Tried setting up a tiny side hustle selling prints on Etsy and it flopped harder than I thought

I saw all these TikTok videos about passive income from digital art prints, so I spent about 40 hours making 15 designs of local landmarks in Nashville. Listed them on Etsy for $12 each with good tags and photos, figured I'd at least get a few sales a week. After two months, I sold exactly 3 prints, and two of those were to my mom and her friend. The fees and the time I put in left me making like $6 after all was said and done. I mean, I thought it was just about making good art and the sales would come easy, but I totally underestimated how much marketing and standing out matters. It's not enough to just put something up and wait, you have to be posting on socials constantly and building a brand. Has anyone else jumped into a quick passive income idea and realized it's way more work than the gurus let on?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor.amy13d ago

Girl, YES - social media is basically a SECOND full time job just to get seen on Etsy.

maryt6213d ago

I get why you feel that way @taylor.amy but I actually see it a little different. I think a lot of people overcomplicate social media by trying to be on every platform and posting every day. If you just pick ONE app you actually enjoy and post a few times a week it doesn't have to feel like a job.