If you make crafts than the idea may have popped into your head to try selling them. Handcrafts are a popular item for buyers, especially around the holidays. People love to support local artists and crafters, so why not try opening your own shop, you may be pleasantly surprised!
My post contains some affiliate links so if you make a purchase after clicking on a link I may receive a commission but it will not cost you anything. Read my disclosure here.
One of the easiest and most low maintenance products to sell are digital downloads. They cost nothing to make other than the subscription to a digital editing program and you can make as many as your imagination allows. Then you just have to upload them to a online site and you can make sales right away. The added bonus is that there is no worrying about shipping or packaging and you don’t have to make a new product everytime you sell. So its a lot less work than something that needs to be made each time such as knitting.
Its super easy to start an online shop, there are lots of different platforms out there. I started with etsy and got sales my first week! Now the great thing is that once you create a portfolio of work on etsy it’s easy to copy them over to other platforms like Design Bundles.
Design Bundles is great because it costs nothing to upload and its easy to use, and it’s perfect for anyone who has already tried selling on etsy or other platforms. Design Bundles will request to see your portfolio of work first before approving your shop so its best for established crafters.
If you’ve already tried selling on etsy than Design Bundles is a great second step because you can use your existing patterns to sell again. There are no listing fees and you only get charged a small fee when you request a payout. Design bundles has a lot less fees than etsy so it’s a great platform to use.
In this post you will find step by step how to get started with design bundles and also great tips to get your shop up and running and maybe even make a sale right away.
Ready to get started?
Step 1
So the first step is to head over to Design Bundles and hover over the “Our sites” button and than click on the “Become a Designer” button.
Step 2
This will bring you to a new window. Here you want to select the “Open a Store Now” button.
Step 3
Now you are on the application form. Here you will find some fields to fill out. The first field is to create a store name. Make sure you write it with the spaces and Capitilizations you like.
The second feild is for your store URL, make sure its how you like it because you can’t change it later. It can be convenient if it matches your social media links so that your fans can easily find you.
Step 4
Now you will send links to your existing portfolio. You can select a behance link, your existing etsy shop or your freestanding shop. The team at Design Bundles wants to see the work that you will be selling. You also need to include a link to your facebook page, this is your personal Facebook page NOT your business page. This is to verify you are a real person.
Step 5
Next you will need to fill out an about you section. It’s important to not be too brief or too generic. This is where you want to let the team get to know you. Talk about you and your design experience and history of being an artist. You also want to be descriptive about what products you will be selling and really sell the quality of your work. Think of it as the coverpage when submiting a resume.
Step 6
You will have to explain your design process. You need to explain where you source your elements from. You will also need to explain what design software you use.
The last dropdown menu you need to select if you are an individual or if you are registerd as a company. Once this page is complete than you selet the continue to next step button.
Step 7
After the first form is completed you need to provide your personal information. When you are done select the continue to next step button.
Step 8
The third step you will need to type in your name, email, and password.
Step 9
The next pop up will advise you to upload some products to your shop while it is under review. It’s a good idea to upload at least 10-12 designs so that the team at Design Bundles can review your shop and products. It’s helpful if each design is no too identical so they can see your range of designs
It will take around 3-5 business days for the Design Bundles to review your shop.
Helpful Tips
- Make sure to complete the entire application including all the links and your name etc.
- Make sure your portfolio looks great! Your images should be professional and appealing and try to avoid anything like watermarks. The descriptions should have lots of information including measurements and any other information that customers are looking for.
- Make sure that your files are high quality, they should all be tested first to make sure they work well.
- Avoid any products with copywrite issues such as sport leagues, Disney, Celebrities or copywrited phrases.
- They can’t accept social media links like Facebook or instagram as your portfolio or links to google drive or drop box.
