How to Start a Sublimation Business – Part 3 – Marketplace Platforms

Photo by Roberto Cortese on Unsplash

Hello There Padawan!

Welcome back to my mini-series about how to start a Sublimation business. In Part 3, we will be discussing marketplace platforms. You can catch up on the previous instalments here:

Part 1

Part 2

So, you now have all the equipment you need to start a business. You have developed or are developing some designs you want to sell. But where or how are you going to sell it?

Where to begin?

Grab a coffee and a choccy biccy, and let’s take a look at marketplace platforms

Marketplace Platforms vs. Your Website

First off. What is a marketplace platform?

Marketplace platforms are websites or apps that allow businesses to sell products to customers. Some examples of marketplace platforms include Sharetribe, Shopify, and Amazon

Marketplace platforms make it simpler and easier to list items without the need to learn how to build or manage a website. A lot of marketplace platforms also handle tax fees, which, again, makes it easier to manage your store and finances.

The majority of these places will have some initial start-up fees, listing fees and subscriptions, so it’s very important to have a good look and research their fees, both one-off and ongoing, as they can vary wildly. 

Some places, such as Not on the High Street, you need to apply to their platform to sell as they vet everyone and don’t want too many of the same thing being sold and are less likely to have scammers or drop shippers.

You also need to consider digital footfall. Etsy and Shopify are well-known and established, and as a result, they attract more shoppers to their sites.

With your website, you avoid these extra marketplace fees and you just have the annual hosting and domain name fees. So you tend to have better take-home pay. However, you will need to keep an eye on taxes, mailing costs, etc. Marketplaces cover things you wouldn’t normally think of. You also have a lot more work on social media to get shoppers to visit your website.

Fees

Yup. Fees. Sadly nothing is free, especially with the online marketplace hosting. Even with your own website you would have to pay for web hosting and domain name price. These tend to be annual, but some places offer monthly payment plans. No need to pay extra for listing fees, processing fees, etc., that some other platforms charge.

Other platforms such as Etsy, have several little extra fees that they have. You can opt out of some features, such as Etsy off-site advertising. But Etsy has a small list of fees, including listing fees, operating fees, processing fees, VAT fees, etc. They are small amounts but can build up over a month. But no fees or subscription payments.

Other sites such as BuyIndie or MadeMe don’t have listing fees but offer a subscription service instead. Many find this preferable compared to the small multiple fees charged by Etsy. But research the digital footfall on these sites, as you would need to work hard on social media and additional advertising fees to pull in customers yourself.

Advertising

Setting up your shop isn’t the last of it. You will need to bring in customers. 

Etsy offers in-site advertising at an extra cost; They charge you by click-throughs. This is optional. Etsy automatically adds your listings to off-site advertising (on Google, Pinterest, etc.), and they only charge you when you make a sale.I have been told that you can opt out of this as well. I’m not sure about the other sites, but my understanding is that you need to bring in customers yourself or pay extra for them to advertise for you.

Having your website is different. You would have to work hard to bring in the customers, so putting some money into advertising on Google, or Facebook etc. is worth it. But it will require extra effort on your part to get your brand out there.

Traffic

As mentioned previously, a lot of well-established marketplace sites already have good digital traffic. Now, this doesn’t mean success; you still need to work on driving that traffic to your listings with good images, SEO and catchy listing titles to get that cha-ching. 

With your own website and smaller marketplaces you will need to add in the extra work. You don’t already have that digital footprint that other well-established websites already have. Using your website takes longer to establish, so you really need to focus on your SEO and social media campaigns to start seeing those cha-chings come in.

Social Media

Social media will play an important role in generating sales and getting noticed. Whether you have your own website or use a marketplace, you will need a social media presence.

Make sure you have your website link or marketplace link in your bio as well as links in posts and stories to help drive people to your online store. It’s also a great place to announce sales and new products to help generate interest. Again, this will take time, and you will really need to work hard to establish your online presence. I would recommend looking at paying for advertising on Facebook and Instagram to help get your business name up there and bring in followers.

Eventually you may want to start an email/newsletter campaign, offer free items, competitions and more to help with engagement. It can be rewarding if you put the hard work into it.

If you have an Etsy store, make sure to use your share and save link so you get money back on your transaction fees.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you are starting out, I would suggest starting out on a marketplace such as Etsy or Amazon. Establish yourself, gather reviews, and work on social media to gain visibility. Just make sure you take the fees into account in your pricing.

Now, depending on how your sales go after a year or 2, it would then be worth considering a professional website of your own and start driving traffic to it rather than your marketplace platform. 

Starting your shop takes a lot of work, and it will not be a success from the start. You need to put a lot of dedication into it all before you start seeing those sales come in. Even after 4 years in business, I would not say I have been incredibly successful. Good enough to stay in business but not enough to say my profits are enough to cover my mortgage (still hoping).

But once you put the work into it, it will be worth it. Stay strong and believe in yourself.

Thank you if you have visited my website to read my blog, buy from me or follow me on social media. We greatly appreciate your support in whatever form.

