Etsy – like most ecom options – wants you to believe you can build and run a successful e-commerce business that’s automated, profitable, and generates cash around the clock in less than 90 days…
With just a couple hundred dollars in inventory…
Sounds a little too good to be true, huh?
Look, as far as most online businesses go, you could do a lot worse than Etsy.
But does that mean it’s the best solution for you?
That’s what we’ll find out in this Etsy review.
The biggest things you have to consider here are:
- Inventory Management
- Product Selection
- Time to Profit
While you can make good money with Etsy, it’s not as easy or simple as most course creators make it sound. Let’s break these 3 down real fast:
1) Inventory Management: If you’re doing an Etsy business, the promise is that you don’t need to worry at all about inventory, because Etsy takes care of packing, shipping, customer service, etc.
However, you still need to get products to Etsy. And Etsy has very strict rules all sellers have to follow when preparing products for their warehouses.
This includes packaging, labeling, and registering products in their system. If you’re preparing all products yourself, you’ll spend a TON of time on this step (potentially 4-5 hours a day). So if you’re looking for a passive, automated business that runs itself, this might not be the best fit.
Now, yes, you can hire an Etsy prep center to do all this for you, but that eats into your margins. And remember that Amazon takes around 30-40% in fees for using the FBA program, so your profits are pretty tight to begin with.
2) Product Selection: E-commerce is a cyclical business. “Hot” products are always going in and out of fashion, which means, as an Etsy seller, you constantly need to be on the lookout for the next big thing.
That means monitoring trends, searching for products that might be popular down the line, and constantly in a rat race to – essentially – predict the future.
Sure, you can play in the evergreen market (things people always need and buy), but how much profit margin are you really going to get on meal prep containers, rubber spatulas, and golf umbrellas? Especially when there are hundreds of thousands of other sellers all swimming in that same ocean.
And because you’re constantly hunting for new hot products to sell, that takes up all the valuable time you could be using to travel, explore, read, surf, hike, or whatever else.
3) Time To Profit: Now, this isn’t the slowest turnaround time, but if you think you can put a dollar into inventory today and come out with two tomorrow, you’re sadly mistaken. From the time you first buy products to sell, you could be looking at anywhere from 4-12 weeks before you see a dollar come back.
And it could take twice as long before you break even.
Now, that’s not terrible, but what if you could start building a different (non-Amazon) income stream today, and see your first profits tomorrow?
What if you could build a passive income stream that’s actually passive?
An income stream that doesn’t require:
- Inventory
- Low margins
- Constantly looking for the next hot product
An income stream that brings in consistent revenues every single month (from a couple thousand dollars to well over $10,000)?
An income stream you could actually build in your spare time, and grow as large or as small as you want to, without having to spend hours a day packing, prepping, and researching?
If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, check out Digital Leasing.
This is nothing like Etsy, and that’s probably a good thing.
However, if you’d still like to know more about Etsy, keep reading.
What’s The Difference Between Digital Downloads and Printables On Etsy?
A worldwide online marketplace, Etsy is where individuals can buy, sell, and collect one-of-a-kind products.
Think hand-made and custom-made. Etsy has it for you. One of their products that gained popularity in recent years is digital downloads and printables.
What’s the diff? You may find them interchangeably used in different articles. Let me draw a clearer line for you.
The term “printable” refers to something that can be printed, like those artsy templates you can download and print for weddings, bridal showers, and the like.
There is also a market for digital products on Etsy, including items such as social media templates and other digital files such as clipart that the customer never intends to print but which still generate passive income for the seller.
Consider stock photographs, which a blogger would wish to buy and use on their website to illustrate the point. It is still considered passive money for the supplier, but the client has no intention of printing it.
Now that we are clear about that, we can continue and see if selling printables on Etsy is right for you.
Is It Worth It To Sell Printables On Etsy?
Etsy is a thriving market for digital downloads, now as it has been for other artistic stuff, it has been known for.
On an Etsy store or Etsy Printables Shop, you can sell your creativity by designing digital printables or digital prints.
There is a market for it, and some people are into printable ideas. You are selling them convenience.
It is cost-effective, printables on Etsy are cheaper than getting an artist to create a piece for you. They are also customizable for your client’s needs
Now, you just have to ensure that the digital products you are selling are unique from the competitors.
