I Thought People Liked Art That Was on Things
Experience with Redbubble and a Printful-Etsy Integration
A few weeks ago I wrote a post called “People like Art That’s on Things.” It is a review of my experience thus far with posting my watercolor and digital art print and print products on the print-on-demand (POD) and storefront site, Redbubble. Encouraged by my Redbubble stats and informed by multiple product reviews that insist Printful products are of a much higher quality than Redbubble products, I also subsequently started an Etsy shop with Printful POD integration.
Comparing Etsy POD to Redbubble
Fees and Shipping
Unlike Redbubble, which has no associated startup costs unless I choose to order my own products, Etsy is risky in that each published listing has an upfront cost.
There are also Etsy sales fees and Printful shipping costs to consider on the back end, and those fees and costs will be deducted from any revenue I may earn, but from two separate accounts. Whereas Redbubble is one site, and bookkeeping is therefore streamlined, with my Etsy shop it’s more complicated, and I’m going to have to pay attention: Printful charges me, and Etsy pays me, but not together.
Redbubble prices items for me, and they include shipping costs and fees, but when I price and post my items for sale through Printful on Etsy, I have an anxious gurgling in my gut. Although it’s exciting to value my own art in my Etsy shop, there’s no guarantee people will pay that amount.
Quality and Quantity
Redbubble seems to attract shoppers who accept a slightly lower quality product for a lower price and purchase more items per sale because of lower prices and a free shipping incentive. Etsy shoppers, on the other hand, seemingly will pay a higher price for a higher quality product, but still want free shipping. I have to say “seemingly” because no one has purchased anything from my Etsy shop thus far, even with free shipping, and I’m not sure that’s a bad thing: Quite frankly, at the risk of repeating myself, I’m scared I’ve priced my products too high to sell and yet too low to cover costs, and I might dip into the red if something ships to a high-cost location. I’m a bit befuddled by the math and won’t really know how much I might earn on each product type until it sells. Running my Etsy shop feels more like I’m running a “grown-up” business.
Are Two Shops Better Than One?
Anxiety on the X-Axis and Decision Paralysis on the Y
Additionally, having social media traffic split between two different platforms (three if you count my Society6 store, which gets very little love from me) reduces visits to both (all three) storefronts, which are competing along the tension lines of cost and quality. It also doubles the mental labor required to manage promoting my own work, which is already difficult (see Impostor Syndrome; see Bad at Math; see I-Feel-Like-Writing-This-Article-Is-Making-Me-Even-More-Anxious-and-It-Is-Showing).
Promoting Redbubble designs and products with one click feels relatively seamless, and although I have very little control over sales, I can advertise Redbubble’s sitewide sales along with my own links. On the other hand, Etsy allows me to set sales amounts and stipulations, which gives me total control, but also adds to my befuddlement over projected revenue. I’m currently running an Etsy sale to celebrate opening my shop, I offer free shipping, and I’ve tagged appropriately, yet I’ve still had only one visit per day this month. Have I listed too many items too quickly? Have I not listed enough items? Have I not listed what people like? Do I have too many designs and not enough product types or vice-versa? I have no idea, and I have no idea how to get an idea.
Is my Printful POD Integration on Etsy “Worth It?”
The honest answer is that I really don’t know, yet, and I would be really appreciative of some advice. I’m going to be patient with my Etsy sales until it’s time to renew my listings early next year. I think it’s fair to say that if I’ve made enough revenue by then to cover accrued costs, I will renew my listings. On the other hand, if I’ve lost money to fees and shipping, I will not renew all of my listings. Hopefully, I will at least be able to make that determination. Will failing make me feel like even more of an impostor, dipping a toe into the cold ocean of art sales? Potentially, but the opposite may be true, as well, says the optimist in me. Maybe within the confines of Etsy’s demographic, I will have found my niche market and my market research will have paid off.
In the meantime, I need to remember that I am the creator and not allow the business of art to overwhelm my sense of curiosity — all while learning the business. I need to set a definition of success that’s pleasing to both psyche and wallet. I need to continue to seek advice from my intended audience. I need to relax because just talking about this has induced a cold sweat.