If you have any questions please use the comment section below or use one of my social media channels. If you have any goal recommendations to make; then please comment below.

Until Next Time…

Panda Motion Designs gets a Facelift

A Spring Clean

Happy Spring Time! It’s that time of year that many do the big spring clean. For many it can be a refresh of their wardrobe, a lick of paint in the house or giving the car a good clean. For me it means a review of my business brand.

And that’s what I did. I had been using this branding since 2021, when I started this little business (See my shops 4th Birthday Blog) and for this reason, it needed an update.

The Logo

I wanted to keep several things: Round shape, the Panda Character, Green colour.

The round shape makes it look nicer on social media profile icons as the most of them are round. For obvious reasons, the word ‘panda,’ needed to see it. The green colour would offer a colour that would stand-out more, compared to the usual black and white associated with panda’s.

I took to Pinterest and created a collage of colours that I loved and other Panda logo icons for inspiration.

I made 6 different variations of the logo. Picked my favourite 3. Refined them a bit more, including the font style. Selected it down to 2 designs and see how they work with the colours I was considering.

Many Colours…

I browsed Pinterest for branding colour inspiration.

As mentioned ealrier, the primary colour needed to continue to be green and to have a suitable colour that contrasts well with the green so things can be readable.

A good ‘highlight’ colour was required. Something I could use to emphasise something or to jump out a bit more on social media.

I found several colour palettes that I liked and worked out which ones would be best for myself and brand. As you can see I combined colours from 3 different palettes and felt like I have a branding colour palette that I think would work.

The next stage was to see how it would work with my final 2 logo designs and see which worked best

After exploring the colours, I decided that the logo on the left worked well like this, and I chose this as my new branding.

A Varity of Variations

A colour logo won’t always work, so I needed to create different versions of the logo that I could use when required. Finally, everything was ready to use.

I have already started using it on social media and my Etsy shop and I am getting some nice feedback about it. The website will soon display the new logo. I hope my web developer (aka my lovely, sexy husband) will soon find the time to help me do this.

So, what do you think? Are you starting out on your logo and branding journey for your new shop? Or possibly thinking of a rebrand? If you are, I hope this article helped you.

Feel free to comment below or follow me on social media.

Until next time, have a great day.

Panda Motion Designs Shop Turns 4!

Photo by American Heritage Chocolate on Unsplash

Happy Birthday Panda Motion Designs!

Four Years ago, on the 23rd March, I opened Panda Motion Designs on Etsy. I even made my first sale within a few hours of going live.

I honestly never thought I would run my business, let alone be selling for 4 years!.

How it Started

Before Panda Motion Designs became a shop it was the business name I was using as a Audio/Visual Designer Contractor. I specialised in creating onboarding and knowledge sharing videos for clients, mostly for banks and financial sector.

I then got pregnant, and as a contractor/self-employed person, I didn’t receive maternity leave, so I had to quit working entirely. And during my last few months of working and pregnancy, Covid hit and ended up locked up safe at home.

I wanted to return to work to help pay some income into the household. So, about a year after I gave birth, I decided I wanted to return to part-time work around childcare. However, most of my clients changed their structures and leadership during Covid-19 and they basically told me I was not required and part-time was not acceptable or offered the flexibility to work around childcare.

It was devastating. Feeling useless and I fell into depression. I cried a lot, wandering what to go and where to go for work. I had a few leads but all fell through when they discovered I had a young child. No one wanted to actually offer the flexibility they were advertising on job descriptions. Then one day, my husband had an idea.

Panda Motion is Reborn

My wonderful husband was sad and upset to see me struggle. But watching me draw and be creative with our son, he thought it was a great idea to sell my designs onto products such as mugs, coasters, etc. He did all the research into Sublimation and how it works and how to make sales on Etsy and showed it all to me.

To be honest, I was apprehensive. I tried this before in the past and failed miserably. It can be such a personal thing to sell your pictures, paintings etc. to the world. I eventually came around to the idea and got all the equipment and stock needed to start my own little business..

Panda Motion Designs was reborn as a online store.

4 years later, 1,860+ sales and a new website later I am still here.

I have had some ups and downs with it all. But at least I am feeling like I am contributing to the household in some small way. Enough to treat my son to an extra slice of cake and new clothes.

I am so appreciative of the opportunity to do this as well as all of the amazing customers who have bought from me and left me lovely reviews. Thankful for all the supportive people I have met and chat to on Instagram and Threads. It’s been an interesting journey so far, and can’t wait to see what happens next.

Many Happy Returns to Panda Motion Designs!

Important Customer Update – US Tariffs

Happy March and Welcome Back to my Small Business Blog and online shop.

It’s been a slow couple of months no thanks to GPSR and cost of living but I plug on. The one thing I need to keep an eye on while running a business is the frequent changes to tax and customs charges. Which is almost a full-time job, let alone any other job a small business owner needs to do.

The most recent update is the 25% tariff fees on certain products that were introduced by the current US government on 12th March 2025. So let’s take a look at it and what it could mean to myself, fellow small businesses and US customers.

