Are you looking for a fun business venture that is fulfilling and relatively cheap to produce? Then vinyl stickers might be something for you! We will teach you everything you need to know to make, design, and sell vinyl stickers for profit!
Stickers have become a popular item to sell online in recent years, and there are many different ways to get into this business. In this article, we’ll discuss the basics of sticker entrepreneurship, from designing your own stickers you want to start selling stickers online but you’re not sure how to get started.
It can be confusing and frustrating trying to figure out the best way to make and sell stickers online. There are a lot of different options and it’s hard to know which one is the best for you.
We’ve created this guide to show you how to make stickers to sell online. We’ll walk you through each step of the process so that you can start selling your own stickers in no time.
- How to get started
- How to Design Your Stickers
- how to design your stickers
- Canva or Picmonkey
- Create your own designs with Procreate
- Buy designs that are licensed for commercial use
- Print your stickers
- Best Companies for printing stickers
- Cut Your Stickers
- How to price your stickers
- Pick a name for your business
- Get online
- Pick a method to sell your stickers
- Order Materials
- How to Ship Stickers
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How to get started
Pick a niche
The first step in starting any business is deciding what you want to sell. There are a lot of different things to consider when choosing a niche for selling vinyl stickers online. Not only do you need to think about what type of stickers you want to sell, but you also need to consider your target audience, your competition, and the overall market for vinyl stickers.
When it comes to stickers, there are a lot of different options. You can create stickers with generic designs that anyone could use, or you could focus on designing stickers for a specific niche market.
The first step in choosing a niche for your vinyl sticker business is to do some market research. You need to figure out what kind of stickers people are buying and what kind of designs they are looking for.
There are many different ways that you can do this research, but one of the easiest ways is to use Google Trends. Just type in “vinyl stickers” and you will be able to see how this market has been trending over time.
For example, if you are interested in wildlife and there is an interest and demand for wildlife stickers you should stick to making stickers that fall under that category. The same could be for animals, ocean, or landscapes.
No matter what niche you decide to focus on, make sure that there’s a market for your stickers. Do some research online to see if there are other people selling stickers in the same niche. This will help you determine if there’s a demand for your product.
What type of stickers are there
There are several kinds of vinyl stickers that customers might be looking for. Once you have a good understanding of the vinyl sticker market, it’s time to start thinking about which products you want to sell. There are many different types of vinyl stickers, so you need to choose ones that are in demand and that you think you can sell well. For example, you might want to consider selling die-cut stickers, decals, or even car wraps.
Different kinds of vinyl stickers
- die-cut– A die-cut sticker is a custom-shaped sticker that is cut to the exact shape of your design. They are perfect for showing off intricate designs and are often used for branding purposes.
- kiss cut- A kiss cut sticker is a type of vinyl sticker that is cut into any shape you want. They are perfect for branding and can be used on a variety of different products.
- square cut– A square-cut sticker is a type of vinyl sticker that is cut into a square shape. They are often used for product labels and can be printed with full-color designs.
- circle cut– A circle cut sticker is a type of vinyl sticker that is cut into a circular shape.
- clear stickers– Clear stickers are a type of vinyl sticker that is see-through. They are perfect for labeling products
- holographic stickers– Holographic stickers are a type of vinyl sticker that is printed with a holographic design
- sticker sheets– Sticker sheets are a type of vinyl sticker that comes on a sheet.
- matte or shiny finish– Matte or shiny stickers are a type of vinyl sticker that has a matte or shiny finish.
Decals are another popular type of vinyl stickers. They are usually made from a thicker material and can be printed with full-color designs. Decals are perfect for businesses that want to promote their brand or logo. They can also be used for car wraps and other marketing materials.
Car wraps are large vinyl decals that are placed on cars. They are a great way to promote businesses and products. Car wraps can be full-color and can cover the entire car.
How to Design Your Stickers
Once you’ve picked a niche, it’s time to start designing your stickers.
If you’re creating generic stickers that anyone could use, you’ll need to come up with a design that’s eye-catching and unique. You can use clip art to create a design, or you can draw your own designs.
