The complete guide to successfully selling stickers on Etsy in 2025

Why sell stickers on Etsy?

$191.1 million

The forecast reach of the global die-cut sticker market size by 2028.

When it comes to this particular niche, Etsy has built an excellent reputation. Here are just some of its benefits.

• Vast existing market. Over the years, Etsy has become a go-to marketplace for anyone interested in buying unique products. Vinyl stickers are no exception.
• High visibility. Stickers are highly visible on Etsy. You can place them in various categories, adding tags for particular events or holidays.
• Customizable storefront. If you sell stickers on Etsy, you’re free to personalize your store however you wish. You can even add videos to your products, showcasing them in the best light possible.

Selling stickers on Etsy is an ideal venture for beginners, thanks to its user-friendly interface, making it an excellent starting point for making money.

Things to look out for when opening an Etsy sticker shop

While Etsy has a lot of positive aspects, to get the full picture, it’s essential to look at some of its downsides, too.

• Increased competition. Plenty of other sticker makers compete for customers. That said, if you clearly define your niche (more on that later), it’ll be easier to stand out and profit.
• Etsy fees. How much does Etsy take per sale? Etsy has listing, transaction, shipping, and payment processing fees. And although small, they do add up.
• Marketing expectations trap. While setting up and listing your products on Etsy is easy, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that’s enough to get sales. 

To successfully sell your stickers, you’ll need to optimize for the Etsy search engine and work on digital marketing. But don’t worry – we’ll show you how.

With all that said, Etsy is still a great platform for beginners.

When your business starts rolling one sticker at a time, and you attract loyal customers, it’ll be easier to leverage the power of multichannel retailing and expand your sticker business beyond just Etsy.

Research the sticker market and identify your target audience

Market research is essential for understanding how to sell on Etsy. It provides valuable insights into the industry, competition, and consumer sentiment. 

• Set a clear goal. Define the purpose of your market research. Focus on what you need to learn and how it will assist your Etsy sticker business. This helps you stay focused and avoid irrelevant information.
• Spot trends. Research popular stickers on platforms like Etsy, Amazon, and eBay. Use tools like Semrush to understand consumer preferences and what’s currently in demand.
• Analyze competitors. Examine successful Etsy sellers. Observe their product range, strengths, and weaknesses. Determine what unique offers you can provide that they don’t.
• Identify your audience. Based on your research, pinpoint potential customers. Utilize social networks, competitor feedback, and online forums to understand their interests and needs.
• Create buyer personas. Develop profiles for different customer segments, like ‘K-pop Katie’ or ‘Alt-rock Alan’. These personas should reflect the characteristics and preferences of your target market, helping you design stickers that resonate with them.

With a thorough understanding of the sticker market, you can find what’s missing and fill the gap with unique and beautiful products.

Find a niche for your unique stickers

Success on Etsy, especially in selling unique stickers, depends on identifying a profitable niche. A niche targets a specific group with distinct interests, like fitness enthusiasts, craft beer lovers, or van-life vegetarians. 

Narrowing your focus makes it easier to attract these groups. Choosing a niche aligned with your passion helps you stand out, reduce advertising costs, and potentially increase earnings.

Use Google Trends to check whether your ideas are popular enough to spend time creating designs. Here are just a few examples you can modify to fit the needs of your target audience:

• Round stickers with names, quotes, and memes
• Internet aesthetics kiss-cut stickers
• Tattoo-style durable vinyl stickers
• Organization and planner stickers

Our article What Is a Niche? 5 Examples of Print-On-Demand Niche Ideas has everything you need to know about this topic.

Create your sticker designs

In the competitive sticker market on Etsy, standout designs are key to success. You don’t need to be an expert designer; a creative spark and understanding of your niche can lead to compelling designs. 

Find inspiration from various websites to fuel your creativity:

• Dribble. It’s not only a social networking platform but also a valuable resource for hiring designers. It offers a wealth of inspiring ideas and creative concepts.
• Pinterest. A visual discovery engine, often referred to as The Home of Inspiration. With a wealth of sticker designs on the site, the “Aha!” moment won’t take long.
• Behance. A design portfolio platform where artists showcase their work. Good for both inspiration and hiring talented designers.

