Deciding what to put in to production
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Hey all! I’m wondering how you decide what designs to put into production?
I’m struggling with this thing right now. I came up with a pin design and finally made some colors that look decent.But I’m worried it might be too niche to actually sell. I had some original designs that didn’t sell too well, so now I’m nervous about putting that much money into anything.
I attached the design, if you’re wondering. I like the idea and I want to add a few tweaks (like glitter in the bottle) but like, is it sellable?
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Is it something that you can produce on demand, or do production costs make only large run sizes viable?
If you're able to get a sample made, you could advertise and see what response you get using the sample to create product photographs with. Potentially do some form of 'pre-sale' to gather orders, a bit like a mini kickstarter I guess - but you can test the waters at least.
Can you change the format? eg. From a pin to badge or sticker - something cheaper to produce to gauge interest. You can always make a pin from it later.
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I have to do a run of 100. The first batch of a different design was over $250, I’m estimating this will be about the same. Stickers aren’t a bad idea, but I don’t have the equipment for that yet.
I also wonder why I didn’t sell the first design. Someone mentioned that it’s because I don’t have 5 items in my etsy shop yet, but who knows.
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@Emma-Echter I considered a Kickstarter too! It’s a great idea for some, but I’m also trying to build my stores inventory. I’m just not sure what to pull the trigger on I guess. Trying to find a balance between my “brand” and marketable.
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@Kyle-Tobey Etsy shops definitely perform better with more product. Can you get them printed on sticker material at a print shop - depending on numbers you can group them up on a sheet draw your 'dieline' on and cut them by hand just to have some stock in hand. If it goes bananas you can always get them printed and diecut. Price per unit will be cheap...
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@Kyle-Tobey You could try it out on a print-on-demand site temporarily to see how it appeals to a broader market. You don't have to do this as a pin--it could be a sticker, coffee cup, whatever. A lot of these sites don't charge you to post artwork, so it's low-risk. And if it does sell, you'll know it's worth the expense--and you'll have a little capital to make the pins with.