Do you ever find yourself wondering how to sell Canva designs on Etsy?

You’re not alone. A search for “digital template” on Etsy brings back almost 2 million search results. The easy-to-use interface makes it easy for anyone to create Canva designs and share them with others. 

Design templates have skyrocketed in popularity in the last few years as tools like Canva make it more accessible for people to create designs that they can use in business, work, and personal life. Purchasing a design template solves a customer’s specific need and saves them time, making it a potentially lucrative way to earn extra income. 

In this post, we’ll share an easy step-by-step checklist that shows you exactly how you can sell Canva designs on Etsy. 

Step 1: Validate your idea

The first step to selling Canva templates on Etsy is to validate your idea. You don’t want to put in all the trouble creating something that is either highly competitive or something that nobody is searching for! 

You may already have a good idea of what you can offer based on what your audience is asking for. If this is the case for you, that’s great! Customer feedback is one of the best ways to create a successful Canva design template. 

If not, do market research to match up what is in demand with what your skillsets are. Search on Etsy, look through forums and comments or even create a video or post asking your audience how you can sell a problem for them. 

Once you have a few ideas, you can do some keyword research to validate your ideas and help you decide. Keyword research for SEO on Etsy is a whole thing in and of itself but is an important factor in your success on Etsy. You can use free tools like Google Keyword Planner or paid tools like Marmalead and eRank. 

I highly recommend taking the time to learn about SEO on Etsy. For more in depth information you can check out these posts on my site: 

My Top Etsy SEO Tips for Beginners

An Inside Look at Finding Etsy Keywords in Marmalead

Step 2: Sign up for Etsy and Canva accounts

• Create an Etsy account. You can score 40 free listings when you sign up through my link here. The sign-up flow will walk you through the process but if you need more help you can go here.

• Sign-up for a Canva account. Canva’s Basic plan is free to use and you can sign up here! You do not need to have Canva Pro to sell digital templates.

Step 3: Create your design template in Canva

This is the fun part! It’s important to know that in order to sell Canva templates on Etsy you must create your own original designs. It is against Canva’s policy to resell templates and designs that are not your own creation. Read more on this in my Canva FAQs article here. 

Here’s exactly how you create a design in Canva to sell on Etsy: 

Create your design, proofread it, and ensure everything looks correct.

Click the Share button in the top right and choose Share Template Link. When this link is shared with another person, it will make a unique copy of the design template for them to edit. Be sure to test your template link to ensure it’s working before proceeding.

Embed your link into a PDF document to upload to Etsy. I call this a File Access PDF. You can make this as no-frills as needed by just pasting the template link into a Google doc and saving it as a PDF. I prefer to create a nicely designed PDF in Canva with my logo and embed the link into a button graphic.

Step 4: List your Canva template design on Etsy

• Go to the “Listings” tab under your shop manager.

• Click “Add a Listing”

• Create your listing

  • Clearly describe your item title using SEO-friendly keywords.

  • Fill out any attributes related to your product.

  • Be sure to choose digital in the “type” section (right above the description box) to enable the ability to add a file to the listing.

  • Add a description that lets customers know what the item is and what they’ll get with their purchase.

  • Add all 13 tags to make it easier for people to find your item.

  • Add your price

  • Upload your file access PDF with the template link.

  • Publish your listing and you’re open for business!

For additional help with Etsy listings, check out this article on their site.

Conclusion: How to Sell Canva Templates on Etsy

Check out my Freebies & Resources page for additional support in starting an Etsy shop or selling Canva templates.

My advice to you as someone who ran a successful digital template shop on Etsy?

While the method to sell Canva designs is easy and straightforward, it can be difficult to stand out in the Etsy marketplace. The easier something is, the more competitive it will be because everyone can do it! The key is to focus on delivering the most value and solving your audience’s problems. Pair that with a great design, beautiful mockups, and a compelling product description and you will be on your way to success. 

If you’re curious about selling Canva templates on Etsy, check out these related articles on my site:

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Opening Your Etsy Digital Download Shop

5 Ways to Improve Etsy Digital Download Listings

What are your questions about how to sell Canva designs on Etsy?