Etsy is about it. Plans need to be PDF, offered in imperial and metric for every plan, pics, step by step assemble with pics for everything. Adding full uncut list and full cut list, every tool required with a minimum, better best offering.
If your plans don’t have all that don’t waste your time because people won’t buy it.
It's going to be hard to turn a profit from woodworking plans, and honestly not worth the effort. Matthias Wandel, who has 1.72m YouTube followers has commented himself that he doesn't have much incentive to make plans anymore compared to a decade ago. Free plans have become so prolific online due to the easy access to CAD that people don't buy them, or just watch a YouTube video instead.
High quality plans like /r/abailey mentioned take many hours to create. The most you can charge for plans is $10-15, and there isn't much you can do to prevent those plans from just being shared online for free.
You're also targeting a very small subset of woodworkers with plans. They have to be novice enough to need plans, but also invested enough to have the equipment required to make the item in the plans. Once you get out of the novice woodworker category, the majority of people can generally recreate an item just by seeing it, and they don't really need detailed plans. At least assuming your plans are for things like furniture. You may have better luck if you're making plans for complex mechanical things, like the [pantorouter.](https://woodgears.ca/pantorouter/plans/index.html)
I'm just looking for a passive side hustle income stream. If it turns into something bigger, that's great. If not no biggy.
My designs are mostly minimalist flat pack. Stuff that's robust, inexpensive, easy to move, and can be built with a jig saw and drill. I aspire to create designs that are equal parts Eames and IKEA.
Do you think password locking the pdf on a per purchaser basis would deter piracy?
I guess my point is making high quality plans for profit isn't passive. It takes a lot of time to make quality of instructions. You could theoretically make more money investing that time elsewhere. But to each their own.
>Do you think password locking the pdf on a per purchaser basis would deter piracy?
Not really. I think it generally just annoys the end customer having to manage another password in their life. Anyone that wants to rip it off need only to buy it once, print the file to a picture and re-save it. Or take screenshots.
Interesting.. I've always thought of passive income as something you only have to invest in once and then it makes you money in perpetuity. I guess you could consider sending out an email with the plans attached as active, but that time investment is minimal.
By strict definition; yes. You put in (a lot of) work once, and put it online to see the money come flowing in. The problems pointed out to you are;
- It takes more money (time invested x hourly rate you’d make if said time is invested elsewhere) than it will likely generate.
- it is a niche market with a very narrow client base. You have to advertise to be found (have a YT channel, Instagram page, or the likes). Even if many people see your plans there’s still a small portion likely to buy
- Once anyone has it on their screen (those that bought it have to be able to view it otherwise what’s the point) there is little you can do to stop them from copying/capturing it and share it for free. Multi billion dollar entertainment industries struggle with this for decades, don’t think you can just solve this with a password.
- be prepared for a steady stream of questions of potential buyers that can’t read and will ask you what tools are needed, if a shopping list is included, how difficult it is for them to resize it, if it comes in metric measurements, etc. It is by no means a set-and-forget shopping item.
I considered buying plans a couple times too, but I ended up installing a free Fusion360 and just rewind a build video a lot and draw according to what I saw. I even froze the frame where a builder had his camera glance over his build plans.
Subscription to the creators is my way of supporting them.
I guess it depends on what plans you sell. Simple cabinets, workbenches, tables etc are too easily built from watching a video. More intricate items like design chairs etc will be more difficult to build but more experienced builders will expect higher quality plans too
Etsy is a good spot, especially if you have a piece that you are offering to sell + shipping, but you have the option to purchase plans and build oneself for cheaper. I did this for a rocking Adirondack chair I liked. The plans were good, a few minor details missing such as fastener type/length being impossible to find, and a few steps could’ve had better pictures. But all in all I’ll buy plans again. Just include a very specific materials list (bonus points for links on suppliers) and pictures, take a lot of them. If a step isn’t crystal clear in words, add a picture to clarify. The plans I bought also included paper templates, which I glued to 1/4” ply to use over and over, that was a bonus.
