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Have you been dreaming of quitting your day job to pursue your passion and get paid for it?
Or thinking about starting a small business on the side with a hobby of yours?
Finding the best things to sell on Etsy to make money might be just the thing for you!
With millions of unique and handmade products for sale, Etsy’s marketplace offers a platform where artists and small businesses can sell their unique products to potential customers all over the world.
Etsy sellers are able to list their products for sale in a variety of categories, including home & lifestyle, art, vintage, and more.
Etsy is a goldmine for entrepreneurs looking to cash in on the “create your own website and sell stuff online” business opportunity. And with over 10 million unique visitors per month, there is huge potential to make a full time income on this platform.
So what are the best things to sell on Etsy to make money in 2023?
I will show you the top selling products on Etsy that people are searching for.
I’ll also give you my best tips to set you on the path of running a successful online business with Etsy.
BEST THINGS TO SELL ON ETSY TO MAKE MONEY IN 2023
There’s a lot you can sell on Etsy. Handmade goods, vintage pieces, and even old furniture. But the best things to sell are the ones that bring in the most money. We looked into the top-selling items on Etsy to see what made them so popular.
One of the easiest ways to make money on Etsy is to sell your own original artwork or crafts.
Etsy’s platform is massive, so you’re sure to find an audience willing to buy what you have to offer. Best of all, you can set your own prices, so it’s really up to you how much you want to make off of each sale. Just be sure that what you’re selling is of good quality!
You can create something as a fun side hustle while you work full time, or you can create a business to work on full time and earn as much as you want.
It really is possible to build a successful business selling on Etsy that you can do from home and to fit in with your schedule. This post will show you the top selling and highest searched for items on Etsy, answer your FAQs and give you our best tips to thrive on Etsy.
1. Handmade Jewelry
It’s no secret that selling handmade jewelry on Etsy is one of the most popular ways to make money on this platform.
Personalized jewelry is particularly popular and there is an abundance of customers ready to purchase something meaningful and unique to them.
If you don’t have any jewelry making skills, don’t worry! Some simple but effective ways to learn these skills are by reading books for jewelry making beginners and watching tutorials on YouTube. You can also purchase jewelry crafting supplies.
Making jewelry to sell on Etsy isn’t as hard as it may seem. You can purchase chains and accessories (also known as ‘fingings’) in bulk and put them together to sell as complete items on Etsy.
Some places to find these are eBay, Amazon, AliExpress, wholesale jewelery sites as well as Etsy itself.
Because jewelry is so personal and often used to express one’s style, people look for unique and interesting jewelry pieces on Etsy. And that they wouldn’t find in a general jewelry store.
To keep things cost efficient when you’re just starting out, some ideas could be small hoop earrings that can hold a small interchangeable dangly piece. Wedding jewelry is another good one particularly for brides on a budget who want something sparkly that aren’t diamonds. Think Swarovski crystals.
Beaded jewelry is also popular, easy to make and one of the cheaper ways to start out. Head on over to Pinterest for inspiration and see what’s trending.
2. Jewelry Findings
Following on from handmade jewelry, you can sell the supplies that jewelry makers need on Etsy too.
From chains to earring backs to beads to clasps. You can purchase these in bulk from somewhere like AliExpress or eBay, then sell them in small packages on Etsy.
So long as there are people selling jewelry on Etsy, there will be the demand for jewelry findings. You could even market and sell jewelry kits that come with all the pieces ready to be made with interchangeable charms. A few examples could be:
- Beaded bracelets
- Charm bracelets
- Necklaces
- Hoop earrings
3. Keychains
Keychains are one of those ever popular items that will always sell well. Particularly personalized keychains.
They make an awesome gift and you can take advantage of seasonal sales too. Such as Christmas, Thanksgiving and other popular dates when gifts are exchanged.
Another good thing about selling keychains on Etsy is that given they are (generally) a smaller item, shipping costs will be low.
Some of the most popular types of keychains to sell are:
- Resin
- Personalized leather
- Letters
- Novelty
- Personalized metal tags
4. Hair Accessories
Selling hair accessories is another low shipping cost item due to the small weight and packaging. There are many different hair accessory items you can sell on Etsy.
To sell hair accessories on Etsy, you can purchase the pieces to put clips and beautiful hair ties together yourself to sell either singularly or in a pack.
