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Rule 08 · Transparent backgrounds turn black

规则 08 · 透明背景容易变黑

I uploaded a clean cutout PNG once. In Shop Manager it looked fine — on the public page the clear areas turned into a harsh black slab.

Rule 08

What this means: PNG or WebP files with a clear background often show those clear areas as black on Etsy. Stickers, cutouts, and digital mockups that float on transparency in Canva can look broken in search tiles and the gallery.

If you ignore it: buyers see a dark block behind the product. You may think the listing is fine in admin while the public page looks wrong — and you burn time on re-uploads.

How I fix it: I flatten onto white, cream, or another light solid that matches the shop, then export JPEG (sRGB, no transparency), under about 1MB when I can. The size I reuse often is 2700×2025 (4:3) with no transparent background — same habit as Rule 10 on the rules hub.

TagPeek’s local checker can flag transparency before upload. After publish I still glance at the live page — black-background surprises are common enough that I keep this note here.

Read Etsy Help original ↗ · Black-fill habit from seller experience; flatten before upload.

FAQ

Will a white PNG work instead of JPEG?

Even with a white fill, leftover transparency can still surprise you. I export a flat JPEG in sRGB.

Does Etsy support transparent listing photos?

Help focuses on clear product photos. In practice, transparent areas often fill black — so I flatten before upload.

Can TagPeek remove transparency for me?

No. We flag the issue and point you here. You export a flat file from your design tool.

Related: size checker · transparent PNGs · photo checker

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