If you’re designing stickers for a specific niche, make sure that the designs match the style of the products in that market. For example, if you’re making stickers for scrapbookers, use fonts and designs that match the aesthetic of scrapbooking paper products.
You can create your own designs, or use clip art to create a design. If you’re using your own designs, make sure that they’re high quality and easy to print.
If you’re using clip art, there are a few things to keep in mind
- First, make sure that the clip art is copyright free. You can find a variety of copyright free images online (for both free and paid).
- Another thing to keep in mind is the size of your stickers. Make sure that the clip art you choose is the right size for your stickers.
When designing your stickers, be sure to keep the following things in mind:
- Copyright-free clip art
- The size of your stickers
- The shape of your stickers
- The design of your stickers
how to design your stickers
There are several ways you can go about designing stickers. There are several photo editing websites that are available to help you on your way to designing stickers.
Canva or Picmonkey
If you are a beginner and not familiar with graphic design then you might want to find an online design program such as Canva or Picmonkey. They offer thousands of designs that are available for artists and makers to sell but there are some restrictions so be sure to read up on their rules before you begin to sell.
With Canva, you can get a free account but if you want to use their clipart, you will have to pay $1 (or more) for each element. The Pro account is a no-brainer for a professional sticker maker, as it includes a commercial license for all design elements.
Make sure you are changing colors, adding elements together or with text, etc. to make sure you aren’t just taking an unaltered graphic and turning it into a sticker.
One big no-no is that you can use pre-designed templates for selling. Most other graphics should be okay to sell as long as you alter it somehow by either adding something to them, changing the color, etc.
We are not lawyers, though, so make sure you reach out to Canva or PicMonkey for the specifics on their licenses.
Create your own designs with Procreate
Procreate is a digital illustration app. It currently costs around $11 but is well worth it! It is made to work with iPad Pro and Apple Pencil and is famous for giving you the feeling of free-hand drawing with the power of digital art.
There is a definite learning curve to Procreate but there are tons of tutorials or YouTube videos available to help you navigate.
Here are a few courses you can take on how to use Procreate:
Procreate is a wonderful tool to design stickers with and you don’t even have to be very good at drawing. There are many tools within the app such as being able to trace photos while adding backgrounds, words, and more.
Buy designs that are licensed for commercial use
There are many online stores that sell licensed designs. You simply buy the designs and then get the license to resell. A few reputable places that sell licensed designs are:
- Design Bundles
- Vector Stock
- Fiverr (you can also hire someone from here to make you some clip art)
- Creative Market
Print your stickers
Once you’ve created a design for your stickers, you’ll need to print them. You can do this at home on your printer, or you can send them to a professional printing company.
- If you’re printing them at home, make sure that you use sticker paper or vinyl.
- If you’re doing a large order, it might be cheaper to have them printed professionally.
- If you’re having them printed professionally, be sure to ask for proof before they print the entire order. This will ensure that the stickers are printed correctly and that there are no errors.
There are a lot of professional online businesses that can print your stickers for you. Most of the time they will be high-quality, dishwasher safe and water-resistant stickers. Often, your cost for these may be higher so you will want to price your stickers accordingly to make sure you make a profit.
Best Companies for printing stickers
There are a variety of companies that you can print stickers from professionally. Not all of them produce the highest quality stickers, so make sure you get proof before you start printing with them.
Cut Your Stickers
If you are printing your stickers at home you will need to learn how to cut your stickers.
You can use a die cutter machine, like a Cricut or Silhouette, to do this!
If you’re using a die cutter or Cricut, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cutting stickers.
There are several cutting machines out there so you will need to decide which one you prefer and which one is the best for printing stickers.
The three main cutting machines are:
- Cricut Maker 3
- Explore 3
- Silhouette Cameo
Here are a few more things to keep in mind:
- Use printable vinyl sticker paper – NOT just sticker paper
- Look for waterproof paper
- Plan to seal your stickers – we personally recommend using Expression’s Vinyl laminate.
Interested in learning more about making stickers with a Cricut machine? Be sure to check out our “How to Make Vinyl Stickers with Cricut” virtual workshop! It has everything you need to get started!
