How To Sell Digital Downloads On Etsy | 6 Easy Steps (2022)
Are you looking for a way to make some extra money? Have you ever thought about selling digital downloads on Etsy?
It’s a great way to make money, and it’s really easy to set up your shop. In this article, we will walk you through the process of setting up your shop and listing your products.
We will also give you some tips on how to market your products and increase sales. So let’s get started!
What Are Digital Downloads And Why Should You Sell Them On Etsy?
Digital products are items that you can download from the internet. They include e-books, music downloads, movies, software, and more.
The best part about selling digital products is that there’s no need to worry about shipping or handling costs because customers will be able to get them instantly via email.
So how do you start selling digital products on Etsy?
Well, if you are looking for a platform to sell your digital downloads online then Etsy is a great option! It’s easy to set up and manage your shop, plus you can start earning money right away.
Why Etsy?
Etsy is an established online marketplace with millions of active buyers.
That means you can reach out to your potential buyers without spending a lot of money on advertising.
Etsy also has a built-in search engine that makes it easy for buyers to find your products.
Here are 8 points why you should consider selling your digital downloads on Etsy.
– Etsy is a well-established online marketplace with millions of active buyers.
– Your products will be easily found through the Etsy search engine.
– You can start selling your products immediately – there’s no need to set up a website or wait for approval from Etsy.
– It’s easy to manage your shop and add new products.
– They will email the digital files to your customers as soon as they make the purchase.
– You don’t have to worry about managing payments as they have Etsy payments and other popular payment platforms like PayPal.
– You can use Etsy ads and offsite ads to increase your sales.
– Etsy has an active community of sellers and buyers.
– It’s easy to use their analytics tools to track how well your products are selling. You’ll know what price points work best, which keywords bring in traffic, and more.
So, now that you know why selling digital downloads on Etsy is a good idea, let’s take a look at what digital products can you sell on Etsy.
How Much Money Can I Make By Selling Digital items On Etsy?
This is a question that majority of the new sellers have in their mind before opening their Etsy store.
This is a difficult question to answer as it greatly depends on the items that you are selling and how well they are performing. However, according to The Balance, “Etsy sellers who sell digital downloads make an average of $820 per month.” Keep in mind that this number may vary depending on your niche and the quality of your products.
I have seen a few shops that make $30,000 + per month just by selling digital products on Etsy.
Best Digital Products To Sell On Etsy
There are so many digital products that you can sell on Etsy. You just need to make sure they’re allowed by the site and follow their rules for listing your items. The best part is there’s no limit to how many listings or images can be uploaded per seller account!
Here are the top 10 product types you can sell on Etsy.
– E-books
– Journals
– Printables
– Artwork or clipart or stickers
– Fonts or typefaces
– Photoshop Actions
– Templates – such as Canva templates, Flyer templates, etc.
– Wedding invitations
– Lightroom Presets
So those are the top digital product types that you can sell on Etsy. Just make sure to research what is popular in your niche before listing your items. For example, if you’re selling fonts then make sure there’s a demand for them before investing time and money into creating them.
Now let’s take a look at how you can start selling your digital items on Etsy.
How To Create Digital Items To Sell On Etsy??
The first step to selling digital items on Etsy is creating them. You can either hire a designer or create the product yourself if you have design skills.
If you are a beginner i suggest you to start creating digital items with canva. It’s easy to use and you don’t need any design skills. You can create everything from social media posts to flyers, e-books, and more.
Canva also offers a wide range of templates that you can use as a starting point for your designs.
Once you have created the digital item, you will need to click on “Share as Template” to get the link for the design template that you have just created.
Now you can provide this link to your customers either in the form of a pdf or text file whenever they make a purchase.
How To Sell Digital Downloads On Etsy?
Choose your Niche
Before you can start selling, it is important to figure out what niche you want to go in. Whether you want to sell printables, canva templates, or website themes. Once you have chosen a niche, it’s time to find out popular products that are selling well in your niche. Do some research on Etsy and see what kinds of things are selling well over there
Find Popular Products In Your Niche
To find popular products in your niche, you will need to do some research on Etsy. Start by browsing the categories and subcategories on Etsy, and take note of the products that are selling well. You can also use the Etsy search engine to find specific product categories.
Here are simple steps to determine whether the product is popular or not.
- Search for any product on Etsy (eg. Cleaning Planner Printable)
- Open The Top Products One By One
- Scroll Down A Bit And Check Out How Many Reviews The Product Have
- Now Scroll Down At The Bottom Of The Page
- And Also Check Out How Many “Likes” The Product Have
Now after checking the “Reviews” and “Likes” you can determine whether the product is worth selling or not.
