Defense of fur as a sustainable resource

For the better part of 3.5 years, I have been running Volk Furs through Etsy. This past April, Etsy announced a policy change that will ban the sale of fur on their website starting August 11, 2026.

This announcement came as a shock to me, as my business has been growing on Etsy each year. Every holiday season, I have been selling more products and growing at a steady and sustainable rate. Going into the 2026-2027 season I had high hopes of surpassing my previous year’s gross revenue through Etsy alone.

Etsy has long been home to many makers and businesses that sell fur products. Small businesses across the platform sell raw fur pelts as well as handmade items such as trapper hats, coonskin caps, fur mittens, and other genuine fur goods.

Etsy was a natural place to list these products because many of them are small-batch, handmade products that adhere to strict quality standards and are not mass-produced. The built-in customer base that Etsy provides has always been attractive to small businesses, especially because driving customers directly to an independent website remains one of the biggest challenges in e-commerce.

The Etsy fur ban will force small businesses to find other ways to market their goods. Etsy isn’t the only marketplace to sell goods. Some ways might be for businesses to develop their own website with followers or find other marketplaces. This will disrupt operations in the short term, but make no doubt businesses will be selling just as much product and maybe even more when they don’t have to deal with fur bans and social pressures and start marketing their products for themselves.

So why did Etsy make this policy change? For years, activist groups have pushed aggressively to abolish the harvesting, manufacturing, and use of fur products altogether. Organizations such as Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT) and PETA have publicly pressured Etsy for some time to prohibit the sale of fur products on their platform.

In my opinion, the pressure from these organizations eventually became too significant for Etsy to ignore. Concerns over public perception, corporate image, and outside stakeholder pressure likely played a role in the company’s decision. Unfortunately, many anti-fur organizations continue to push narratives about the fur industry while often ignoring important conversations surrounding regulated wildlife management, sustainable harvesting, rural livelihoods, and the long-standing practical uses of natural fur products.

Fur has been used by people for generations and remains one of the most sustainable natural resources available today. Unlike synthetic materials that depend heavily on petroleum-based production, natural fur is both renewable and biodegradable, while continuing to provide unmatched warmth and protection just as it has for centuries.

Wildlife populations in North America are carefully managed through science-based conservation efforts. Animals that are recovering or need additional oversight are managed by USFWS or state game and fish agencies. Harvest season, quotas, and regulations have been established for many years to ensure sustainable and healthy wildlife populations. Best management practices (BMP) are taught by state trapping organizations. Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies has a website dedicated to Best Management Practices for Trapping. Trappers are deeply connected to conservation. Trappers are sportsmen who want to keep a healthy and sustainable wildlife population. Healthy ecosystems depend on a healthy balance of predator and prey populations. 

Here at Volk Furs, we believe in harvest seasons, quotas, and regulations that make sense. We believe in best management practices for trapping, and we believe in maintaining balanced, healthy, and sustainable wildlife populations.

Being a furrier is a skill that has been passed down through generations. Handmade goods produced in small batches are becoming increasingly rare in today’s world. Rural America has always been built on hard work, attention to detail, and a deep understanding of natural resources so they can be managed and conserved for future generations.

For many families, fur and fur-related products have served as an important source of income for decades. Trapping, nuisance wildlife control, and the craftsmanship required to create fur products have helped people provide for their families when times are tough. These trades require precision, patience, skill, and determination.

The goods that come from these heritage trades are often some of the highest-quality products you can find. The reason is simple: when a craftsman’s reputation and livelihood are on the line, quality is never optional.

Most people do not like change, but sometimes change brings out the very best in people. Nearly two years ago, I began researching the idea of starting my own marketplace focused on fur products and other handmade goods. At the time, Etsy was working well for Volk Furs, and I wanted to continue growing the business to see where the platform would take me, so I put that idea on hold.

April 2, 2026 changed that. The moment Etsy announced its new fur policy, I immediately began thinking about how I was going to market and sell my products for the upcoming season. I will be honest — I was frustrated. Like many small business owners affected by the ban, I suddenly had to rethink the future of my business and find a path forward.

After several weeks of research, software demos, and careful planning, I decided it was time to move forward with the marketplace idea I had considered years earlier. That decision led to the creation of 7 Mile Mercantile. What started as a solution for marketing products from Volk Furs quickly evolved into something much bigger.

7 Mile Mercantile is being built as a semi-curated marketplace centered around fur, leather goods, taxidermy, handmade tools, heritage products, and other small-batch handcrafted goods. The vision is simple: create a place where craftsmen, outdoorsmen, furriers, leather makers, and independent makers can sell their products without worrying about shifting policies driven by outside social pressure.

The marketplace will focus on transparent pricing, common-sense policies, and giving small businesses a stable platform where quality craftsmanship is valued. In a world where many business owners increasingly find themselves affected by corporate pressure and changing public sentiment, 7 Mile Mercantile is being built to help independent makers continue doing what they do best — creating exceptional handmade products and building businesses on their own terms.

Going forward, Volk Furs will be operating through 7 Mile Mercantile. As Etsy closes its doors to businesses selling fur products, 7 Mile Mercantile will step in and continue serving the makers and craftsmen who have been left searching for new opportunities.

I want small businesses producing high-quality, small-batch handmade goods to succeed. Too often, independent makers are forced to operate on platforms where policy changes can happen overnight and years of hard work can disappear with a single decision.

7 Mile Mercantile is being built to change that. It will provide makers with greater independence, transparent policies, and a stable platform dedicated to supporting craftsmanship. The goal is simple: to become a marketplace where handmade products, heritage skills, and independent small businesses continue to thrive.

I will leave you with one final thought. Over time, most things change. Some changes are for the better, while others are for the worse. But people who have the will and determination to keep moving forward through difficult and uncertain times are often the ones who ultimately succeed in every sense of the word.

Until next time…