I Tried The Easiest AI Side Hustle For 30 Days

Summary

In this 30-day challenge, the creator attempts to sell AI-generated art patterns on Etsy, exploring the entire process from creation to advertising. After generating unique, repeatable patterns using MidJourney and upscaling them with Gigapixel AI, they face challenges in pricing, competition, and limited sales. Despite creating over 100 listings, using Etsy ads, and leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT for keyword research, sales remain low. After analyzing the experience, they conclude that selling AI patterns is difficult due to high competition, low pricing, and the need for sustained effort and marketing to generate profits.

Takeaways

• 😀 MidJourney is a powerful tool for generating AI art patterns, but requires upscaling to meet Etsy's high-resolution standards.
• 😀 Selling AI-generated patterns on Etsy is a competitive venture, with many sellers offering similar products.
• 😀 Pricing digital patterns on Etsy is challenging, as low prices (around $2.49 per pack) limit profit margins.
• 😀 Using Google Drive for pattern downloads is a creative solution to Etsy’s limit on digital file uploads.
• 😀 AI-generated patterns are typically sold in packs of 8 to appeal to customers buying digital scrapbooking or print-on-demand designs.
• 😀 Etsy's advertising platform was ineffective in generating fast sales, indicating a need for better exposure strategies.
• 😀 Despite having optimized listings with relevant keywords, the seller struggled with visibility due to market saturation.
• 😀 Offering patterns at a low price can lead to high sales volume requirements for achieving profit, but this is hard to sustain.
• 😀 Upscaling AI patterns using paid tools like Gigapixel AI can improve the resolution but adds to the overall cost of creating listings.
• 😀 The experiment ultimately resulted in a net loss due to high competition, low sales, and advertising costs, highlighting the difficulty of succeeding in this market.

Q & A

Why did the creator choose MidJourney for generating AI patterns?

The creator chose MidJourney due to its features, including the ability to generate unique AI art patterns that can be seamlessly repeated, which is ideal for digital products like scrapbooking, cards, and print-on-demand items.

What is the primary goal of creating AI art patterns in this project?

The primary goal is to generate digital patterns that can be sold on platforms like Etsy, catering to a variety of craft uses such as scrapbooking, notebook covers, and print-on-demand products.

How does MidJourney help in generating seamless art patterns?

MidJourney helps generate seamless art patterns by adding the command '--tile' to the end of the prompt, which ensures the generated artwork can repeat seamlessly without visible borders.

What challenge did the creator face with the resolution of AI patterns?

MidJourney's maximum output resolution of 1024x1024 pixels at 72 DPI was not sufficient for Etsy's requirements, which need 300 DPI images measuring 3600x3600 pixels. The creator resolved this by using an upscaling tool.

What tool did the creator use to upscale the AI patterns, and why?

The creator used Gigapixel AI to upscale the images. This paid tool allowed them to increase the resolution to 6144x6144 pixels at 300 DPI, ensuring the patterns met Etsy's specifications.

How did the creator handle the issue of file uploads on Etsy?

Etsy allows only five digital files per listing, but since the creator wanted to sell pattern packs of eight, they uploaded all the patterns to Google Drive and shared the link within a PDF document, which was then uploaded to Etsy.

What pricing strategy did the creator choose for their AI patterns?

The creator priced their AI patterns at $2.49 per pack, offering a 50% discount to remain competitive while accounting for Etsy's fees, using e-rank's profit calculator to set the price.

Why did the creator decide to use Etsy ads, and what was the outcome?

The creator turned on Etsy ads, spending $1 per day, hoping to boost visibility and sales. However, despite running ads, they did not see significant sales, suggesting that ads alone were not sufficient to drive results.

What lesson did the creator learn about selling AI patterns on Etsy?

The creator learned that selling AI patterns on Etsy is highly competitive, and while it's easy to generate patterns, standing out in the market and making profitable sales requires strategic niche targeting, effective advertising, and time to build traction.

What were the creator's final results after 30 days, and what did they conclude?

After 30 days, the creator sold only two AI pattern packs, earning a total of $7.47. After accounting for costs like MidJourney subscription, ads, and Etsy fees, the creator experienced a net loss of $61.79, concluding that selling AI patterns is not as easy as it seems and may require a more refined approach or different business model.