How to start a decal sticker shop on Etsy
Interested in starting a vinyl decal sticker shop on Etsy? Selling vinyl decals is a great business. Costs are low and profits are high! I’ll teach you everything you need to start a decal shop on Etsy. We’ll go over the equipment you’ll need, supplies, tools, shipping supplies, and other basic information to begin your shop. It may seem like a lot, but aside from the cutter and computer, it’s not very expensive and totally do-able.
1. Vinyl Cutter
You’ll need a vinyl cutter. There are many options, so do your research on what you can afford, and what will work best for your decals. These are the cutters I have:
US Cutter MH
My first cutter I purchased was an MH 28″ model. These are perfect starter cutters! I had mine paid off in 3 weeks of starting my Etsy shop. I STILL use mine every single day. As long as you keep up on regular maintenance, it will give you years of service. And years of profits! They come in a variety of sizes.
US Cutter Titan
USCutter Titan 28 inch Vinyl Cutter with Stand, Basket and VinylMaster Cut (Design and Cut) Software
The titan is a big step up from the MH. It can handle more weight, cut into more materials, and even has manual contour cutting. There are 3 versions of Titans and each version has multiple size options.
2. Computer
A computer is also necessary to connect to your vinyl cutter usually via a printer or COM cable. Also, you’ll use that to process orders and messages. Make sure your computer is compatible with your cutter. The MH cutter doesn’t work with my iMac, but does with my PC!
3. Cutting software
Most likely, your vinyl cutter will come with this, but the software is important so it can relay information from your computer to the cutter on what to cut. Depending on the software you’ll have, you can create designs and text directly from the software. Or, if you’d like more control over your designs like me, I’d recommend a vector software in addition to the cutting software.
Below are popular options for cutting software:
4. Vector software
I use Adobe Illustrator to create all of my designs. Once the design is created, I send it to my cutting software to make the cut on the my vinyl cutter. Adobe Illustrator is powerful and the big-dog in the vector design world.
Below are links that will take you to other sites that give really good lists of other vector software options
Free Alternatives to Adobe Illustrator
5. Supplies
- Vinyl. Obviously you need vinyl to start a decal sticker shop on Etsy. These can be purchased in rolls or sheets – depending on your needs and the needs of your cutter. You can find vinyl online for purchase at great prices. I’d recommend searching out a local distributor. I’ve found that with a local distributor, I can get my vinyl shipped to me quickly. You can also find vinyl in craft stores such as Michael’s.
- Transfer tape. When you make a vinyl decal, you’ll need transfer tape to apply to the top of the decal so the customer can apply it to their surface. Use high quality transfer tape that is formulated specifically for the vinyl you purchase.
6. Tools and other supplies
To create vinyl decals, it’s a good things to have the following supplies
7. Shipping supplies
- If your selling small decals, rigid mailing envelopes will work great to ship. For larger decals, mailing tubes or large skinny boxes can be used to roll up decals. USPS also offers free boxes that I take advantage of on larger decals.
- Paper for shipping instructions or other information you’d like to convey to customers. You can send out instruction sheets that you print yourself, or you can print sheets out at a printing shop. I love printing my instruction sheets at the UPS store. I can print 400 sheets for less than $20 – I print two instructions to one sheet so I actually get 800 sheets for less than $20 when cut in half!
- Shipping labels and a printer (optional) – there’s a few different ways to print your shipping labels.
- #1 – Print them at a post office by kiosk or a teller. This way you can save on a printer, ink and paper. The down side is that you’ll use time to drive there, wait in line, and get everything weighed and measured one by one.
- #2 – Print them at home with a regular inkjet or toner printer. Use sticky sheets similar to these to stick onto your packages. The only downside i’ve found is that I’ve had to find the right ones that stick well to my boxes, and I had to trim each label down.
- #3 – My favorite and preferred way is to invest in a small thermal printer and labels. Thermal labels print out easily on Etsy, print great every time because there’s no need for ink, and the labels fit small boxes well.
8. An Etsy Shop!
An ETSY shop! To know exactly what you need to set up your Etsy shop, go check out my post What do you need to start an Etsy shop?
That’s all the supplies you’ll need to get up and going! USCutter offers bundle packs in most their cutters they sell that will include a lot of the supplies. Starting a decal shop on Etsy is great business!
