Making over $375,000 in revenue on Etsy in less than two years might sound impossible, but that’s exactly what Emily did – just by selling digital products.
With no inventory to manage and a business that runs almost on autopilot, she’s turned simple digital downloads into a six-figure success story.
But how did she pull it off – and what can you learn from her strategy to build your own profitable Etsy shop?
Emily’s now a Lead Coach with Gold City Ventures, teaching others her exact methods for building profitable Etsy shops selling printables. Let’s break down her journey and the steps she took to scale her digital product business.
After earning over $375k on Etsy in under two years selling printables, Emily’s now a lead coach with Gold City Ventures. This is their free workshop she’d point you to first, with the strategies she and other students used to make over $3.3 million collectively from printables.
- Learn the exact printables method she used
- No experience or upfront costs needed
- 100% free to watch
How Emily Built a $375,000 Etsy Business in Under Two Years
Emily started her Etsy business in 2022 while working a full-time job. She wanted a side hustle that would give her more flexibility, especially as a mom.
At first, she focused on print-on-demand products like T-shirts and candles. She created simple designs using Canva and partnered with Printify to handle printing and shipping.
What’s Printify? It’s a company that lets you sell anything from shirts to candles to mugs to throw rugs and more, while handling basically everything for you.
All you have to do is upload your design and Printify does the rest.
That is, once someone buys your product, Printify will make the item, ship it to your customer, and handle any issues. You just have to sit back and wait for the money to hit your account!
Her first sale came while she was at a birthday party with her daughter. As she’s told it, seeing that $22 order hit her phone was the moment she realized this could actually work.
Over time, her business grew far beyond a small side hustle. Last year alone, her Etsy shop brought in over $220,000 in revenue.
She didn’t stop there. In 2024, she launched a second shop selling digital downloads, adding another $17,200 in sales.
Altogether, her Etsy business has now made more than $375,000.
With minimal upfront costs and only 10 hours of work per week, she built a profitable, flexible business that fits her lifestyle.
What Are Digital Products and Why Are They So Profitable?
Digital products are files that customers can download instantly after purchase. These include printables, templates, planners, wall art, invitations, and more.
Unlike physical products, digital downloads don’t require inventory, shipping, or handling. Once a file is created and listed, it can be sold an unlimited number of times with no extra work.
This makes digital products one of the most profitable ways to make money online.
Sellers keep most of their earnings since costs are low, with profit margins often above 80%.
Etsy is a great marketplace for selling these products because it already has millions of buyers searching for them. Unlike running your own website, you don’t need a big social media following or paid ads to get traffic.
Emily took full advantage of this. By creating designs people were actively looking for, she built a business that continues to generate income with minimal effort.
Why Emily Chose Etsy to Sell Digital Products
Emily wanted a side hustle that didn’t require a big upfront investment.
She needed something flexible that she could manage while taking care of her kids.
Etsy stood out because it already had a built-in audience. Millions of people visit the platform every month looking for unique digital products, making it easier for new sellers to get started.
Another big advantage was the low risk.
Opening an Etsy shop costs just $15, and listing a product is only $0.20, so she didn’t have to spend much to test her ideas.
She also liked that Etsy handled payment processing and customer transactions. That meant she could focus on creating designs without worrying about the technical side of running an online store.
With digital products, there was no inventory to manage. Once she uploaded a file, Etsy took care of the rest, allowing her to make money on Etsy while spending time with her family.
Choosing Etsy turned out to be the right move.
In less than two years, her shop brought in over $375,000, proving that digital products can be a serious income stream.
Honestly, if you’re even slightly curious about selling digital downloads on Etsy, Emily’s success is proof that this model works.
She’s now teaching others her exact strategies through Gold City Ventures – the same program that’s helped students make over $3 million on Etsy.
Sign up for Gold City’s FREE printables workshop here to see what’s possible when you have the right system in place.
How Emily Got Started and Made Her First Sale
Emily opened her Etsy shop in 2022 with a simple idea – create designs that people actually wanted.
She started with print-on-demand products like T-shirts and candles, using Canva to make her designs.
Her first sale happened at a kid’s birthday party. While sitting in the gymnasium, she got a notification that someone had bought a $22 speech pathology-themed T-shirt.
That moment changed everything.
Seeing proof that her designs could sell made her realize this could be more than just a small side project.
She kept adding more listings, focusing on simple text-based designs. Instead of chasing trends, she created products that connected with specific groups of buyers.
Some designs worked, and some didn’t. But by testing different ideas and learning what sold, she built a shop that started making consistent sales.
That first sale was just the beginning. In under two years, she turned a small experiment into a business that’s earned over $375,000.
The Strategy That Helped Emily Earn Over $375,000
Emily didn’t rely on luck to grow her Etsy shop.
She used a simple but effective strategy – creating base designs and making multiple variations to reach different buyers.