What Is It?

“The US tariffs of up to 25% will apply on industrial-grade steel and aluminium, other steel and aluminium semifinished and finished products, and also their derivative commercial products” Source

On March 12th 2025, the USA imposed a tariff on all imports of aluminium and steel products. This particular tariff is world wide (not just to Canada, Mexico and China like other tariffs that have recently been introduced).

This means that any product sold that is made from aluminium or steel that is sent to the USA will have an additional charge put on them at US customs. I’m not sure about items marked as “Gift” on customs paperwork if they are exempt or not.

Will it Affect Me?

If you live outside the USA, then no. It is only for imports going into the USA. If you sell aluminium and steel based products to US customers or buy steel or aluminium from outside the US then it will affect you.

How Will It Affect Me?

In a nutshell, US buyers will be charged 25% by US Customs. Unlike how it is reported by some, the seller will not be footing the bill for these tariffs/charges. It is even within Etsy terms and conditions that the customer is responsible for paying any customs charges/tariffs

It will mean delays to customers receiving their item due to customs awaiting the additional charges to be paid. And customers being unhappy because they were unaware of these additional charges.

How Will it Affect Small/Micro Businesses?

This could have an affect on businesses. Especially those who are run by one or 2 people, like myself at Panda Motion Designs.

The sellers will not be charged the 25%, but buyers will be put off buying items from outside the USA due to the tariffs. And of course there will be customers who were unaware of the charges and will not pay it or they expect the seller to pay it. Resulting in the item potentially being returned to the seller due to unpaid fees, resulting in loss of income.

What is key here is to have good communication with the buyer. Letting them know about these charges they could receive early on in the order process so they could make a decision to continue or not. I already have a text template ready to send to a USA customer when an order comes in.

Which Panda Motion Designs products are affected?

This will affect my A5/A6 aluminium signs, aluminium bookmarks and the stainless steel water bottles.

Since the tariff covers industrial-grade, semi-finished and finished steel and aluminium products the items I have listed above will receive a 25% tariff charge at US Customs.

It will only be a couple of additional dollars required for US customers to pay. It will still be off putting for many. And since my most popular products are the aluminium signs I am expecting to see a reduction in sales sadly. I have read that the UK government are in talks with the US government to reduce or remove this tariff from UK products but it may be a while before that happens (if it does)

Conclusion

In conclusion, another set back for many small businesses. Especially those that are run by only 1 or 2 people like myself.

What’s the point? Well the aim is to promote US based steel and aluminium productions/sales. Wither you agree with this or not. It is here and it’s important to clearly communicate things between the customer and buyer to avoid confusion and anger.

I plan on messaging customers as soon as possible once an order is placed and I see it is going to the US and begin the conversation early as long as the tariffs are in place. Who knows what will happen later on down the line, will just have to wait and watch.

I will update on this blog if their are any changes. Please feel free to comment below or follow me on social media for updates.

The Road to Success – My 2025 Business Goals

Photo by Mark Basarab on Unsplash

Happy New Year

Hello 2025. Now that the Christmas cheese coma is over, and I have watched enough Wallace and Gromit to quote it word for word; it’s time to set my sights on the upcoming year.

My business journey, so far, has had its ups and downs. But with every up and down a lesson is learned. And these lessons will help me plan my business goals for the year ahead.

Why not read my 2024 year review blog post?

Grab a cuppa, get under a blanket and dunk that biscuit and let’s dive into my 2025 business goals.

Financial Goals:

Just like any small/micro business I want to increase my income for this year. As I mentioned in my year in review post, 2024 was not the greatest so far since I opened my Etsy shop. So, to try and improve it this year I plan to invest a little more in advertising. Mostly Etsy ads supported with well planned social media captions and images. Possibly push a bit more on Pintrest and Threads.

I also plan to invest in more varied products and designs. Now that our laser cutter is up and running we have started offering laser cut products, I want to look into this more in 2025.

By improving reach I am hoping for more sales.

Lifestyle Goals:

Now that my son has started school I have had more time to work on my small business.This has resulted in me being able to spend more time with him around the school days and not have to worry about prepping for social media or trying to get an order out on time. It has been quite freeing.

The one thing I am going to be changing is having some “me time” this is time just for me during the week. No business work, no school admin, no listening to demands of a 4 year old. Just something for me. Being a mum is 24/7 and with running a micro business as well it can all be very mentally draining and it was feeling like I was getting that time to be me.

Taking time out to be me is a goal for me this year.

Impact Goals:

Since my website was launched last year I have seen an increase in traffic, mostly via the blog page. My most popular blog post being my experience of GPSR and the changes I needed to make to my delivery options. Followed by some of my tutorial pages.

I plan to continue with this but into how to run a micro/small business from home and bring updates that would affect other fellow businesses.

I love being creative. Just this weekend I made my son a pizza with toppings out of a cardboard box so he can make himself a ninja turtle pizza.

Creative Goals:

I love being creative. Just this weekend I made my son a pizza with toppings out of a cardboard box so he can make himself a ninja turtle pizza.

