For young entrepreneurs, artists and creatives the internet is a goldmine. Having opened the floodgates for small businesses to flourish, the internet allows anybody to set up an online shop in a matter of a couple of hours.
With most locked away in their homes, the online marketplace has gone from being a useful tool to a crucial element in reaching consumers.
“We’re in a pandemic, and … it’s hard for [people] to share their ideas with the world and produce things with their own creativity,” said junior Frances Chua, who sells stickers using e-commerce site Redbubble. “But we have the internet, which is … such a great platform that connects us to our friends, to our neighbors, to literally people from across the entire world.”
The circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic have also opened up some students’ schedules and likewise, opportunities for hobbies. So while the boredom caused by days spent at home is a feeling all too familiar to Aragon students, some have utilized this free time, channeling their creativity and restlessness into something productive.
Chua began her sticker shop a few months after strict health regulations were put in place.
“Quarantine definitely played a role in me starting my shop due to my sheer amount of boredom,” Chua said. “I had enough time to create things on the computer and messing around with Photoshop was pretty fun.”
Junior Emily Du, who runs a clay pin shop on Etsy, had a similar experience.
“I started my Etsy shop in May or June of 2020 because I was really bored, and I realized I should start a project,” Du said. “The only reason I had the time to set it up and the energy to do all the research was because I had so much free time.”
Du was first inspired and taught by the online art community to make her pins.
“There were a lot of videos on YouTube of people making these really cute clay pins, so I saw those and thought, ‘Oh, I want to make my own,’” Du said. “I take a hunk of clay, and I shape it. Then I bake it and cure it with resin.”
Internet trends and memes have also played an invaluable role in what shop owners like Chua and Du decide to sell. Du’s shop sells pins depicting everything from fruits to frogs and she has used trends to her advantage.
“I think I really capitalized off … this whole phase in the online art community when everybody was obsessed with the online art community when everybody was obsessed with the
Animal Crossing,” Du said. “I made pins that would fit that aesthetic.”
Chua has similarly used internet trends in her shop. One of her most popular stickers depicts controversial social media star Tana Mongeau. Another popular sticker features a coronavirus pun.
“The COVID-19 sticker says ‘Lil Rona’ as a joke,” Chua said “It’s supposed to be what [the] coronavirus would look like as a rapper … with a little coronavirus doodle in the middle.”
Online shops, while not always the most profitable, do have the potential to generate impressive earnings.
“To set up the shop, I spent around $100 to $150, and I’ve made in total anywhere from $500 to $600,” Du said. “I think I’ve sold around 50 to 60 pins and also around 10 to 20 stickers.”
Redbubble takes 20% commission on every sticker Chua sells. Even so, she decided to keep her prices significantly lower than those of her competitors.
“I try my best to keep my prices very low so that everyone can have a chance to buy my stickers,” Chua said. “Instead of pricing them at $5 and making $3 in commission, my stickers cost around $1 to $1.50, so I end up making around 20 cents per sticker.”
Regardless, both Chua and Du value the personal fulfillment they receive from running their shops above all else.
“Every time I see someone have one of my stickers on their water bottle, it’s just the best feeling,” Chua said. “You get so much joy from seeing someone else enjoy your artwork.”
Du shares this sentiment.
“[This experience] taught me that you can do anything that you set your mind to, as cheesy as it sounds,” Du said. “Running the shop has just given me so much serotonin. … Every time I get one of those little comments requesting the facial features of their frog, they’re super sweet.”
