New to Etsy, Stickers!
SinceI reopened a shop this year on Etsy, I’ve been struggling with whether or not to offer stickers. I was reluctant to be handling both packing and shipping for an item that can sometimes cost more to ship than return in profit. I explored print on demand options and was dismayed by inconsistency of the paper and finishes. So resigned to not be able to make it work, I threw up stickers on Redbubble, which has a good library of stickers to its customers, and whom I have received consistently nice , heavy stock samples from.
Redbubble is great for a person who can’t manage all aspects of a shop and has excellent paper quality and an international reach. I recommend it for someone who just wants to ease into sticker delivery. However, the payout from Redbubble is problematic. I received my first check of 20 dollars more than six months after I opened the shop. Every sticker there has a profit return of 10 cents per sale and as such –it’s quite difficult to get paid out from RB. I don’t plan to close it, but I also don’t plan to build out my library there unless requested by an international customer.
Over the past few months, I have been doing a lot of giveaway stickers and getting an appreciation for how mail rates and mail packaging works. As I’ve been talking to my static members (half who are artists) and bouncing ideas as well as getting practice using PirateShip and posting charms, I’ve become more comfortable with shipping multiple types of products.
That said, to only launch stickers with 1-2 items seemed rather silly. I know for me, I would rather (as a customer) maximize shipping and get more than one item. Based on encouragement from others, I started to draft designs for a a new sticker sheet to offer up for sale.
My first test with a domestic supplier was quick but problematic with the way the stickers were cut, leaving white space in inconsistent fashion. I decided to go with another option overseas — ZapCreatives, based in the UK. While they were not vinyl or satin finish (a mild gloss), they turned out the way I had hoped. 
The sticker sheet will be available alongside these vinyl stickers, three of which are holofoil and are iridescent. These are not new stickers, rather holofoil versions of existing ones that people have seen either in giveaways or Redbubble. The fourth is the die-cut Aymeric sticker based on the standee design 🙂
I plan to sell these stickers separately as well as a discounted version for the 3 Emet-related stickers.
New Standee!
Lastly, had not expected my ZapCreative acrylic standee test to arrive this week! What made it a test was the dimensions. For a long time I have been thinking about making an 8 inch Emet-Selch standee but I think this art (taken from the print, “Remember”) is fine at its current size of 150mmx100mm. So back to the drawing board on what my next 8 inch standee will be. As I ordered a set of 5, there will be a few on Etsy as well shortly.
The dimensions are
- 150mmx100 Hades/Emet Selch upright figure (double-board)
- 100mmx100mm base (single board-white backing)
Charms – revision
This week I also have decided to remove several single boarded charms(one print side) that had been done with StickerMule. I think as a whole, until they move to double board print and/or epoxy backings, I want to retire these and issue a different version.
I’ve decided to talk to Vograce as they have a new type of charm that I think works well with some of my portrait style art — the proof has been approved, but no ETA for actual delivery and availability. With the changes to the charm, I’ll be changing the prices but I also will create a coupon for previous purchasers. If this works, this will be the design moving forward.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you! I’m open to questions about the manufacturers and experiences so far. If you haven’t hunted down the Artist Alley Network International group on Facebook or Discord, please look them up. Much of the community there has given unselfishly to help people sort out vendors and manufacturers of products featured here.
And as a last link, here’s my shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/PlumsandFairies
The Swann Lodge 