Etsy is a big online marketplace where people buy and sell unique handmade or digital items. If you are creative and want to make some extra cash, this is a great place to do it. Many people shop on Etsy every day—there's a big chance someone will want to buy your items.
However, there are so many sellers on the platform, so you need to make sure your artwork stands out. That means your designs have to be special and catch people's attention. And that’s where Artificial Intelligence comes in.
Artificial intelligence, or AI, can now help people make stunning designs without needing to be artistic. One good example is Midjourney, a tool that can make detailed artwork based only on text instructions. This means that even someone without artistic talent can make beautiful designs and start a successful shop on Etsy.
In this article you will learn how I used AI to make items for sale on Etsy. AI can help you make a lot of money, selling products online. So, if you're curious, find out more!
1. Create Viral Sticker Designs With Midjourney
Stickers on Etsy offer a goldmine of opportunity. I saw one shop that was raking in over 234,000 sales and a whopping $1 million in revenue by just selling stickers. The key is creating stickers that captivate buyers' imaginations, and this is what Midjourney is good at.
Midjourney is an AI tool that transforms text prompts into stunning art pieces. I accessed it by joining their Discord server and setting up my personal channel. Here, I could generate images without distractions.
Now that I was ready to make stickers with Midjourney, I asked ChatGPT for ideas. ChatGPT suggested making stickers of adorable cartoon images of animals like foxes and bunnies. I liked the idea and thought it was perfect for my project.
I asked Midjourney to create a sticker of a stylish fox with a hat, monocle, bow tie, holding a pocket watch. Midjourney quickly created four cool fox stickers in no time when I gave the prompt. I tried different ideas quickly to find the perfect design.
After experimenting and exploring different ideas, I fell in love with one with a charming fox sporting a bowler hat and bow tie. Then, I used a tool called Photopea to tidy it up, removing the background for a neat, professional look.
AI helped me design a viral-worthy sticker in just 30 minutes and I was super excited to put it on sale on Etsy.
How to Sell Your AI-Generated Designs With Printify
Printify is a print-on-demand platform that makes it easier and more efficient to print and ship your creations. Initially, manually handling these tasks would take up a lot of time, but Printify streamlines the process by taking care of everything, from production to shipping.
To begin using Printify, I connected my Etsy store with it and uploaded my fox sticker design to the platform. When Etsy received an order for my stickers, Printify automatically handled the printing and mailing process on my behalf. This automation significantly reduced the time and effort required to fulfill orders, allowing my shop to scale efficiently without demanding a full-time commitment.
The combination of Midjourney, and Printify provided all the necessary tools to operate a successful sticker business on Etsy. My fox stickers were already receiving positive reviews from satisfied customers, indicating the potential for further growth and expansion. Despite the success with fox stickers, I was eager to explore additional products and opportunities, in partnership with AI technology to grow my Etsy business.
2. Sell Viral AI-Created Posters
While going through some Etsy products that were on sale, I came across one shop that was making over $6,000 per month, selling art prints. Realizing the potential of AI-generated artwork in this market, I decided to explore this opportunity further.
To create the artwork, I sought the help of Midjourney once again. I gave the AI a prompt to create a series of nature-themed posters featuring various animals like deer, eagles, and elephants. Midjourney produced a captivating collection of posters, surpassing my expectations in terms of image quality. But to ensure that the posters were suitable for printing in large formats, I used an AI upscaling tool called UpscalePix, which enhanced the resolution of the images to 300 dots per inch (DPI). This ensured that the posters would maintain crispness and clarity when printed.
Once the artwork was ready, I prepared the posters for sale on Printify. I chose framed canvas prints from Printify's wide selection and customized them with my AI-generated designs.
I then launched the posters on Etsy, and within a short time, I received an overwhelming response from customers. The unique and exotic nature of the AI-generated artwork helped drive sales, quickly surpassing my sticker sales.
3. Create Hot-Selling Phone Cases
Initially, I had observed the success of one Etsy shop that was making over $30,000 per month solely from selling phone cases. This prompted me to explore this market opportunity. However, creating phone cases was more challenging than I had imagined. This is because they required artwork that seamlessly wrapped around the phone rather than a square composition.
To tackle this challenge, I turned to Midjourney once again. I prompted the AI tool for nature-inspired phone cases with continuous tiling. Midjourney then generated several options featuring complex and beautiful patterns that could seamlessly wrap around a phone case. I selected my favorite design and prepared the file for upload on Printify.
Once uploaded, I selected the desired phone case models. Printify took care of the production and shipping processes. The AI-generated phone cases were now available for purchase on Etsy. Surprisingly, their sales surpassed even my previous success with posters. The patterns that were created by Midjourney resonated well with phone case buyers, leading to exponential growth in my shop income.
How to Use AI to Succeed on Etsy
Here are some practical tips on how to use artificial intelligence to find success on Etsy:
- Experiment with prompts: Prompts are like guidelines or ideas that help you come up with designs. Always try out different prompts and practice on them—you can find the ones that really stand out. Midjourney makes this trial-and-error process quick and easy.
- Try out multiple products instead of sticking to just one: Explore different types of items like stickers, posters, and phone cases. AI can help you create designs that are specifically tailored to the best-selling products on Etsy.
- To ensure your designs look great when printed, use AI tools like UpscalePix to upscale images to a high resolution of 300 DPI or more. This makes your designs crisp and clear.
- Automate fulfillment: Use services like Printify to handle the logistics of printing and shipping your products. This frees up your time to focus on the creative side of your business.
- Study what's working for top Etsy sellers and put your own AI-driven spin on those successful products. By combining AI creativity with Etsy's marketing potential, there's a lot of opportunity for success.
That’s it! Start building your AI-powered Etsy businesses today. The future belongs to those who embrace AI's potential early now.