Passive Income On Etsy: 12 Best Ideas To Make Thousands!

Last Updated June 29, 2024 by Davina Kelly

Are you looking for ways to make passive income on Etsy?

In today’s digital age, creating passive income has become very popular, and platforms like Etsy offer great opportunities for creatives to monetise their skills and talents.

In this post, you are going to learn the best digital products to sell on Etsy. Whether you are an artist, a graphic designer or good at managing money,

there are plenty of products you can sell on Etsy and make passive income. 

After reading this post you will have many ideas for printables to make passive income. 

This post is all about passive income on Etsy.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means we will receive a commission if you purchase through our links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

How To Make Passive Income On Etsy:

The best way to make passive income on Etsy is by creating and selling digital products. Etsy is one of the largest online marketplaces and over the past few years, they have become popular for selling digital products. Digital products are great because you create them once and they are sold continuously. 

Passive income is money that is generated from activities that you are not involved in on a daily basis. 

So once you create your products and list them on Etsy they can sell on autopilot and you will make money while you sleep! 

While it is completely possible to make passive income on Etsy, once you have created your product you will need to do some additional work to maintain your shop. 

Etsy will promote shops that are active which means they are consistently uploading new listings and keeping up to date with customer service. 

Your listing needs to be SEO optimised and have the relevant tags and your products should have a high search volume. You can find all of this information and much more by using erank.

Once your shop makes a lot of sales and has had good reviews it will show up higher in search results and be shown to more customers. At this point, you can reduce the amount of time you work on your shop.

I just wanted to give more context to exactly what goes into creating passive income on Etsy so that you know what to expect. Now, let’s get into this post. 

Passive Income On Etsy – 12 Best Ideas:

1. Digital Wall Art

Digital wall art is a great way to showcase your creativity and artistic skills. It is also one of Etsy’s best-selling categories. If you search for this product on Etsy you will get a range of options from faceless portraits to watercolours to kitchen decor. 

All customers have to do is choose which one they want, download their artwork, print it off and hang it up at home. That’s it. 

If you enjoy creating art, photography or inspirational quotes you can sell your existing artwork as a downloadable file on Etsy. Or you can create your art from scratch using Canva or Figma.

The beauty of digital wall art is that you create it once and can sell it an unlimited number of times. This makes it a great source of passive income. 

Difficulty level: Easy. You can use art that you have already created, you just need to convert the file into a PDF. 

2. Social Media Templates

With the rise of social media marketing, businesses and influencers need eye-catching marketing images to enhance their online presence. People are looking for unique designs so if you create quality templates they will buy them. 

Social media templates are pre-designed templates that allow anyone to create aesthetically pleasing social media content in just a few minutes. They can save creators hours of design time so they can focus on the important stuff like creating content. 

If you are into graphic design creating and selling social media templates on Etsy can be a lucrative venture. You can create templates for Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram.

Instagram templates seem to be the most popular so you can create templates for posts, stories and reels. 

To stand out and increase your sales you can focus on creating templates for a specific type of creator. For example, you can create Instagram templates for beauty influencers. 

For inspiration or guidance on how to get started check out this YouTuber Lauren Keys. She shares her journey of making $31k selling social media templates on Etsy. She even has tutorials on how to create templates in Canva.

Difficulty level: Easy. You can design your templates for free in Canva. 

3. Printable Or Digital Stickers

Stickers is a huge market in Etsy. They have become a popular form of self-expression and decoration and it is a great way for people to personalise their items. 

Digital stickers can be used to decorate digital stationery on platforms like Goodnotes. Printable stickers are used to customise physical products like journals, laptops and smartphones. 

You can create all different types of designs from cute illustrations to themed stickers to functional notepad stickers, the possibilities are endless. Tap into niche markets by creating themed sticker sets for specific interests or occasions. 

Difficulty level: Easy. All you have to do is create your designs in Canva and create your listing in your shop. 

4. Guides and eBooks

Share your expertise and knowledge by creating digital guides or ebooks on topics that resonate with a particular audience. 

You can create a how-to guide, a recipe book, or a self-help eBook that is packed with valuable content for customers looking to learn and grow. 

Choose a subject that you are knowledgeable and passionate about because you want to educate your customers and become known as an authority figure in your niche.

Once you have created your product make it visually appealing to help your content stand out in the search results. 

Difficulty level: Medium because it will take a lot of time to create. 

5. Digital or Printable Planners

When it comes to organisation planners are number one. Etsy has become the go-to marketplace for planners that are functional and aesthetically pleasing. 

You can create digital planners for apps like Goodnotes or printable options for people who want to print out the pages and update them with a pen. 

Most planners include calendar pages, to-do lists and habit and goal trackers. Take some time to think about what you would want in a planner. You can also do some research on Etsy to see what is included in the most popular planners and use it as inspiration to create your own. 

To increase sales you can create planners for a specific niche. For example, you can create planners for minimalists. Choose a consistent colour and theme when creating your planner so that customers can get familiar with your brand. 

Difficulty level: Medium. The planners are not hard to make, but they need to include more details such as hyperlinks, interactive tabs and autofill fields. You can do all of this using Canva. 

6. Resume Templates

Resumes can be stressful to write I don’t know anyone who enjoys writing them lol Why not solve this pain point for people by creating resume templates to sell on Etsy? 