What Are The Most Popular- Printables On Etsy?
Etsy’s printables are divided into two groups. There are a variety of long-lasting and seasonal options available.
There is a constant need for evergreen products like digital wall art or gift tags. Seasonal things, such as Christmas cards, are popular only at specific periods of the year.
You may choose to start with evergreen products; as your Etsy shop grows, you may wish to add seasonal products.
Etsy is a great place to sell seasonal and year-round items, so I recommend including both digital products into your list.
Etsy’s best-selling printable ideas fall into the following categories:
Decor And Wall Art For The Home
Quotes of Inspiration
Typography
Printable Watercolor Art
Images that can be printed
Cute Sayings
Wedding Printables
Planners for weddings.
Bachelorette Party Invitations
Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party Games
Invitation and Save-the-Date Card Template
Printable Menus for Weddings
Signage to Welcome Guests to the Wedding
Table Numbers and Place Cards
Baby and Nursery
Printables for a Baby Shower
Wall Art for Nursery
Birth Announcement with a Personal Touch
Revealing your baby’s gender in a unique way
Planners, Trackers, and Journals For Personal Development
Calendars
Planners
Sheets of the Day
Food & Grocery List
Budget
To-Do List
Tracking Devices for Fitness and Health
Daily Journal
Printable For Kids
Coloring Pages
Back To School Signs
Weekly Chore Chart and Coupons for Reward
Handprints for Special Occasions
Resources for Teaching and Learning
Invitations & Decorations for a Theme Party
Invites
Personalized Placemats
Seasonal Printables
Gift Wrapping Tags
Greetings Cards
Mothers’ Day Fathers’ Day Printables.
How To Sell Your Etsy Printables?
Here are the four steps on how to sell your Etsy Printables:
Step 1: Create your printables and upload them as a PDF file.
Step 2: Put a sample of your work for your product listing image.
Step 3: Create your listing & upload your file on Etsy.
Step 4: Then, you can publish your listing and start marketing your product!
What Etsy Shop Printables Make The Most Money?
The best selling Printables on Etsy that make the most money are:
- First on the list is the Printable Baby Shower Games, Signs & Invitations. Since 2018 it has had 94,816 Sales.
- Second is the printable invitation templates like wedding bundles, wedding invitations, gift tags, and more. It currently has 84,047 sales. And it is from the Esty shop of DIYPaperBoutique. This shop was founded in 2019.
- The third and last Printable Etsy shop is HowtoHost. It has sold around 3,831 products and has amazing reviews. This shop was founded in 2020.
Is Selling Printables On Etsy Profitable?
Absolutely YES! Selling printables on Etsy can make you earn extra income. Some Etsy Shop Sellers claim that they have made over $1000 monthly by selling printables on Etsy.
This will of course depend on how much you are willing to invest in it.
Is Etsy A Scam?
In today’s world, Etsy is one of the most rapidly expanding retail websites on the Internet.
The validity of Etsy has been questioned because of complaints, particularly those involving money transactions. Nevertheless, Etsy is real and thriving.
So, is Etsy a scam? Not technically. You can make money with this program, but it’s definitely not as easy as it sound.
There’s a ton of work to be done upfront, no real guarantee of success, and – most importantly – you need to do a ton of volume to make any real money.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with front-loading the work and making the money later.
But if you’re grinding it out for 3 months and then your reward is 15% profit on a $12 product (which comes out to $1.80), it’s not really worth it.
What if, instead, you could do that same 3 months of work (in your spare time), and your reward was a $500 to $2,000 payment that came in every single month (recurring revenue)?
And what if you actually didn’t need to wait 3 months? What if you could get started today and have your first payment in a week?
And what if you could double it next week?
Well, that’s the power of Digital Leasing.
And, unlike with Etsy, you can legitimately do this from anywhere. It’s a true lifestyle business.
Your laptop and an internet connection is all you need.
Some of the most successful students in this program run their entire 6-figure businesses from:
- A camper in the middle of the woods
- A beach chair on the water in Mexico
- A small villa in Greece
They’re able to travel around, living their lives first, and focusing on their income second.
Because even if they stop working for an extended period of time, the money keeps coming in.
So adventure, memories, and experience are the top priority.
And they never have to worry about how to pay for the next trip, or consider asking for time off.