I wish to continue to refine and experiment more with digital illustration and design for 2025. I often find this quite relaxing to chill and let a design flow naturally without much of a plan. Improve my knowledge of Adobe Illustrator so I can get the most out of it.

I also have 2 books about drawing everyday and I hope to get back into those as well.

Optimization Goals:

I feel I have improved with SEO and listing optimisation since last year but still something that requires refinement.

I regularly update my listing SEO and images to keep on trend and up to date but finding the right words can be difficult. Even using EHunt was helpful. I still feel this is something I need to remain on top of. Especially with my blog and finding the right keywords so I can be found in search engines.

Also using social media stats to work out the best time to post in order to reach more potential customers will also be a part of my goal.

Reputation Goals:

I am going to take some time in the first quarter of 2025 to review my branding and refine it more. I have been consistent with my branding this year but feel it needs a slight change to keep it fresh and interesting. It’s not going to be a big change but enough to keep it creative throughout the year without being boring and to just give it a spring clean.

Maybe add some more animations along the way as well.

Other Goals:

Last year I wanted to be in front of the camera a bit more on social media. Although that is still a goal, I feel this has been covered in an earlier point above. This year I want to be more engaged with other fellow small businesses and have met some really lovely people. I want to focus on expanding this, sharing, commenting and discussing more to build on good relationships and help buy from small businesses more often and encourage new customers to engage with my profile.

Conclusion

So, that is my business plan for 2025. Some of these are going to be more difficult than others and some I may not complete. I look forward to finding out how things work out. I invite you to share yours or link to your business plans in the comments below.

Let’s all support one another and make 2025 the year of small/micro businesses.

Thank you if you have visited my website to read my blog, buy from me or follow me on social media. Your support is greatly appreciated in whatever form.

If you have any questions please use the comment section below or use one of my social media channels. If you have any goal recommendations to make; then please comment below.

Until Next Time…

A Year in Review – 2024 End of Year Roundup

Merry Christmas Fellow Small Business Owners! 

WOW. It’s the end of the year already. I hope you are enjoying the festive season and hopefully having some down time after the busy Christmas period.

It’s time to have a review of the year. I made a blog post about my Business Goals for 2024 so I will be reviewing what has happened. The good and the bad.

So grab a mince pie, a festive drink of any description and let’s get started.

Financial Goals:

As with all businesses of any size, having a bit of a profit is always a goal. For the past 2 years I have turned a good profit, especially at Christmas. Sadly this year has not been as profitable. Most likely down to the cost of living crisis, resulting in not many customers having the funds to support small businesses.

Which is very fair. I am very grateful for those who have decided to spend some of their pay money in my little store. What has been successful was advertising. I have managed to increase visibility on Etsy, especially at Christmas and get quite a few sales, favourites and followers. So the year hasn’t been all bad.

Lifestyle Goals:

Now that my son has started school I have had more chances to expand my business. But also balancing it with the school run and various school events. While we are still hoping to expand our family I believe I have achieved a good work and life balance.

Impact Goals:

The website was launched this year. One of my goals was to give back and use the blog page to share various articles about starting a small business and basic sublimation tutorials.

I have written 3 tutorials (along with 2 videos). 7 articles about starting and running a small business as a busy mum. It is hard to stand out from the crowd with many sublimation tutorials out there but in my first year I don’t think I have done OK.

Creative Goals:

Despite not achieving getting back into watercolours or other creative outlets; I have tried new sublimation materials and laser cutter designs.

We started offering laser cut and etched items during the autumn. I also started sublimating onto tea towels over Christmas and it was a learning curve and received a lot of help on the Blanks Sublimation community page on Facebook and is now an item to buy for my store.

I did try a makeup bag but the design needs a bit of refining but hoping to add it to my store in 2025.

Optimization Goals:

SEO is not a strong point for me so this was a goal I really did need to focus on. I started using the free version of EHunt which has helped me optimize my Etsy listings and identify potential issues with my listing. I am regularly updating my listings keywords depending on the time of year and most popular search terms on Esty to help increase visibility and sales.

The blog has also been a challenge in this as I tend to write how I talk so I often have to review and change my sentences in order to add in keywords. It’s hard but I think I may be getting there.

Reputation Goals:

I have been focussing on my brand this year a bit more. As I have said previously, my son started school in September so I have had more time to focus on various details of my brand look and feel. Giving my social pages more of a flow and ease of reading.

I have also made sure my customers have had a good experience while shopping with me and I have had very few requests for returns or issues with missing items resulting in a lot more 5 star reviews on Etsy compared to the previous year.

Other Goals:

It took me a while to get brave enough to show my face and voice more on social media and I did a few Instagram stories and tutorial videos with my face in front of the camera. I am still not 100% comfortable with this but I am happy with the amount I have done so far.

Conclusion

So that is my year in review. And although I didn’t reach all of my goals I think I have done well so far in my little business.

As the year comes to an end I will be reviewing my goals and what I want to achieve in 2025 for myself and my business.

