since Crystal Conjure Magic already had a separate website selling the same offerings — “Back Together Spell” for $12.95, “Bewitching Beauty Spell Bundle” for $39.95 — they decided to leave.
“They’re free to run it the way they want to. If you want to sell on their platform, you should follow their rules,” said Weber.
Etsy didn’t respond to requests for comment.
James, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based magician who asked to withhold his last name, citing personal and professional repercussions, has been on Etsy for eight years. He updated his Etsy listings to ensure they abide by the guidelines, selling tangible goods like amulets and ritual kits. His spells are now purchased through his individual Planetary Spells site.
James said sellers are “moving out en masse” due to concerns about Etsy’s selling fees, challenges with the search algorithm and a deluge of AI-generated content.
“Ever since the whole AI boom, there are people out there that are churning AI slop really, really quickly,” James told RNS. “Etsy built much of its identity around handmade products, independent creators and unusual things you couldn’t necessarily find anywhere else … And their slogan was, you know, ‘keep commerce human.’ I think a lot of sellers are increasingly asking whether the platform still lives up to that.”
On Oct. 22, Etsy announced an updated AI policy requiring sellers to include at least one unedited photo of the item being sold. They also said bot-generated listings without human involvement would be removed. “We’re investing in tools to better identify authentic versus misleading images and detect and remove listings that use AI to create fraudulent inventory,” the update said.
Elisabeth, a clairvoyant and witch, said Etsy was instrumental in helping her develop her business. She operates a website and Etsy business under that name, and like James, asked that her legal name be withheld due to concerns about repercussions in her personal and professional life. She still has an Etsy storefront but currently conducts most of her sales for readings and spell castings through her Elisabeth’s Room website.
“AI content diluted search results but it also triggered a major flight to quality,” said Elisabeth, who, like James and Mason, said demand for her services remains high. “There’s been a massive surge in people seeking a real practitioner, a human that can form an energetic connection within the sea of AI rubbish.”
That “rubbish,” she said, can be identified by looking for high-volume, low-priced spells for under $10. AI photos, 100% guaranteed results and spells sold without a pre-consultation are other signs, she added.
Whether shoppers purchase content that’s genuine or AI-generated, their rising demand for online spells could be an indicator that people are increasingly seeking control amid uncertain times, witches and modern witchcraft experts said. Weber pointed to the popularity of magic during the Black Plague, the 2008 Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re trying to maintain power in a time of great powerlessness,” she said. “And sometimes that’s the closest thing people can get, is to receive the power and energy from another person who’s giving it willingly.”
As many Americans look for meaning outside of traditional religious institutions — about 21% of U.S. adults say they are spiritual but not religious, according to Pew — magic could be one way people are looking to affect and make sense of their circumstances.
“Mainstream systems aren’t working for people anymore,” said Elisabeth. “They’re coming back to practical magic because it’s personalized, rebellious and gives them control. It puts the power back in their hands to create the life they want to live.”