When it comes to what you can sell digitally on Etsy there is so much choice. Too much choice sometimes and you could be stuck at this point like a kid in a sweet shop till you finally decide what you want to sell.
First up is to work out your creativity and design skills and decide on items that match your skills. As your skills grow you can add more products and slowly switch out your older listings for your more technically challenged items.
Second, keep in mind your style. Is it bang-on-trend or more for the classical buyer? Does your chosen style lend to the products you are thinking about selling?
Need some ideas on what you can sell digitally?
Printable Quotes – done to death but that means there is also a demand for them. Diving into a big pool of competition can be daunting so try and niche down instead of having something for everyone. You can always expand as you grow.
As with all things you sell there are things you can't use. Things that are a brand and trademarked like the word Velco, anything to do with Disney, Harry Potter, and all of the cartoons, books, and films. Quotes and sayings need be to checked too so do check with USPto.Gov . And yes there are hundreds of Princesses, Frozen, Harry Potter (and hundreds more) items on Etsy but they will not have had a license to sell the items and they will be shut down at some point. Also if you buy graphics and fonts to use on your digital items you have to make sure you have the correct licenses. It is up to you to do your due diligence on the things you sell.
- Bible quotes
- Inspirational messages
- Sports quotes
- Holiday quotes
- Fitness quotes
- Food quotes
- Occupation quotes
- Marriage quotes
- Friendship quotes
- Family quotes
- Grandparents quote
- Holiday quotes
Nursery and/or Children's Printable Art – Again a busy niche but babies are being born every day so potentially new sales every day. These can be images, quotes, and children's names. And anything cute and fluffy. You can expand on these with themes like at the moment the Woodland Theme is very on-trend. So you can do posters, alphabet posters, wardrobe dividers, organizing labels, and door signs.
Digital Planners – these can be digital ones or printable ones. to a clue where to start? Have a look at this The Planner & Journal Creator
Photography – are you nifty with a camera and people always asking for a copy of your photos? Think landscapes, artsy, or even product mockups.
Patterns – as Etsy is a crafty place selling patterns can do very well. Think knitting, crocheting, and sewing for starters, and then brainstorm other ideas like ‘How to do' PDFs.
Clip art – if there is a market for sellers to sell digital art on Etsy then there is a market for the clip art that goes into the digital art items. There are so many avenues like watercolor, modern, cartoon, and line art.
Coloring/teachable PDFS/books – for teachers, busy moms, and homeschoolers covering the whole range of ages.
Resume Templates – I was looking at a list of trending search terms on Etsy and this one kept coming up.
Party Accessories – cake toppers, bunting, welcome posters, and favor tags spring to mind.
Invitations – I saved this one for last as this is the niche I am in. There are weddings, birthdays, baby showers, graduations, and 1st Birthdays off the top of my head, and hundreds more. These can also be themed and match the previous idea of party accessories.
Hopefully, this has given you a bit of an idea and got you thinking. If it's printed and you can make it you can offer it as a printable download on Etsy.
Now the other thing to consider is whether can you think of enough items to fill your shop. A good number to aim for is 100 items and work towards at least 200. That does sound a lot but the more items you have the more chance there is to hit the ground running and get sales. Plus if you have invested your time and money into creating and having 100 products ready for when you open your Etsy shop, then you are more likely to have the mindset and enthusiasm to succeed. If having 100 products created isn't feasible for you, you can, of course, start with a lower number and work on it as you go.
How to come up with 100 items
You may already be stalking, in the nicest way, a few sellers on Etsy already. If you're not then do a search on Etsy for the items you are thinking of selling. Get to know what the soon-to-be competition is doing, selling and designing. Note how many items they are selling. They will probably be in the general area of 300 to 1,000. Look at how they have categorized their sections. You're looking for ideas here, not to blatantly copy them. That's wrong, downright rude, and not what we do. Yes, there will be the rogue very lucky, and envious sellers who only have 50 listings and get daily reviews ( shows they are getting current sales). The majority of the time those will be a seasoned seller (look at the date started if they have that showing) and maybe they have reduced their selling stock, maybe they have several shops and they know what they are doing with their eyes shut.
You will notice some sellers have the same item but listed several times in different colorways. That is fine to do. Or maybe they show different font choices. Or maybe they have 600 unique and individual items. Take notes and use the ideas when coming up with your inventory.
As you're thinking of your 100 products, think too of your sections. You have the option of using up to 20 sections in your shop. You don't have to use all 20 straight away. You can have 5 sections with 20 items in each, that might look better when you start than 20 sections with 1 item in each. Get a good old pen and paper out and start writing down your shop sections. They don't have to be cute or smart but tell the customer what they would expect to find in that section. So think ‘Printable Art' instead of ‘Something cute for your wall' not that would fit as you only have 24 characters to use.
Action List
◊ What level of art skill do you have?
- If medium/high and above could you sell clipart, digital art, or anything with your designs?
- Not so art-confident? Maybe look into buying in your graphics (check license details on each product) or outsource the design bit?
◊ Does the end product require customer details like dates, venues, etc then check out Corjl. More on Corjl soon
◊ Can you see yourself doing this and still enjoying it in a year?
◊ Have you got your shop sections figured out?
◊ Have you got 100 items listed out ready to create, or even created sitting in a folder on your computer ready?
If you want more support and inspiration, why not join the Passive Income Society? It’s packed with resources and a community that’s all about helping you succeed on your Etsy journey. Or, if you’re curious to learn more, check out our review of this amazing opportunity. If you are just starting on your Etsy journey you might be able to make use of these 40 Free Listings with Etsy