Wedding hair accessories sell very well on Etsy and are in high demand. You can purchase pearls or jewels from somewhere like AliExpress and make hair pieces to sell on Etsy.
5. Personalized Pet Accessories
People love to spoil and dress up their pets, and there is a huge market on Etsy to sell pet accessories to pet owners.
One option is set up an Etsy shop and sell wholesale bought items like collars, leashes, pet name tags, dog bandanas. Or, you can sell unique handmade items if you have the time and means to do so. These could be things like handmade collars, outfits, jackets, bandanas.
You could even buy dog and cat treat toys and sell them to pet owners to fill with pet food for their pets.
6. Handmade Cards
Receiving a beautiful handmade card is not only meaningful and sentimental to the person receiving it, but they make an excellent and easy sell on Etsy.
Handmade cards are great to sell as you can do so with a good profit margin. All you need is some good craft supplies and to set up your shop on Etsy and start selling.
If you’ve never made cards before, you can watch tutorials online and get inspiration from somewhere like Pinterest. Have a look at Etsy to see what sells well too.
Cards are great all year round, but you can make a killing over the seasonal periods. They are also another low shipping cost item.
If you have a friend or family member who is available to help out making cards in the beginning while you’re just starting out, even better!
7. Embroidery
If you have embroidery skills and already know how to do it then you’re already ahead. However, if you’ve never embroidered before but are interested in learning, there are tonnes of tutorials online to help you out.
Library books are another option if you prefer to learn through reading books.
In the case where you don’t want to do the embroidery yourself, you can easily set up a store selling embroidery kits for beginners. Alongside this you could sell the cotton and other equipment that embroiderers need to use.
Another popular item to sell is personalized embroidered caps that you can’t find in stores, if you can or want to learn embroidery. Once you have the skill you can expand your shop to sell many different types of embroidered items.
Embroidery is a good one to learn and to sell because you can make many one-of-a-kind items that customers won’t find elsewhere.
8. Digital Art
Wall art and digital graphics are very popular to sell on Etsy.
Whether you are already an artist or want to have a go at something new, you can sell your artwork using digital files on Etsy. These are convenient for customers and cut out shipping costs for you.
One of the downsides of selling digital artwork is the risk of someone stealing your work and selling it as their own. To help with this I strongly recommend you keep a record of everything you sell, so if you discover someone else selling your work you can report it to Etsy.
Another option would be to insert a small initial on your artwork so it’s easily identifiable as yours.
The options on what type of digital artwork to sell are huge, so you can take your pick! Unique wall prints sell well and are hugely popular. Some ideas could be inspiring quotes, song lyrics and love quotes for newlyweds. Personalized wall art for newborn babies is another idea.
If you wanted to sell framed artwork then this would minimize the risk of people stealing your work, but you would have to of course consider shipping costs with size and weight. The upside is you can set higher profit margins with framed artwork.
9. Wedding Invitations
Using an online tool like Canva, you can easily create beautiful designs to sell wedding invitations, save the date cards and thank you cards as a set.
You would need to have the right kind of printer or access to one and purchase special wedding card paper to create high quality wedding card packs.
Some ideas for different types of wedding stationery to sell could be to have designs for people on a budget, middle range and then high-end wedding stationery.
10. Stickers
Stickers of all sorts sell well on Etsy. These could be in the form of wall decals for bedrooms, laptop stickers, car stickers, sticker labels and heaps more.
Stickers would be one of the lightest items to send in the post, which is great news for shipping costs. They wouldn’t take up much storage space either.
If you want to design your own stickers, you can use Canva for free. Then, you could sign up to print on demand places like Printful, Printify, Redbubble to name a few for your printing needs. This is a very convenient way to sell and post your items with little hassle.
11. Resume Templates
While I’ve job hunted in the past and updated my resume, I searched for and found a neat resume template and what I was looking for, on Etsy.
Looking further into this I saw that many people were earning a lot of money selling resume templates on Etsy. As it’s something a lot of people need, it’s a great thing to sell on Etsy and make money.
Again, using a tool like Canva, you can easily create resume templates that Canva already have readily made up that you can tweak and edit how you want.
When you’re just starting out with selling things on Etsy, set your prices a bit lower. Particularly for easy creations like resume templates. Then, once you have established yourself and made some sales, people will start leaving reviews and you can increase your prices gradually.
