How to Get Started Selling Stickers on Etsy: Quick and Easy

Sell Stickers on Etsy

If you're looking for a creative way to make some extra money, starting an Etsy shop might be just what you need! With the power of Adobe Illustrator and some Ai tools, you can easily create your own unique stickers to sell online.

Whether you're a seasoned designer or just starting out, here are some tips on how to sell stickers on Etsy and make a profit.

Types of Stickers

One of the best things about selling stickers on Etsy is the variety of types of stickers you can offer. Here are a few of the most popular:

Digital Stickers - PNGs

These stickers are perfect for digital planners or scrapbooking. Customers can download the PNG files and use them in their favorite digital tools.

“Magic” Color Changing Stickers

These are vector based stickers in apps like Goodnotes and are made from a combination of vector shapes, vector drawings and fonts. If you want to learn how to create color changing stickers read this article.

Font Stickers

Are essentially fonts made of “dingbats” instead of letters and numbers you get vector images when typing with these fonts. At the moment this is the only way to import vector images into Goodnotes from outside graphics programs. I hope this changes in the future.

Printable Stickers

Customers can print these stickers at home on sticker paper, making them a cost-effective option.

Print on Demand Stickers

These stickers are printed and shipped by a third-party company, making it a hands-off option for busy sellers.

Physical Stickers

For the crafty hands-on types, you can print, cut, sell and ship your sticker sets yourself.

The Basics to Getting Started on Etsy

If you're ready to start selling stickers on Etsy, here's how to get started:

Create an Etsy account

If you don't already have an Etsy account, head over to the website and create one. It's free and easy to sign up.

Setting up Your Shop

Once you have an Etsy account, you can create your own shop. Choose a name for your shop, try to be relevant yet open enough to be able to pivot should you choose to later. 

Next up you should draft up your first listings, don't be afraid do add as many listings as you can. Once you have your first listings aim to create and upload several per day especially in the first few months.

Pricing Your Stickers to Sell

Research similar stickers on Etsy to get an idea of pricing. Make sure to factor in the cost of materials and shipping if you are going the POD or physical route. determine what your comfort level is, do you feel more comfortable at the low, mid or high range of pricing.

While I don't recommend the low range if that's where you want to start and then move up when you are comfortable you do you otherwise think about the mid to high range.

Promote your shop

Share your Etsy shop on social media and other online platforms to get the word out. Pinterest is an amazing marketing strategy for Etsy sellers so learn as much as you can about this platform. But ultimately you want to be where your customers are so work out where that is and join them.

Tips to Make Your Etsy Sticker Shop a Success

Use High Quality Listing Images

Make sure your listing photos/mockups are clear and show off your stickers in the best possible light. These really are the best selling point of your listings.

Add details and listing information to your images, people will read text if it's an image.

Etsy's description bar to the right is not the greatest, I treat it as mostly a way to add more SEO to my listings. I personally find it cumbersome to read as a shopper and annoyed that it's not in the center of the page.

Offer Multiple Designs and Variations

The more designs you have, the more likely customers are to find something they like. Have you created a design in a Moody Aesthetic color palette? Make it in Boho Aesthetic, Modern chic, pastels. Seriously try your design in as many color palettes as you can find, pick the ones that work and list them. Also try A/B testing with listing images, make a listing with the marble modern chic flat lay and another with a more rich moody vibe which one sells more?

Provide excellent customer service

Answer customer questions promptly and include any FAQs and instructions in the download with the product (for Digital Sticker shops)

Keep your shop updated

Add new designs and products regularly to keep customers coming back for more.

Find Your Niche, Serve Your People

Consider specializing in a particular type of sticker or design to stand out from the competition. Don't niche down too much but perhaps start with one niche, saturate the market in the niche then move on to the next niche on your list.

Selling stickers on Etsy can be a fun and rewarding way to make money. With a little creativity and hard work, you can create a successful Etsy shop and turn your passion for design into a profitable business. So what are you waiting for? Start your own Etsy shop today and see where it takes you!