Thank you if you have visited my website to read my blog, buy from me or follow me on social media. Your support is greatly appreciated in whatever form.

If you have any questions please use the comment section below or use one of my social media channels. If you have any goal recommendations to make them comment below.

Until then, have a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you in 2025.

IMPORTANT Shop Update – GPSR: What It Means To My Small/Micro Business

Photo by 2H Media on Unsplash

Hello There

Long time no blog. It’s been a busy few weeks here at Panda Motion Designs, hence why there hasn’t been much blog posting lately.

I am posting about something important today that will have an affect on my business and many other micro/small businesses out there. The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), a new EU regulation that will take affect on December 13th 2024. I only recently learned about this regulation thanks to my fellow users on Threads and it will have a big affect on who and where I can sell my products.

In a nutshell, it means, that as of 13th December 2024, I will not be able to sell to anyone in the EU. Via either my website or Etsy.

Let’s take a look at it in some bitesize pieces. As of November 2024, there is surprisingly very little information about it so I will shut my shop to EU buyers just to safe until things are made clearer. If it does I will post updates to this blog.

*Updated: 26/20/2025

Updated: 09/01/2025

Updated: 17/12/2024

What is GPSR?

The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), aims to ensure the sale of safe products to customers/buyers in the European Union (EU) and Northern Ireland (NI). Both new and second hand products. There are specific rules/regulations that must be followed by businesses/individuals that sell to the EU & NI regarding product safety.

What Are These Specific Rules/Regulations?

Good question. This is where it starts to get confusing, but will try my best to explain.

To comply with this new regulation you must have the following information included on your labels and invoices:

  • Manufactures name and contact information
  • Name and contact information of a nominated authorised EU representative if your business is not based in the EU
  • Relevant product information (pictures, model number, etc)
  • Product safety compliance information in the local language (E.g. Warning labels and safety information)
  • CE label if required

Are There Any Exemptions?

GPSR applies to all non-food products. The following is excluded:

  • Medicinal products
  • Food and feed products
  • Living animals and plants
  • Genetically modified organisms and microorganisms
  • Animal by-products
  • Plant protection products, also referred to as pesticides 
  • Plant and animal products related to their reproduction
  • Antiques
  • Certain types of aircraft
  • Travel equipment operated by a service provider to transport consumers
  • Products that need to be repaired, reconditioned, or recycled prior to being used and are clearly marked as such

This list was copy and pasted from eBay.

This list is somewhat vague and many are confused as to whether or not their product falls under this list or not. Sadly, non of my products fall under any of these exemptions.

***Updated 17/12/2024***

I have seen some people saying or have been advised; that anything made before the 13th December 2024 is exempt from GPSR. Now I am not sure how accurate this is as it’s still very unclear in the rules. For now I am airing on the side of caution

***Updated 09/01/2025***

Digital products ARE NOT EXEMPT from GPSR. Etsy confirmed this in the seller handbook but they are awaiting further clarification

Does This Affect my UK Based Business?

If you are based in England, Scotland or Wales, and any other country that is not a member of the EU, then yes it will affect you. If you are based in Northern Ireland it won’t affect you as NI is still considered part of the EU as it has stayed within the single market.

You will not be able to sell anything to the EU or Northern Ireland, unless you follow and comply with the regulations. Mostly, appointing an European Authorized Representative (E.A.R) will have the biggest impact. You won’t need one if your business is based within the EU but it is a requirement for anyone outside the EU.

And, they are not cheap. I have seen people quoted hundreds, even thousands of pounds (GBP) and it’s just not financial viable for me to appoint one when it will cost me a lot more than I actually make in sales in a year.

How do I Appoint an E.A.R?

eBay has a list of companies in it’s FAQs about GPSR. It is a good place to start.

What Happens if I Do Not Comply?

That’s up to you if you don’t wish to comply. I have seen many on social media decide that they will take the risk.

You may be faced with fines, product recall and even being banned. If you have a marketplace shop such as Etsy then Etsy will shut your shop down or suspend you.

For me personally it isn’t worth the risk. I will changing my delivery profiles on Etsy soon to prevent my shop from being seen by anyone in the EU in time for 13th December, my website will follow suit soon after. There is a grace period, but it’s not clear as to how long that grace period is.

What About Northern Ireland?

Lets add more confusion into the mix. As Northern Ireland is part of the single market in the EU (They use Euros as well) it still falls under the GPSR, same as mainland Europe. Despite it being a member of the UK. Confused? Yup you’re not the only one.

What is also adding to the confusion are some delivery profiles on marketplace sites are not separating NI as it’s own separate profile. One being Etsy adding to the confusion. This is making it very difficult to remove NI as a place you can’t deliver to as it falls under “UK” profiles, making it very difficult to be compliant. I am going to be watching the situation on Etsy, as I simply cannot remove UK from my delivery profile as I ship mostly to UK and USA.

Once I have an update I will post an update on here.

