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Last Updated on August 30, 2023 by Chris Butler
Hey there crafty friend! Today we’re going to talk about how to make money with your Cricut.
When I first bought my Cricut my husband was a wee bit upset with me. I had a work from home job so I could homeschool our kids. But that job was making less and less money.
Which means money around here was really tight. Super tight. And I just blew almost $300 on a ‘hobby’.
But there’s one thing my husband didn’t know. He didn’t know how determined I was to make money with my new Cricut. I looked him straight in the eye and promised him that my little hobby would make over $2k in the next three months.
And it did.
This isn’t an easy feat in a saturated market. And it definitely isn’t a get rich quick scheme.
But these seven tips will help you make money with your Cricut. Whether you just want to support your crafting habit, or you’re looking to support your family, be sure to practice them all.
Let’s get to it.
Quick Links to Information in This Post
Make Money With Cricut -Seven Tips
1. DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
Really just be yourself. Bring your quirkiness and creativity to the table.
If you’ve been around Cricut crafts for any length of time I’m sure you’re familiar with the knockout name tiles. They are a crazy hit and soon everyone was selling them.
That’s how it goes in the crafting world, doesn’t it? So you could be one of the first people to jump on a trend ride the wave until the next hot seller comes along. But that method of selling Cricut crafts can become tiresome and costly if you’re not careful.
Keep in mind I’m not telling you to re-invent the wheel here, but to add your own style and flair.
Take a look at the picture below. It’s of two name tiles I found on Etsy. The one on the top row looks just like the other 150 for sale on Etsy.
The seller on the bottom added her own spin on things. Which one stands out more? Which seller can charge more and make a higher profit?
Don’t be afraid to change fonts either. You can find super deals and freebies for premium fonts at fontbundles.net Something that simple will make you stand out from the crowd of ‘I Love Glitter’ fonts.
Because the thing is when your craft looks like everyone else’s, then it just becomes a price war. Nobody wins.
So when everybody else zigs, you zag. Got it?
2. KEEP IT NARROW
I was one of the event planners for a concert this Summer. One of my co-planners announced that she had a shirt girl and was having custom shirts made for us.
Ummm helllo? They all know I have a Cricut. I can make shirts. I would just charge cost -if that.
But her mind went straight to her shirt girl. Why? Because the shirt girl only does shirts and she does them well.
I do painted signs and decals by the way. So when someone wants one of those they think of me. I know someone else who just does earrings. And we’ve even got someone who only does paper flowers.
You may think making and selling everything under the sun will give you more variety, therefore more customers, therefore more money. But that’s not the way it works.
What it will give you is more cost, more burnout, and more products not selling.
Don’t aim to be the Walmart of the craft world, aim to be an expert and the best there is in your area of craftiness. So take a minute and decide what you’re going to become known for.
3. BE CONSISTENT
Work on your Cricut craft business consistently. Ideally, you should be working on it every day. Some of you may just want to sell as a hobby and can only work on it once a week.
Whatever your schedule is do it as consistently as you can. You’re never going to get anywhere if you ignore your business for weeks or months at a time.
Be consistent with pricing and quality too. Your customers should know what to expect from you. They will recommend you to others over and over again if they know they can count on you.
4. TENACIOUS WINS
Look, I don’t wanna be Debbie Downer here, but owning a business can sometimes suck.
And if you want to turn this thing into a business, there’s going to be days you want to quit.
There will be days customers will tick you off. There will be days that nothing works right. You’re busting your butt and getting nowhere fast.
Stop. Take a deep breath. Like I said it’s not a get rich quick scheme. The people that didn’t find success, they quit long ago. But you….. you my friend pull up your big girl panties and keep going.
Because the people who succeed never give up. They may have failures. But that doesn’t stop them. Never. Give. Up.
5. YOU WANT HOW MUCH?
I seriously can’t believe how often this happens…… Someone purchases decals from me so she can make and sell glitter tumblers. That’s not the unbelievable part…
I casually asked her how much she charged for a tumbler because well my husband hates glitter lol. But the tumblers make awesome gifts. Anyway, she told me her price and I exclaimed wow that’s super cheap.
And she responded yea I HOPE I’M NOT LOSING MONEY
I’m sorry WHAT? You HOPE you aren’t losing money? Oh honey.
