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Stickers are more popular today than ever before. A recent survey showed that 85% of 18-29 year olds and 79% of 30-44 year olds have purchased stickers in the last year.
With so much interest in these decorative, customizable items, it’s a great time to start selling stickers online. And the barriers to entry are low – all you need is a good design, a place to sell, and some business savvy.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through the 5 simple steps to make money online by selling awesome stickers that people love:
- Designing compelling and stylish stickers
- Setting up an online sticker shop
- Pricing stickers for optimal profits
- Marketing stickers effectively
- Packaging and shipping stickers properly
Follow these fundamental steps to create a thriving sticker business that can make you money while you sleep!
The Rising Popularity of Stickers
Before we dive in, let’s look at why stickers have become so popular lately. Reasons include:
Customization – People enjoy personalizing their water bottles, laptops, journals with unique designs. Stickers provide an affordable customization option.
Self-Expression – For creatives, stickers provide a simple medium to showcase their signature style and aesthetics.
Versatility – Modern printing methods allow stickers to be durable and waterproof, suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
Gifting – Sticker packs make quick, affordable gifts that add a personal touch. Fun packaging also makes them giftable.
Collectibility – Diehard fans enjoy curating collections of character stickers from their favorite fandoms and showing them off.
When combined with the power of online shopping, these qualities make stickers a product with major money-making potential. Now let’s get into the step-by-step process!
Step 1: Designing Appealing Stickers
The first step is to actually design and create sticker artwork that people will love enough to buy. Here are key tips:
Choose your medium
You can design stickers either digitally on illustration software or tablet apps, or by hand with pens, paint, etc. If designing physically, you’ll need to scan or photograph finished work.
Focus on high resolution
Upload assets at 300 DPI and roughly the dimensions of final sticker size for best printing quality.
Pick alluring finishes
Consider vinyl for durability or holographic/prismatic for dazzling effects based on your brand.
Outline any intricate cuts
Clear borders help machines cut complex shapes without error.
Table 1 compares popular software tools:
| Software | Key Benefits | Price | Learning Curve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Procreate | Intuitive Apple Pencil drawing | $9.99 one-time | Low |
| Adobe Illustrator | Powerful tools for graphics pros | $21.99/month | High |
| Canva | Easy web-based editor, templates | Free version available | Low |
Pro tip: Many successful sticker entrepreneurs create a memorable character that becomes part of their brand’s identity. For example, Milkteanco features kawaii cartoon cats while Created by Christine uses uplifting themes. Figure out what makes your artistic style unique!
Step 2: Setting Up Your Online Sticker Shop
Now that you’ve perfected your artwork, it’s go time! Choose a platform to open up an online sticker store:
Option 1: Your Own Website Having your own site enables branding, room to expand offerings, and control. Shopify lets you quickly launch a beautiful, customizable store. Its built-in speed and conversion optimization also boosts sales.
Option 2: Etsy This popular handmade marketplace provides instant exposure to buyers seeking creative goods. But limited customization and high fees can be drawbacks.
Option 3: Dropshipping Upload designs to Printify which handles printing and shipping sticker orders for you. The hands-off ease comes at the cost of lower profits.
Pro tip: Many successful sticker sellers leverage multiple channels to maximize distribution. Just be sure to drive traffic to your own site since it earns the highest profits!
Step 3: Pricing Stickers for Profit
Carefully calculating pricing is crucial for good profits. Factors to consider:
Material expenses – Vinyl, laminate, printing, etc. Isn’t free so tally up costs.
Labor time – Account for your effort designing and making stickers. Don’t undervalue your work!
Market research – Check competitor sticker pricing to align with customer expectations.
Profit goals – Decide a 30%, 50% or 100%+ profit margin goal based on business objectives.
Volume discounts – Offer better per unit pricing for bulk orders over 10, 50 or 100 stickers.
Recommended formula:
(Material Cost x 2) + Labor Cost = List Price
So if material is $1/sticker and labor is $.50/sticker: ($1 x 2) + $0.50 = $2.50
That $2.50 list price would net a 50% profit margin.
