Digital products are my favorite way to make money on Etsy. From a buyer perspective, digital downloads are great because you can buy the file once (usually for $10 or less) and print it off as many times as you want. From a seller perspective, they’re even better: once you’ve created the files and listed them for sale, all you have to do is promote it and keep track of your sales.
I mostly sell printable wall art on Etsy, but there are tons of different digital products you can create and sell in your own store. If you can create something in digital format that other people are willing to pay for, that’s a digital product you can sell on Etsy. This list includes some of the most popular types of products you can sell digitally as well as the tools needed to get started. (If you haven’t yet opened your Etsy shop, here’s my seller referral link that will get you 40 free listings when you open your shop).
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Printable wall art includes digital prints of illustrations, typography, inspirational quotes, photography, wedding or party signs, seasonal decor, kitchen/bathroom/nursery themed decor, and anything else you can design. Customers like the digital option because they can test different sizes and print it over and over again if needed. And if you get the occasional customer who would rather buy a physical piece of wall art, you can outsource the printing to Printful (or any other print-on-demand service) and have them print and ship it for you.
Tools needed: I design 99% of my wall art designs in Canva, but you can also use a program like PicMonkey or Inkscape depending on what you’re trying to do. I used PicMonkey more when I was selling photography, and I use Inkscape if I’m trying to do something more complex than what the other programs offer.
Printable planner pages
Planner pages are another popular product sold digitally on Etsy. Whether you sell digital planners that are used on phones or tablets or printable pages that can be added to a physical planner, Etsy is full of buyers just waiting for you to list your designs.
Canva is also great for creating planner pages, but their templates cannot be used for products you plan to sell so you have to start from scratch. To help you get around this, I created a set of planner templates in Canva that you can use as-is or edit to your heart’s content. You can get these templates emailed to you for free by subscribing here.
Another amazing option for creating printable or digital planner pages is Planify Pro. This is a new design platform specifically for creating digital products like printable planner pages, lined journals, meal planners, gratitude journals, and calendars of all kinds. If you have any interest in selling planners or low-content books, Planify Pro is a must-have tool. I signed up a month ago and spent the next three days just playing around with it nonstop.
Make sure to also check out Sasha’s storefront at Your Frugal Friend – she has a large selection of free and paid fillable templates that you can modify and sell in your own store. These are great for planner pages, but she also has a ton of other templates for everything from lunch box notes to emergency contact information.
Coloring book pages
Kids coloring pages are great for fun learning activities, while adult coloring pages are great for relaxation. Whatever it is you love to sketch while you unwind, someone else will love to unwind while coloring it in.
If you don’t know how to draw, check out Creative Fabrica for outlined illustrations you can compile together into coloring pages and books. Becky Beach is a successful blogger who sells commercial use coloring page templates that you can customize for your own products, such as this adorable dog breeds coloring pack.
Use Planify Pro or Book Bolt to assemble your files and sell them through Etsy or Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).
Check out my full post on how to make coloring pages here.
Clipart & design files
If you like to sketch or do graphic design, crafters always need themed clipart for their scrapbooks and digital products. Depending on the types of files you sell, they can also be marketed toward crafters who work with vinyl cutters to create products of their own.
Aside from Etsy, another popular place to sell clip art and design files for other crafters to use is Creative Fabrica. I haven’t sold anything on there, but I’ve downloaded plenty of fonts and clip art from other creators.
Digital papers and patterns
Scrapbookers and crafters are always looking for unique patterns and papers they can’t find anywhere else. Bundle some patterns with clipart and offer a discount for themed sets.
Digital eBooks and courses
Etsy is a great platform for getting your ebook or course in front of interested readers and learners. A quick search for ebook turned up the following assortment of digital reads:
Restaurant Marketing Ideas
Clean Eating Meal Plans
Living Frugal Tips
How to Make Candles at Home
Period Repair Manual for Better Periods
EZ Painless Abs Workout
How to Think Mathematically
What do you know how to do that others might want to learn how to do? Get your thoughts organized in a Google Doc and see what you can come up with for your book. Use Book Bolt to turn it into an eBook and publish it on KDP.
Crochet/knitting/embroidery patterns
If you create your own patterns for crochet, embroidery, etc., you’re missing out on some fat cash if they’re not up for sale. New and experienced knitters/crocheters/embroiderers are all looking for unique and exciting new patterns to try, so you might as well make a few bucks off your designs. Just make sure to specify if you only want people using them for personal use and whether they can sell products they make using your patterns.
Budget trackers/spreadsheets
Many years ago I spent $50 on an Excel budget template from a personal finance blogger who said it helped her get out of six figures of debt. I used it for a week before abandoning it, but the point is not whether or not I used it, it’s that she made an easy $50 off me by selling something she originally made for herself. Planify has plenty of templates that are appropriate for this type of product as well.
Invitation templates and announcements
People are always throwing parties, so they’re always going to need beautiful and creative invitations and announcements. You can either do custom invitations where you fill in their details for them, or sell a template that they can customize and fill in themselves.Check out my template shop for some commercial use invitations and announcements you can customize in Canva and sell in your own store.
Customizable marketing materials
Similar to invitations, marketing materials like brochures, flyers, and press kits are always in demand for busy entrepreneurs on a time and/or money budget. This is a great way to flex your expertise in a particular field – for example, if you’ve worked in the real estate industry, you know what kinds of details realtors would look for in their marketing materials. Use that to your advantage. Template.Net is a good place to start.
Website design templates
If you know how to make websites, you can sell pre-made templates that buyers can upload to a WordPress or Squarespace website. Again, depending on your specialty or expertise you can make designs targeted to whoever you want – bloggers, freelancers who need a portfolio, photographers, industry professionals, and anyone else who needs a website or blog (everyone).
Logos, graphics, and design services
Not everyone needs a full website template, but they would gladly buy a logo template, branding bundle, or some piecemeal design services from you. As these are all ‘handmade’ services, they can be sold and promoted on Etsy. Be sure to market to fellow Etsy sellers who want a quick logo or shop banner.
Recipe cards/meal planning cards
Fill-in-the-blank recipe cards and meal planning templates are a great way to sell something to your food blog audience.
Digital greeting cards
You can bundle up and ship a pack of 8 cards, or you can just sell the printable file and let customers print however many cards they need. Check out this free eBook on selling seasonal printables to get some year-round ideas.
How to Make Digital Downloads
Now that you have some ideas for what’s possible, these posts will help you create products, list them for sale, and market yourself:
How to Make and Sell Printables on Etsy
What to Know About Etsy Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and How to Use It to Market Your Products
Every Tool I Use to Run My Etsy Shop
Where to Find the Best Mockups for Your Digital Products
Be sure to check out my eBook Printable & Profitable, which will walk you through exactly how I started selling printables and print-on-demand products. It’s a step-by-step business blueprint that will help you get your shop started faster and with more clarity. If you’re ready to take your printable education a step further, check out the Gold City Ventures E-Printables course for tutorials on creating multiple types of printables in advanced design programs.
Ready to open your shop? Here’s my seller referral link that will get you 40 free listings when you open your store ($8 value).
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