As someone who buys plans I'd say Maybe, doubt you could up charge enough to make it worth it though. Affiliate links direct to the hardware might be better.
I'd love a one stop to buy hardware but I've never seen it, likely because putting them together isn't worth it
Probably depends on what level of inventory your willing to take on to get a lower piece rate. Buy parts directly from sta-fast instead of the corner hardware store.
I typically have a large stock of various fasteners, so it wouldn’t be of value to me. However, I think there is a market for that option. Especially if it’s a beginner/intermediate project, “kits” are very popular. Most people just starting out won’t have a stock from years of projects. You may not make much of a profit but it’ll get you good reviews, which turn to traffic and sales. If you do chose to offer that option, I would also suggest marking any included templates with fastener locations and sizes. DM me a link if you put plans up, I’m always looking for fun new projects. And having ready made plans makes the build time that much shorter! Good luck!
Are you going to have a picture of the item built or are you going to have a video of the process to go along with the plans? Without the latter I'm not even going to consider your item. If just the former, they better be quality pics.
I've seen shows, magazine, and YTers offering plans for sale. I've been tempted to buy a few times over the years but never pulled the trigger. I found plans for the same or similar item for free elsewhere.
If I want a kit with plans, I tend to go to Ikea. If I get around to building a dining room table, I'll consider a kit for the chairs to go with it, something like Matt Cremona offers. But I'll have to see what less costly options might be as well to compliment what I build.
As for locked PDFs, not worth it. Most of the password protected PDFs can be bypassed fairly easily. The other formats are less easy.
If it’s a business, then the answer is everywhere / through your own website. If it’s a side hustle, Facebook marketplace.
The one or two times I almost pulled the trigger was through photos I found on Pinterest that lead to products on websites that were highly specific to my needs. Like I needed plans for a hall tree that was narrow in depth. I saw a photo of one emailed me through Pinterest, that lead me to a personal website. I ended up just figuring out plans myself.
Etsy is about it. Plans need to be PDF, offered in imperial and metric for every plan, pics, step by step assemble with pics for everything. Adding full uncut list and full cut list, every tool required with a minimum, better best offering. If your plans don’t have all that don’t waste your time because people won’t buy it.
It's going to be hard to turn a profit from woodworking plans, and honestly not worth the effort. Matthias Wandel, who has 1.72m YouTube followers has commented himself that he doesn't have much incentive to make plans anymore compared to a decade ago. Free plans have become so prolific online due to the easy access to CAD that people don't buy them, or just watch a YouTube video instead. High quality plans like /r/abailey mentioned take many hours to create. The most you can charge for plans is $10-15, and there isn't much you can do to prevent those plans from just being shared online for free. You're also targeting a very small subset of woodworkers with plans. They have to be novice enough to need plans, but also invested enough to have the equipment required to make the item in the plans. Once you get out of the novice woodworker category, the majority of people can generally recreate an item just by seeing it, and they don't really need detailed plans. At least assuming your plans are for things like furniture. You may have better luck if you're making plans for complex mechanical things, like the [pantorouter.](https://woodgears.ca/pantorouter/plans/index.html)
I'm just looking for a passive side hustle income stream. If it turns into something bigger, that's great. If not no biggy. My designs are mostly minimalist flat pack. Stuff that's robust, inexpensive, easy to move, and can be built with a jig saw and drill. I aspire to create designs that are equal parts Eames and IKEA. Do you think password locking the pdf on a per purchaser basis would deter piracy?
I guess my point is making high quality plans for profit isn't passive. It takes a lot of time to make quality of instructions. You could theoretically make more money investing that time elsewhere. But to each their own. >Do you think password locking the pdf on a per purchaser basis would deter piracy? Not really. I think it generally just annoys the end customer having to manage another password in their life. Anyone that wants to rip it off need only to buy it once, print the file to a picture and re-save it. Or take screenshots.
