It’s coming up to a year now that I have been selling printable Bridal Shower Invitations on Etsy and all I can say is I have absolutely no regrets having started an Etsy shop.
I am only averaging about 2 sales a week. But considering that I have not put in any of my own marketing efforts, I am really happy with this! Keep in mind that I do sell digital products, and the following article may relate more to those of you who are creating digital products as well (versus handmade items).
Consider that I had a good 3-4 month run where I only had 4 listings up and was completely inactive on Etsy. Had I added listings or put in at least a little work to improve my shop throughout those months I’m positive I would currently be making more sales. Lately, I’ve been adding about 1-3 listings to my shop.
Now, I am putting in a LITTLE money towards Etsy ads. However, it is completely worth it after just a short time. Etsy ads are what has gotten me the most sales to date. But even beyond that, when you put money in towards Etsy ads, not only do you appear early in search listings, but Etsy also provides you with a wealth of information.
Etsy shows you which of your ad listings have the most clicks, and what listings are performing well under which tags. Through this, I have figured out which styles of bridal shower invitations are doing well for me, and what tags work best for which styles. This is how I am better able to plan for the next listings I should create. Etsy has its own way of guiding you to success! Pay attention to these stats. A little money towards ads goes a long way and is well worth it.
If you’re asking how much money I put in towards ads, the answer as of now is $2 a day. Yes, at first it seems like you are spending money with no return. However, it is completely paying off and I broke even about a month ago after only two months of paying for ads. In fact, the first month I only payed $1 a day, so essentially after $90 (2 months) worth of ad money, I am making a profit for every sale from here on out!
With that said, my current income for Etsy as of now is about $100 per month and growing!
Now, I am not saying this is the same for every person. I’m only speaking from my personal experience. But my point is to work with Etsy and to encourage you to spend a little money! The great thing is that Etsy allows you to dip your toes into the water before diving in. Set your ad spending to $1 a day and set your listings to 10 cents per click and get a feel for it from there. The beauty of it is that you can turn the advertisements on and off at any time.
I absolutely love Etsy and I plan on continuing to work on it slowly and steadily. I am really happy that I started this a year ago. Had I put more effort in the beginning stages, I have no doubt I could have started seeing these results as early as two months in. With every sale I get, I am optimistic about being able to add this as a revenue stream that will help lead to passive income! Speaking from personal experience, if you’re a graphic designer, costs are low to start a shop on Etsy and I 100% recommend it if you’re looking to get some online income selling digital products!