Ever scrolled Etsy and saw that people were making a ton of money on printables and thought….”Hey! I can do that!” If so, you are not alone. I too had that thought before I started selling printables. And I wanted to start making money using my creative skills. So I started. And I was able to build my printables business to 20K in one year on Etsy. But I’ll be honest with you. It hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. Selling printables has it’s struggles, just like everything else. So let’s talk about the 3 Struggles of Selling Printables – And How to Overcome Them.
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Selling Printables on Etsy is Not a Get Rich Quick Scheme
I teach women to sell printables so they can use their creative skills to make passive income. But I always make sure to tell people that making and selling printables on Etsy (or elsewhere!) is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Just like any other business, it takes some time to get started. It takes commitment to keep going. And it takes tenacity to overcome the obstacles that can occur once you start.
So I want to talk to you about these struggles today and how I overcame them to give you some ideas about not only what to expect, but to help you sail through your first year as a printables seller yourself.
The #1 Struggle of Selling Printables
The number one struggle I had to overcome was fear. And if you’re thinking about selling printables, you can probably relate to this. After all, if you’re here, it means you’ve thought about selling printables. So why haven’t you started? I’ll tell you the reason is fear.
In life, we have about 4 core fears. And one of them is looking bad in front of others. Could this be one of the fears that is holding you back from starting? It certainly was for me! What would people think of me if their files didn’t work? They would be so mad at me! Could I handle it if someone left a really mean review?
As it turns out. I have messed up files. Customers have been mad at me. People have left scathing reviews. But at the end of the day, I’m still standing (ya, ya ya!). Because conversely, I’ve had amazing reviews. I have had the chance to work with amazing customers and bring their creations and suggestions to life. And I have also sold over $100,000 in digital products on Etsy.
What if I didn’t get over this struggle of fear? None of that could have ever happened. You need to remove fear in order to make strides in your life and in selling printables. How do I recommend you do that? Take one step at a time. Do the next best thing. You’ll look back and realize it wasn’t as scary as you thought.
3 Struggles of Selling Printables – And How to Overcome Them
The next biggest struggle I had to learn the hard way was this idea of not infringing on other people’s work. Wouldn’t it JUST be easier if Disney and Pixar and all those other brands just let us use their stuff? Yes it would. Especially because clearly those brands aren’t creating the supply that is being demanded. But it just doesn’t work like that.
I think the struggle here is not that you can’t infringe on other people’s work. It’s easy to stop making invitations with Snow White and Bluey on them. What’s not easy is watching other people sell the exact types of things as you and make a ton of money and NOT get caught.
That’s a tough one my friend. It takes a lot of personal growth to realize that while other people have not been taken down for selling branded items, it may not be their lesson to learn.
The thing is, we’re all here to learn specific lessons. One of mine was to not steal people’s stuff. And that’s been an ongoing theme in my life for years. But it’s my lesson to learn. Understanding that living in alignment with your values is more important than making a few hundred dollars on copyrighted items.
So how can you overcome this? Simply by showing yourself proof that you can make money not selling these types of items. Once you do, you’ll be encouraged to keep going and never set foot in that dangerous territory in your printables business.
Another Struggle of Selling Printables
The third and final struggle I want to share with you today about selling printables is comparing ourselves to others. Often times, we compare our day one, to someone else’s year 10. And that is just not going to do you any good. When you see other people’s shops and see that they have thousands of sales more than you, it can make you feel hopeless that you are so far behind.
What I want to say here is that I have been there. Sometimes I still even look at other people’s shops and have the same feeling. But the thing is that we are all on our own journey. And I like to remind myself that I am in the exact right place at exactly the right time. We tend to get impatient with our goals and it can feel like everyone else is achieving there’s much more quickly. Or so it seems. If we stay in this energy, we can never be successful.
We are each on our own journeys with our own lessons to learn. Therefore, our journey will never look the same as someone else’s. Suffice it to say that it’s good to stay patient and trust that the universe has your back. That’s perhaps one of the hardest things to do, believe me, I know. But the only way you’re going to learn this lesson is by going through it. Start at year one. And then look back a few years later at your growth and progress. You got this. Your success is inevitable.
3 Struggles of Selling Printables – And How to Overcome Them
All that said, while these are the biggest struggles of a printables designer, you can’t forget about the biggest benefits.
The first benefit is that there’s Low overhead costs. Selling printables requires minimal startup costs because all you need is a computer, internet connection, design software, and a platform to sell your printables. The second is that there’s no inventory management. Since printables are digital products, you don’t need to worry about managing inventory, shipping, or storage costs.
Thirdly, You have Flexible work hours. Selling printables allows you to work from anywhere and set your own schedule. You can choose when you work, or continue to work in your 9-5 or another business that you have. And lastly, selling printables has great passive income potential. Once you create one printable, you can continue to earn income from it without any additional work.
I think overcoming those struggles are worth it to have those benefits don’t you? Tell me what you think about this video in the comments below and if you can relate to some of these struggles.
Thanks for Reading the 3 Struggles of Selling Printables
Thanks so much for reading about 3 Struggles of Selling Printables. I love to help you celebrate life through printables and personal development! But above all, I’d love to connect with you. Reach out to me on Instagram and let’s chat.
xoxo, Lindsay
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