Pro tip: When starting out, it can help to price stickers very low, even at breakeven, while building an audience. Then increase profits over time as your brand grows.
Step 4: Effectively Marketing Your Stickers
Creating sticker designs is just the first step – now you need to get them in front of potential buyers’ eyes!
🔥 On Social Leverage platforms like Instagram and TikTok where visuals shine. Use relevant hashtags and tagging to maximize discovery. Creative, funny or helpful sticker content performs best.
🤝 Influencer Marketing Pay or barter with influencers to showcase your stickers to their specific niche audience. Ensure follower interests align with your brand first.
🎁 Giveaways Ask entrants to tag friends for extra entries to increase reach and followers. Randomly select 1-5 winners to receive a sticker pack for free.
Pro tip: Facebook/Instagram ads can help, but organically building an audience that engages with your brand often converts better than cold paid traffic.
Step 5: Packaging and Shipping Stickers
You want customers stoked when they receive their sticker order. Thoughtful packaging and shipping makes all the difference:
💘 Thank You Notes Handwritten cards show customers you care. Include coupon codes for return business too!
🎁 Freebies Toss in bonus goodies like extra stickers, tattoos or postcards to spark joy.
📦 Protection Shield stickers from bending in transit with cardboard backers and “Do Not Bend” stickers or postal labels.
📫 Stamps First class mail with regular stamps keeps shipping affordable for light sticker orders. Tracking optional.
Pro tip: Splurging on ultra-premium packaging only makes sense if it helps you command higher prices in a luxe niche. Otherwise keep it simple and eco-friendly!
Finding Inspiration From Successful Sticker Sellers
For even more tips, here are two stellar examples of awesome sticker shops:
Milkteanco Milkteanco features super cute kawaii cat characters. Designer Ilona Lin started by putting her real-life cat Milkie into stickers for herself before creating a full sticker and stationery brand.
Created by Christine Former teacher Christine Lee taps into her knack for positivity and motivating quotes to create uplifting and affirming stickers. Her education background informs the inspiring themes.
Both entrepreneurs started out selling stickers on Etsy before expanding into Shopify stores. And they package orders thoughtfully with bonuses like thank you notes and freebies. This delights customers and builds loyalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much can selling stickers online make?
A: Solo entrepreneurs can make between $300 to $2,000+ profit per month. Revenue potentials scales up from there based on your ambitions – some larger sticker shops produce millions per year!
Q: What software is best for designing stickers?
A: Beginners do well with simple tools like Canva or Procreate. Adobe Illustrator is ideal for seasoned graphics pros needing more advanced capabilities.
Q: Is a Cricut or Silhouette machine needed?
A: Not initially, though they help streamline cutting custom sticker sheets faster once volume is high enough to justify the hardware investment.
Q: What types of stickers sell best?
A: Cute, colorful stickers and anything related to current pop culture trends tend to sell exceptionally well. Think adorable anime characters, merch from hit TV shows, nostalgic cartoon throwbacks, motivational themes, and more.
Q: How many sticker designs should I start with?
A: We recommend beginning with a “starter pack” of 5-10 best sticker ideas, then rapidly iterating based on which get the most customer love. Limited editions and seasonal designs keep things fresh too.
Q: What’s better – vinyl or paper stickers?
A: For durability and waterproofing, vinyl is best. But paper works for art prints and short-term use. Consider offering customers a choice based on their use case.
Q: How do I drive traffic to my sticker shop?
A: Hashtag marketing on Instragram and TikTok can quickly get eyes on your stickers. Running giveaways and contests garners interest. And reaching out to influencers with free samples of your product for reviews is wise.
Q: What’s the best platform for selling stickers? A: Most successful sticker entrepreneurs have an independent Shopify store linked to Etsy and social channels. The combined omni-channel approach maximizes reach and sales.
Q: Can I really make good money selling stickers?
A: Absolutely! Passionate artists are earning anywhere from a nice side income to quit your job money in the sticker game. By providing value with great designs and customer service, the sky’s the limit.
We hope this complete guide gives you the confidence and knowledge to turn your art into a profit machine through selling awesome stickers people love! Let us know if you have any other sticker related questions in the comments!
