How to get sales on Redbubble: how I made over $2,000 in sales

5 Keys to Getting Sales on Redbubble

I’ve been using Redbubble for a few years now, and it’s solidified itself as a great source of passive income. It hasn’t been an entirely smooth ride, however- but I’ve learned a lot about getting sales on Redbubble in the process.

First off, let’s jump right into some numbers. Here are sales insights from two of my accounts for the past year.

Now, these two numbers may not seem like a lot of money, and you’re right. Is it enough to live off alone? No. Is it great beer money? Absolutely! Was it worth my time? Yes, yes yes. See, I’ve made these sales off only a handful of hours of my time. Every now and then, when I’m bored, I’ll go through and add a couple more products to my account, and watch the sales role in. Plus, most of the designs were designs I’d already made for Etsy or other platforms. Redbubble is extremely passive income- you don’t have to touch it, think about it, or even log in. That’s why I suggest that every single creatively inclined individual create an account and at least give it a shot. Worst case scenario, you’ll make a couple of cents. Best case scenario- it’ll pay for your groceries. I’ve had these accounts for years, and while sales fluctuate, I’ve made over $2,314 on Redbubble so far.

So, how did I make thousands off the platform off very little effort? I’ll give you a couple tips.

1: Redbubble is all about SEO

Redbubble is basically a huge search engine. Thus, your entire success on this platform depends on how people will find you. Unless you have popular social media accounts to direct people to your account, it’s vital that you learn the principals of Search Engine Optimization and apply them to all of your listings. Now, I could go on and on about SEO basics because I’ve worked in the field for years, so for the sake of brevity, I’ll just say that it’s imperative that you pick a focus keyword that will enable people to find your design, and put that in the title, tags, and description.

Here’s a rough example. Lets say you’ve made an ice skating related design, and you want the focus keyword to be “Ice Skating”. Ice skating should appear as one entire phrase in the keywords, description, and tags.

2: Build an online presence outside of Redbubble and advertise on there

This is something I absolutely did not bother to do, but for many artists, this is essential. I lucked out because I was able to rely entirely on SEO, but if you’re an artist who draws things that aren’t so searchable, you may benefit by sending Instagram or Facebook followers to your art page. It may also benefit you to buy a couple of your items yourself to photograph and show off.

Like the bit about SEO, I could go on and on about the principles of creating a solid online presence. Instead, I’ll recommend you read a book such as this one.

3: Go niche

This is the step I utilized to rely entirely on SEO sales. It’s important (for maximum SEO value) to hone in on a specific, searchable niche for each product. When I say niche, don’t be afraid to go SUPER niche. We’re talking “horse trainers for jesus” niche. Well, maybe that’s a little bit too niche, but for Redbubble success, try catering to specific fandoms, media, trends, or lifestyles.

4: See what sticks

You could have the most gorgeous, hand drawn portrait that took you 15 hours and it could make no sales. On the other hand, a drawing that took you ten minutes could sell hundreds. Remember: the number of sales you make doesn’t determine the value of your art, and something that has sold well on other platforms might not do as well on Redbubble. That’s why it’s important to upload a variety of things and see what sells. Anything that gains traction should point you in the right direction for what to continue to make. If what you’ve posted doesn’t sell- that’s alright, leave it up on the off chance that you’ll get a sale one day.

5: Don’t give up

I’ll close on this final point. It can be tempting to think that Redbubble’s not for you just because you haven’t made any sales yet. Don’t let that discourage you! Continue uploading designs and I assure you, you’ll eventually make sales. Keep pushing out new products, keep checking back to the website, keep promoting yourself.

Well, that’s it for now! I’ll have more articles on getting sales on Redbubble in the future if you’re interested, but this is the basic guide to generating a bit of pocket change on this website. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time!