Abby B. Planning to create a listing for your digital products on Etsy but unsure how to? Maybe it’s your first time to finally open your Etsy shop. Well it’s pretty simple!
Open an Etsy account
Before we get to it and if you’re still looking around for a sign to start your very own Etsy shop – this is it. There’s no better way to make passive income online other than to sell digital products on Etsy. Unless you have great skills for making handmade crafts and love to handle shipments of physical products, digital products are the way to go. This is true for just anyone – even if you’re an artist, a student, a single mom or just someone looking to build an online business out of their first side hustle.
Also if you’re from Asia and not living in the US or Europe, selling digital downloads on Etsy is one of the ways to make a living in USD. Of course you would have similar opportunities elsewhere e.g. eBay and Amazon but I just believe Etsy is the easiest to start.
To be honest, it will take some time for you to learn how to create a good digital product and initially you will feel overwhelmed by the thought of creating something “good”. How good is good?
However, I’m here to tell you that you can do it – you can learn, get better and master the art of making one. You will also get a hang of selling one. Once you do so, the opportunities are endless.
Thank me later for this pep talk!
*This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission (at no cost to you) if you sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link!
Want to make $300 this month?
Easy! Just fill up surveys in your free time on Survey Junkie!
Save up for that dream vacation. You deserve it.
Make digital products on Canva
Some of you might already have a digital product to create in mind and perhaps already have it ready. Good job! Most don’t know how or where to start creating one.
If you’re still unsure (I was very clueless too), I suggest you start designing on Canva. Forget about Photoshop and all the different tools meant for professional designers, you don’t need it. Canva is enough!
Here’s a short video by Alissa Rose, a successful Etsy seller in the digital product niche. It will help you understand better! She too moved from selling physical products and packing each order to having multiple shops with digital downloads.
A free Canva account is enough to design although with limited features. I would suggest getting Canva Pro. Aside from the extensive library of graphics, photos, videos and fonts, Canva Pro allows you to download designs with transparent backgrounds and sell your templates as products by sharing a link to your customers. These are the two main reasons I love and appreciate Canva Pro. It’s pretty easy and it’s demonstrated in the video above.
Don’t forget to save and watch it later!
List digital products on Etsy
Once you register for an Etsy account, you will be prompted to list your first product in order to open your shop.
Upload product photos
Etsy recommends adding 10 product photos. For digital products, you may not have many angles to show especially if the product has less than 5 pages. You can try placing photos of each page to show greater details of what you’re selling. One thumbnail photo where you shove everything in won’t seal the deal.
Other things you can add along in the photos:
- Infographic on how to download & use the product – not everyone knows how
- Any coupons you may be offering that they can use – increases chances of sale
- If you have an email list they can join for a freebie – I suggest starting with MailerLite’s free package (up to 1,000 subscribers!)
- Photo of other complementary products you have with similar themes to the one they’re looking at – higher checkout amount!
Upload product video (highly recommended)
I would highly suggest adding a 15 second video highlighting the product you’re selling. I know you might be questioning how to make a video of a digital product? You don’t want to be printing it just to take a video of it and you don’t have to.
I’m happy to be sharing that you can make a short video using Canva by adding photos of the digital item you’re selling. Simply browse for a video template at Canva’s search bar, there’s plenty ready made ones you can edit in less than 5 minutes.
The video will be the second media your potential customer sees once they click on your listing so make a nice one. This is right after the listing’s thumbnail and before the other 9 photos you may have attached. Make it short and sweet!
Furnish product details
Great job! You’re halfway there. Now you just have to fill in the details. Generally, this is how you do it. It differs slightly depending on the product you’re selling.
Choosing “Digital” as the type will hide the delivery section since it doesn’t require shipping like a physical product.
Provide a description
As Etsy highlighted, your first few words in the description counts! Big time. So I would suggest giving a fresh-looking opening, make it short and make it yours!
Other things you can include:
- A list of what the purchase includes
- How can they start using it
- Link to your email list
- Disclaimers – e.g. “no product will be shipped to you”
- Terms of use for the digital product – customers can only use for personal and business use, item cannot be resold etc.
Give a price and stock levels
You can set a higher initial market price and provide coupons for discounts later, that’s completely up to you. Psychologically, discounts are appealing to just anyone and make purchases look like a bargain! Anyway, you don’t have margins to worry about since it’s a digital product and has almost zero cost with each new sale. You created it only once right? Sounds good.