You have to know the cost. If you’re selling something for $20 and it costs you $22 in supplies, that’s not good! Not good at all.
I know there are some things like glitter and epoxy in this case that may be hard to calculate. You don’t know how many tumblers one jar of glitter will cover until you reach the end of your glitter jar. (keep track, by the way, take a marker and put a hash mark on the glitter jar for every tumbler you make)
But you can guestimate. If it looks like you used around 1/4 of the jar and the jar costs $10, take 10 and divide it by 4 and you have a glitter cost of $2.50 per tumbler per color of glitter. So two colors of glitter is a $5.00 glitter cost. Following me?
For the love of all things crafty please go through all of your supplies and add up the costs. After I have all the big items added up I usually add on a $1.00 or two for the cost supplies that I use, but use such a small quantity it’s not worth figuring up. Glue is an example of that.
Once you have the cost of supplies you’ll be better prepared to price your items to sell. Don’t forget the time it took you to make the item unless you like working for free.
A general rule of thumb is your selling price is going to be between two to four times your cost of supplies. Don’t worry about people cackling at you that it’s too much. You’re original, you’ve narrowed down your field and you’re an expert and the best at what you do. Plus you’re using quality products (more on that soon).
If you suck at pricing consider getting my craft pricing and profit margin calculator here. It does all of the adding and calculating for you, so you know you’re profitable.
People WILL gladly pay for your quality handmade products.
6. LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY
Don’t be afraid of learning from those who have gone before you. You don’t have to figure everything out on your own.
Whether you want to learn how to climb the Etsy ranks or build a successful facebook group, someone has already done it and now they are teaching all the tips and tricks they know.
At least at the start of your Cricut business, you’ll be doing more marketing than crafting. Make it a goal to learn something new every day that pertains to your business.
7. QUALITY CONTROL
Sell quality products. Quality wins over quantity every day of the week. Let’s take a look at these two custom Easter baskets below.
So the two buckets on the right are from the Dollar Tree. Everyone and their brother sold these at Easter which kept the profits low.
We know the bucket cost is $1.25 and we will estimate the vinyl and transfer paper was $1.00 which gives us a cost of $2.00. I saw them for sale for $5.00 each which means we make a profit of $3.00 per bucket. They are quick to make so not too bad.
Easter comes and goes, the buckets probably get forgotten about or trashed because they were cheaply made and cheap to buy.
Now the Easter Baskets on the left. They are fabric and obviously better quality. They stand out because not many if any other crafters are selling them. You are learning every day and you know that if we just put the name on them, these baskets can be used well past Easter and we market them as such.
We paid $8.00 for the blank basket and $1.00 for the heat transfer vinyl for a total cost of $9.00. We are selling them for $25.00 which gives us a profit of $16.00 for each one we sell.
Which means we can sell less and make more money. The crafter selling Dollar Store baskets needs to make and sell 6 baskets for every one we sell to make the same profit.
Let that sink in a second. Less work means more time for family or fun or learning.
People will pay for quality and they will recommend you to their friends for quality. Word of mouth marketing is the best you can get.
Choose quality products.
Where to Buy Quality Blanks for Cricut Crafts
I have two places that I like to buy quality blanks for crafting that I’ll share with you.
The first one is called My Vinyl Direct and it’s found here. They have a great selection and everything I have ordered from them has been great.
And the second place might be a little more well known, but still worth it. They are called Happy Crafters and you can find them here.
Here are some FAQ’s I found about making money with your Cricut:
WHAT IS THE BEST CRICUT MACHINE?
If you are still looking to buy a Cricut machine and wondering which Cricut is best, be sure to check out my post here:
Which is the best Cricut to get for beginners
CAN YOU SELL PRODUCTS YOU MADE WITH CRICUT?
Yes! You absolutely can sell products you made with your Cricut. But be sure to do some homework first.
You’ll need to have commercial licenses for design files and fonts -most all of the ones you buy will come with a license to sell. And steer clear of anything trademarked like Batman, Disney, and College Football.
WHAT CAN YOU MAKE WITH YOUR CRICUT TO SELL?
There are soooo many things you can make and sell with your Cricut. I’m going to list quite a few, but don’t forget about tip #2. Keep the selection that you choose to sell very small.
