Why You Should Start an Etsy Printable Business
When it comes to selling products online, you have A LOT of options. So, why sell digital products on Etsy?
I’ll give you a few reasons.
Reason #1 - There is a built-in audience
Etsy is a HUGE marketplace where people are already looking to buy products like yours! This means that you can get started selling products to the right customers immediately.
Here’s an example. When my cousin graduated from nursing school, I wanted to give her the perfect gift to celebrate this amazing accomplishment. I own a Cricut cutting machine, so I thought that I would use iron-on material to make her a special tote bag. I just needed that perfect SVG file to put into my Cricut software.
I don’t know much about nursing lingo and witty nursing phrases, so I decided it was better to buy a pre-made design. I turned to Etsy and searched “nursing svg”.
In minutes, I had the perfect design! I bought it, loaded it into my Cricut software, cut out the pattern, ironed it onto the bag, and had a super special gift. This is the power of Etsy. I had never heard of this seller before and had never seen their designs. However, I had a very specific need and they had the exact product to fulfill it.
You can use this same strategy to guarantee that your products will sell. Instead of making things and hoping they will sell, you can make products with a built-in audience of buyers that are actively looking for what you have to offer.
To take this to the next level… you can make products that people are looking for AND lead them into your brand, which brings me to reason #2.
Reason #2 - Etsy is a search engine
It's another opportunity for your brand to be found online. Just like how you work on the SEO for your blog to be found in Google and how you use a description/keywords for your pins to be found on Pinterest, you can use this strategy to be found through Etsy.
Bonus of this type of traffic is that they come in immediately as customers (or potential customers if they follow your shop and like your products). They’ve made an investment in your products and brand.
Want to learn more? Download the FREE guide!
In this FREE 7 page PDF guide, you'll learn the basics of selling digital products on Etsy, including how to:
- Find the best digital product ideas to sell on Etsy
- Design printables and license clip are/graphics
- Research keywords and write a product description
- Create beautiful product images, price your products, and more!
Reason #3 - Etsy makes it super easy to sell digital products
When I launched my album “Music & Lyrics” and sold a special digital bundle through my Squarespace website, I ran into an immediate problem. Squarespace only allowed customers to download the products for 24 hours.
I get it. You don’t want people to share the link, etc. But it caused a lot of customer support issues during my launch because people couldn’t always download it right that minute, due to the large file size. Then, they would run out of time or forget and the link would expire.
When I looked into opening an Etsy shop, I knew exactly what I did NOT want in the customer experience for my shop. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Etsy’s distribution for digital products is AWESOME.
Once you set up your product pages and upload the files, they will send the files to customers for you! Every time! You can see when the products have been downloaded as well. It’s fantastic.
I’ve only ever had to send files to a customer twice. Even with all of the instructions in the world, some people won’t find their downloads. Or maybe their account has a glitch? Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. 🤓 Either way, it’s super user friendly for the seller and the customer.
Are there any cons to selling on Etsy?
Of course. There are cons to selling on any platform. Here is the main con for selling on Etsy:
You don’t own the customer information. You CAN NOT add your Etsy customer’s emails into your blog’s email list without their permission. You have to be creative with inviting customers into your blog and website, but that’s the fun part, right?
This shouldn’t scare you though. You’re using Etsy to reach a new audience and grow your brand. You can also have your products on your own website, just make sure the download experience is as good as Etsy!
What are the costs to sell on Etsy?
It's free to join and get started. There is a $0.20 listing fee when you list a new product (you'll pay this each time you sell a digital product). In addition to this, there is a 6.5% transaction fee. There may also be a processing fee (around 3-5%). You can learn more about selling fees for Etsy here.
Open your Etsy shop today!
What are you waiting for?!? Open your shop today 😍😍😍
Sign up as a seller on Etsy! Use my sign up link and get 40 free listings 🎉
But wait... There's more! Get step-by-step instructions.
Create an Etsy Printable Business eBook now available!
Previously a best-selling book on Amazon. Now exclusively sold on Positively Delighted!
This ebook will help you launch an Etsy shop in the next 30 days and start making passive income. Full of step-by-step instructions and insider secrets! Plus, super helpful bonus chapters, resources, and more!
