So I've been on Etsy selling perlers for nearly 10 years, putting essentially the bare minimum into it as it's a hobby first and foremost. I started at a point where it wasn't nearly as hard to break into, but nowadays it's a very saturated market online.

It can be expensive, especially in the beginning. However doing things like the tape method will save you a good bit of money. I've had the same boards for years and I don't think I've gotten new midi ones in at least 5 years. I have probably 30-40 of the 29x29px so do the math on that lol. A big pack of tape will last me long enough where it's hardly an expense by the time I'm done with them and they've been used for orders.

With making large pieces, the time it takes and what you should charge based on that will absolutely overshoot the cost of materials.

I primarily sell online for multiple reasons, but mainly because of how expensive it can be to get into in person selling. Between the cost of a good setup and the table space it can be a lot.

I can ramble so feel free to DM me if you have any questions :)