Designing and selling custom jigsaw puzzles online can be a profitable hobby or the beginning of a full-time business. Whatever your ambitions, we show what you need to get started selling puzzles online
Custom jigsaw puzzles have become increasingly popular in recent years, as people look for unique, personalized gifts that can be enjoyed over and over. Whether you’re a budding artist or just looking for a fun side hustle, designing and selling custom jigsaw puzzles on Amazon, Etsy, and eBay can be a great way to make extra money and share your creativity with the world. It’s also scaleable. So, you can start small as a fun project with just one or two jigsaws; and then, if you experience success, build up a catalog of dozens or even hundreds of jigsaw products and develop your enterprise into a full scale business opportunity. Compared to several other “side hustle” options—such as writing and selling books on Amazon, developing apps, affiliate marketing, and reselling–creating your own custom jigsaws to sell is very inexpensive and low-risk but still has the potential to make significant profits. Also, it’s easy and fun!
We have decades of experience under our belt helping independent creatives and entrepreneurs to develop saleable jigsaw products. We work with artists and photographers who want to use jigsaws as a promotional tool for their artwork, entrepreneurs looking to build a business, keen hobbyists developing their passion into a profitable second income, and mainstream publishers wanting high-quality mass production alike. In this blog, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about designing and selling custom jigsaw puzzles online. We’ll discuss the following key topics:
- the benefits of selling your custom jigsaws online
- how to design your own puzzles
- where to get your jigsaw puzzles printed
- how to price them
- and strategies for selling them on Amazon, Etsy, and eBay.
We’ll also provide you with tips for marketing your jigsaw puzzles on social media and advice on how to package and ship them. Finally, we’ll offer several excellent resources if you’re looking to learn the basics of running a jigsaw puzzle business with the prospect of expanding your enterprise into a full time activity.
Introduction to custom jigsaw puzzles
Custom jigsaw puzzles are puzzles made from a photograph or piece of artwork that you have designed yourself, artwork in the public domain, or artwork created by a third-party artist or designer from who you have purchased the necessary rights. They come in different sizes and can be made from a variety of materials, including wood and cardboard. Custom jigsaw puzzles are a fun and creative way to showcase and promote your artwork if you are an artist or photographer, and they make great gifts for friends and family.
The best part about designing and selling custom jigsaw puzzles is that you don’t need any special skills or equipment. All you need is a computer and access to the Internet, and you can start designing and selling your own custom jigsaws in no time.
Benefits of selling your custom jigsaw puzzles online
There are many benefits to selling your custom jigsaw puzzles online. For starters, it’s a great way to make some extra money. You can also create a steady income stream by selling your puzzles on multiple platforms, such as Amazon, Etsy, and eBay or via social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.
By taking your business online, you can access a much larger market and customer base. You can also join a lively custom puzzle community and get feedback from other passionate puzzlers. Plus, you can use digital tools to create puzzles with precision and detail without needing to have previous experience or specific artistic skills. Although, if you do have artistic skills, that is an obvious bonus. Selling puzzles online also allows you to reach out to new customers and keep in touch with your existing customers through email newsletters and social media campaigns, for example. We’ll look at this aspect of selling jigsaws online in a moment, but it’s worth noting now that nothing sells itself. You will need to do at least some marketing.
Furthermore, you can set up your own shop and offer a variety of puzzles at different price points, allowing you to target a wide range of customers. Finally, you can use analytics to track customer behavior and refine your marketing strategies. Selling custom jigsaw puzzles online is a great way to reach new customers, build relationships with existing customers, and potentially make a profit.
How to design a custom jigsaw puzzle
Designing a custom jigsaw puzzle is easier than you might think. All you need is a digital image or piece of artwork and a program such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw. You can also use free online tools like Canva to design and print your puzzle, but make sure that your images are high resolution, with at least 300 dpi (dots-per-inch) or they won’t print well.
First, choose the size of your puzzle and the number of pieces. If you’re just getting started, it’s best to keep it simple and start with a smaller puzzle with fewer pieces. Once you have the size and number of pieces determined, you can start designing your puzzle.
You can use any type of image or artwork for your custom jigsaw puzzle, but it’s important to make sure it’s high resolution and of good quality. If you’re using a photograph, you’ll want to make sure it’s clear and in focus. If you’re using a piece of artwork, you’ll want to make sure it’s scanned at a high resolution so it looks good on the puzzle.
Once you have your image or artwork ready, it’s time to upload it to your chosen software. Then, you can start designing your jigsaw puzzle. You can adjust the size of the pieces, add text, and even add special features such as curved edges or puzzle shapes.
When you’re done designing, you can either print out your puzzle at home or send it to a professional printer to get it printed. If you are doing this as a hobby, home printing or local digital print services may be enough. But it will get expensive if you want to produce larger numbers of puzzles to sell. You’ll also need to think about printing beautiful boxes for your puzzles. In that case, an offset printer—like us here at QinPrinting!—will cost less per puzzle and be of higher quality.
Where to get your custom jigsaw puzzles printed
Once you have designed your custom jigsaw puzzle, the next step is to get it printed. There are several different ways to get your jigsaw puzzles printed, depending on your budget and how many you want to make.