These sites are full of inspiration and perfect for kickstarting your creativity. That said, never plagiarize a design. Instead, use it as a starting point to create something even better, adding your personality and uniqueness.

When you have a collection of promising ideas, it’s time to bring them to life. With various tools at your fingertips, designing can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Here are just a few of your options:

• Canva. With this cloud-based design platform, making your stickers is easy. How to make stickers on Canva to sell on Etsy? Choose templates and play with shapes, illustrations, fonts, and colors. Save the digital file, and that’s it!
• Adobe Photoshop. This is a powerful tool, perfect for creating original graphics. While it takes a little know-how, it’s one of the best tools for creating stickers.
• Pixlr. A user-friendly, cloud-based design and photo editing tool that allows you to easily create stickers directly in your browser.

For a quicker approach, consider our Shutterstock integration, where you’ll find visuals starting at just $2.

It offers many images and illustrations to easily customize and create unique stickers for your Etsy store. For more details on usage, pricing, and more, refer to our Help Center article.

Find where to create your stickers

There are three main options when making stickers. 

• Create your own from scratch. This option takes time, money, and patience. To create paper stickers, you’ll need to invest in inkjet or laser printers, sticker paper, and other tools. 

Additionally, shipping labels and trips to the post office are on you, too.

• Use sticker printing services. You can order batches of stickers from a print shop specializing in printing stickers, but you’ll need to handle shipping yourself.
• Try print-on-demand stickers. A beginner-friendly and cost-effective option. You can use a print-on-demand platform that offers various stickers ready for personalization. The best part? They ship them for you.

With Printify, simply sign up for a free account and access a wide variety of stickers. You can easily customize them and to your Etsy store with just a few clicks.

When you make a sale, we’ll print, package, and ship directly to your customer’s doorstep.

Open an Etsy store

How to start an Etsy shop? Simply sign in or register, click on the gray silhouette in the top right corner, select Sell on Etsy, and then Get started to open your store.

Step 1: Shop preferences. Tell Etsy about you and your shop. Set shop preferences, including language, country, and currency. 

Step 2: Name your shop. Choose a creative and memorable Etsy shop name that’s easy to remember and original, setting you apart from competitors. If you plan to expand your range beyond stickers, avoid using ‘stickers’ in your name. 

Step 3: How you’ll get paid. To receive payments on Etsy, enter your payment details and link your bank account, specifying if you’re an Individual or Business and providing your country. 

Funds are deposited weekly on Mondays, but you can adjust the frequency in Shop Manager > Finances > Payment Settings.

Step 4: Set up billing. Enter credit card details to pay for your Etsy fees. Enter your credit card number, CCV, expiration date, and the name on the card.

Step 5: Your shop security. As a security measure, Etsy requires you to set up two-factor authentication. 

Step 6: Stock your shop. Lastly, add a product listing to your shop. The first one can be a draft product, so don’t worry too much about the details. Then, click Open your shop to become an Etsy merchant.

Next, we’ll cover how easy it is to make your listings go live.

List and price your stickers

When setting up your Etsy store for selling stickers, focusing on key elements can significantly enhance your store’s visibility and appeal:

Set up your storefront and take care of branding

As with any online business, the perception of your store is vital. When customizing your store, pay attention to every detail – try to make a professional impression, reflecting what makes your brand stand out.

Here are a few things you should have:

• A beautiful banner image. Your shop’s banner is your most prominent branding asset. Use it to showcase your brand and stickers, or to advertise a sale. 
• Information about your store. Add your store’s description, create a custom profile photo, and tell people about yourself; everyone loves a good story. 
• Shop policies. For effective Etsy store policies, focus on clear guidelines for returns, exchanges, cancellations, and privacy.
  Utilize Etsy’s provided templates and automation options to tailor these policies to your shop’s needs, ensuring clarity and thoroughness. Read How to Make the Best Etsy Shop Policies for a detailed guide and templates.
• Answers to frequently asked questions. Explore other sticker shops and check what information they provide on selling stickers on Etsy. Are the stickers waterproof? Can you combine my orders? You get the point.

Start by doing some research – take a look at the best Etsy sticker shops, learn from what they do well, improve on what they don’t, and tie it all together with your personal touch.