The stock quantity is an information not seen by customers but it’s good to provide the maximum number (999) so it won’t run out and won’t require renewal too soon (there is an expiration date anyhow).
Attach your product
You can upload up to 5 files in the digital files section. If you have more than 5, upload a ZIP file with everything in there instead.
It’s quite straightforward if the digital file you’re uploading is ready to be used and a product of its own.
If you’re selling a Canva template and want to attach the “use as template” link, you can create a PDF with the link embedded in it. Be sure to make it clear so your customers know where to click on. The video above shows how you can do this easy peasy.
Quick run through
Make sure you got all the details right!
Preview before “Publish”
DONE!
Additional: If it’s your first listing, you will then be required to fill in your address and payment details before you get to view your shop.
Other sections to furnish!
Your “Info & Appearance”
You can include a message to guide buyers on how to download the PDF file, access the template and let them know they’re in good hands.
“Hi there! Thanks a lot for purchasing from my shop. You can start by downloading the PDF provided. If you have any issues accessing the product, please let me know and I will try my best to help.”
Important to update:
Shop policies
One great thing about selling digital products is that your customers will understand your no return/exchange/cancellation policies. It only makes sense to do so because there’s no way to take a digital file back can you?
This is also the reason why digital downloads can be sold cheaper than physical products. A printable wall art can be as low as $2 while an art frame might be priced at $20. It’s understandable.
Switch off the returns, exchanges and cancellation policies in your shop and your policies will reflect as below.
Shop FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
On each listing there will be a section for your FAQs below product description. Here you can list the top questions you believe your potential customer would have in their minds before making the purchase. It helps to ascertain before making payment and this helps to increase your sales PLUS brand trust!
You’ll overthink a lot at this point “what if I don’t get sales”, “what if the customer dislikes my product” and “what if I have to work 9-5 for the rest of my life”. Well, life is a lot about managing expectations to ensure satisfaction a.k.a good reviews (above 3.5 stars) – even when your products are not the best in market. So get confident and get better with each day!
The general FAQs I would highly recommend you to include:
- How do I download digital products I have purchased?
- Are your products only available in Canva? What if I don’t have a Canva account?
- If I have an issue with my purchase, what do I do?
- Do you offer refunds or cancellations for your digital products?
- What is your response time?
Top tips to sell digital products on Etsy
Know the fees charged!
Even if you’re not selling a physical product and don’t have to account for production, packing and shipment cost with each order, it’s wise to keep track of all the fees chargeable by Etsy to stay on top of your profit margins.
Main fees for you to remember:
- Listing fees (per product): $0.20
- Transaction fees (per sale): 5% of total sale price
- Location-dependent fees (per sale):
- Etsy Payments fee – 3% of total sale price + $0.25
- Sales tax / VAT
- Currency conversion fee – 2.5%
Optional fees if you ever get into it:
- Subscription fees for Etsy Plus: $10/month
- Advertising fees: Etsy ads + Offsite ads
Price appropriately
I know you’re after profits and want to make a sizable income with each sale. It shows if you price too high… especially when you’re new with zero reviews and only have a few products. The key is to “test the market”.
Now, I don’t recommend selling your products for $1 just to get sales but a 20% discount from market price should be enough to encourage a new purchase. Do some research of your competitors’ prices and price your products at least 20% lesser than theirs (have the fees above in mind).
A good pricing strategy in the beginning can do wonders. Alternatively, provide discounts by running a sale to reflect the bargain you’re offering.
Provide guidance
You may overlook this thinking there’s the description and FAQ section. Learning from experience, most people don’t read. This is the tip – provide images on “how to use” in each digital product listing and also include them in your description and general FAQs. Doesn’t hurt and builds your brand trust. It might be their first time buying a digital download!
Increase basket size
In the photos section, you can include an image of another set of products you have that can go well with the one they’re thinking of buying. Let’s say, you’re selling a thank you card in a certain pink-green design, you can offer a gift tag with the same color palette. Chances are your buyer who is also a business owner will get both to make their product packaging/branding look more cohesive.
Notice how most images on this blog match the pale mint green color scheme Passive Marketeer is going for? It’s part of our branding.
Bottom Line
Creating a listing to sell your digital product on Etsy doesn’t need to be complicated. You just have to make it clear to potential customers what you’re selling, how to access the digital download and what they should do if they face trouble using it. Always be responsive and make sure to reply to any messages within 24 hours to build customer trust.
If you have skipped to the end of the post to decide what’s the best digital product to make, it’s easy to start with printables. Good luck!
Photo by Tim Mossholder from Pexels