If this sounds more like the type of life you want to lead, just click here to find out more about Digital Leasing.
Are There Alternatives To Etsy?
Yes, there are plenty of other business models to choose from if you want to pursue making money online. Here are just a few:
What Is My #1 Recommendation To Make Money Online In 2024?
Our review team has spent months researching, reviewing, and vetting dozens of business models and thousands of programs.
While there may be no “perfect business”, the research IS conclusive:
Digital Leasing is the #1 online business model for those just starting out.
Whether you’ve never made a dollar online, or you’ve been in this space for a while but never really “made it,” Digital Leasing is for you.
Why?
1) It’s Flexible: got an hour a day? You can do this. Ready to drop everything else and dive in full time? You can do this. Yes, the more time you put in, the faster you see results. But even with a little time each day, you can move the needle in a Digital Leasing business.
And because this system is so flexible, you don’t have to constantly be working to make more money. It’s called PASSIVE INCOME because if you stop working, the money doesn’t.
Imagine taking 3 months off to just tour around Europe, rent a cabin in the woods to write a book, hike the Appalachian Trail, or live on the beach and surf all day.
This is only possible if you have an income stream that’s not tied to your time.
2) You Own & Control EVERYTHING: With Etsy, you don’t really own anything. Yes, you technically own the products before you send them into an Etsy warehouse, but that’s it.
You don’t own the sales platform, you don’t own a brand, and you don’t own the customers.
Not to mention, Etsy can literally shut you down at any time if they believe you’ve violated their constantly changing terms of service.
So you’re building a business that could be completely taken away from you in the blink of an eye.
With Digital Leasing, you own the assets, which means you have all the power and all the control.
3) Little To No Startup Costs: It’s possible to get into Digital Leasing with zero dollars upfront. Because, using the strategies outlined in this program, you can get a client to pay you BEFORE spending a penny out of your own pocket…even before you do any work.
Even without getting paid in advance, you can have your first Digital Rental Property up, running, and generating profits for less than $100.
4) No Inventory: As mentioned above, spending 4-5 hours a day prepping and packing products to send to Etsy is a huge time commitment.
Plus, you constantly need to be buying new products if you want to maintain your business. You need to spend even more money if you want to scale up.
With physical products, you’ll always have limits on your time and freedom.
With Digital Leasing, a 100% online business, you never have to worry about that.
5) Easy To Duplicate: Ok, here’s the best part: once you have your first Digital Rental Property up and running, you can literally DOUBLE your income with a few clicks, a couple keystrokes, and a single phone call (and you don’t actually need the phone call).
Remember: each Digital Rental Property is worth $500 to $2,000 a month in semi-passive income (over 95% profit). Every time you decide to create another one and increase your income, it gets easier.
Because you have more knowledge, more experience, more results, and more momentum.
If you wanted to double your income with Etsy, you’d have to double your inventory OR your profit margins. And, guaranteed that’s a lot harder than a few clicks and a few minutes of your life.
6) Make Money Helping Real People: This part is what makes it all worth it. Etsy is a decent way to make yourself money, but it doesn’t improve anyone else’s lives.
After all, there’s always someone else selling rubber spatulas and umbrellas. That might be fine in the short term, but in the long run you may feel like you’re missing a purpose.
With Digital Leasing though, you’re actually helping people by solving your clients’ biggest problem…
Small, local businesses need more customers, and with Digital Leasing, you are unleashing a flood of happy, paying customers for these businesses.
You make money by helping them make money.
Not a big, faceless corporation either…a small business owner who’s using that money to put food on the table for their family, start a college fund for their kids, or take care of a sick parent.
Once you see how Digital Leasing makes a real impact in the lives of real people, you’ll sleep like a baby with a big smile on your face.
Now, the choice is yours. You could continue browsing, looking at opportunities like Etsy which could one day make you money.
You could continue researching, never making a decision.
OR, you could take a look inside, consider what you really want, and join a program that makes your dreams a reality. At the same time, joining a community of over 2,000 successful students that are living life on their own terms thanks to Digital Leasing.
A consistent, reliable, semi-passive stream of income that doesn’t depend on you or your time to keep producing profits.
All while genuinely helping real people who are grateful and happy to pay for it.
If this sounds more like what you want out of life (or if you just want some nice side income), click here to learn more about Digital Leasing.