soloinstaller
New Member
What do you guys think about shipping out some vinyl decals on etsy for side work? Too much of a hassle or worth it?
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Thoughts about selling on etsy for side work?
- Thread starter soloinstaller
- Start date
James Burke
Being a grandpa is more fun than working
Competing in an overcrowded market where bottom feeders are rife is a total waste of time for a professional.
Don't reduce your time and talent to a commodity.
JB
Notarealsignguy
Arial - it's almost helvetica
What if you have a lot of time and no talent?
Etsy, eBay and Amazon all seem like "work a lot more for a lot less money" in my opinion. I still have a few listings on there but most sellers sell similar (or the same) thing for pennies on the dollar for what I sell things for. Too many kids with Cricuts on there that think selling a $1 decal is going to make them rich because they are making 20 cents profit. 
victor bogdanov
Active Member
It is very competitive but you can make good money if you get lucky with customers liking your designs and you can maintain positive metrics. 50% of my revenue is from Etsy, keeps my Colorado 1650 busy. One of my competitors has a shop down the street about to purchase a 3rd Colorado all for etsy
Notarealsignguy
Arial - it's almost helvetica
Selling stuff is one thing, making money is another. You've already divulged how cheap you're willing to work for so it doesn't surprise me that you stay busy with Etsy.
victor bogdanov
Active Member
Doing my taxes now, ill be making a 6 figure payment and feeling really sick in a bit
Notarealsignguy
Arial - it's almost helvetica
I bet. Doing your own taxes? That says enough in itself.
victor bogdanov
Active Member
You should try TurboTax, even creating w2s and 1099s is easy. Been doing it for 10 years
Stacey K
I like making signs
Years ago I sold basic race car number sets on EBay. It was worth it but the cheapest thing I sold was around $60.
I've sold a lot of wood stenciled signs on Etsy and if you have a lot of orders it's OK but if it trickles in it becomes a PITA and not worth the time. I used to "do all my etsy orders" 1-2 times a week vs. as they came in. Remember each order needs to be read, printed, created, packaged and shipped -great if you can do a bunch at one time but doing one a day wastes a lot of time. I would try to do some bigger ticket items vs. a bunch of small $3 decals.
I've sold a lot of wood stenciled signs on Etsy and if you have a lot of orders it's OK but if it trickles in it becomes a PITA and not worth the time. I used to "do all my etsy orders" 1-2 times a week vs. as they came in. Remember each order needs to be read, printed, created, packaged and shipped -great if you can do a bunch at one time but doing one a day wastes a lot of time. I would try to do some bigger ticket items vs. a bunch of small $3 decals.
Johnny Best
Active Member
Do you to estimated quarterly? You make big money Bro!
Ldireprophil
New Member
Let me say first that I do this on the side for fun because I'm the creator/admin of a motorcycle-related Facebook page. We all have hobbies and owning and riding Harley-Davidson's is one of mine. So this is a very "niche" thing for me. I buy a 15"x10 yd roll of 3M™ 5100R Scotchlite Reflective roll from Grimco for $104.90. I get (112) 1x6 decals out of the roll, or (56) pairs, and sell a set for motorcycle saddlebags on eBay for $17.95 plus $3.50 shipping. No copyright concerns, just letters in a custom font I created. I don't particularly like eBay, but they collect and submit the sales tax and keep everything organized so I can manage it. So, for $104.90 for the roll, and $1000.52 for the decals produced, my profit margin is 89.6% I don't use any ink, just print the contour cut file, throw the vinyl on the flatbed summa, kiss-cut the letters, followed by the decal border cut-thru. Very little labor, the machines do the work. I just weed the little decal, throw the pre-mask over the 2 pair set, throw in a standard envelope and use the label printed from the eBay order form. Is it sometimes a PITA to keep up with? A little, but these guys can't get this anywhere else, I believe I've sold around $1800 in the past 3 weeks alone. In summary, I'd hate to make a living doing this, but as a side hustle, it's an easy way to make some play money. The key is having a product someone wants to buy first, then making sure the follow-through makes enough sense for you to actually do it.
Notarealsignguy
Arial - it's almost helvetica
I'll stick with a real accountant. They're worth every penny.
victor bogdanov
Active Member
All of the online marketplaces handle sales tax
victor bogdanov
Active Member
I pay once per year. The penalty for not sending quarterly payments is relatively small and gets waived most of the time.
James Burke
Being a grandpa is more fun than working
gabagoo
New Member
I can't believe you get 3M reflective that cheap. Up here in Canada a 15" white would run me about $24.00 per yard.
Gino
Premium Subscriber
What business sense does it make to pay the government more money than you need to ?? Why would you throw money to the government, if ya don't have to ?? Not so long ago, you were making fun of people doing it, but with other reasons.