***UPDATE – 17/12/2024***

On 13th December (the day GPSR came into affect) Etsy made an announcement on the Seller Handbook concerning selling digital products and having the option to remove Northern Ireland as a option to ship to. In a nutshell, they are looking into it and plan to have an update on delivery profiles and digital products on 31st December 2024. I’m not sure why they have taken so long but hopefully this is going in the right direction.

Current advice is to cancel orders that come in. Which is not particularly helpful.

BBC Article

***UPDATE – 09/01/2024***

Etsy made an updated announcement over the holidays. The latest is they are planning on making the changes to allow the option to not sell to Northern Ireland in the delivery settings. This option will be for both digital and physical products being sold on Etsy. However, they won’t be starting to make these changes until the end of February 2025

***UPDATE – 26/02/2025***

Etsy has finally updated seller profiles and the option to sell or not to sell to EU and NI is now available. It can be found under Settings > Options on your Etsy Seller profile.

I Have Ordered from Your Shop before December 13th and I have an Issue, Can I still contact you?

Any items sold to the EU before 13th December are exempt for a certain period of time (the grace period which isn’t clear how long the grace period is) I will be able to send out before 13th December when this takes affect.

I believe this also covers any replacements I send for damaged or lost items. So don’t worry but please get in touch ASAP. Either via Etsy or email pandamotions@gmail.com

Until Next Time…

So in conclusion…I will not be selling to EU countries or Northern Ireland as of 13th December 2024. I will be updating my Etsy delivery profiles next week. This is just an awful regulation, especially at one of the busiest times of year for many micro/small businesses. I understand it, safety is important especially with some dodgy sellers out there but this particular regulation is making it more difficult than necessary. Hoping things will become clearer as time goes on and I may be able to sell again.

It’s extremely frustrating, and it’s not been the best year for profits either. I am hoping that as the regulation gets ‘older’ they will make adjustments to take businesses that are run by one person like Panda Motion Designs into account.

If you have any updates you wish to share, links or videos concerning the GPSR then please add it to the comments.

I hope this was of help to you and I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog.

If you have any questions please use the comment section below or use one of my social media channels. If you have a recommendation on software you would like to share, please share in the comments below, let’s all help each other to succeed.

Until Next Time…

Tutorial – How to Use a Heat Press

Hi Guys

Welcome back to my blog. Life has been very busy lately, which is why I haven’t written a blog post in a while. I am finally back to bring you a new tutorial.

I have been noticing on my website statistics that quite a few people have been searching about how to use a heat press. So, I thought I would give you a tutorial on how to use a sublimation heat press. Both in video and transcript, so suitable for whichever learning style you prefer.

I am still accepting Guylian or Lindt chocolates as thank you gifts 😛 😉

*Please note: I haven’t been asked to promote or sell items that I mention on this page. These have been purchased based on personal research. Please do the research to find the right heat press for you

Types of Heat Press

I am going to show you 2 types of heat press. First is the flat or clam heat press, ideal for use for t-shirts, bookmarks, coasters, basically anything that’s flat. And here we have a mug press with an 11 oz attachment. I am going to show you both just so you can see the difference between the types of press.

All heat presses are different, I have seen some clam presses where the bottom pulls out instead of the upper bit swinging out. Some presses will have a button for different pressure levels and so forth, but the basics are the same. So please do your research on presses.

Flat/Clam Press

Let’s start with the clam press.

The basics: There is the control box, it can be removed simply lifting up and removing the cable. Handle to open and close the clamp and it swings out both ways. And at the back here, this knob is the pressure control. Turn clockwise to increase pressure and anti-clockwise to decrease it.

To turn on there is a large red on the side of the control box, flick it on. This machine makes a loud beep to let you know it is on. This clam can take a few minutes to heat up but just make sure not to touch the large black area as it builds up the temperature quickly, handy little warning sticker to remind you. It is safe to touch the handle and these grips with your bare hands so you can swing it out.

Back to the control box. The top row here is your temperature and you can see it increase until it gets to your set temperature. The next line here is your timer. The lights to the right of the heat and timer indicates that it’s getting hotter, reached temperature and timer on. The little button under the power button is the fuse switch, you can test the fuse using this button if you need to.

To set the temperature, press the button that says mode. As mentioned earlier it might be different on your press, but typically the button in between the triangles or arrows is where you can set the timer and temperature. So press the button once to set your temperature and use the arrows to increase or decrease your temperature. Press the mode button again to confirm temperature and to set the timer. This number is in seconds. And once you’re done, press mode again, grab yourself a coffee and wait for it to reach temperature.

Once it’s at temperature, open your clam press, put in the item you are pressing, close, set your pressure and then press the button with the square symbol on the controller to start the timer. Once your timer is done, it will make a lovely high pitch beeping sound and simply press the button again to turn off, open and remove your product with oven gloves.

To turn off, simply switch the big red button on the side to off and let it cool down.

So, that’s the basics of the clam press.

Mug Press

Moving onto the mug press. I got this mug press as an emergency, I initially thought I had broken my control box for my flat press. Thankfully I hadn’t, I just blew the fuse and it’s fine now, but I got a telling off. Control boxes can be interchanged with other presses as long as they have the same connectors. But I couldn’t buy the control box individually so I had to buy a brand new mug press. Annoyingly the connectors don’t match, but I now have a spare mug press for when I am busy.

