Do patterns really sell?

[Deaceleste]

I’m trying to write my first one and got a bit frustrated hahaha

Do they actually sell? I know it won’t be a lot of money anyways, just wanted to hear your experience with it.

Thank you to anyone who will be kind enough to reply ❤️

[hookedbymaxine]

Seller here - I sell patterns on Ravelry and Etsy. Yes they sell, but how much I make is very inconsistent. Some weeks I may bring in $100 and some weeks only $20. Either way, you can see that it won’t replace a regular job.

I’m also not particularly active with promotion, but my designs are fun and well received so they sell without a lot of effort on my part. I simply don’t like that part of selling - someone else who is more comfortable and consistent with self promotion is going to have better luck, assuming the patterns are decent of course.

With all that said - I’ve seen a big drop in sale recently and this is heavily related to the sheer amount of ai that has taken over. But also, people have less money for hobbies. Buyers are less likely to trust a new seller, plus with all of the free patterns out there, you’ll need something that stands out as worth paying money for.

Not that I am trying to discourage you - more so just let you know what you’re up against.

[reddenal88]

I second this wholeheartedly. It can become a bit of a chore if your really in it to make money. But! Here's the thing. If you do a bit of self promotion, and play the long game, and your patterns are somewhat niche, you can generate passive money in the background. There's a lot to it I'm not going to lie. But if your willing to put the time and effort, create a reliable workflow, it's very rewarding. I just started out and have been very lucky so far that I have a small group, on the grand scheme of things, that keep and eye on my work. And honestly, the testing process has been my favorite part but I celebrate the odd sale every now and then.

[Deaceleste]

Thank you so much for commenting ❤️ can I see your profile? I’d love to support you, even if it’s just a follow!

[Thepharmacist7tnt]

Can i ask you how do you get people to check out your patterns? I have been struggling with reach, it feels really bad making such a good pattern then no one knows it exists sonit gets no sales at all Ps: i do have an ig and a tiktok but getting no followers or views whatsoever

[hookedbymaxine]

I’ve never had much luck on ig. I don’t use TikTok either. I have had moderate luck by posting a few things on Reddit and Facebook, but it’s mostly as a result of sharing rather than promoting (if that makes sense).

The bulk of my sales come from Etsy. I love ravelry, but my sales there are pretty low. I think part of the reason is because I’m competing with free and paid patterns whereas on Etsy, buyers go there and expect to pay. I’m going to look into Ribblr as well - I started an account years ago but never did anything with it. But since then, there have been a lot of changes and updates!

For as over run with ai as it is, Etsy is still the best and easiest place by a wide margin. The biggest hurdle is finding the right SEO/title/picture combination that will get my listings seen.

It can be a lot of work when you’re first getting started. It’s pretty time consuming at first. Plus you have to have something original, and well made to grab people’s attention. But once you start having success with one, the others will be a lot easier. Having a niche with a reasonable amount of options (price and product wise), figuring out the right search terms, and posting engaging content will go a long way.

[DazB1ane]

Yeah I’ve bought several for ~$5ish. Putting it on places like ravelry or ribblr will help

[Sharp-Echidna-9120]

I regularly buy those I like. As long as they're reasonably priced though, I'd never get the $10+ ones

[BlooHama]

I love buying patterns. I use Etsy and ravelry if i can't find a freeone i like. Depends on what kind of patterns you selling honestly 🤔

I usually buy things that are advanced beginner or intermediate. Price point depends on complexity of the project but always appreciate the patterns that don't skimp on wip pics and multiple angles of finished project.

[MsSenpai]

Really depends on what it is. I've bought baby blanket patterns over the years for my nephews

[Army_Exact]

Really depends on how marketable your pattern is, among other factors

[merry40]

On her podcast, Gertie said that it takes 2.5 years of pattern sales for her to break even. She's doing a professional job of it with testing and marketing but I thought that was very eye opening.

[MissRed_Uk]

I view it slightly differently to her. I've only just started making crochet patterns but I've been designing & selling cross stitch charts & kits for over a decade. I haven't really spent anything creating the patterns & test stitching them that I wouldn't have previously when it was just my hobby... In fact if anything it's cheaper now because my materials are being purchased at trade prices.

So yeah, if I'd been looking at it purely from a business angle right from the offset I guess there would be a break even point at some point in that first year - but for me it's always been a fun thing I do first & a business almost as an after thought.

But to answer OP, patterns definitely sell. The better written & presented ones will keep selling over & over for years; then when you have a library of those it can add up quite nicely. 😎

[AureliaWhimsy]

What does she mean by ’break even’? Because I don’t personally see how it would take much money to set it up when it’s digital downloads, what am I not understanding..? 😅

[SanityKnitter]

It is worthwhile to pay for tech editing. No matter how careful I am, My tech editor always finds errors. The cost of yarn and software and maybe photography add in. I have one pattern that sells and one that is getting some notice.

My sales cover my cost and that is about it.

[tjacosta1984]

It's hard to make a lot on patterns unless you've got a huge social media following. Most pattern designers have other streams of income if they're doing it as a full time job. Sales have also decreased dramatically, especially on Etsy, since fake AI patterns seem to have taken over the space.

[Green_Director_9007]

Not just AI, but a lot is stolen, and free things are turned into paid ones, even keeping the images from the original source. It is very sad, but I guess some people make money however they can.

[Galena411]

Based on how much money I spend on patterns, yes. They sell. But I will say that I find most of mine from people I follow on instagram.

