How I made $500,000 selling candles on Etsy

Need to discover ways to begin a worthwhile Etsy enterprise promoting print-on-demand candles?

Print-on-demand candles are an effective way to promote distinctive, gift-friendly merchandise on-line with out having to handle stock or ship orders your self. This implies you’ll be able to run this work-from-home enterprise out of your laptop computer, which is without doubt one of the the reason why so many individuals are concerned about it.

At the moment I am excited to share one other interview with Emily Odio-Sutton. I beforehand featured her in Understanding the Which means of Cents in How I Promote $7,500 in Print-on-Demand Presents Each Month, and readers had been so excited to study her Etsy enterprise.

Since then, Emily’s retailer has grown much more. She has now offered over 22,000 candles on Etsy, and her complete Etsy store has generated over $900,000 in income (candles account for greater than half of her gross sales).

On this interview, Emily says:

• How she began promoting on Etsy
• Why she determined to promote candles
• How print-on-demand candles work
• How a lot does it price to get began?
• How a lot can freshmen earn?
• Ideas for locating product concepts, candle pricing, and getting found on Etsy
• What new sellers have to know earlier than opening a store

Should you’ve ever considered beginning an Etsy store or are concerned about promoting candles on-line, this interview is full of useful suggestions and recommendation for freshmen.

We additionally encourage you to join our free dwell workshop, “How Emily Made Over $900,000 together with her Etsy Store.”. You may be taught what’s working for her proper now, her blueprint for getting began as a brand new print-on-demand vendor, and you too can ask her questions on the finish for her to reply dwell. And this webinar is not nearly candles. We’ll additionally cowl ornaments, tote baggage, journals, mugs, and different print-on-demand gadgets you’ll be able to promote.

How one can promote print-on-demand candles on Etsy

If you wish to know begin a print-on-demand enterprise promoting candles, this interview is for you.

1. Are you able to inform us slightly about your self and the way you began promoting on Etsy?

I’m a extremely educated mom of two women. When my daughter was making ready to start out kindergarten, I used to be anxious about how I’d juggle two full-time jobs and an elementary faculty schedule. Additionally, my husband and I had scholar loans that we needed to repay as quickly as potential. That is after I began scrolling via social media late at evening and got here throughout some aspect hustle alternatives. I began by reselling gadgets on Amazon, however rapidly realized that wasn’t for me as a result of I did not wish to overstock my home or pay some huge cash upfront.

In the future, I got here throughout a YouTube video about promoting print-on-demand on Etsy and was hooked. The benefit of print-on-demand is that you do not have to maintain stock. The low preliminary price and the power to run all the pieces from my laptop computer made it good for me as a busy mother operating round between faculty pick-ups and different commitments. As my New 12 months’s decision, I resolved to do exactly that. I spent six months attempting to make it work. That is the place my story started.

2. What made you wish to promote candles particularly?

After I first began my print-on-demand store, most of my YouTube content material centered on t-shirts and sweatshirts. I had some success and had my first bestseller, which was wonderful, however as I continued to analysis I noticed there have been different print-on-demand merchandise that had far much less competitors and required much less graphic design work than T-shirts.

In the future, I seen that I used to be promoting candles on Etsy, so I listed my first candle to attempt it out. I used to be shocked that the candle truly offered that evening. That is after I realized there was a whole lot of potential on this space of ​​Etsy.

3. How a lot cash did you make promoting candles on Etsy? How has the expansion been over time?

I lately tallied up all of the stats and could not consider the numbers.

So far, they’ve offered over 22,000 candles with gross sales exceeding $500,000. I’ve offered over $900,000 on Etsy. Candles are a giant a part of my Etsy gross sales.

The primary 12 months I began promoting candles in my retailer, my gross sales actually exploded. Yearly, candle gross sales attain a significant peak throughout the spring and vacation seasons. And yearly, my store constantly makes effectively over six figures.

This 12 months, my store truly elevated its income by over 70% in comparison with final 12 months. The probabilities with Etsy are actually countless!

4. How a lot can a beginner earn promoting print-on-demand candles?

Candles are certainly one of my favourite merchandise for brand spanking new sellers simply getting began on Etsy. I prefer it as a result of the design is easy, it has nice present worth, and Etsy patrons love coming to the platform to purchase particular and distinctive items.

Each vendor has a unique journey and their gross sales are totally different from the following particular person’s gross sales, however there’s a new store promoting candles on Etsy that’s making nice gross sales. For instance, the opposite day I used to be researching a store that was simply 4 months previous and had over 2,100 gross sales from promoting candles alone.

5. What’s print-on-demand? And what are print-on-demand candles? Do I want to hold stock?

Print-on-demand is a success technique for merchandise in your Etsy store. Principally, what this implies is that you simply create a candle design, add it to your candle with a printing provider like Printify, and publish it to your Etsy store. As soon as that product is offered, Printify handles all printing, packaging, and delivery of that candle to the client.

The most effective half is that you do not have to carry any stock in any respect, and you do not have to pay for the product till it truly sells. I like this as a result of it means the danger may be very low for my household and I and we will develop a very sustainable enterprise.

6. How a lot does it price to start out utilizing print-on-demand candles?

One of many issues I really like about print-on-demand is the low preliminary price.

To start out promoting print-on-demand candles, you will have to open an Etsy store (there is a small payment, normally round $29), a Canva account (free accounts can be found for candles), and a free Printify account.

