Now that I’ve set up a nice little earner on Redbubble, the worry is starting to set in. How long is this going to last? Certainly not forever. Truly this is the curse of ownership; now that something is valuable, you want to protect it.
Redbubble has been going for 14 years now, since 2006, and it has at least proven that it can last that long. How long can this continue?
I’ve had a few people ask me about the work from home job I mentioned in a previous post, so I thought it a good idea to talk about that more, as well as other ways I’m trying to mitigate the fact that I don’t own the processes I’m selling by. If Redbubble goes bust, so do I!
Redbubble is here to stay
I do think it’s safe to assume Redbubble will be around for at least another ten years. Currently, Redbubble stock is the highest it has ever been, jumping up sharply in the past few days.
Redbubble is still a very popular site, they are adding new products you can design for, and personally I am selling more and more each month. If you want to get into Redbubble but haven’t yet, then it’s still worth it, and it’s best to start soon.
It’s never a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket, but for me, right now, Redbubble has become my biggest earner. June 2020 is looking to be at least £1200 in pure, passive income, and that’s only my main shop, not including my other side shops.
Despite the apparent rock hard foundation Redbubble does have there are things to consider, even if, as a service, Redbubble isn’t going anywhere.
Changes of terms and conditions
If Redbubble changes it terms and conditions, it could negatively affect a lot of us. Have you ever had the following email from Redbubble: “An Important Message About Your Work on Redbubble”. It’ll usually appear if you’ve had a design removed.
Recently, Redbubble have changed policies to now allow certain designs to show up on certain products, in case they cause offence. For example; you might not want to have anything religious on a bath mat, or socks, as you put your feet on these things. In some cultures, that will cause great offence.
While this is perfectly fine, it does just highlight the fact that you are not in control of where you are selling. Who knows what will change in future? Maybe your best selling piece of work will be taken down. It’s something to consider.
Mitigation
There are a few things you can and should be doing to mitigate any potential losses when it comes to selling on Redbubble. Consider the following:
- Adhere to Redbubble policy
- Start multiple Redbubble stores
- Use other platforms
- Have a day job
Adhere to policy
As we just discussed, Redbubble can change their policies at any time. Creating safe work which is unlikely to get removed is key to a long lasting store. To do this, ensure that you only upload original work, that cannot be seen an offensive.
Start multiple stores
They can’t ban them all! If you want to work with something a bit more risque, then consider multiple stores, each geared to a niche. Have an NSFW niche you want to try out? Simply start a new store for it. If it gets any warning or take downs, they won’t affect your main store.
This is what I do now when I am trying a new style of designs. I’m not too convinced that an established store has much weight in terms of search results, I think it’s purely down to the design uploaded.
Use other platforms
I should be doing this more, but if you’re seeing success on Redbubble, then you’ll likely see success elsewhere with the same designs. It’s your work, you have the rights to it; so it may be sensible to play a wide game.
Instead of creating more designs for Redbubble, spent a week or two putting your current designs on other platforms. Get an account for Merch By Amazon if you haven’t already, I’m seeing a lot of sales here now. TeePublic is also a good choice, essentially a carbon copy of Redbubble, but with a better uploading UI.
Have a day job
I know this is the opposite of passive income, but considering most of us are in lockdown, it’s a good shout. You’re sitting at home most of the day anyway, you may as well put it to use, earn some money, and learn something too.
As I said in my previous post, I managed to get a freelance role working for a dating app. Here’s the secret to how I found the job.
I went on indeed and searched for ‘Remote’.
That’s it. Now is such a good time to find work from home jobs. Lots of companies need people to work for them, but aren’t willing to open their offices yet. Did I think I would ever work for a dating app, moderating dodgy profiles? No. Is it worth it? At £12-15 an hour, I would say so.
Summary
Redbubble will not be here to stay forever, as nothing is. It’s not an income you can rely on for life. It is probably going to be here for the next ten years, but who knows, maybe something will come along to replace Print on demand as a process.
It’s foolish to put all of your eggs in a single basket, but you can use Redbubble to learn about print on demand, learn about marketing online and selling, and those are the real profits.