Instead of designing from scratch every time, she followed a template method. She’d start with a basic black-and-white text design, then swap out words to fit different audiences.
To find new ideas, she used ChatGPT and Google. She’d ask for lists of top careers, hobbies, or interests, then research what was already selling on Etsy and Pinterest.
Here’s the thing – her focus wasn’t on making the most artistic designs.
Instead, she created products that sparked an emotional connection – whether funny, relatable, or sentimental.
Batching her work helped her scale quickly. She’d design 10 candle labels one day, then spend the next day listing them on Etsy, keeping her workload manageable.
This method allowed her to build a shop with hundreds of listings without spending hours on each one.
Over time, her best-selling designs continued bringing in sales, turning her side hustle into a six-figure business.
Want a shortcut to making money from selling digital products on Etsy?
It’s always better to learn from those who know what they’re doing than waste time figuring it out for yourself. That’s why, as a great starting point, I’d recommend signing up for this free workshop on selling printables on Etsy.
Julie and Cody cover everything from picking the right idea for you to setting up your Etsy store to the best strategies to start actually selling. And given that their students have made over three million dollars on Etsy, they know what they’re talking about.
How Much Money Can You Make Selling Digital Products?
The earning potential with digital products really depends on how many listings you create and how well they sell.
Some Etsy sellers make a few hundred dollars per month, while others, like Emily, bring in six figures.
In her first full year, Emily’s Etsy shop made over $220,000. By 2024, after launching a second shop focused on digital downloads, her total revenue surpassed $375,000.
She estimates that around 30% of her sales are profit.
With minimal expenses and no inventory to manage, selling digital products on Etsy remains one of the highest-margin side hustles you can start.
Other sellers have also found success using similar strategies. Some make enough to cover monthly bills, while others replace their full-time income completely.
The key is testing different products, learning what sells, and continuously improving. With the right approach, digital downloads can become a reliable source of income that keeps growing over time.
How Passive Is Selling Digital Products?
Selling digital products is one of the most passive ways to make money online.
Once a file is created and listed, customers can buy and download it instantly without any extra work.
Emily’s second Etsy shop, which focuses on digital downloads, requires almost no daily maintenance. Since there’s no printing, shipping, or inventory, she only spends time answering occasional customer questions.
Her print-on-demand shop takes a little more effort. While Printify handles production and shipping, she still updates listings and manages orders when needed.
To keep her workload light, she batches her work.
She’ll spend one day creating multiple designs and another day listing them, so she doesn’t have to work on her shop constantly.
At this point, she only spends about 10 hours per week on her Etsy business. That’s a small time commitment for something that continues to bring in sales around the clock.
What You Need to Get Started Selling Digital Products
Starting a digital product business doesn’t require a big investment.
With just a few basic tools and under $40, anyone can launch a shop on Etsy.
Emily keeps her costs low by using Canva Pro for design, which costs $10 per month. She also uses eRank, a keyword research tool, for $6 per month to help her products get found.
Etsy charges $15 to open a shop and $0.20 to list each product.
Even with these small expenses, digital products have high profit margins, making them one of the most affordable businesses to start.
Beyond the tools, the biggest investment is time. Learning how to create simple, in-demand designs and understanding what buyers are looking for makes all the difference.
Emily built her $375k business by researching trends and creating products based on what people were already searching for.
With the right strategy, new sellers can start making sales much faster than they might expect.
Free Workshop – Make Money Selling Printables
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
✅ Discover (for free!) how to make money selling printables on Etsy – even if you’re not creative, tech-savvy, or have zero design experience!
✅ See what actually sells, exactly how to get your first sale, and more – from someone whose students have made over $3 million on Etsy
✅ Perfect for busy people who want an easy, flexible side hustle that can bring in hundreds (or even thousands!) each month with minimal effort
Is Selling Digital Products on Etsy Still Worth It Today?
Some people worry that Etsy is too competitive to start selling digital products.
Emily’s success proves that new sellers can still make serious money if they focus on the right strategies.
Etsy continues to grow, with millions of buyers looking for unique downloads every day. While the platform has plenty of listings, most are generic – meaning there’s still room for sellers who create niche, in-demand products.
Emily built her shop by targeting specific audiences rather than competing with broad, oversaturated designs.
By doing simple keyword research and creating listings that connect with buyers, she was able to stand out.
It’s true that not every product will be a hit. She’s tested and retired over 1,500 designs, but by continuously experimenting, she found what works and scaled her business.
Her story proves that selling digital products isn’t just a trend – it’s a sustainable way to build a flexible income.
With the right approach, even new sellers can turn a small Etsy shop into a serious revenue stream.
Whether you want extra income or a full-time business, digital products offer a low-risk way to get started.
With creativity, research, and a little persistence, you could build a shop that keeps making money long after the work is done.
