If you're a fan of popular culture, then the chances are that you have seen or bought stickers themed on your favorite TV show, movie, or game. Stickers have become an increasingly popular commodity for customers of all ages, making it a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to turn a profit by selling them wholesale. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the advantages of selling stickers wholesale and provide insightful tips on how to market your brand effectively.
The best kind of stickers you can sell are bulk stickers. I mean this in two ways. First, that when you design stickers that sell well, they sell like hotcakes. And second, that selling bulk stickers to other sellers is one of the ways you can make some serious cash for your sticker business.
The trick to sell stickers online? It's a volume game. If a sticker costs you $0.25 to make and you sell them at $2.75 each, that means that you'll need to sell forty to make even a hundred dollars. In this blog post, we're going to look at bulk stickers online, bulk custom stickers, vinyl stickers, cut to size stickers, and more. We won't talk about roll stickers, because most home and small business technology is not conducive to creating roll bulk stickers. Are you ready to print stickers? Let's get started!
Advantages of Selling Stickers Wholesale
Selling stickers wholesale has several benefits that can help you generate a substantial income. First, buying or making stickers in bulk allows you to get a competitive cost and increase your profit margins. I know when I'm trying to fill a large order, it takes me less time to make fifty stickers of the same design than it does to make fifty different sticker designs. Custom stickers are great – but selling those in bulk is where you're going to make up your time and money.
Second, this approach also enables you to offer discounts to customers that purchase in large quantities, thereby encouraging bulk purchases. Your customers should never leave your shop only purchasing one item. If they do, the bulk of your cost is in shipping that lone sticker, not in the product itself.
Furthermore, selling wholesale typically involves working with retailers, which means that you can reach a wider audience and sell more products. Your sticker business can reach the far flung corners of the country or the world when you start offering what so many sticker shops do not: bulk stickers and wholesale stickers.
Choosing the Right Medium for Designing Stickers
Before you begin selling stickers, you need to decide on the platform that you will use to design your stickers. There are two primary mediums for creating stickers: digital and traditional. Digital designing allows you to create stickers using software like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, while traditional designing involves hand-drawing or painting stickers on paper.
No matter the medium you choose, it's essential to have the necessary tools, such as a quality printer, vinyl paper, and cutting tools. If you're planning on creating custom designs, you'll also need drawing tools like pencils, markers, and paintbrushes.
We've written a lot about the process of making custom stickers and custom vinyl stickers, so just take a browse through the archives if you're new here.
The quick and dirty of it is: If you want to make the stickers yourself, you'll need a Cricut machine, printer, sticker paper, and computer. If you want to buy your bulk custom stickers from somewhere else, we recommend Fast Stickers or Custom Stickers (they're the same service).
While Sticker Mule is popular and offers many sticker finishes, stickers from Sticker Mule tend to be expensive compared to a similar quality you'll get from printing stickers somewhere else. So definitely shop around to find the cheapest place to help you in printing stickers.
Tips on Marketing Your Bulk Stickers
Once you have created your stickers, it's time to market them. Social media is an excellent platform to start promoting your stickers. Create social media pages for your brand and start sharing your designs with your followers. You can also run social media ads targeting specific audiences interested in popular culture.
Another way to market your stickers is through collaborations with influencers or partnering with established retailers. Partnering with an influencer can expose your brand to their followers, while collaborating with a retailer can help you reach customers who are already interested in your product.
The absolute best way to market yourself as a sticker printer, though, is to get your brand on the platforms where people are buying wholesale. And that's not on Facebook or Etsy. It's on Faire, it's on Amazon, and it's in your backyard.
Examples of Successful Wholesale Sticker Sellers
Several wholesale sticker sellers have found success by following the steps outlined above. For example, Say Nice Things Shop is an online store that sells stickers inspired by popular culture and has become a go-to spot for fans of TV shows like Friends and The Office.
My own business, Nonbeenary Designs, has made over $1,000 in just a few months of operating a wholesale arm where I can sell bulk stickers. While I don't sell roll stickers, I print stickers to order for my customers on vinyl sticker paper and they love it.
Both of these businesses have created unique brands and marketed their products effectively, resulting in a loyal customer base and consistent sales.
Final Thoughts
Selling stickers wholesale can be a profitable business venture for anyone passionate about popular culture. To get started, focus on creating unique designs and getting the necessary tools to produce them at competitive prices. Then, use social media and other marketing strategies to promote your brand and grow your customer base.
If you're ready to start selling your stickers wholesale, consider joining Faire, a free online marketplace that connects makers and retailers. Faire provides a platform for wholesale sticker sellers to showcase their products and connect with potential buyers. Sign up today and take the first step towards turning your sticker-selling dream into a reality.
BONUS: Selling Stickers FAQ
What kind of paper should I use?
Most people equate “vinyl” stickers with quality, so I recommend using Online Labels' white vinyl sticker paper. You can also use a white paper sticker with lamination, or any white premium sticker paper. Experiment. Paper is cheap.
Should I do logo stickers?
If you want to outsource production. I say go for it. But large shops can produce logo stickers at a much cheaper, quicker rate than your tiny little sticker shop. So feel free to order them on behalf of someone, but don't spend hours DIY'ing that.
What about cut to size stickers?
I recommend having a standard sizing guide for your customers, even if you do cut to size. Even though I can go up to 9.25″ on a sticker, my standard sizing is up to 5″ square. This lets me keep a cohesive quality.
