How to sell stickers online

Over the years, Sticker Mule has become one of the most popular destinations for creating high quality vinyl stickers.

Stores by Sticker Mule enables all creators to open a fully functional store in seconds. All you have to do is upload your design, proof your design, and we’ll do all the rest, from collecting payment to production to fulfillment to customer service.

While we hope everyone will give Stores a try, we understand that it's not for everyone, especially if you'll be selling stickers at very large volumes. We’ll walk you through the most popular ways to sell stickers online and provide you with advice and guidance.

Amazon

Amazon is widely regarded as the gold standard for online selling. While anyone can become an Amazon seller, Amazon is best suited for well-established brands, sellers who deal with very large quantities, or smaller sellers with a very unique design that will stand out above others.

How to sell stickers on Amazon

To start selling stickers on Amazon quickly, follow these steps:

1. Set Up an Amazon Seller Account: Choose between the Individual selling plan, where you pay $0.99 per sale, and the Professional selling plan, which costs $39.99 per month.

2. Create a Product Detail Page: This is where you’ll add your product title, images, bullet points, and description.

3. Set Up Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): With FBA, Amazon handles packaging, shipping, customer service, and returns. Fees depend on package weight and season. Amazon also charges a 15% referral fee on each sale.

   • For a low-weight product like stickers, the fulfillment fee will likely be around $3 per package.
   • Storage costs are about $0.80 per cubic foot for most of the year and increase to roughly $2.40 per cubic foot from October to December.
   • You also have to pay the postage of shipping your inventory to Amazon, and to keep your Amazon inventory up-to-date to avoid stockouts.

Advantages and disadvantages of Amazon

Here are the advantages and disadvantages of selling stickers on Amazon:

Advantages:

• Reach: The main advantage is access to Amazon’s vast customer base. Every day over 200 million people come to Amazon to shop.

• Prestige: Selling on Amazon can also lend a certain credibility or cachet to your brand. Amazon's reputation can enhance your brand's credibility, making customers more comfortable purchasing your stickers.

• Scale: If you sell large quantities of stickers, you’ll want to buy them in bulk and have a site like Amazon maintain your inventory and do fulfillment. For example, if you get 10,000 stickers printed by Sticker Mule, your per-sticker cost goes down to about 21 cents per sticker; selling them on Amazon means you can enjoy higher margins.

Disadvantages:

• Cost: The biggest drawback is the cost. If you're selling at lower volumes, the fees (including set-up, referral, inventory and fulfillment charges) can easily wipe out your profits.

• Competition: Keep in mind that popular search terms like "anime stickers" or "cute stickers" are highly competitive, often dominated by large manufacturers who rank through things like good SEO, high sales velocity and positive reviews.

There are a few types of sellers that can thrive on Amazon:

• Those who have brands that are so recognized that shoppers search for them by name.
• Those who have are able to rank on Amazon's search engine.
• Those who are willing to pay for high Sponsored placement.

Etsy

Etsy is well-known as the go-to marketplace for selling handmade products, especially for designers and creatives. Although they have recently expanded to include some mass-produced items, Etsy remains a top choice for unique, handcrafted goods.

How to sell stickers on Etsy

Here’s how to start an Etsy store:

1. Create an Etsy account: Follow the “Sell on Etsy” instructions to set up your shop. You’ll choose a name, create your first listing, and provide payment and billing information to manage payments and fees.

2. Pay set up fees: You’ll be charged a one-time, non-refundable setup fee of either $15 or $29 to open your Etsy shop.

3. Create listings: Etsy recommends starting with at least five listings. During the listing process you may be required to provide the name of a Production partner. If so, please feel free to use the following information if you printed your stickers at Sticker Mule:

   • Production partner: Sticker Mule
   • About production partner: Sticker Mule is a leading producer of high quality vinyl stickers, manufactured from factories in New York, South Carolina, and Italy.
   • Location: Amsterdam, NY

4. Pack and ship each order: As customers order products, you’ll need to take care of packing, shipping, and handling customer service on your own.

Advantages and disadvantages of Etsy

Here are the advantages and disadvantages of selling stickers on Etsy.

Advantages:

• Reaching a niche market: Etsy is a go-to destination for scrapbookers, artists, designers, and other creative professionals and hobbyists who may be looking for products like yours. In addition, you’re more likely to find customers who value supporting small businesses and artisans.

• Branding: Because you fulfill the order yourself, you can add postcards, thank you notes, and gifts with your order, which can help you build your brand.

Disadvantages:

• Fulfillment: Etsy can’t handle fulfillment for you, meaning you’ll need to maintain your own inventory and handle shipping and customer service.