Don’t forget about Etsy SEO

First things first, what’s Etsy SEO? In short, it’s a way to improve the visibility of your Etsy store and its products. Learning how to get more sales on Etsy through SEO can be a true game-changer.

To make your store search-friendly, you’ll need to do keyword research, and there are a couple of straightforward ways to do that:

• Etsy SEO tools. You can use tools like Alura, EverBee, and Keyword Tool Dominator to see what people search for.
• Etsy’s search bar. You get suggestions after typing only a few letters in Etsy’s search bar. These suggestions are searches people have made previously and which are currently trending.

On that note, here are a few things you can do to gain more visibility:

• Add keywords to your product titles and descriptions. When writing your product titles and descriptions, try to add the most relevant keywords at the beginning – it’s one of the best ways how to sell stickers on Etsy successfully.
• Regularly renew your listings. To get a small boost in the search rankings, try renewing your listings, but do so only in peak hours, when most people are browsing.

Name your store right. Adding a competitive keyword won’t hurt, but it depends on whether you have the space or not.

Related article

Etsy SEO: How to get noticed on Etsy in 2025 (with expert tips)

Learn how to improve Etsy SEO for 2024 with valuable insights and clear steps to increase your store’s reach and profits will follow.

Start promoting and selling your stickers

When selling stickers on Etsy, building a loyal customer base and promoting your store plays a big role. If no one knows about your store, sales won’t come that easily.

To increase the likelihood of success, here are a few proven strategies to consider:

• Social media marketing. As a way to save money on advertising, social media is a blessing. By posting regularly, showcasing your printed stickers, or offering giveaways, you’re sure to attract people who love your work.
• Etsy advertising. With Etsy Ads, your stickers get a spotlight. They are paid ads that run inside the marketplace, placing your stickers in visible spots within Etsy search results, categories, and market pages.
  If you type ‘stickers’ in the search bar, you’ll notice that above the top-selling stickers on Etsy, there is a little disclaimer, “1,000+ results, with Ads”, indicating that sellers are using on-site paid ads to reach more potential customers.
  To learn more, Etsy’s step-by-step guide on how to set up and manage an Etsy Ads campaign covers everything you need to know.
• Influencer marketing. As influencer marketing continues to grow, collaborating with a content creator to let the world know about your stickers is a strategy worth considering.

If you want to make money selling stickers on Etsy, don’t underestimate the power of marketing – after all, it’s the engine that drives the growth of any online business.

Our article on how to market your Etsy store provides valuable information for anyone looking to boost their sales.

Step 1: Sign up and choose your sticker

Start by signing up for a free Printify account. Now, you can access custom stickers and sticker sheets that you can customize to your heart’s content.

Round Stickers, Indoor\Outdoor

By Generic brand

From $2.41 From $1.77 with Printify Premium

5 sizes SunFrog Solutions

Kiss-Cut Stickers

By Generic brand

From $1.45 From $1.07 with Printify Premium

4 sizes SPOKE Custom Products

Square Vinyl Stickers

By Generic brand

From $2.66 From $1.95 with Printify Premium

8 sizes 2 print providers

Sticker Sheets

By Generic brand

From $5.94 From $4.37 with Printify Premium

2 sizes Printed Simply

Bumper Stickers

By Generic brand

From $4.22 From $3.10 with Printify Premium

3 sizes Printed Simply

Step 2: Apply your sticker design

When you’ve chosen your favorite, it’s time to bring your sticker designs to life. Our beginner-friendly Product Creator is an excellent Etsy sticker maker tool, even for those without design experience.

For best results, remember the recommended guidelines for stickers so there are no unpleasant surprises when your customers receive their custom stickers.

Step 3: Edit product details

After your sticker design is ready, fill out the product details. Etsy’s search engine favors shop owners who write beautiful product descriptions with naturally embedded keywords.

Step 4: Connect your Etsy store

When all of that is complete, just follow these few short steps to connect your Etsy store with Printify. With our sticker printing services, your store will have a never-ending supply of products.

Step 5: Publish and start selling stickers on Etsy

Now that your Etsy sticker store is linked with our sticker printing service, you can publish your products for the whole world to see.