BY MARÍA JOSÉ GUTIERREZ CHAVEZ, EDITORIAL FELLOW

Etsy has banned witches from its platform for a decade. But that didn’t stop witches until recently. What changed?

It’s no secret that landing a job right now is hard— if not nearly impossible. 

“Guys it’s getting desperate out here, I just paid an Etsy witch to hear back from a Job,” one user shared on TikTok. “I’m resorting to anything.”

My current gig ends in a few short weeks, and after sending out dozens of applications to no avail, I’ve started to get a little desperate myself. 

So I figured I’d try witchcraft. 

Where does one buy magic? On Etsy, of course. The platform is generally known as a marketplace for homemade items and personalized gifts—and until recently, custom spellwork. 

For $15, one particular spell caster offers a “Dream Job Spell.” Upon sending one’s date of birth and their name, the seller says they will reach out as soon as two hours later with proof of a spell cast.

“Holy moly. This works! I haven’t gotten a job yet but leads, interview and opportunities have been coming in since I purchased the job spell,” a review of the listing says.

It’s not only job assistance this online coven offers. They’ve also got an obsession spell to make a crush fall in love, and even a ticket spell to score Harry Styles pit tickets. You name it, there’s probably a spell for you.

But when looking for Etsy witch recommendations on social media, I found that the witches are disappearing from the platform. 

One particular TikTok user by the handle Callo Jayy regularly frequented an Etsy witch. She found out her spellcaster was getting removed from the platform when she tried sharing the witch’s profile to friends. “I’m panicking because she helped me get tickets to Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine Tour,” she said. “We need her, so I was very alarmed.”

“Suddenly, and quietly, they have removed us with no real explanations, whether it’s an immediate ban or slowly taking down our listings,” Etsy witch Beatrix, who ran a page under the name Celestial Craft Spells, told The New York Post in early February. “For some of us, this was our livelihood.”

Etsy has forbidden spells, enchantments, and any supernatural services since 2015 (eBay banned them a few years before that). When the rule took effect, according to Vice, Etsy purged many vendors offering such services from the platform. But Etsy apparently didn’t necessarily hunt down every witch on the platform, as many have continued to operate since the rule took effect. Beatrix even told the New York Post that the platform’s ads had helped them find potential clients.

“On Etsy, witches had a place where we could complete our work without discrimination,” she said.

But recently, Etsy has gotten more serious about enforcement. That may be due to the fact that the practice of buying spells has regained popularity—and garnered controversy.

In September last year, Jezebel published a story titled “We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk.” Kirk was murdered just two days later, prompting the publication to add a note to the story and anonymize the author.

And then there’s the claims of fraud. 

“I paid an Etsy witch for no rain on the wedding day and it down-poured all day” a user said on TikTok. “There goes my $9.”

Still, what Beatrix described to The New York Post as a “modern witch hunt,” is concerning for users who relied on their services.

Many are also calling out Etsy taking action against the witch community while unregulated dropshippers and allowing Alligator Alcatraz merch to remain up for sale.

Even as Etsy witches are forced to flock elsewhere, consumers are evidently willing to find them regardless, as the psychic services industry reached $2.3 billion last year.

Months after realizing her regular witch was removed from the platform, Carol Jayy realized her witch was back on Etsy, messaging her for an explanation.

In a message shown on TikTok, the witch said “Etsy is standing by its policy and removing all spellcasters. Please visit our website for all your magic needs.”

However Etsy, which did not respond to Inc.’s request for comment ahead of publication time, may need its own spell to extricate its brand from the brewing controversy. 

“I will still be calling my Etsy witch, my Etsy witch,” the user said. “I don’t care.”