How to Make Money on Redbubble
Perhaps you’re a new artist looking for ways to make a bit of extra money. Maybe you’ve already got an established practice but you want a way to reach more customers without filling your entire house with extra stock. Whatever the reason, print-on-demand companies like Redbubble are the perfect place to share your art with the world, all while earning a bit of extra income.
Print-on-Demand companies are wonderful because they allow you to reach a whole community of people who want art that you might not be able to reach otherwise. And since all you need to do is upload your art, it’s easy to earn passive income. This means that once your art is available in your shop, you don’t have to worry about fulfilling orders. No printing or shipping on your part. All you need to do is sit back and watch the money roll in!
Mountain Fog Wall Tapestry available HERE
How do I choose what % to mark-up my products?
Redbubble gives artists the ability to set the mark-up % on products, which means you can increase the profit you make on each item you sell. I recommend increasing the % on all of your items. If someone loves your art enough to purchase it, they won’t mind paying a few extra dollars, and that extra money means a lot in the long run. Especially to artists! You can set your markup HERE
Across the board, I bump most products up to 35% instead of just 20%. In the case of stickers and prints, I raise that up to 50% instead to match other print on demand website mark-ups. There are a few items that I set to 25-30% instead such as leggings and duvet covers. I usually look at the final price after my markup and think ‘would I pay X for this item?” and if the answer is yes, then I’m happy with the price. If it’s too high, I’ll lower my %.
Why is no one buying my art?
Building up a following and making sales takes time. I encourage you to continue to add art even if you don’t have any sales just yet. I joined Redbubble in December of 2014 and it took six months for me to sell my first item. It was a sticker. I made 42 cents. Now, nearly 5 years later, I’ve sold over 2000 items on Redbubble! It can be nerve-wracking to put your art out for the world to see, but the great thing with running your own Redbubble shop is that as you grow as an artist your shop can grow with you. You can easily remove old art or pieces that don’t sell as well. Regardless of what you create, don’t give up!
Why do my sales vary so much each month?
The holidays can have a huge impact on how many items you sell, and what sorts of products are most popular. While the month or two leading up to Christmas is always a huge opportunity to sell lots, I also notice that August/September are also one of my best months thanks to what I call ‘college dorm room season’ aka: back to school. I tend to sell lots of wall tapestries, a few bedspreads, and other items that college students need for their brand new dorm room.
The longer you remain on Redbubble, the easier it will be for you to spot trends month over month. Christmas, College Dorm Season, and Mothers/Fathers day always tend to boost sales so keep that in mind when promoting your shop. Try comparing your sales from the same month the year before to help notice which months you do the best in.
How can I promote my Redbubble store?
Social Media marketing is golden! Hopefully, you’ve already set up an artist profile on the big social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc). These are great places to share your Redbubble shop and drum up more attention for what you’re creating. Use hashtags like #giftideas around the holidays or #backtoschool when promoting items that relate to college dorms. Try to share items you think might be popular at each holiday for more sales!
Include your Redbubble shop on your website too! This way when someone is searching for a place to purchase your art, they can easily find what they are looking for.
Just because your Redbubble is online doesn’t mean you can only promote digitally. I recommend printing off a set of business cards specifically for your online shop! Local print companies or online shops like Vistaprint are perfect for a quick set of business cards. Remember to brand them to match your store so everything looks cohesive. Then hand them out when people compliment your Redbubble merchandise (I wear RB scarves every day; so comfy!) or visit your booth at conventions. You can also include those cards with every purchase someone makes of a print at a convention to increase sales after the con has ended.
If you purchase some of your own products, remember to take nice photos of your wares so you can show off your art and make people want to buy. I’ll be creating a blog post later on taking photos of your products and making digital mock-ups, so check back later!
How do I connect with the Redbubble Community?
The great thing about art is that we’re all in this together. Everyone wants to create and share what they make. So remember to follow other artists, comment on their work, and join in on some of the community events that happen around Redbubble. Lots of artists will include #Redbubble on their social media accounts so you can always reach out to other artists there too!
Redbubble is also a great place to find new artists and inspiring creative people! Spend a few minutes each day looking at the Featured Artists and Found Feed to find fresh content. And you never know; you might find your work featured there too!
Have any other questions or just need tips? Feel free to comment and I’ll do my best to reply with more ideas to boost your sales and help you start earning money on Redbubble!
Ancient Queen Laptop Sleeve Available HERE