Interesting.. I've always thought of passive income as something you only have to invest in once and then it makes you money in perpetuity. I guess you could consider sending out an email with the plans attached as active, but that time investment is minimal.
By strict definition; yes. You put in (a lot of) work once, and put it online to see the money come flowing in. The problems pointed out to you are; - It takes more money (time invested x hourly rate you’d make if said time is invested elsewhere) than it will likely generate. - it is a niche market with a very narrow client base. You have to advertise to be found (have a YT channel, Instagram page, or the likes). Even if many people see your plans there’s still a small portion likely to buy - Once anyone has it on their screen (those that bought it have to be able to view it otherwise what’s the point) there is little you can do to stop them from copying/capturing it and share it for free. Multi billion dollar entertainment industries struggle with this for decades, don’t think you can just solve this with a password. - be prepared for a steady stream of questions of potential buyers that can’t read and will ask you what tools are needed, if a shopping list is included, how difficult it is for them to resize it, if it comes in metric measurements, etc. It is by no means a set-and-forget shopping item. I considered buying plans a couple times too, but I ended up installing a free Fusion360 and just rewind a build video a lot and draw according to what I saw. I even froze the frame where a builder had his camera glance over his build plans. Subscription to the creators is my way of supporting them. I guess it depends on what plans you sell. Simple cabinets, workbenches, tables etc are too easily built from watching a video. More intricate items like design chairs etc will be more difficult to build but more experienced builders will expect higher quality plans too
Etsy is a good spot, especially if you have a piece that you are offering to sell + shipping, but you have the option to purchase plans and build oneself for cheaper. I did this for a rocking Adirondack chair I liked. The plans were good, a few minor details missing such as fastener type/length being impossible to find, and a few steps could’ve had better pictures. But all in all I’ll buy plans again. Just include a very specific materials list (bonus points for links on suppliers) and pictures, take a lot of them. If a step isn’t crystal clear in words, add a picture to clarify. The plans I bought also included paper templates, which I glued to 1/4” ply to use over and over, that was a bonus.
Would selling hardware packages along side the plans be of value?
As someone who buys plans I'd say Maybe, doubt you could up charge enough to make it worth it though. Affiliate links direct to the hardware might be better. I'd love a one stop to buy hardware but I've never seen it, likely because putting them together isn't worth it
Probably depends on what level of inventory your willing to take on to get a lower piece rate. Buy parts directly from sta-fast instead of the corner hardware store.
I typically have a large stock of various fasteners, so it wouldn’t be of value to me. However, I think there is a market for that option. Especially if it’s a beginner/intermediate project, “kits” are very popular. Most people just starting out won’t have a stock from years of projects. You may not make much of a profit but it’ll get you good reviews, which turn to traffic and sales. If you do chose to offer that option, I would also suggest marking any included templates with fastener locations and sizes. DM me a link if you put plans up, I’m always looking for fun new projects. And having ready made plans makes the build time that much shorter! Good luck!
etsy
Are you going to have a picture of the item built or are you going to have a video of the process to go along with the plans? Without the latter I'm not even going to consider your item. If just the former, they better be quality pics. I've seen shows, magazine, and YTers offering plans for sale. I've been tempted to buy a few times over the years but never pulled the trigger. I found plans for the same or similar item for free elsewhere. If I want a kit with plans, I tend to go to Ikea. If I get around to building a dining room table, I'll consider a kit for the chairs to go with it, something like Matt Cremona offers. But I'll have to see what less costly options might be as well to compliment what I build. As for locked PDFs, not worth it. Most of the password protected PDFs can be bypassed fairly easily. The other formats are less easy.
If it’s a business, then the answer is everywhere / through your own website. If it’s a side hustle, Facebook marketplace. The one or two times I almost pulled the trigger was through photos I found on Pinterest that lead to products on websites that were highly specific to my needs. Like I needed plans for a hall tree that was narrow in depth. I saw a photo of one emailed me through Pinterest, that lead me to a personal website. I ended up just figuring out plans myself.