How To Sell PNG Files On Etsy [Beginner-Friendly] 2024

Do you want to know how to sell PNG files on Etsy?

If you fancy making some profit from your creative skills but don’t want to sell any physical products, an Etsy digital download business is just for you!

But where do you start? How to make PNG files in the first place, and how can you sell them successfully on Etsy?

Selling on Etsy for beginners can be super overwhelming! I can relate to all the questions you have about what to sell on Etsy in 2023 and beyond.

When I first started on Etsy selling digital downloads, it took me hours (if not days) to gather all the information I needed to get the ball rolling.

Now I travel while earning money from my digital downloads. I am so grateful! Here I am working from a beach!

Now I have all this knowledge, I’m happy to share it with you today. In no time, you will know:

How to make digital downloads for Etsy
How to sell files on Etsy
What tools you need
What kind of PNG files to create
And much more!

Summary

How to sell PNG files on Etsy (in 4 easy-to-follow steps)
Etsy’s requirements on PNG files
How much it costs to sell Etsy PNG files
How to market your product

Affiliate Link Disclosure

Some of the links here are affiliate links, and I may earn if you click on them AT NO EXTRA cost to you. I hope you find the information here useful! Thanks.

Helpful Courses On How To Sell Your Design On Etsy

Note: If you are super busy and you want to start making money selling on Etsy fast, you can check out this Etsy course.

It will help to step up your Etsy game and start earning within 3 months! The course teaches you everything you need to know about how to make printables to sell on Etsy.

Alternatively, you can also check out this free Etsy Ebook that will share a list of best-selling products by month and teach you how to capitalize on seasonal trends to make sales.

How To Sell PNG Files On Etsy (In 4 Easy-To-Follow Steps)

If you’re looking for easy things to sell on Etsy, you’ve come to the right place today.

Selling digital downloads such as images and printables is a great way of making a passive income without having to store any inventory.

And you only have to create the item once and then sell it over and over again (HUGE timesaver). This is what I love most about running online businesses.

So, how do I sell digital downloads on Etsy? It’s not hard, but you need to follow a certain process to get it right from the start (and not waste any of your precious time).

So, here we go!

1.Pick A Niche

The first step is to determine what kind of digital downloads to sell on Etsy and in what category.

Etsy receives an average of 462.1 million visits per month. Isn’t that mind-blowing?! There’s enough space for each of us to sell our products.

Need some inspiration on what to sell on Etsy?

Possible Etsy categories:

Wedding
Birthday
School, kindergarten, childcare
Life events
Holidays
Leisure
Traveling
Work
Food
Productivity, organization
Etc.

Choose a niche you’re interested in and one you can relate to. That way, it’ll be so much easier for you to help your audience and know what they’re after.

Picking a niche you have absolutely no relation to won’t end well, and you’ll have a hard time thinking of a product to create.

Once you have decided on the niche, you can make yourself a list of the kind of PNG files you’d like to sell (this can and should be more than one; just stay within the same category).

Possible Etsy PNG files:

Stickers
T-shirt designs
Sticky notes
Kids drawings
Adult mandalas
Art prints
Cricuts
Calendars, planners, & agendas
Monthly budgets
Signs
Sewing patterns
Party printables
Business cards

And so on . . . You see, there are TONS of PNG products you can create.

Just keep in mind that your products should be unique and stand out from what other people sell already. Get creative!

After all, we all want something special that not everyone has. So, put yourself in the mind of your potential client and think about how your product can be different from what’s already on the market.

Now, how do you know what are the best digital products to sell on Etsy? This leads us to step # 2.

2.Keyword Research

You might be asking yourself, how to sell a digital download on Etsy if I don’t know whether people need this or not?

As with any digital business I created over the years, I’ve learned that keyword research is a very important step (if not the most important) to follow.

I use this keyword research tool to find out what people are looking for on Etsy. Not only do I see that, but I also see how big the competition for that specific keyword is.

