Selling Etsy Printables: Still An Awesome Side Hustle to Try In 2025!

I originally talked about selling Etsy printables back in 2023, and how it was a great side hustle option for people looking to sell items online. Since then, I’ve gotten a few questions about if this is still a viable side hustle option, if it’s still as easy to get started, and if the market is oversaturated. Well, I’m happy to report that selling Etsy printables is even easier than ever, and it can still be both a great side hustle or even full-time option if you want!

Actually, I’ll let my friend Cody explain why selling Etsy printables is still one of the easiest side hustles you can try in 2025.

Related reading:

• How to Make $500 a Month with Print on Demand
• Popular Side Hustles to Try in 2025
• 37+ Legit Ways You Can Side Hustle Right Now
• 25 Ways to Earn Extra Income
• The 11 Best Side Hustles for Introverts

Selling Etsy Printables: Still Viable?

If you had told me in 2018 that I’d be making thousands of dollars online selling printables, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. At the time, I was bouncing between side hustles—cleaning boats, delivering Uber Eats on my bike, freelance writing, even building websites—just trying to make some extra money.

The problem? All of these side hustles were extremely “active”. If I wasn’t working, I wasn’t making money.

That all changed when I discovered printables.

I could create a product once, list it on Etsy, and sell an unlimited number of copies with no additional work needed. I still remember the first time I made a sale while I was sleeping. Even though it was only a $5 sale, I knew I was onto something.

Then, just a few months in, I had my first big win—$718 in a single week selling Valentine’s Day printables. And the crazy part? I was on vacation that week. Those were sales from products I had listed months earlier. This one week completely changed my outlook on side hustles and money.

I was hooked.

What Are Printables? And Why Do People Buy Them?

Printables are digital files that people purchase and either print at home or use digitally. Think thank-you cards, budgeting spreadsheets, planners, gift tags, wedding invitations, labels, etc. There are thousands of different types of printables.

The reason they sell so well? Convenience.

Even though people could make their own planner or design their own invitations, most don’t want to, or don’t have the time. Spending $5 on a beautifully designed printable is a lot easier than figuring out how to create one from scratch.

The best part? No inventory, no shipping, no customer service headaches. When someone buys a printable, Etsy delivers the file automatically—meaning I don’t have to lift a finger.

The key to actually finding buyers though, is keyword research.

In short, keyword research is figuring out what people are typing into the Etsy search bar and learning how to create the product they’re looking for.

It’s the most important skill to learn to become a successful digital products seller.

How Much Can You Actually Make Selling Printables?

Let’s talk numbers.

You heard my story about earning $718 in one week just a few months after opening my shop. But is that repeatable?

Recently I asked myself the same question after someone left a comment on one of my videos saying “You just got lucky because you started in 2018. You could never do that today.”

That was all I needed to hear.

I opened a brand-new Etsy shop in August 2024 with the goal of reaching $1,000/month in sales as quickly as possible. I didn’t advertise it on socials, I didn’t use my existing network, and I didn’t even tell anyone the shop name.

For me, I wanted the experiment to be as legitimate as possible.

In just 116 days, I hit my $1,000/month goal while documenting the entire journey (@codydberman on all socials). The same strategies still worked.

The craziest part?

One week after I reached the $1,000/month milestone—I made over $2,500 in one week.

By the end of the year, my new shop had generated $6,161 in revenue.

Most new Etsy sellers make the mistake of giving up too early.

During my new Etsy shop experiment, I only made $185 in month 1, despite spending 5-10 hours on the shop each week. 

In month 2, I made around $400.

In month 3, I made just over $900.

And then in month 4 my sales exploded.

When it comes to selling printables on Etsy, trust the process and be patient.

It’s Not Just Me — My Students Are Seeing Huge Wins Too

I could keep on telling you about what I’ve been able to achieve on Etsy, but what I think is even more telling is what some students in our community have been able to achieve.

Rachel, one of our students, started her Etsy shop as a small side hustle and went on to make over $150,000 selling printables in one year. Another student, Sasha, replaced her full-time income as an accountant. Lisa was able to quit her day job.

And then there are the students who aren’t trying to make six figures but just want some extra cash each month. Some are making $500 or $1,000 a month—enough to cover their mortgage, fund a vacation, or buy groceries.

This year in particular, we’re seeing students make their first sales faster than ever before.

Like Jen from our community who made her first sale just 15 hours after posting her first listing.

Most of our students started this side hustle with no graphic design experience, limited time, and no idea what they were going to sell. 

But we’ve seen so many different types of people succeed selling printables on Etsy—retirees, to stay-at-home moms, college students, you name it.

If you’re looking for a fun way to earn some extra money, this side hustle is worth a shot.

Should you start an Etsy shop this year?

As Cody mentioned, it’s still feasible (and can even be lucrative) to start an Etsy shop this year and sell your printables. Cody and Julie gave us a wonderful interview almost two years ago, when they were first launching their E-printables course. You can read more about that here.

But not only that, they’ve made it easier than ever to get started, even before you’re ready to dive into their course. For example, they have their free ebook, “The Seasonal Products Secret”, which gives readers a secret list of best-selling products for each month and teaches you how to capitalize on seasonal trends to make sales. And it’s free, so how can you say no to that?

They’ve also created their free workshop to walk you through ideas for printables, getting started on Etsy, potential start-up costs, and so much more. They’ve really taken the time to not just tell you how to get started, but show you the ins and outs and they offer receipts that prove their legit. It really can’t get any better than that.

Cody and Julie have even helped me and my own team members with crafting and creating printables, and it’s now something I offer in both my Pinterest VA and Diva Dog Bakery businesses. This is why I wanted to give them another shout out and update you on if it’s still possible to have an Etsy business selling printables. Spoiler alert: It is!

Author Bio

Cody Berman is a digital nomad who quit his corporate job to pursue entrepreneurship full-time. He started selling digital products in 2018 and became hooked after earning $700+ in one week. He recently started a brand new Etsy shop as an experiment and reached $1,000/month in 116 days. In his spare time, you might find him traveling, working out, or building another business.