How to price your stickers
When it comes to pricing your stickers, there are a few things you’ll need to consider.
- Production costs
- Competition
- Quality of stickers
- Value
- Sticker bundles
First, think about how much it costs you to produce each sticker. You’ll need to make a profit, so make sure that your sticker prices are high enough to cover your costs and still leave you with a profit.
Another thing to consider is the competition. If there are other people selling stickers in the same niche, you’ll need to price your stickers accordingly. Try to find a price point that’s competitive but still leaves you with a profit.
Finally, think about the value that your stickers provide. If you’re selling stickers that are unique and hard to find, you can charge a little more for them. But, if you’re selling generic stickers, you’ll need to keep your prices low so that you can compete with other sellers.
Selling sticker packs/bundles are a GREAT way to increase your average order price. You can make themed sticker packs or allow people to select a certain number of stickers for a price.
You will also need to decide if you want to offer free shipping or not. Many people are drawn in by a free shipping offer, even if the price is higher. Make sure you factor this into your overall pricing if you decide to do that.
Pick a name for your business
When it comes to starting a business, you’ll need to come up with a name for your company. This can be anything from a simple moniker like “Sticker Shack” to a more elaborate name like “The Sticker Company.”
Whatever name you choose, make sure that it’s easy to remember and that it reflects the niche you’re targeting.
You should make sure that you aren’t using a name that someone else is using, either.
Get online
Once you’ve got everything set up, it’s time to start promoting your business online.
Start by creating a website or a blog for your business. This is a great way to showcase your stickers and let people know how they can purchase them. There are a few different ways to sell your stickers online.
You can set up an online shop, or you can sell them on marketplaces like Etsy or Shopify.
Pick a method to sell your stickers
Etsy
Etsy is a great place to sell products because it has a large, built-in audience of over 90 million potential buyers. Etsy also allows you to set up your own shop and customize your listings, so you can really make your mark on the site. It is super user-friendly and easy to set up.
However, Etsy takes a small percentage of each sale and you do have to pay a .20 listing fee for every item on you list.
But the upside is that they drive the business to you so you don’t necessarily have to do find all your customers.
Shopify
Shopify is a great place to sell stickers because it’s easy to use and you can customize your shop to match your brand. Shopify also has a built-in payment processing system, so you don’t have to worry about setting up your own payments.
It is easy for customers to opt-in to an email list and it is super low cost to start.
But you are responsible for driving traffic and customers to your shop- so you may end up paying more in marketing and advertising. If you have an exisiting audience, this might be a good option.
Social Media
In order to be sucesful and to gain a following of loyal customers you will need to get on social media. Don’t let that scare you though! Social Media is a wonderful way to connect, gain a following and garner a community of customers.
The three main places to focus should be: Facebook , Tik Tok, and Instagram
Create an Instagram account with your business name and then do the same for creating a Facebook Page for your store and a Tik Tok. While you don’t have to do all three- it has been found to help sellers become more successful and a quicker rate.
There are tons of tutorials, trick and tips out there to help you get started and to help you learn the ropes.
Order Materials
To start making stickers to sell online, you’ll need to order some materials.
You can find sticker paper and vinyl at most office supply stores. You’ll also need a printer and a cutting machine (like a die cutter or Cricut).
If you’re starting a small business, you can probably get by with a home printer. However, if you’re doing a large order, it might be cheaper to have them printed professionally.
How to Ship Stickers
To ship stickers, you will need to purchase some shipping supplies like envelopes or boxes, and then you can either hand-deliver them or use a shipping service.
You can find envelopes in bulk on Amazon. These envelopes would be a good size for stickers.
Placing your stickers in a clear, cellophane bag like this is an added way to ensure your stickers arrive safely.
If you are using a shipping service, make sure to get a tracking number so that you can keep an eye on your shipment. Also, be sure to package your stickers securely so that they don’t get damaged in transit.
Finally, you will want to calculate your shipping costs so that you can add the appropriate amount to the price of your stickers.
We hope that this was helpful in guiding you to start your thriving sticker business! Be sure to let us know in the comments if you have any questions!
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