If you’re on a tight budget and only need a few puzzles printed, you can do it yourself at home using your own printer. You can buy special jigsaw puzzle paper, coated on one side for printing and uncoated on the other for sticking to your wood or cardboard substrate.
If you’re looking for a more professional finish, you can send your design to a professional printer. Offset printers can print puzzles in bulk, so you can get a larger quantity printed at once. This is a great option if you’re planning to sell your puzzles online.
How to price your custom jigsaw puzzles
When pricing your custom jigsaw puzzles, you’ll want to make sure that you’re charging enough to cover your costs and make a profit. You’ll also want to make sure you’re competitive with other sellers in your market.
The best way to come up with a price for your puzzles is to first figure out your costs. This includes the cost of materials, printing, and shipping. Once you have your costs figured out, you can add a markup to generate a profit.
When pricing your puzzles, you’ll also want to consider the time and effort you put into designing them. If you spend a lot of time and effort designing your puzzles, you can charge more for them.
Strategies for selling your custom jigsaw puzzles on Amazon, Etsy, and eBay
When selling your custom jigsaw puzzles on Amazon, Etsy, and eBay, there are a few strategies you can use to maximize your sales.
First, make sure to create detailed listings for your puzzles. Include high-quality images and a detailed description so buyers can get a good sense of what they’re buying.
You’ll also want to research your competition. Look at what other sellers are charging for similar products and adjust your prices accordingly.
Finally, make sure to take advantage of promotional opportunities. Amazon, Etsy, and eBay all offer promotional opportunities for sellers, so make sure to take advantage of these to get your puzzles seen by more buyers.
Tips for marketing your custom jigsaw puzzles on social media
Marketing your custom jigsaw puzzles on social media is a great way to get the word out about your business and attract new customers.
First, create accounts on popular social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Then, start posting about your jigsaw puzzles regularly. Post high-quality images of your puzzles and tell stories about your creative process.
You should also consider running paid ads on social media. Paid ads allow you to target potential customers based on their interests, location, and other demographic information.
Finally, don’t forget to use hashtags. Hashtags are a great way to get your posts seen by more people and engage with potential customers.
How to ship and package your custom jigsaw puzzles
When shipping your custom jigsaw puzzles, you’ll want to make sure they arrive in one piece. The best way to ensure this is to package them properly.
Start by wrapping the puzzle in bubble wrap to protect it from damage. Then, place the wrapped puzzle in a sturdy cardboard box. Make sure to fill any extra space with packing peanuts or crumpled up newspaper.
Finally, seal the box with packing tape and add a shipping label. Make sure to include your return address in case the package is lost in transit.
Talk to us!
We hope that’s been a helpful guide. Here at QinPrinting, we have almost 30 years of successful offset printing under our belts working with independent creatives, self-publishers, businesses, and non-profits. The quality of our products is unequaled, our prices unbeatable, and our customer service second to none. We have free jigsaw design templates waiting for you, a fantastic range of cards and papers to choose from, and full customer support. Let’s talk!
I am very interested in starting to make these puzzles and selling them to make some extra money as i am a single mother. Is it possible to give me more information in what i have to do in order to start as soon as possible. Thanks in advance
Hi Marija, thanks for reaching out. It’s definitely possible to make a side income designing and selling jigsaws online. But it isn’t a fast solution. If you’ve never done it before, there’s a lot to learn. But if you can put in the effort, it can be very rewarding. We’ve asked one of our team to contact you by email to see how we can help you. While you’re waiting, this page has all the details of what’s involved in printing, packaging, and distributing puzzles, including how to work out the costs involved: https://www.qinprinting.com/custom-jigsaw-puzzles/ Let us know if you need any more help — we’re here for you!
I would like to know what materials are needed to create custom cardboard jigsaw puzzles at home? What type of cutting machine is recommended? Tha k you so much
Hi Tiffany,
Thank you for your message.
For creating custom cardboard jigsaw puzzles at home, you may need
1. Cardboard Sheets: Get sturdy cardboard sheets of appropriate thickness.
2. Printed Image: The image you want to turn into a puzzle, printed on paper or adhesive paper.
3. Craft Glue or Adhesive: To stick the printed image onto the cardboard.
4. Clear Sealant or Mod Podge (Optional): For protecting the puzzle pieces and giving them a glossy finish.
5. Cutting Template: A template or stencil of the puzzle shape you want to create.
6. Cutting Tool: A cutting machine or tools for precision cutting.
As a printing company, we don’t specialize in selling cutting tools. For crafting small and straightforward puzzles independently, scissors or a small puzzle maker machine cutter can be suitable. If you’re aiming to create large quantities or sizable puzzles, it’s recommended to seek guidance from a professional cutting machine manufacturer.
Thank you.
Can I get some more information please
Hi Eva, sure, we’re always here to help. Just shoot us an email with your questions ([email protected]) and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. In the meanwhile, this page has lots of detailed information that might help: https://www.qinprinting.com/custom-jigsaw-puzzles/ Thanks for reaching out!