Turn on is the same as the clam. A big old button on the side. You have your handle to close the press around your mug or tumbler and a knob to control pressure. I am going to show you how some control box panels may differ slightly on the buttons. You can see the slight differences in the buttons but they serve the same functions as the clam press control box.

Mug presses heat up faster than the clam so you won’t have to wait long for it to reach the set temperature. But I want to show you something on this model. I have a sample mug here.

Now I do store my mugs at room temperature, this makes it better for pressing. But when I put my mug into the press, you can see that the temperature has dropped significantly and is going to start going back up to set temperature. 

BUT! I cannot start the timer. 

The control box won’t start the timer until it reaches close to the set temperature. My previous mug press never did this so it was a bit confusing when it first started doing this. So this is why I store at room temperature so it doesn’t take as long to reach the right temperature to sublimate. It’s almost like it’s pre warming the mug to ensure the quality of the transfer.

I have not had an issue with quality but it is something to keep an eye on when you start using heat presses as not all presses come with instructions and you may need to adjust timings and what not. Again the importance of testing before you start selling.

Conclusion

So there you have it! 

An overview of how to use a heat press. I hope that has been helpful. If you have any questions then feel free to post a comment below.

When looking at heat presses I do recommend purchasing a press from a proper supplier as most of them offer some form of customer support so if you have any issues it is quick to give them a call and get some help or you simply have any questions.

I hope this was of help to you and I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog.

If you have any questions please use the comment section below or use one of my social media channels. If you have a recommendation on software you would like to share, please share in the comments below, let’s all help each other to succeed.

Until Next Time…

How to Start Your Sublimation Business – Part 2 – Software

Hello There Padawan! 

Welcome to part two of my blog series on starting up your own sublimation business.

If you haven’t already, have a read of Part 1 or ‘Sublimation or Vinyl? Which is Best for Me?’ And ‘What on earth is sublimation and why is it awesome?’ or we can go ahead and dive straight into it.

It has been a couple of months since my last blog post. However, July was a hectic month with getting ready for my son starting Primary school (how is he 4 already?). Additionally, his birthday and 2 weeks away in Canada kept me busy; therefore, I just didn’t have the time to share my latest insights/ramblings.

I am still, however, accepting Guylian or Lindt chocolates as thank you gifts. 😛 😉

*Please note: I haven’t been asked to promote or sell items that I mention on this page. These have been purchased based on personal research. Please do the research to find the right software for you*

Do I Really Need Software?

Well…yes. You will need to be able to print your designs from your sublimation printer. In fact, this is pretty simple software; therefore, all you need to check is that the image is reversed when printed.

On the other hand, to resize your design so it fits onto your product correctly, or to make minor edits to your design or to scan your drawing so it can be printed, you will need a form of design or photo editing software.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular sublimation software’s out there.

Canva

I think everyone has heard of Canva. It’s an easy to use software that can produce some decent results, and many have been using it to design. 

I haven’t used it myself; however, from what I have seen in videos online, it’s a nice bit of software and, consequently, will do pretty much everything you need it to do. There is even a free version of it which is great if starting out plus you can use it to help create social media content and use templates. Plus online tutorials to get you up to speed quickly. Bonus!

Canva Pro does offer extra features including background removal, file translation, being able to schedule social media content and more.

The downside I see to this, however, is that creating a vector design from scratch (like you would in Adobe Illustrator) is not easy. Furthermore, this feature is very simple, and consequently, you won’t get the quality or precision like you would in other software. Nonetheless, if all you are looking for is a software to transfer your designs from paper to digital to printer, then, indeed, this is perfect for you.

Pro: Free version available. Easy to use; therefore, it won’t take long to train up on it. Can be used to create social media templates. Free online tutorials. Phone app version available.

Con: Enhanced features only available in the paid version. Tools not highly advanced like you would find in other software. No vector art.

GIMP

GIMP has come a very long way since I used it in its early life. In fact, it is very much like Adobe Photoshop; however, it is free. Moreover, it does everything you will need it to do and more. 

It could require some tutorial training to get up to speed with the software but once you are well versed in it you are off. 

Pro: Free. Customisable, you have it set up the way you like it. Easy image manipulation tools. Create social media posts.

Con: Can take time to learn. As it is open source, developers work on this in their free time so it can be buggy and could take some time for updates. No phone or app version

Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator

The heavy weights of the graphic design/photography world. Adobe has always been the industry leader and you can mostly rely on their products. I was trained using Adobe so I am comfortable with their products and know them very well, so it is very much my go to software. It has everything I need to do my digital designs and image manipulation. Illustrator is great for creating icons and more intricate designs. And Express has thousands of social media templates for you to use.

However, it is a bit of a monster. And is very intimidating to anyone not well versed in it. There are plenty of tutorials out there. So if you ever get stuck, a quick google will lead you to a tutorial somewhere on the internet. It is also expensive, and a free version hasn’t been available in years. They do have a 30 day trial so you can download it and give it a go. Just remember to cancel before the 30 days is up.