12. Digital Planners
In the same way you can create resume templates to sell on Etsy, you can do the same with digital planners. Using Canva for ready made templates, they have hundreds to choose from that you can style and edit how you like.
Digital planners and printable sheets always do well selling online, particularly on Etsy. You can easily put them into a Google Docs file for people to download.
Selling digital planners on Etsy are the sort of item you create once and then reap the benefits of passive income. Who wants to make money while they sleep? Yes please!
Some of the popular digital planners include meal planners, budgeting, gratitude pages and diary planners.
13. Party Supplies
There are so many different items you can sell in an Etsy party shop. From party bags to personalized confetti to decorations, there is a lot you can do in this space.
With so many options to choose from, one idea is specific occasion party bag fillers. Things like kids parties would be an easy one. You could put together themed party bags to sell, purchasing the items in bulk to then sell on Etsy.
If you wanted to go down the wedding route, you can use a print on demand service to print the bride and/or groom’s faces onto confetti. These are some unique and fun things people like to buy.
Then there are decorations that you could sell in packs and add a customized service to customers. Such as colors, materials, type of decoration or theme.
14. Handmade Clothing
Handmade clothing items have something that your regular piece of clothing from your regular store, does not. It’s for this reason that many people love to shop on Etsy for unique and beautiful items they wouldn’t find anywhere else.
So if you have the equipment and know-how to make clothing, you can make money selling on Etsy.
Whether you have a hand at knitting, crocheting or sewing, you could sell a whole range of things. Depending on your time and skill, things like beanies, hats for babies, cardigans and dresses sell well.
You could also offer a service to your customers to make an item of clothing from a pattern they provide.
15. Sustainable Items
With companies and individuals more mindful than ever about helping to protect our planet, selling sustainable items on Etsy can make a real impact.
What better way than to do something you love while helping the planet at the same time?
Thinking about zero waste products, things like reusable coffee cups, zero plastic, refillable household items sell very well.
I have seen “zero waste starter set” kits sell really well on Etsy. They can include items such as bamboo toothbrushes, straw and cutlery set, biodegradable dental floss and cotton mesh produce bags. Those are just some items you could think about selling on Etsy.
Most people want to do their bit and help keep our planet healthy and therefore search for everyday items that are sustainable and/or recyclable.
Think about where you and your product could make a difference by selling on Etsy.
16. Photography
These days with smartphones having such good cameras on them, you can make some good money on Etsy with photography.
All you need is good quality photo paper, access to a printer and choose to offer your pictures framed or unframed.
Nature prints are popular and make a nice gift for someone to hang in their home. Black and white photos also do well.
You can even sell pictures of feet on Etsy! If you’re interested in learning more about selling feet pictures online, check out my article How To Sell Feet Pics Online As a Side Hustle in 2023.
17. Vintage Items
Selling vintage items on Etsy is another great way to be sustainable, while offering unique and interesting items to your customers.
If you don’t have or want to sell items from your own collection, you can visit thrift stores and garage sales to find some hidden gems to sell with a profit on Etsy.
Items like handbags, clothing, homewares and furniture are popular vintage items people search for.
Remember, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!
18. Framed Drawings
If you have good drawing skills and enjoy this type of art, then you can sell your unique framed drawings on Etsy.
Drawings the traditional way using your HB pencils aren’t the only way you can create and sell this sort of artwork. You can use online drawing software to create beautiful art prints to sell on Etsy. One example is one line drawing, but this can take some practice and time to learn.
Another way to sell drawings is by drawing from photos, a service you can offer on Etsy where the customer sends you a photo and you recreate the photo in a drawing.
These make beautiful gifts and special art that bring people a lot of joy to look at and have in their home.
19. Candles
Candles are one of the best things you can sell on Etsy.
While there are many beautiful candle brands out there, they tend to be on the expensive side. So people shop for cheaper but still beautiful candles, on Etsy.
This particular product can be a harder sell, with so many candle shops already on Etsy. So think outside the box with what type of candles you want to sell.
Some creative ideas could be quirky moulds, novelty candles and specific essential oils for different occasions such as when a woman goes into labor.
With some creativity and thinking outside the box, you can sell unique and fun candles on Etsy.