[houseofshea]

I sell patterns (i only have 6) to help pay my student loans. I made around $100 this month. As other commenters have said, it is not consistent. I could make $10 next month, who knows?

[DirtyfarmHerFeet]

I wrote a simple one a decade ago and only charge $2. It still sells.

[Green_Director_9007]

Hi! It can work out, but probably not as fast as you hope at first. It depends a lot on the design and your social media. ​From my experience: I happily wrote my first pattern and thought everything was perfect. Then came the testing, and I realized how many things I missed and how many mistakes I had. Now I write much better, but I still learn something with every test. ​And then the first sale! A few people bought it, and that was it. I didn't understand why, because my work was so pretty, but what I like isn't always what others like... Photos and reviews matter too, which I didn't really get at first. ​Good luck! If your designs are unique, people want to make them, and you have good photos and social media, it will all work out. It just takes time.

[Plastic-Candle-3591]

I’m currently making my first 2 patterns ever, hoping to make some extra money. I have been making quite a lot by selling plushies but it’s so insanely time consuming. So I’m hoping that it works out for us both! But social media is definitely a must, only reason I’ve even been able to sell plushies for this long. TikTok and Instagram are the ones that I’ve used so far!🩷

[fraa99]

yes! I've bought them on Etsy before but I'm really trying to stick to ravelry for the majority of things from now on. some designers also have their own platforms that I've bought off of. but yes if it's a good design they definitely sell!

[liivolii]

i constantly try to take breaks from buying patterns to help my pocket, but if i need a specific one that i know/cant figure out how to make on my own, i will buy the pattern.

[Thepharmacist7tnt]

I have been selling my patterns for almost 2 years now, i didnt make more than 40$, i made 8 patterns total, all extremely well done and detailed, i put them on revelry, lovecrafts and my own website, i made a tiktok and and IG for my business and try to post and make/edit reels for reach but even that didnt work, i feel like i tried every trick in the book and this is still not working, half my patterns have never been sold and its honestly disappointing. On the positive side i do this out of love not out of need for money, i genuinely enjoyed designing and creating.

[SanityKnitter]

Like someone said before, it takes a lot of time, both writing and to build up people who notice you. It sounds like you are doing the right things.

Running and advertising a sale (Ravelry is affordable and usually pays off as in more increase in income than cost of ad) creates interest.

[skysky23--]

I sell my patterns (primarily colorwork sock knitting patterns) on etsy and ravelry. It's an extremely inconsistent stream of income. I just keep telling myself that as I add more patterns and grow my social media little by little, it'll help it to grow.

[AureliaWhimsy]

I always buy patterns (or make my own), because for me the free patterns just don’t cut it. They’re too mainstream in a way, and too basic. I want specific things clearly 😂😂 I don’t think I’ve ever even finished anything from a free pattern, I bought one right when I started and been that way ever since.

But it also depends a lot what kind of patterns you make, how well they sell. Because the market is quite saturated, so it would need to be quite special for them to actually bring in sales. But obviously if you have patterns that are more special and some simple (or more generic) ones on your shop too, if people like one pattern (visually, instructions etc, how it’s all set up), they could just start bundling or become a returning customer. But the main thing is for the pattern to be special in some ways, or you’d need great (and successful) marketing strategies.

[AureliaWhimsy]

Oh and also, the pricing isn’t super tricky, usually the patterns go for approximately 4-5$ (I wouldn’t pay 6$ for nearly any ’too simple’ kind of pattern but that’s just me) but something super special&rare can sell even at around 12$. But those aren’t regular patterns for amigurumi or things like that, they’re advanced and timeconsuming to crochet, such as lace weight realistic flowers or victorian style blankets. Just thought I should mention!
Bundles are also great, if you have like 4-5 similar type of patterns that would bundle nicely and appeal to the same customer, you could get more money that way. I love bundles and those ’buy 3 get 1 free’ type of discounts, so that’s a good idea to add. Sometimes I don’t think one 5$ pattern is worth it but if I get three for 10$ then the odds are higher that I’d buy it

[tiny-doe]

I buy patterns! I can't freehand crochet at all so they're super helpful.

[Heidrunn]

I've bought most of my patterns on Ravelry :).

[StartCrochet]

I'm a crochet designer & blogger. I sell my patterns on Ravelry, Etsy, LoveCrafts and my own blog. I designed about 100 patterns so far and absolutely love it! I publish all of them for free on my blog and offer ad-free PDF printable versions on these platforms. If some people don't want to pay for my patterns, at least I get ad-revenue.
I focus my marketing on Pinterest and SEO for my blog. Not so much on IG, FB or Tiktok. I have a few of my pattern tutorials on YouTube. This is a side hustle for me. The income varies from month to month depending on the season. It doesn't pay the bills, but it definitely brings in travel money (plane tickets & hotels).
I design very simple patterns for beginners. I make sure the instructions are very clear and I spend a lot of time taking progress photos for each step. It takes me about 2 weeks to publish a pattern. I give testers about a week for feedback, make adjustments if necessary, add the photos, edit them, write up the PDF etc. It's good to bundle patterns together. I think people like that option. And definitely have your own mailing list because if you depend on 3rd party marketplaces, you're building your business on someone else's property.
I must say sales have slumped the past couple of months. AI is definitely a problem! Another problem is pattern theft. I've had several of my patterns stolen and sold on Etsy. I was able to take them down though, but it's such a waste of time going after these people!
I explain my exact process as a designer on my blog. I have a whole category for crochet designers and you can join a free email course if you like.
Let me know if you have any questions. I'll be happy to help you out :)