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In this post, I’m going to explain exactly how to list a digital download on Etsy.
As I have previously exclaimed, selling digital products on Etsy is an extremely profitable side hustle, earning me over 6 figures in 2022.
The first step to building your own Etsy shop, is learning how to list your very own digital downloads. Once you do it a few times, it will be like second nature – but the first time can be confusing.
SEE THE SOFTWARE I USE TO SELL ON ETSYEtsy is currently tweaking their listing forms and has both an old and new version. I will show you how to list digital downloads on the new version, Etsy has stated that they will eventually be removing the old listing form.
How to list a digital download on Etsy
To create a new listing on Etsy, you must first navigate to your shop manager. Once there, on the left hand side click the ‘Listings’ buttons.
In the top right hand side of the listings section, there is a button labeled ‘Add a listing’. Clicking this will take you to the listing page. This can also be done on the new Etsy seller app – although a computer is much simpler.
Step 1: ‘Tell us about your listing’
The first set of options available is where you designate your file a digital download. The following are the settings that you should use for digital downloads:
- What type of item is it: Digital Files
- Who made it: I did
- What is it: A finished product
- When was it made: 2020-2023 (or the latest year available)
- Production partners for this listing: IGNORE
A few quick notes:
- You may choose select other options for ‘Who made it’, ‘what is it’, and ‘when was it made’ if they pertain to your shop. In most cases, the selections above are the most suitable.
- If you click ‘Made to order’ you will have to manually fulfill the order and mark it as shipped.
- If you are wondering about production partners, this is only necessary if you are selling print on demand products, where an actual product will be shipped. As this article is focused on listing digital downloads, this can be ignored.
Step 2: ‘About’
Next is where we enter our products information.
Title
For title, Etsy recommends putting your most keywords first, but avoid repeating the same keywords over and over.
For anyone who doesn’t know what keywords are: Think of them as what you would expect your customer to be typing in. For example, if you are selling printable calendars, you may expect your customer to Enter ‘Printable 2024 Calendar’ in the Etsy search box.
Keyword research is one of the most important aspects of running an Etsy store. You can and should use tools such as Everbee to find keywords for your listing.
Photos and Video
Next, you can insert up to 10 images and a video, showing off your digital download. Here you can find the best image sizes to use in your Etsy shop.
I like to use up all 10 image spaces, to truly show off the product. If customers know exactly what they are purchasing, then they are more likely convert to a sale, to be satisfied and this leaves a positive review. You can use the edit button to rearrange you listing images as necessary.
Here you can also add a video. Personally I do not add a video to every listing out of pure laziness. But especially for new shops, having videos for all your listings is a great way to differentiate and allows you to stand out.
It is speculated that the Etsy algorithm favours listings with videos over those without them.
Uploading your Digital files to Etsy
Adding your digital files is one area many get stuck on. This is due to Etsy’s file size limits. Etsy only allows up to 5 files, each with only 20mb of space. In the current technological landscape, this isn’t a whole lot.
Luckily there are ways around these file limitations. I have written an article, explaining how to upload large files to Etsy, which includes multiple strategies and techniques for getting around the 20mb file limit. You should also make sure you are using the best file type for digital downloads that suits your customers needs.
Note to buyers for digital items
Your note to buyers is one of the most important aspects of your store. It is the best way to ensure the customer has a smooth download process. This not only keeps them happy, but takes the workload off you.
One thing to note is that your note to buyers is store wide – meaning you do not have to change it for each listing.
I have written an article about how to add a message to buyers for digital items, which includes examples.
Etsy Digital Download Description
Up next is your description. The description is one of the most important aspects of your listing. Some tips for writing a good Etsy description:
- Be sure to describe your item well, providing detailed information about the item.
- Ensure that you mention the product is a digital download only, and that no physical products will be shipped
- Clearly describe your item in the first sentence of your description.
- Include information about the variations you sell (like materials or colors), personalization options, and more
- For SEO purposes, make sure your keywords appear throughout the description
Personalisation
Personalisation should only be added, when you are personally going to make changes before the customer receives their file. You would also have needed to select ‘Made to order’ in the earlier stages of you upload.
Most digital products will not require personalisation. An example of when you may use personalisation for a digital download, is if you are selling personalized greeting cards, where you change the name on the card before sending it to the customer.
Step 3: Price and Inventory
Setting your price
You are now ready to set the price for your digital download. You should first have a look at competitors to see what they are pricing, and use that as a guideline.
If you price too high, it is unlikely customers will go for your products. If you price too low, customers may be scared that your product is of lesser quality.
Setting your quantity
Etsy allows you to set your quantity from anywhere from 1-999. There are different schools of thoughts when it comes to setting your quantity on Etsy. A few things to note:
- You will have to repay the 20c listing fee every time an item sells, no matter what quantity you use. This is a common misconception with new shop owners.
- If a listing reaches 0, it will not automatically re-list, meaning you may miss out on sales. Once a product is completely sold out, you will have to manually re-list.
Setting your SKU
Your SKU (stock keeping unit) is for your eyes only, and is designed to help you quickly determine which product is which.
You are not required to enter a SKU, but if you like to organize your business I recommend developing your own SKU system.
Allow restock requests
The allow restock requests won’t make too much of a difference to you as a digital download store. As long as you keep your quantity greater than 1, this will be irrelevant.
As a safeguard, I keep it on in case a product sells out without me realizing.
Step 4: Item Details
After this, you will be prompted to enter your item details. The core details is the information you entered at the very beginning of your digital download listing.
Selecting your category
Etsy has dozens of product categories. It is a good idea to look through them all first to see which one best fits your product and shop.
Categories can be browsed as a whole by customers, so it is a good idea to make sure you have a good fit for your products.
Adding your attributes
Again customers can browse by color, occasion and celebration. Always add a primary and secondary color that matches your product.
Your digital download may not always fit into an occasion or celebration, but if it does it is a good idea to include it. Although slight, this will increase your opportunity to be discovered.
Tags on Etsy are arguably the most important part of any listing. They allow you to be discovered by customers searching on Etsy.
Your tags should include the main keywords of your products – again that is what you think your potential customers will be typing in Etsy. You should always use all 13 tags provided. No exceptions.
If you wish to take your Etsy business seriously, you should immediately sign up for a keyword tool such as Everbee.
Materials
Materials are not so important for digital downloads on Etsy. In mine, I like to include the file type (usually PDF, SVG or JPEG). Materials do not help with SEO and are not indexed during search.
Step 5: Settings
Finally, we enter our settings. Usually I will keep the default settings, while remembering to add my ‘Shop Section’.
- For Returns and Exchanges, etsy automatically sets this to ‘No returns or exchanges’, as it is a digital product. You can however provide a refund if you wish.
- For Shop section: You can create up to 20 sections in your shop to segment your products. Depending on your range of products, you may like to create categories for themes, filetypes, occasions etc.
- Turning ‘Feature this listing’ on ensures the product stays at the top of your store. I choose specific products to stay at the top of my shop, so most wont use this setting.
- Turning on Etsy ads will mean you are spending money (within your shop’s daily budget) to promote your product. I very rarely use Etsy ads, as they are never quite profitable for my shop.
- Renewal options should be set to Automatic. This means that your digital download can sell over and over again, until your quantity set earlier runs on. For digital products, you should almost always use this setting.
After entering your settings, you are ready to go ahead and push the publish button!
And that is exactly how to list a digital download on Etsy. Once you run through the process a few times, it almost becomes second nature.
I wish you all the best in your digital product business on Etsy, and hope this is the first step for you towards financial freedom