Here are things you can make and sell with your Cricut:
- Tea Towels
- Stickers – Learn how to make stickers here
- Hand Towels
- Custom Shirts
- Custom Stuffed Animals
- Blankets
- Name Tiles
- Drink Coasters
- Earrings +other jewelry
- Painted Wood Signs – Learn how to get crisp lines when Painting Wood signs
- Vinyl on Wood Signs
- Canvas Art
- Hair Bows
- Key Chains
- Drink Cups
- Tumblers
- Sports Bottles
- Coffee Mugs
- Paper Flowers
- Invitations
- Party Banners
- Garden Flags
- Hats
- Makeup Bags
- Shoes
- Pillows
- Pot Holders
And I’m sure there are many more! What are you hoping to make and sell with your Cricut?
Chris Butler has helped thousands of crafters learn how to use their Cricut machine without feeling overwhelmed. She is a best selling author and an up and coming designer. For fun Chris enjoys designing SVG Files, hanging out with her family (preferably at the lake), traveling, and volunteering at her church. She is a wife and mom of two crazy fun kids.
Thank you for the information. This will help me a lot!
Could you please send me the directions for the glitter hair bows ❤️❤️❤️. Thank you
Brilliant. Thanks so much for writing this. I’ve been researching like crazy so some of this I knew but plenty of good, solid, common sense advice plus the fact that you’ve DONE it…….. Inspirational.
Thank you for the inspiration! I hit a bump in my Cricut business & needed to read this! My enthusiasm stalled even though I LOVE my Cricut & what I do. You sparked up my creativity again.
I actually use mine for the stencils for sand etching. Which so far no body does around here.
Thank you that gives me courage to start making my things. I haven’t started Etsy yet, but have a business name and license from my state so I can tax sales… I will only do a few things to start..the problem is how and you answered or confirmed some of my thoughts…
Thanks for this Chris I have been stalling for too long on building my business. This has helped me feel confiddent to give it a go!
You can do it Karen!
I would like to use my for cakes and cookies. Which machine is best for that?
You are amazing! Thank you so much for the information !
You’re Welcome!
everyone tells me to start a little business. says. wow you can make money on this stuff. well, this post really have me some advice and some thinking to do on a business. I really appreciate the time you took to write this blog. thanks for sharing your wisdom.
Hi Chris, Thank you for all your ideas and advice. Much appreciated. I have been crafting with my Cricut for many years and I love it.
I’m simply looking to supplement our income not be the sole bread earner.
Have a great week!
Thanks Rita! You too!
Thank you for your inspiration ! Getting my first machine next week & looking to have fun & be creative & unique as well as of course profitable 💰ty again
Hi. I’m thinking of starting to do cake toppers. By printing them on my edible printer. Can I use my cricut to cut out about 6 toppers on one page. They wud be made of either wafer paper or icing sheets. And what will I need. I’m new to this and I’ve just bought a second hand cricut on ebay thanks sue
Cricut doesn’t recommend cutting food items. They did have a food-grade cricut for sale at one time though.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I have been wanting to start my own business to supplement our income but can’t seem to get started. I am hoping I can finally have a place to begin after reading this! Really appreciate the time you took to write this.
You totally got this!
How can I get a copy of conquering cricut ebook?
Hi lliana! You can find it here https://dailydoseofdiy.com/conquer-cricut
What a great article – thank you!
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. I did exactly what you said. We went to Dollar tree, spent 100s of dollars on cups, glasses, mugs, plates, elves, glass trivets, and more. But we didn’t just go to Dollar tree we bought clear Xmas balls, made Santa cams , t shirts name tiles and welcome signs of all kinds. . I sold a big whopping nothing. Did 2 craft shows sold 2 things. This was last winter , so needless to say my entire storage area in basement is filled with unsold products, and sadly some or most of the Christmas balls were glass and are broken. They were expensive compared to the plastic , yet they are paper thin so when I picked it up my finger went through it. I’m now out of work due to covid19, was denied unemployment, and I have lots of bills. . so I thought I’d give it another go, but I need something that is different from everyone else , I want mine to be unique yet affordable. My biggest problem is getting it out there for ppl to see and and make it pop. Advertising is not my specialty. Any help would be greatly appreciated
Set up an Instagram page, Facebook account for Facebook marketplace & other social media outlets to market you products it’s free and can reach thousands. Don’t forget to use hashtags on Instagram. Also list your items for sale on free to set up sites like Mercari..They charge 10% of the amount the item sells for but no upfront set up fee. Much Success, Sylvia
Just getting ready to start up a business. So glad I found this article. Was thinking about focusing on about 5 items… after reading this will focus on one area!! Thank you!! Where is the best place to buy leather?? Going to be making leather jewelry.