The blue and green keywords are the ones you should go for; stay away from yellow and red.

Example of using Keysearch

Let’s take the keyword: ‘fridge sticky notes’

As you can see, the color of the keyword is yellow. Even though the search volume is 90 (which is OK), the competition is quite high. Meaning, A LOT of other people already sell this type of product.

By doing keyword research I can be sure to only target products that are actually in demand and that I can compete against. If you don’t do this, you will waste time creating a PNG file that no one will buy.

Your product would be like a little fish swimming amid sharks. You wouldn’t be around for very long . . .

I highly recommend this Etsy SEO tool, if you need help with your keyword strategy. They share with you the insights and analytics of a certain keyword so you know what shoppers on Etsy are looking for.

Now you know about these 2 important steps, let’s move on to how to make PNG files to sell on Etsy.

3.How To Create Digital Downloads for Etsy

So, how to create digital files for Etsy if you’re new to designing? And why choose to sell a PNG image online rather than a JPG?

While JPGs turn big images into small ones, PNGs (Portable Network Graphics) offer high-quality compression. Meaning that the image doesn’t lose its quality when being resized.

Other benefits of PNGs:

Sharp graphics and vivid colors
Supports many different colors and shades
Supports transparent backgrounds and watermarks

Selling on Etsy for beginners can be quite easy if you know what tools to use. I’m a big fan of Canva, and I recommend you use it as well when starting.

Let’s say you want to sell logos for small business owners. You can use templates on Canva and personalize them or start something from scratch using your creativity.

Canva lets you choose:

Different fonts & colors
Photos, shapes, and graphics
Stickers, charts, and frames

You can even draw something and upload your own pictures.

Then, you simply download the design as a PNG format – et voila! Super simple and quick (well, not always).

I could get lost in trying to make the perfect design – sometimes, I have to stop myself from going overboard! There’s just so much you can do with Canva.

Canva Pro offers you premium fonts, pictures, templates, and elements. You might want to consider going with the pro version to make your products stand out from your competition.

For example, if you have a limited version of Canva, you won’t be able to create a transparent background for your design.

A tip from me:

Create around 10-20 different designs before you get to the next step of selling on Etsy.

Your buyers will appreciate some variety when going through your store, and your chances of making your first sale are much higher.

4.How To Sell Images On Etsy

You made it to the last step – how to sell PNG files on Etsy.

If you want to sell your PNG image online (on Etsy, to be more specific), you need to open an Etsy store.

Note- I actually helped my sister set up a digital download store on Etsy!

The process of opening your Etsy shop:

Create an account (choose a password OR sign in with Google, Facebook, or Apple)
Follow the onboarding process
Name your shop (check out these 800+ cute Etsy shop name ideas)
Upload your Etsy PNG files
Decide on how you want to get paid (check Etsy payments)
Enter your credit card details

Using Etsy to sell digital downloads doesn’t come for free – Etsy takes a cut for each sale you make (that’s why you have to enter your credit card details). More on that topic below.

Where to sell PNG files if Etsy isn’t for you?

There are a few alternatives to Etsy, such as:

Your own website (I use wpx for all my sites and am SUPER happy with them)
Shopify
Creative Market
Creative Fabrica
Ebay
Design Bundles

Etsy’s Requirements On PNG Files

There are a few requirements on your Etsy PNG files.

Your image shouldn’t exceed 2000px on the shortest side of the image and should have a resolution of 72PPI.

You can set the size when creating your design on Canva (although this can only be set on the pro version).

Etsy allows you to add a maximum of 5 digital files for each digital listing. The size of the listing can’t exceed 20 MB.

In case your digital listing is bigger than 20 MB, you can add a PDF file to your listing that contains a link going to Google Drive. From there your customer can download the file.