Etsy also put “best sellers” tag on popular products so it can also help you.
Setup Your Etsy Shop
The next step is to set up your Etsy shop. This process is fairly simple and only takes a few minutes.
You will need to provide some basic information about your shops, such as the name of your business, a brief description, and your payment info.
You have to complete your verification as well. This is not for all the countries but sellers from selected countries have to go through a verification process before getting their shop live
And before opening your Etsy store i suggest you to check out our guide that includes 11 important steps before opening an Etsy store.
Do Branding For Your Etsy Shop
To increase your sales, you need to do branding of your shop as well. If people find it attractive they will come back again and also recommend it to their friends.
You can add a banner on the top of your shop with images related to what you are selling or any motivational quote. The best thing is that Etsy does not charge anything for this.
You can also add a shop story, which is like a bio of your business. This gives buyers a chance to know more about you and your products. You can also add images of yourself and your team if you have one.
Create Product Listings That Stand Out
Now that you have set up your shop and have your products ready to go live, it’s time to create listings that will stand out from the crowd.
You need to make sure your product descriptions are clear and concise with high-quality images or videos.
Your listing title and description should also include relevant keywords so people can find them easily when searching for a specific term on Etsy (e.g., “cleaning checklist printable”).
Here are some tips for creating effective product listings:
– Use high-quality images or videos
– Write clear and concise descriptions
– Include relevant keywords in your title, description, and tags
– Make sure your listing is well organized
Get Your First Sale!
Now that you have everything in place, it’s time to start selling! The best way to get started is by promoting your shop on social media and other online platforms. You can also offer discounts or freebies to help increase sales.
Here are some tips for getting your first sale:
– Promote your products on social media (Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, etc)
– Place links to your Etsy shop in your email lists and blog posts
– Give away extra freebies with the purchase of your products
– Offer discounts on your products.
FAQs
Is Etsy a good place to sell?
Yes, it is a good place to sell. You can create an Etsy shop and start selling your products within a few minutes. It has millions of buyers from all over the world who are looking for unique things that you might be selling there.
Is Etsy free to sell?
No, it is not free to sell. You have to pay a small fee for each product that you list on Etsy and that is 0.20 $ + transaction fees. This fee helps them cover the costs of running the site and providing excellent customer service.
How to list a digital item on Etsy?
It is very simple, you just have to create a normal listing and check the “Digital” option and also upload your digital file which will be sent to the customer when he completes the purchase. After that, buyers will find it and buy from you if they like it.
You can also list your product variations for different pricing.
How do I price my items?
You can price your items according to the market rates. There are different factors that affect the price of an item like quality, uniqueness, demand, supply, etc. You should have a clear idea about all these things before setting prices for your products on Etsy shop.
If you are selling a single printable I suggest you keep the price below $5 but if you are selling a huge bundle you can adjust the price accordingly.
What digital products can I sell on Etsy?
We have mentioned a list of the best digital products to sell on Esty, you can take an idea from that list. You can also do your manual research to find the top-performing digital items in your niche.
Conclusion
Now that you have all the information you need, it’s time to get started! Follow these tips to create effective product listings and start selling your digital downloads on Etsy. Don’t forget to promote your shop on social media and other online platforms to reach more buyers.
And if you need any help you can comment down here in the comment section and I will reply as soon as possible.
Good luck and happy selling!
Hello-
I really enjoyed your post it’s very informative and I’m really interested in selling digital downloads on Etsy and I already have a Canva account with some designs. However my biggest stressor is the legal side of it (i.e. disclaimers, privacy policies etc) I know tons of people use Canva and other outlets but some of the disclaimers make it sound like if I use anything off Canva changed or not I’m going to get sued. That and how would I set up my own in Etsy? Any suggestions would be wonderful.
Dear Nikole,
I’m glad you found the article useful!
I understand that legal policies can be overwhelming, but please don’t worry too much about legal sides. Minor changes in policies happen all the time in companies, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will get you out of business.
Remember they are in business because of us, imagine if people start getting copyright notices by using canva elements and designs who gonna use canva then? Canva will be out of business.
Just do not mess around with other’s copyrighted designs, always cross check the license before using any design element, images, fonts, etc.
Just stay focused on your goal and keep moving forward with your Etsy shop.
If you have any more questions or concerns, feel free to ask. Good luck with your Etsy shop!
i do not have a way to receive a payment from anyone on line? How would I receive payment or do I just let in pile up in an Etsy account?
Hi Susan, you can receive payments directly in your bank account using Etsy Payments, If Etsy payments are not available in your country you can alternatively use your Paypal account.
Creating a Paypal account is relatively easy and you can do it in few mins.