Hello, I just wanted to say Thank you !!!
I was given this as a gift from my oldest son, he wants me to do something for myself to be happy and possible make extra money he knows I need. You spending the time to write this helped me a lot and I appreciate that. IT helped to get me moving on it and what I need to do to start. I am disabled and hoping this will help me make extra money and help me mentally focus on something positive. Again, thank you and God Bless and stay safe.
Good morning
Just wondering can you do things like Peppa pig for kids shirts?? If so how? I don’t have a machine (yet).
Thanks
Hi Meagan! You wouldn’t be able to sell Peppa Pig stuff because it’s trademarked and copywrited. You could probably make it for personal use.
This was great! Thank you. You are so right about sticking to selling fewer things but with many options.
I am hoping to launch my online store within the month.
Thanks again for the advise.
blessings and best of business success
Girl you are probably the smartest Cricuter I’ve came across . I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the statement that we’re not trying to stock up like a wal-Mart . And that’s my problem and I’ve gotten so overwhelmed with all the things I’ve bought that I’ve yet make one single thing thing that sold. I think it I know I’ve just overwhelmed myself and my craft room that it hurts to even go into the craft room and see the thousands of dollars worth of supplies just sitting there. Thank you so very much for the insight you’ve given me tonight . It’s literally a breath of fresh air. I just couldn’t understand what my problem was. I often critique myself so much and I never feel like anything I make is ever good enough. I’ve been cricuting for about 15 years now (I’m so embarrassed to even say ). But thanks again .
Don’t be embarrassed =). Glad I could help
Hi Chris! I stumbled on your post as I was looking around. I was gifted a Cricut for Christmas and I’m very excited but really confused on where to start. I have an incredibly stupid question. Beyond the vinyl and supplies for the cricut, where the heck do I find things to put the designs on for a low cost. For instance, the basket you showed in your write-up above. Did you just scour the internet for these items and cost? Love the stuff you do and THANK YOU so much for sharing!
Hi Chris. My fiancé is looking to have a cricut hobby that may become a business (or at least a side hustle) . I came across your article looking up information to try to help her out, and just wanted to say I loved it. Such great, useful advice. Thank you 😉
Thank you so much for all this information! This really helps me learn what I can do. I am looking to make shirts and hats but just not sure what I can use and not use to sell. Great advice! Thank you
Great helpful article. Now to find my niche and get to seling.
You got this Chasity!
You say steer clear of Disney and stuff but I’ve seen people created Disney items.. so how does this work?
They are the characters or logo or quotes from show/movie.
So how do we know if you can use characters or quotes from them ?
Legally you can’t.
One thing that you didn’t touch on, and I think is so important that it should be #1 on your list, is to create a LLC to protect yourself and your families finances. In today’s “sue-happy” society, people of all ages are looking for that get rich quick scheme for little or no effort. Sueing someone has become all too prevalent today, so I feel it is way more important to protect yourself and your family, than it is to start a business to support your family. Besides, how can you support your family if you are being sued for millions because you hurt someone’s feelings. Sounds silly, but it happens way too often. So teach us how to CYA with a LLC, or show us where to go to learn how to. Thank you for all this great info.
Very true, thanks for sharing!
Extremely happy to have found you. I would like to look to you for more inspiration, encouragement, knowledge and motivation. YOU ROCK \m/
Oh Oh! One more question, I’m trying to teach my self Adobe programs. I’m paying dearly for it each month and never use it. I’m new to Cricut, I upgraded from my Silhouette Cameo but my question is do you only use features of your Cricut or do you also use Adobe for your craft projects?
Very helpful! Thank you for sharing!
Hello Chris from a damp Scotland, I loved your article. I’m newly retired and desperately looking for something to keep me occupied, happy and perhaps earn some pocket money! I have been researching Cricut machines so your advice was helpful. May I ask… do you think I should invest in a Cricut ? I’m not very arty but I do have some ideas.