These templates will make writing a resume easy by guiding users through the process and providing them with professional-looking layouts. This will save people time and help them stand out when applying for jobs. 

To break into this category you can create templates tailored to a specific industry. This will save your products from getting lost in the search results. For example, you can create resume templates for teachers. 

Offer editable files in various formats such as Word, Google Docs or Canva to accommodate different users and preferences. You can also include tips and guidelines for creating compelling resumes to add value to your product. 

Difficulty level: Easy. 

7. Colouring Pages

Colouring pages are not just for kids, adults also enjoy the therapeutic benefits of colouring as a stress-relief activity. There is a huge demand on Etsy for this so if you are an artist this could be a great option for you. 

You can use your artistic skills to design intricate and captivating colouring pages for kids or adults. It is better to create your designs for one group rather than both because it will be easier to attract the right customer and get more sales. 

Create colouring pages based on what you enjoy designing, whether that is mandalas, animals or botanical flowers. It is better to create what you enjoy so that the process is still fun for you. 

I recommend creating themed sets and seasonal designs if you can, this will help you get sales all year round. It will also keep your products fresh and appealing. 

Difficulty level: Easy. 

8. Printable Invitations

From weddings to engagements to birthday parties, there’s always a demand for beautifully designed invitations. You can create digital invitation templates that customers can easily customise with their event details and personal touches. 

You can choose from a range of styles from elegant and minimalist to fun and quirky. Choose one style and create a consistent colour palette to create familiarity with your customers. 

Use Canva to design high-quality graphics and customisable elements to ensure customer satisfaction. 

Difficulty level: Easy.

9. Finance Templates

If you are knowledgeable about personal finance you can use your skills to create finance templates. These templates can help users manage their money and reach their financial goals.

You can create different templates for budgeting, tracking expenses and savings. Or you can create bookkeeping templates and invoices for small businesses to track their income, expenses and taxes. 

Create finance templates that are user-friendly with built-in formulas and functions and make them available in Excel and Google Sheets to accommodate users’ needs. For the invoice templates, you can also use Canva. To make sales your teamplates need to balance functionality and design and be visually appealing. 

The market for finance templates is pretty saturated on Etsy so you need to create your product for a specific person or business owner. For example, you can create bookkeeping templates for realtors or beauty business owners.

Provide clear instructions and tips for using your templates effectively to add value to your customers. Also, ensure that you reply to any questions your customers may have. 

Difficulty level: Easy. You can create the templates for free using Excel or Google Sheets. 

10. Printable Trackers

Help people stay on track with their goals and habits by creating printable tracker templates. You can design trackers for fitness goals, habit formation, productivity and wellness routines. 

Create designs that are easy to use and visually appealing. Trackers come in different formats so I recommend creating different options like Exel, Google Sheets and Notion to offer flexibility for your customers.

You can create digital and printable options to allow customers to use them on their devices or print them off and update them manually. Include motivational quotes or visual cues to inspire and encourage progress. 

Difficulty level: Easy. 

11. Website Templates/Themes

Website themes and templates allow anyone who isn’t a techie to create beautifully designed custom websites in no time. With the rise in online businesses, this has become a lucrative market in recent years. 

The design I currently have on my blog is a WordPress theme that I purchased on Etsy from 17th Avenue Designs. I am not tech savvy at all but I was able to set this up easily. 

Most e-commerce platforms offer a range of free website themes, but a lot of people prefer designs that are unique and fit their style. If you are good at web design you can tap into this market and create beautiful website themes to sell on Etsy.

You can create customisable templates for platforms like WordPress, Shopify, or Squarespace. I recommend choosing one platform because it will be easier to break into the market. 

You can cater to different industries such as e-commerce, blogs or websites. Ensure that you provide comprehensive documentation and customer support to ensure a seamless experience for buyers. 

Difficulty level: Medium. The themes aren’t difficult to make if you are tech-savvy, but the additional features and the documentation will take more time to create.

12. Price List Templates

Small business owners are turning to Etsy for personalised visually appealing price lists. You can tap into this market by creating price list templates.

Whether it’s for photographers, hairdressers or makeup artists, customisable templates can save time for business owners. 

You can create price lists for a certain type of business and create a variety of design options to attract multiple customers. For example, you can create price lists for beauty salons and offer fun and minimalist options to fit different brands.

Difficulty level: Easy. You can create your template designs in Canva. 

If you want to set yourself up for success and make passive income on Etsy I highly recommend using erank. It is a great tool to help you do keyword research, optimise your listings to show up in search results and see what shoppers are searching for.

Frequently Asked Questions About Passive Income On Etsy:

Is It Possible To Make Passive Income On Etsy?

In short, yes you can. You can make passive income on Etsy by selling digital products. 

If you do your research and choose a digital product that is in high demand with a low search volume you can tap in and make a lot of money. 

You get out what you put in, so if you create quality products and consistently upload listings you can make a lot of money on Etsy. 

Here are some of the best-selling digital products on Etsy.

• Digital art
• Digital planners
• Budget templates
• Savings trackers
• Social media templates

Final Thoughts

Etsy provides a platform for creative entrepreneurs to turn their skills and ideas into profitable digital products. 

Whether you’re an illustrator or knowledgeable about personal finance there are endless opportunities to generate passive income by selling digital products on Etsy.

Have you found these ideas to make passive income on Etsy helpful? Which one will you try?

This post was all about passive income on Etsy.

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