Pro: Create scalable vector designs. Cloud Library to keep your brand on hand in all areas of the software. Simplified phone versions of the software. Produces good results.

Con: Intimidating to use for some. Can take time to learn. Expensive. Additional costs in certain areas. 

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Other Softwares are Available

This is just a small example of the software available. Budget is of course an important factor in this so take that into account when looking for software. Take a good look at what tools are available and if it has everything you need.

I would definitely recommend trialling the software. Just so you can to have an idea of what kind of workflow use and if it is the right software for you before committing to any subscription package (if you choose to do so)

*Please note: I haven’t been asked to promote or sell items that I mention on this page. These have been purchased based on personal research. Please do the research to find the right software for you*

I hope this was of help to you and I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog.

If you have any questions please use the comment section below or use one of my social media channels. If you have a recommendation on software you would like to share, please share in the comments below, let’s all help each other to succeed.

Until Next Time…

Top 5 Lessons Learned As A Small Business Owner

Getting from There…

I have been running my little business for just over 2 years now. And, as you can imagine, there was a learning curve. There is a lot that goes into starting up and running an at home business. Some things I expected, some were a complete surprise.

Let me share with you a few things that I learned.

Lesson 1: Invest in Quality

That rotten word. Money. We all need it, especially in this day and age of the cost of living crisis. The thought of spending money on equipment and software as well as a place to host your products is very off putting.

It was for me when I first started. I tried before in the past and didn’t do well, so I was very reluctant to do it only to find I would never make a sale.

But it is worth it! It is such an ego boost to know your effort has been worth it in that first sale. Just do your research and don’t just go for the cheapest option. Invest in decent quality equipment and products. Shop around, read reviews and make that investment.

It is also worth it to invest in advertising. Check to see how much it costs to advertise on your preferred platform. I will be honest, I did not want to invest in this area. But my husband went over my head and my fears and he paid for advertising on Facebook and Instagram. It brought in more views and more people to my Etsy shop at the start. So it is definitely something I would recommend you do when you start your small business and get that exposure at the start.

Lesson 2: Fees – The Hidden Charges

This did bite me in the rear end. I did not look into hidden costs on my selling platform, so therefore did not take this into account for my pricing.

I use Etsy. Simply for the ease of TAX purposes as they will add VAT to products if needed to. However, there are a tonne of hidden charges; Listing charges, operating fee, processing fees, transaction fees. I didn’t do my research, and got burned on these fees. They may seem small charges but they build up.

I strongly recommend checking for hidden fees before committing to a selling platform.

Lesson 3: Proof of Postage

Gah! Lost items in post!

It’s going to happen, sadly. Especially when you are sending a lot out and to somewhere outside the UK. Make sure you have proof of postage. No matter who your courier is, keep that proof of postage in order to claim for lost or damaged items.

I use Royal Mail 99% of the time. They are cheaper, more convenient, and more eco-efficient. And I either go to my local post office or use their collection service so I can get a receipt or email as proof of postage. I have managed to get most of the money back for lost or damaged items because I had these.

If you don’t, then the courier can either refuse you a refund or you get a partial payment to cover the lost item. That can be a lot of money lost. 

So get that proof of postage!

Lesson 4: Some are Never Happy

Sorry folks. I am not Amazon.

My first negative review was like a slap in the face. And it was something beyond my control (Lost item in post due to Royal Mail strikes) and they gave me a negative review before contacting me and it really did upset me.

It can be a big setback for many, and I took a mental health hit. It took me a couple of days but I eventually realised that you just can’t please everyone. And some lonely folks on the internet just have nothing better to do than leave bad reviews for the simplest things.

So, I guess what I am saying is, ride it out. Don’t give up and learn from it. You will get even more lovely reviews and it will swamp that bad review. You got this.

Lesson 5: Social Media Takes Time

The creative outlet that will bring more customers to your door (both digital and physical)

That’s the point of social media right? But it takes so much time. I was constantly doing social media planning and creation and spending less time with my family. While yes, it is important to post regularly it is also important not to lose sight of the important things.

It will take time to build up that following, the likes and then you have the research into how the algorithms work (especially when they change frequently. I am looking at you Instagram) So, please don’t be disheartened if you don’t get the likes you want, trust me you are being seen.

I now plan my social media posts a week in advance, that includes the image and caption as well as the tags. It has made things so much easier and getting a lot more likes since I am planning better.

…To Here

Every small business or independent contractor is going to have teething problems no matter what. These are just the main ones that really stood out for me.

It is easy to get frustrated and upset. But stick with it. Ride it out. It will work out in the end, you may not see much of a profit for the first year. Use that first 12 months to learn, adapt and improve. And you will start to see changes and all that hard work will be worth it.

Well, I hope that was helpful. Please let me know what you thought about this post in the comments below.

I am also on social media so please feel free to follow me using the links below.

Until next time, stay cool.