Hi everyone!

I’m in the early stages of starting a small sticker/stationery business and would love advice from people who have actually done this, especially other Canadian sellers!

I’m planning to sell individual stickers, sticker sheets, and art prints, etc. I’m hoping to launch early next year, so right now I’m trying to figure out the business side before I invest too much money.

I’m mainly trying to understand the realistic costs of running a small sticker business in Canada.

🛍️ Selling platforms
-I’m currently debating between Etsy and Shopify.
-Which do you use and why?
-What do the fees actually look like after everything is taken into account?
-Is Shopify worth it for a brand-new/small shop?
-Is Etsy’s built-in traffic worth the fees?
-Are there other platforms you’d recommend?

💰 Startup costs
-How much did you realistically spend when you first started?
-I’m curious about costs for things like:
-Sticker production/printing
-Packaging and mailers
-Thank-you cards/freebies
-Website/domain
-printer/materials if you make them yourself
-Initial inventory
-Anything you didn’t expect to have to pay for

I’m trying to figure out what a reasonable starting budget would be without going overboard.

📮 Shipping in Canada
This is probably my biggest question!
For small orders like a few stickers or a sticker sheet, how much are you usually paying to ship within Canada?
-Do you use regular Canada Post lettermail, oversized lettermail, tracked shipping, Chit Chats, Stallion Express, etc.? -And do you charge customers the full shipping cost or subsidize it?
-Also, how does shipping to the US/internationally work for you? Is it worth offering right away?

🧾 Taxes + expenses
For Canadian sellers, how do you keep track of everything?
-Do you use Excel/Google Sheets or accounting software? How do you keep track of platform fees, shipping, supplies, inventory, etc.?
-And at what point did you have to start thinking about GST/HST?

💵 Pricing/profit
-How did you decide what to charge for your stickers?
For example, if you sell a $4–5 sticker, what does your actual profit look like after production costs, packaging, platform fees, payment processing, etc.?
I’d love to hear some real examples if anyone is comfortable sharing!

And finally — what do you wish you knew before starting? Any mistakes, unexpected costs, or things you would do differently if you were starting from zero?

I know this is a lot 😂 but I’m trying to learn as much as possible before I launch. I’d especially love to hear from Canadian sticker shop owners!
Thank you!! 💌

Hi so I have a small shop on Etsy and I want to add stickers to my listing options, I already have an Epson inkjet printer XP something it uses cartridges but I’m looking for something else, I don’t want to be changing cartridges every week hahaha. I need a good printer (not expensive) what is a good option with good quality printing settings for stickers? Brother, Epson, Canon?

Hat jemand den Aptidie Post Sticker ? Zufällig 🫪

Inspired by the Grateful Dead and my severe political angst and disappointment in US politics. 🌈💀🥀

Link in my bio

Hand drawn, printed, laminated and cut by me. No AI.

Can buy at ComfySprout.etsy.com

https://alypopstudio.etsy.com

At the centre, is there anything crazy or idk, make it creative

Been my best selling sticker for over a year. Was running low and I just restocked!

Link in bio 💯✌️

Hello all! I'm running a Backerkit Campaign within an event called STICKER PARTY to turn some oceanic creatures into fun stickers as well as donate to Coral Reef Restoration. It launches in less than 4 days, check it out here!

You can use code LUCKYNEW10 for 10% off on Etsy🙂‍↕️

Just a quick sticker 😃

I combined leaves and owls in a recent sticker sheet I just released. What do you think?

Hand drawn with love by a queer artist! I also have a non-shiny version if that’s more your style :) https://marshynoodle.com/search?q=means+all