Question / Discussion Looking for extra cash? Set up an Etsy shop selling simple digital downloads

[BreeziOG]

The algorithm changes are definitely annoying, but I still think if you have a good enough item, it doesn’t matter. What do you sell mate?

Very true, just gotta make sure to update listings regularly if they're not getting the attention they deserve. My shop is fan art bits mostly, stickers, keyrings, Christmas decorations (currently, I don't stock them all year) - link is in my signature if you fancy a look.

 

[Fruitloops]

I've been thinking of doing this for a while but more recently, since Etsy introduced the £15 charge to open an account (unless I'm getting mixed up), I keep hearing about people getting their accounts closed before they've even done anything, some immediately after they've opened them. Did you have any issues with this at all or heard anything about it?

 

[BreeziOG]

I've been thinking of doing this for a while but more recently, since Etsy introduced the £15 charge to open an account (unless I'm getting mixed up), I keep hearing about people getting their accounts closed before they've even done anything, some immediately after they've opened them. Did you have any issues with this at all or heard anything about it?

The account opening fee does not apply for shops based in the UK, they're still free to open - if you'd like to explore, you can use my invite link and you'll get 40 free listings, which saves you the initial 16p listing fee - https://etsy.me/3YTux7t

I've not heard anything about accounts being closed upon opening for no reason, it has been known to happen when using public wifi if another user on that IP address has previously been banned for violating Etsy's ToS, or sometimes shops are closed immediately if the listings are detected as not being handmade or vintage (usually dropshipped Temu/Ali Express rubbish etc).

The fees are quite high but the trade off is the huge market share and enormous customer base that comes directly from their existing customers - while you can drive traffic to your shop through your own marketing, having a built in customer base already familiar with the platform is worth the fees for me personally. I get 99% of my sales through Etsy, despite all my products also being on Depop.

As always, your experience may vary, but thats my 2 cents

 

[rich110991]

I've been thinking of doing this for a while but more recently, since Etsy introduced the £15 charge to open an account (unless I'm getting mixed up), I keep hearing about people getting their accounts closed before they've even done anything, some immediately after they've opened them. Did you have any issues with this at all or heard anything about it?

As long as you stick to the rules, you shouldn’t get closed down.

 

[Fruitloops]

@BreeziOG
I'm late replying but wanted to say thank you for this! I really appreciate the information and it's given me a bit more confidence to give it a try after all. Now I just need to motivate myself to get going with it

 

[LeeS]

I’ve come across stuff like this on Etsy too! Sometimes the simplest designs, like those heart outlines, can really take off and sell well. I’ve been considering giving digital downloads a try myself, especially since there’s no inventory to manage. But I’ve also seen it’s not always as easy as it looks — you still need to put in some work to make your listings stand out. I did a little Etsy work a few years ago, and while it was a nice side hustle, it definitely required some patience and consistency. If you’ve got time to create and upload, it can definitely be worth it, but it’s not a get-rich-quick thing.

 

[-Maria-]

Can I ask, if you're making digital art prints to only download digitally, what file type do you save those as please? I've read PNG is best and that is also what Canva is suggesting for those, also I've read that JPG is best as some printing places will only accept that format or is PDF print best? I'm not good with file types but I'm trying to make some digital things and hopefully set up an Etsy shop and make some money because I'm desperate.

And for planner type pages I'm doing PDF but which kind, PDF standard best for documents and emailing which someone told me to use, or PDF print best for printing which I would think is the best one to use for that?

Thank you for any advice.

 

[rich110991]

Can I ask, if you're making digital art prints to only download digitally, what file type do you save those as please? I've read PNG is best and that is also what Canva is suggesting for those, also I've read that JPG is best as some printing places will only accept that format or is PDF print best? I'm not good with file types but I'm trying to make some digital things and hopefully set up an Etsy shop and make some money because I'm desperate.

And for planner type pages I'm doing PDF but which kind, PDF standard best for documents and emailing which someone told me to use, or PDF print best for printing which I would think is the best one to use for that?

Thank you for any advice.

You can offer more than one type. I’d just upload both PNG and JPEG.

PDF best for printing sounds right to me.

 

[LaurenKnox]

I had a similar issue with refunds taking longer than expected, but it turned out my payment methods weren’t fully verified yet. Once I sorted that out, things went smoother. It’s worth checking if everything's set up properly in your shop’s settings, especially in the payments section. Also, I noticed Etsy sometimes holds funds for new sellers for a bit longer, which can delay things at first.