• Cost: As with Amazon, in addition to the one-time setup fee, Etsy will charge commissions on every order. Each listing costs 20 cents to set up, and Etsy will charge a transaction fee of 6.5% of every sale. US sellers using Etsy payments will also need to pay an additional 3% of each sale, plus a flat 25 cent fee per transaction.

Here are some tips on how to thrive on Etsy:

• Focus on your brand: Tell your "story" and the story behind your stickers.

• Optimize your listings for Etsy SEO: Think of what words people search for to look for your kind of stickers. Go beyond basic keywords like "cute stickers" and describe your design. Include high quality photos and video to show your stickers from different angles and in real-life settings.

• Engage with your customers: Provide excellent customer service and encourage reviews.

Sticker Mule Stores

Since Sticker Mule began in 2010, we’ve focused on helping artists and designers create custom stickers. Many of our customers have found success purchasing custom stickers from us and reselling them on platforms like Amazon or Etsy. Now, with the introduction of Stores, we’re making it even easier for you to sell directly to your customers.

Unlike other online marketplaces, we won’t charge you to set up a store or take a commission on your sales. Your only expense will be the regular cost of a custom sticker order.

How to sell on Sticker Mule

Here’s how to start a Sticker Mule store:

1. Open a Sticker Mule account
2. Go to the My Store page
3. List a product.

We don’t charge a set-up fee, referral fees, or sales commissions. All you need to do is verify your identity and you place any order for a custom product (even a $9 custom sample pack) and you’re set to go.

For more details, visit our full blog post about how to open a Sticker Mule Store.

How to make money on your Sticker Mule Store

By default, your store’s sticker prices match what you’d pay for a custom sticker order. However, there are two ways to earn from your store:

1. Commissions: When you get a new user to sign up or buy one of your products, you’ll earn a 10% commission on any order they place at Sticker Mule for the next year—whether it’s through your store, another store, or for custom products.
2. Markup: You can set a custom markup on your products. Whatever percentage you choose will be added to the base cost, and every bit of that markup goes directly to you when a customer makes a purchase.

Advantages and disadvantages of Sticker Mule Stores

Here are the advantages and disadvantages of opening a Sticker Mule store.

Advantages:

• Simplicity: If you've already ordered custom stickers from Sticker Mule through our famously simple process, you're all set! Just list any designs you want to sell—stickers, T-shirts, magnets, and more—and we’ll take care of the rest.
• Cost: Operating a Sticker Mule Store is completely free—no commissions, setup costs, or referral fees.
• Fulfillment: We handle everything for you! From packaging to shipping, and even customer service, we’ve got it covered so you can focus on your designs.
• Profit: Earn a 10% commission from clicks on your link, plus set your own markup to maximize profits from each sale.

Disadvantages:

• Reach: The biggest challenge in selling stickers on smaller marketplace sites like Sticker Mule, RedBubble, Shopify, or you own custom website is reaching a wide audience.
• High volumes: If you know you'll be selling to thousands of shoppers, your profit margins will likely be higher if you buy in bulk from us and then sell on a platform like Etsy.

We'll be working on boosting store visibility by showcasing your products to the millions of visitors that we get every month and finding new ways to drive traffic to your site. Keep an eye on our blog and social media for news about improvements to Stores, tips, and more.

While we work on boosting store visibility, you can help by:

1. Following our tips on setting up, naming, and promoting your store.
2. Creating standout sticker designs—cool, funny, beautiful, unique, or just plain awesome.

Conclusion

There really is no one answer to the question, "where do I sell my stickers online". A lot depends on your own strength and reach as a brand and how much time, expense, and work you put into getting visibility on whatever platform you choose.

We designed Stores by Sticker Mule to open up new options for you as a seller, regardless of your size.

• If you're a smaller creator, we're excited to provide you an easy, no-risk way of dipping your toes into the world of selling stickers. Unlike Etsy and Amazon, you can sign up in a few clicks and won't have to deal with setting up your storefront, nor the costs associated with fulfillment, inventory, or referral fees.
• If you’re a larger creator, Stores by Sticker Mule can complement your existing storefront and be used creatively. With our drop-shipping service, you can test new sticker designs with a smaller audience without managing inventory. Once you identify a “winning” design, you can confidently place a bulk order and sell to a broader audience.

We’re excited to shake things up and give you an alternative to big platforms like Amazon or Etsy! Our goal is to empower you with a simple, streamlined way to reach your customers. Got ideas to make stores even better? We’d love to hear from you! This is just the beginning—we’re constantly working on new features and will be sharing helpful tips on our blog to support your success. Let’s make your sticker store thrive together!