We additionally advocate no less than one Etsy analysis device to be taught what Etsy patrons are on the lookout for. These instruments sometimes vary from $6 to $30 per thirty days.

Sometimes, I inform new sellers that they’ll begin an Etsy store for lower than $50.

7. How do you provide you with concepts for merchandise that individuals will truly purchase?

Understanding what your Etsy patrons need is a crucial a part of the method. Studying analysis what is going to promote is without doubt one of the most essential steps. I all the time inform new sellers, “Do not open Canva till you’ve got executed your analysis to grasp what Etsy patrons are on the lookout for!”

After we promote print-on-demand, gift-friendly merchandise on Etsy, we all the time like to consider the particular particular person or event for which we’re creating the product.

For instance, in the event you’re promoting commencement candles, you wish to be extra particular about what sort of commencement ceremony it’s. Is it a commencement present from nursing faculty? Is it a highschool commencement present? These are essential issues to analysis and determine earlier than designing your product.

With a view to stand out as a brand new store, it is very important convey particular data to your viewers. For candles, I wish to use phrases that contact the guts in order that clients can empathize with them! My aim is all the time to create merchandise that you could stroll down the road and never purchase at a sequence retailer.

8. How do you worth your candles?

Printify has a terrific pricing device on their web site that makes it simple to discover ways to worth your candles. I normally advocate that sellers have no less than a 30% revenue margin. That is potential with print-on-demand candles.

Additionally, delivery for candles could be a little dearer than different merchandise, so it is a good suggestion to cost delivery.

9. How do clients sometimes discover your store and candles?

Nearly all of my gross sales come organically via Etsy purchaser search and search engine optimization. As talked about earlier than, being particular together with your clients is essential. Nursing faculty commencement candles are extra noticeable than common candles.

10. Can I begin a print-on-demand enterprise promoting candles with out laptop abilities?

Actually, sure…perceive that you’ll nonetheless be taught so much alongside the way in which.

You do not have to be an engineer or designer to get began. Instruments like Canva make it potential So It is now a lot simpler than earlier than. However I do not need somebody to suppose that they’ll simply leap in and know all the pieces straight away.

There’s all the time a little bit of a studying curve in understanding Etsy, creating listings, and creating easy designs. None of that is tough, simply new.

You do not want a whole lot of abilities. All you want is the need to determine it out as you go.

11. What’s the largest problem in promoting candles on Etsy?

The most important drawback I see is that the scope of recent sellers is simply too broad. They make a candle that is for everybody…which normally means it is not for everybody! Profitable retailers make it very clear who their product is for and when somebody will truly give it to them.

One other is that we really feel the market is simply too saturated. Sure, candles are well-liked, however that additionally means persons are shopping for them. All it’s important to do is use your angle!

And let’s be trustworthy…persistence. Many individuals anticipate on the spot outcomes, however Etsy would not actually work that method. It is like gaining momentum over time.

12. Is there room for brand spanking new print-on-demand candle sellers in 2026?

completely!

As I discussed earlier, I see new retailers which have been round for only a few months making nice gross sales with candles on Etsy. The nice factor is that there are all the time new tendencies, new concepts, and seasonal calls for, permitting new sellers to get a chunk of the pie.

13. What different merchandise does Print on Demand promote?

Since we began promoting print-on-demand three years in the past, we have expanded our catalog to incorporate a number of product sorts. They embrace:

• journal
• mug
• tote bag
• blanket
• ornaments

I focus particularly on these present merchandise and particular events in order that I can present my clients with distinctive, significant and customised gadgets that they can not discover anyplace else.

14. What steps would you inform somebody who desires to start out this month to take?

I am going to hold this quite simple and never overthink it. Let’s begin one step at a time. Open your Etsy store. Connect with Printify. Get one listing at a time.

Select a particular area of interest and clients. Assume by way of individuals and moments: a present for a instructor, a canine mother’s birthday, a brand new house owner.

Subsequent, let’s do some analysis on Etsy. Take a look at what’s already promoting, particularly what’s promoting in new retailers, and take note of patterns, design kinds, phrases, and who you are focusing on.

From there, create some easy designs. In different phrases, it is easy!

And most significantly, be constant. Do not wait till all the pieces is ideal. You may be taught much more by doing it.

15. Please inform us extra about The Present Lab. And who’s it finest for?

Yeah! Present Lab is my course that teaches you promote print-on-demand merchandise on Etsy, specializing in: Present out there Issues like candles, journals, decorations, and different gadgets that individuals already purchase for particular events.

As a substitute of guessing what to promote or chasing tendencies, I educate a quite simple method to consider merchandise. That is who it is for, when somebody would present it, and why they might purchase it.

That is nice for freshmen who wish to progress step-by-step, in addition to individuals who have tried Etsy and are feeling caught or overwhelmed.

This course is split into bite-sized movies for straightforward understanding and consists of design templates, product concepts, and extra.

Click on right here to be taught extra about The Present Lab.

Taken with beginning a print-on-demand enterprise?

Notes from “Understanding the Which means of Cents”: We additionally encourage you to join our free dwell workshop, “How Emily Made Over $900,000 together with her Etsy Store.”. Find out how Emily’s store grew 70% within the social gathering area of interest in 2026, what’s working for her now, her blueprint for beginning as a brand new print-on-demand vendor, and on the finish, you too can ask your questions and he or she’ll reply them dwell.

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