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Selling templates (Notion, Canva, spreadsheets)
Create useful, original digital templates—such as planners, trackers or dashboards—and sell them through a marketplace or your own shop. You can start small, but sales are not guaranteed and you will need to check platform terms, licensing and tax responsibilities.
Open the interactive guide (checklist, video, read-aloud) →In plain words
- Make a useful digital template for a clear task.
- Test it, explain it, and sell it online.
- Examples include planners, trackers, and spreadsheets.
- Check that your design and images are yours to use.
- Sales are not guaranteed, and fees reduce what you keep.
Who it suits
It suits people who enjoy organising information, solving a specific problem and making clear, reusable digital tools. You will also need to be comfortable describing your product and helping buyers understand how to use it.
People may pay for a template that saves them time or makes a task easier to organise. A clear, focused tool with simple instructions can be useful again and again, but demand and sales are never guaranteed.
Step by step
- Choose one audience and one useful task. Pick a group of people you understand and one task they need help with, such as meal planning or tracking a project. Keep the first product focused so you can explain its benefit clearly. About 30–60 minutes.
- Find out what people need. Look at existing products and the questions people ask about them. Note what seems confusing, missing, or more complicated than it needs to be, then choose one problem your template can address. About 1–2 hours.
- Build and test a simple first version. Create the basic template in Notion, Canva, or a spreadsheet tool. Add clear instructions, enter realistic example information, and check that the template works as intended. About 2–6 hours.
- Check the rights for every element. Use original designs and check the licence for every image, font, or other element. The cited guide says Canva templates must be your original designs; if they use Canva Pro elements, they can only be sold as Canva template links, not as PDFs or other files. Eden About 30–90 minutes.
- Choose how buyers will receive it. Decide whether buyers will get a Notion link, a Canva template link, or a downloadable spreadsheet. Explain what software they need, what is included, and how to open or copy the template. About 30–60 minutes.
- Compare shops and their fees. Choose a platform that suits your product and how you expect buyers to find it. Check the charges and tax arrangements for your country and plan; the cited guide lists Gumroad at 10% plus 50¢ on direct sales and Payhip's free plan at 5% per sale, with payment processing extra. Checkout Page About 1–2 hours.
- Write a clear product page. Say who the template is for, what it does, and how the buyer receives it. Add clear screenshots or previews, and state any limits or software requirements. About 1–3 hours.
- Set a price and check your costs. Choose a price that reflects the product's usefulness and the work involved, then subtract likely platform and payment fees. Dirora gives £4–£12 for simple single-purpose templates and £15–£45 for comprehensive systems; these are example prices, not earnings. Dirora About 30–60 minutes.
- Test the listing and delivery before promoting it. Use the platform's preview or make a test purchase if available. Check that the listing is accurate, the delivery link works, and the instructions make sense; fix any broken links or confusing steps before sharing it. About 30–60 minutes.
Your first 15 minutes
This week, choose one audience, make a simple first template for a specific problem, and ask a few potential buyers to try it and tell you what is unclear.
The money
Price for the usefulness of the template and the time spent making, testing, and supporting it. Check the platform and payment fees before publishing; compare prices as a guide, not as a promise of sales.
Example only: one week, with 4 sales at £10 each gives £40 gross. Assuming Payhip's 5% free-plan fee, the platform fee is £2; subtract £3 of other example costs and £35 remains before tax. For an Ireland example, 4 sales at €10 gives €40 gross; assuming the same 5% platform fee, the fee is €2; subtract €3 of other example costs and €35 remains before tax. Payment processing fees are extra on Payhip, and actual costs and sales vary. <a href="https://checkoutpage.com/blog/how-to-sell-notion-templates" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Checkout Page</a>
The rules
If you sell original digital templates, you may need to follow tax, licensing, platform and consumer-rights rules. Check the licences for any assets you use, the platform's terms, and the rules that apply to you.
UK and Northern Ireland
- Trading income. You can earn up to £1,000 in yearly trading income under the trading allowance. This is gross income before expenses. If your income is over £1,000, tell HMRC. If you need to register for Self Assessment, the deadline is 5 October after the tax year ends. GOV.UK Tax Help for Hustles GOV.UK
- VAT. You must register for VAT if your taxable turnover is over £90,000. Check with HMRC how the threshold applies to your business and sales. Business.gov.uk
- Consumer rights. Explain what the buyer will receive, how you'll deliver it, and any software limits. Check with Citizens Advice or Trading Standards about the consumer rules for your digital product.
- Advertising. If you promote a product in return for payment or another commercial benefit, label the content clearly. For example, use “Ad”. ASA
- Personal data and ICO fee. Use the ICO self-assessment tool to check whether you need to pay a data protection fee. The ICO's wholesale and retail guidance says you are likely to be exempt if you hold customer details only for your own accounts and transaction records. This does not cover information processed by or obtained from credit reference agencies. Advertising or marketing another person's business, goods or services is an example of when a fee is required. ICO
- Insurance and platform. Consider whether insurance is right for you. Check the selling platform's terms, including account eligibility and any age limits. There's no separate template-selling licence identified here.
Ireland
- Income tax and returns. If you work under PAYE, register for self-assessment using Form 11 if your taxable non-PAYE income is over €5,000 or your gross non-PAYE income is over €30,000. Below those levels, declare it on Form 12 through myAccount. If you're self-employed, you pay income tax, PRSI (Class S), and USC under self-assessment. Preliminary tax is due by 31 October. Revenue Citizens Information
- VAT. Revenue lists VAT registration thresholds of €42,500 for services and €85,000 for goods. Ask Revenue how your digital product is classified and which threshold applies. Revenue
- Business name. If you trade under a name other than your own, register the business name with the CRO. Online registration costs €20. CRO
- Consumer rights. Clearly describe the product, delivery, and software requirements. Check with the CCPC about the consumer rules for your digital product and sales.
- Advertising. Clearly label commercial content, for example with “#Ad”. The guidance says, “if in doubt, label it”. CCPC
- Insurance and platform. Consider whether insurance is right for you. Check the platform's terms, including account eligibility and any age limits. There's no separate template-selling licence identified here.
Checked against official sources: 22 October 2026. Not yet reviewed by a qualified tax or legal adviser. General guidance, not legal advice. Check the official link beside each point before you start.
Common mistakes
- Building a large, complicated product before checking whether people need it.
- Using images, fonts, or design elements without checking their licences.
- Forgetting that platform and payment fees reduce what you keep.
- Leaving out software requirements, delivery steps, or clear instructions.
- Assuming that platform tax handling covers your own tax duties.
AI-made demonstration: this module has a 20-second street-chat video in the interactive guide. The presenter and the people in it are computer-generated, not real people.