Wumbo and Selling Patterns on Gumroad

It's a new day, and that day is Wumbo. What is Wumbo? Obviously, wumbo is the opposite of mini. But Wumbo is so much more than that. Wumbo is the umbrella for all the things.

Selling patterns on the internet

A while ago—how long I don't remember—I made a set of seamless patterns. I had seen that people sell patterns on Etsy for various uses and I thought it could be a nice way to make some money. Digital products can be endlessly and effortlessly reproduced, so once the upfront work was finished I could just sit back and collect.

I'm not a super creative person so, rather than create entirely original patterns, I chose to start with patterns that have been around forever:

Traditional Japanese Patterns, or wagara:

• Asanoha - A geometric stylization of hemp leaves, which are symbolic of vitality and growth.
• Kikko - Tortise shells that, for whatever reason, contain leaves or a flower at the center.
• Seigaiha - It's ocean waves all the way down. Simple but cool, and devilishly horrible to make consistent.
• Shippo - Seven treasures. I have no idea how this pattern represents treasures, much less seven of them.
• Tachiwaki - Rising steam clouds. Very fancy.
• Yagasuri - A favorite of mine which depicts the fletchings of an arrow.

I'm not a full-time artsy type, so each pattern took a couple of hours to make, plus the time to make a few extra in various colors and an info sheet with fun facts about the pattern. I bundled them up and uploaded them to Etsy, and I was ready to make money.

Except nothing is ever that easy. In the first thirty days, I made exactly zero sales. Normally, I would just leave it to do its thing but Etsy charges per listing and each listing expires after 30 days or so. I would end up paying for listings even if I never made a sale.

After another 30 days with no sales I gave up and took my listings down.

Selling patterns on the Gumroad

It turns out there's another website for selling stuff on the internet called Gumroad. Gumroad is similar to Etsy in a lot of ways, but it feels more whimsical and less commercialized. Unlike Etsy, Gumroad doesn't charge a listing fee. Instead, they take a ten percent of each sale. This pricing model is much better for low-volume sales, or in my case ultra-low volume T_T.

So with a whimsical new name, I'm back to selling patterns on the internet, or tying to anyway.

Do you need Japanese patterns?

If you need some Japanese patterns (unlikely), check out my Traditional Japanese Seamless Patterns Pack! And keep an eye on the Wumbo store. You never know what else might pop up there!