How to Make and Sell Stickers Online
Do you have an idea in your head just begging to become a sticker that someone can put on their laptop, water bottle, and more? Want to use your creative energy to make some money online? Creating and selling stickers online is an excellent way to bring your incredible sticker ideas to life and share them with the world — and make some money at the same time.
Here’s everything you need to know to make and sell your very own sticker designs online:
What Types of Stickers Can You Make
If you want to start a sticker business, you must first ask yourself what types of stickers you can — and want to — make.
The options are virtually limitless in terms of your design. Practically any sticker you can imagine is on the table, and your creativity determines the limits of what you can do.
Creating your custom stickers allows you to bring your vision to life by customizing every aspect of your sticker to make them something you and your customers will love!
Start with an idea of what you are looking for and then make it a reality by customizing all the details to your liking.
When creating your sticker, you’ll need to decide on the finish and the cut you want. The design that you have in mind may lend itself best to a specific finish or type of cut, so keep this in mind when making your choices.
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Types of Sticker Finishes
You’ll need to select the right finish, or style, for your stickers. Below are some options you’ll encounter:
- Vinyl stickers
- Clear stickers
- Kraft paper stickers
- Metallic stickers
- Hologram stickers
Sticker Cuts
What about the cut options? This is also an essential factor to decide on. Before we dive into some of the different options you might encounter, let’s explain the difference between two types of sticker cuts you’ll find: die cut and kiss cut.
- Die Cut: This method will cut both the sticker material and the backing behind it. It could be a simple shape like a circle or square, or even a more complex or organic shape. However, it won’t have the larger backing behind it that you’ll sometimes find on stickers such as sticker sheets.
- Kiss Cut: Speaking of sticker sheets, a kiss cut is how you would accomplish that. These stickers are made when only the top sticker layer is cut, and the paper backing stays intact. When you peel off the sticker, you’ll see that a border and the backing stay behind.
Below are some options you might see during your search for the right sticker for you:
- Individual stickers (die cut)
- Individual stickers with backing (kiss cut)
- 2-5 sticker sheet
- Individual stickers with backing design (die cut with printed backing)
- 6-10 sticker sheet
- 6-10 sticker sheet with backing design
- Sticker roll
- 2-5 sticker sheet with backing design
- Transparent positioning film (on top layer of the sticker)
To help you narrow down which option is right for you, you may want to consider how you plan to sell your stickers (individually or in sheets). This will help narrow down the best option for your online sticker shop.
How Do I Make Stickers to Sell Online?
All of this begs the question — once you have the perfect image in your mind about what you’d like your sticker to look like, the finish you want, and the sticker cut, how do you make it a reality?
There are two popular options you will typically choose between. These include printing them at home and utilizing print-on-demand services to get the job done, like those offered by THE/STUDIO.
Below, we’ll go over each so you’ll better understand how each choice works. Understanding both will allow you to make an informed decision about which option makes the most sense to you and your online business.
Printing Stickers at Home
You could use adhesive sticker paper, a printer, and a Cricut machine to print stickers yourself at home.
You’ll need to take the sticker design you want to use and print it out on your sticker paper. From there, apply any lamination or finishes you would like and use your Cricut to cut your sticker out.
Your Cricut will need to be calibrated using the included software. Research how to get the best results with your specific printer, sticker paper, and cutting machine — and be ready to do some trial and error — until you figure out how to produce a perfect result! Practice makes perfect!
Printing Stickers with Print on Demand
Another way to make and sell your very own stickers online is to use a print-on-demand service. We provide services for you to customize every detail of your sticker, offering practically limitless options to create exactly what you are picturing and make it a reality.
This way, you can focus on the creativity of creating a sticker that your customers will love and leave the technical aspects to us! Our sticker experts know their stuff, and you can chat with them about any questions you have regarding specifications, possibilities, and more.
By using a print-on-demand service, you can leave the sticker manufacturing to the professionals for an unparalleled expert look, and you can spend your energy on the other aspects of running your online store rather than getting bogged down with the frustrating trial and error that comes with trying to create the stickers yourself.
Where to Sell Stickers Online
Once your stickers are created, the next obvious question is where to sell them. Below are some popular options you can consider:
Etsy
Etsy is an excellent place for selling things like stickers! People sell all sorts of items on Etsy, including custom T-shirts, patches, pins, and more.
In fact, we have a whole post on how you can open your own Etsy store. This can help you get your stickers listed online and selling in no time.
Creating Your Own Store
Don’t want to be confined to the restraints put on your store by a website like Etsy — not to mention having to pay their fees ? You can start your own store by creating your personal online website and doing things exactly as you’d like to.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is a popular way to sell all sorts of items, so why not stickers? You can list your items through this platform so other users can see them and purchase them if they catch their eye!
How to Price Stickers for Sale
Pricing can be tricky for any business, and determining something realistic can be an extreme challenge. In determining your prices, you’ll want to research other similar products for an idea of the going rate.
For stickers, this is likely between $2 and $6. It might be tempting to be the lowest-priced sticker available so customers will choose to click on your listing — but trust us, in the end, you’ll be cutting into your own profits!
If you are going to offer free shipping, make sure that is factored into the price you set. Otherwise, you can keep your item price low and charge the customer a fee for shipping.
Keep in mind any fees you will be charged, such as the fees that Etsy charges (if that is where you will be selling your stickers), when deciding on your prices.
How you price your item is one of the most significant factors determining whether you will be making sales. After you’ve put all this time and effort into designing the perfect sticker, the last thing you want is for all that to go to waste just because you priced it wrong.
As we mentioned earlier, the price of a sticker typically falls in the $2 to $6 range. Still, you could charge more if the sticker is larger, if you’re using premium materials (such as if your sticker paper is holographic), or if the design is a custom or complex piece.
Whatever you create, you want to set a price that allows you to profit after all your costs are factored in. That includes the cost of the sticker, shipping, packaging, fees, and any other relevant expenses.
You always have the option to offer a range of prices for your stickers based on if they are purchasing something custom or buying a standalone design versus a bundle of stickers.
How Much Do Stickers Cost to Make?
How much it costs to make your sticker will depend on many factors. Are you making them yourself? Then this will depend on the materials you purchase and the cost of your tools (such as your printer and Cricut) if you don’t have them already.
If you choose to order your stickers through a company like THE/STUDIO, factors like the size of your sticker, the material you use, and more will affect the cost. Remember that you typically save money per item by ordering in bulk. By ordering more stickers at a time, your cost for each sticker will decrease.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Making and Selling Stickers Profitable?
If you create designs that people want to purchase, create them using high-quality materials, and price them correctly, you have the potential to make a profit by making stickers and selling them online. For best results, research to ensure you are creating a product people will be interested in purchasing.
How Do I Start Selling My Own Stickers?
There are many ways to sell your stickers, but it all comes down to making them and deciding on a platform. You just need to create your product, find a place to list them online, and get selling. You can always research ways to promote your listings to help encourage sales.
Need Help Creating Your Custom Stickers? Work With Us!
Have a great idea that deserves to become a sticker listed in your store so your customers can purchase it to affix to their water bottles, laptops, and more? Let THE/STUDIO help!
If you want to start your sticker business (or add stickers to a store you already have), you’ve come to the right place! Our sticker experts are highly knowledgeable and ready to help you bring your creations to life.
Have questions? Reach out! Our team will be happy to assist you with anything you might want to know about creating your own custom stickers and what is possible when you work with THE/STUDIO.
Get in touch today to take the first step toward opening your very own online sticker store!