How Much It Costs To Sell Etsy PNG Files

Creating an account on Etsy is free, but this is what you get charged for listing and selling an item:

Listing fee ($0.20 USD for each listing)
Transaction fee (6.5% of the product price per sale)
Payment processing fee ($0.25 USD plus 3% per transaction in the US)

This can seem a bit daunting at first, but don’t let it scare you off! If I can make money selling PNG files on Etsy, so can you.

After all, this is why I created this guide, so you can learn how to do it the right way from the very beginning.

The more effort you put into creating exceptional digital products, the more sales you will make. As demand goes up, you can also increase your prices and earn more money.

Keep in mind that listings are active for 4 months or until they sell. After that, you have to create a new listing (you can sell the same product, but your listing image has to be different).

Key Takeaways On How To Sell PNG Files On Etsy Successfully

Check what market gap you can fill
Analyze your competition
Target keywords in demand
Create a unique product that is evergreen (can be sold all year around)

Are you wondering now how do I sell digital downloads on Etsy faster?

Then don’t stop here. Find ways to market your product to reach a wider audience and earn money sooner.

How To Market Your Product

Selling on Etsy for beginners is already quite overwhelming, I know!

I remember the early mornings and late nights I spent wrapping my head around how things worked. My to-do list just kept on growing.

BUT

I highly suggest you open a Pinterest account (if you don’t already have one) to market your product. Pinterest is a great platform to send traffic to your Etsy shop.

Just like Etsy, Pinterest is a place of individuality and creativity. If you’re an introvert, you don’t even need to show your face on the platform – you can remain totally anonymous.

If you enjoy interacting with followers and don’t mind being on camera, you can also promote your products on:

Through a social media account, you can better engage with your customers, answer their questions, and find out what kind of products they’re interested in.

How To Sell PDFs on Etsy

Are you wondering how to sell PDFs on Etsy? It is actually the same process as selling any other digital download on Etsy.

When you design your product on Canva, you can simply download it as a PDF instead of a PNG.

Whether you end up going for PNG, JPG, SVG, or PDF files when starting your Etsy digital download business, the pros of selling digital products are convincing:

No physical inventory needed
No shipping or returns
Make the item once and sell it multiple times
Low start-up costs
Audience on Etsy is ready to buy

Congrats on making it to the end. I hope my guide on how to sell PNG files on Etsy has encouraged you to get started.

Take little steps every day, and eventually, you will reach your goal – keep at it and enjoy turning your passion into profit!

Related Posts

Helpful Courses On How To Sell A Digital Download on Etsy

Note: If you are super busy and you want to start making money selling on Etsy fast, you can check out this and this Etsy course.

It will help show you what printables to sell on Etsy so you can earn money within 3 months!

Alternatively, you can also check out this free Etsy Ebook that will share a list of best-selling products by month and teach you how to capitalize on seasonal trends to make sales.

FAQs On How To Sell PNG Files On Etsy

Can I Make A Living On Etsy?

Are you asking yourself, can I make a living on Etsy? While most sellers don’t earn a living on Etsy, you can if you put your mind to it.

It all depends on whether you treat it as a hobby or a business and how much time and energy you put into selling your products on Etsy.

Is PNG Or JPG Better For Etsy?

Are you wondering is PNG or JPG better for Etsy? While you can use a JPG (or JPEG) for an Etsy listing photo, you should use PNG for a printable download.

PNG images can be compressed and still retain their quality, which makes them a better option for printing.

Do SVG Files Sell On Etsy?

Do SVG files sell on Etsy? Yes, they do. SVG files, as well as other downloadable files, are easy to create, and you can sell them over and over again.

Selling downloads is a great way of making a passive income and you don’t have to worry about making physical products and shipping them to your customers.

What Sells Best On Etsy?

Are you wondering what sells best on Etsy? People love to shop on Etsy for personalized and unique products such as:

Handmade Jewelry
Prints & invitations
Home Decor
Wedding
Party supplies
Gifts
Arts
Crafts
Accessories
Clothing

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How To Sell PNG Files On Etsy [Beginner-Friendly] 2024