Is Redbubble Worth It?

Summary

An artist shares their experience and strategy for making consistent sales on Redbubble, emphasizing the importance of research, high search and low competition niches, and effective keyword use.

Abstract

The author of the content discusses their journey on Redbubble, a platform for independent artists to sell their designs on various products. They initially struggled with sales, making only a few in the first three months. However, after studying other successful designers and focusing on high search but low competition niches, their sales improved significantly. The artist highlights the effectiveness of long-tail keywords and having a mix of trendy and evergreen designs. They also stress the importance of setting reasonable profit margins and employing marketing skills. The author has achieved profits ranging from $300 to$ 800 per month from two Redbubble accounts within less than six months and cautions against using VPNs, as Redbubble may detect them as spam. While acknowledging that Redbubble isn't a way to get rich quickly, the artist finds it a viable source of income, especially when living in areas with lower living costs.

Opinions

Redbubble can be a useful supplementary income source but isn't a way to get rich quickly.
Patience and strategy are crucial for success on Redbubble; immediate success is rare.
Researching and understanding market trends and consumer interests can lead to more sales.
Evergreen content is valuable for consistent sales throughout the year, while trendy designs can lead to quicker sales but may not be sustainable in the long term.
Effective use of keywords, especially long-tail keywords, is essential for product visibility.
Setting appropriate profit margins is important to ensure a satisfactory return on sales.
Diversifying product offerings can increase the potential for sales across different items.
Using a VPN can lead to account suspension on Redbubble, as it may be seen as spam-like behavior.
The flexibility of Redbubble income can be particularly beneficial in regions with lower living costs or as a side hustle.
Persistence and strategic adjustments are recommended for artists not seeing initial success on the platform.

Let’s get straight to it.

Redbubble doesn’t make you rich for sure but it pays some bills here and there. When you make a sale on your first try, you're in luck, but it’s not impossible. It's not a get rich quick scheme as some YouTubers claim it and it does take some time before it generates sales.

In the first three months, I barely made a sale. In those months I checked out on other designers and studied their styles. I browsed hundreds of designs and tweaked mine. I reversed my approach -research first then design. The key is High Search Low Competition.

High Search Low Competition.

Trends are important. It's faster to sell but they die out too soon. Evergreen are slower, but anyone will buy it any time of the year. Sales spikes during the Christmas season then spikes again in the next holiday. A mix of trends and evergreen combined with effective keywords and marketing skills make consistent sales.

The more effective your keywords are the easier the buyers will find your products. Long-tail keywords are more effective. I discovered that having a niche and optimised products do make a difference.

My Top 3 products that sell: shirts, stickers, and hoodies. I have also sold stuff like posters, mugs, tote bags, pillows and notebooks. My margins are set at 30–50%. I made the mistake of setting it too low and was just disappointed with a minuscule 10 cents on my first sale.

One of my Redbubble accounts

In less than 6 months, I’ve been profiting to 300 to 800 dollars per month from 2 accounts. My designs are now taking less than an hour to make. I’ve made at least $2200 from a six-month-old account, a few hundred from another and several thousand dollars more in my first. I run multiple to cater to different designs. However, I lost my first account due to VPN, Redbubble detects them as spam. (Don’t forget to turn off your VPN when uploading).

It’s not that much, but when I was in Southeast Asia where I was mostly relying on freelancing gigs and the living cost was lower, my Redbubble commissions were more than enough to cover my monthly expenses. Of course, I would still prefer a full-time job. I wouldn’t trade a job that offers stability and benefits.

Redbubble definitely pays well for the little time I dedicate to it. If you’re not making sales and it feels tiring to run it, take a deeper look at your strategy, your skills and your interest.