20. Minimalist Artwork
Minimalist artwork has gained popularity over recent years, and is still proving to be popular with customers on Etsy.
Prints like one line drawings, as mentioned above under ‘Framed Drawings’, simple but funny pictures to hang in specific areas of the house like the kitchen or bathroom do well. Tropical leaves are another simple yet beautiful print to sell on Etsy.
You could also create simple abstract designs yourself on Canva to print and sell on Etsy.
21. DIY Kits
You can sell DIY Kits in just about any category and people love them for their convenience.
Some ideas for DIY Kits could be craft kits for kids, DIY slime and playdough, DIY logo design kits, DIY denture kits.
DIY craft kits are one of the best items to sell on your Etsy shop. It is almost one of the most searched for in the DIY niche.
To ensure customer satisfaction, you will need to have clear photos on your listings showing exactly what the customer can expect from the finished result. As well as difficulty level and clear instructions to go with the kit.
22. Printed Mugs
Novelty and personalized mugs never seem to get old, and sales go through the roof especially around holidays. There are endless ways you can create and sell customized mugs on Etsy.
From photos to name letters to cheeky slogans to personalized words and pictures, mugs always seem to sell well. This is especially true around Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas etc.
Again, you can use a print on demand service like Printful to print and ship straight to your customers.
When creating the designs you can use Canva to start with, they have mug templates that you can use.
23. Notebooks and Journals
Notebooks and journals make a wonderful personalized gift, and are a popular item on Etsy.
Whether people use them to organize their life, jot down their thoughts and feelings or buy as a gift for someone, thousands get sold on Etsy.
To sell these on Etsy, you could create your designs and have them put onto the notebooks to purchase in bulk and then resell. You could have life quotes printed onto the pages or leave them blank.
This could be a great side job selling notebooks and journals on Etsy.
24. Phone Accessories
Phone accessories are one of the best things to sell on Etsy.
Many people look for cool charms and phone cases for their phones on Etsy because they know it’s the place to find unique and personalized items.
Similar to selling other items we’ve mentioned above, you can use print on demand services for unique phone case designs. Or, if you wanted to sell phone charms and other phone trinkets, you can purchase these wholesale to then sell with a profit on Etsy.
25. Wooden Items
Wooden items of all kinds are popular on Etsy.
From watch boxes to wall art to toys for kids, these are items that people love to buy as gifts for others or for themselves.
If you don’t have the skill and tools to make wooden items yourself, you could have someone manufacture products for you, or see what you can find on places like AliExpress and eBay.
26. Decorative Cushions
Selling cushion covers and cushions on Etsy is a simple but effective way to make money online.
When it comes to people’s personal taste, selling unique and fun cushions on Etsy helps people find items they might not find in an ordinary store.
Again, you can use print on demand companies to sort out the design and shipping for you.
27. Resin Art
Resin art makes beautiful pieces for things like keychains, jewelry, coasters, trays and more.
You can purchase resin kits on Amazon which have everything you need to make beautiful resin products.
It would be a good idea to start out small, making items like keychains and jewelry, then move onto bigger and more complex resin items to sell on your Etsy store.
Another way to attract people to your Etsy store is by offering a personalized service. This could be making resin items with special flowers that are meaningful to the customer. Flowers from wedding days and other memorable events where the customer can keep a piece of their day in resin forever.
28. Wooden Homewares
People love beautiful wooden pieces for their home. Especially unique and one-of-a-kind items that are hard to find.
There are some very cool personalized items on Etsy that you can sell in your Etsy shop. Things like wooden spoons with personal touches like ‘recipe for a special mom’ or personalized wooden chopping boards.
Beautiful handmade bowls sell well, although you would need to have the skill and tools to make these. And if you don’t then you could have someone make them for you to sell.
Wooden items are not only aesthetically pleasing but they are long lasting and much better for the environment.
29. Pottery Pieces
Pottery pieces are very on trend and if you wanted to learn how to make pottery from home, you can!
If you have no experience with making pottery at all, then we’d suggest taking some classes for beginners to get started. Once you have a bit of experience and get the hang of making the pottery items, you can purchase the equipment to set up a small studio in your home or your garage.
One of the best things about selling pottery items is you can sell them in places other than Etsy, too! You could set up your own online shop with a platform like Shopify, dedicated to selling your handmade pottery pieces.
Another way to sell pottery pieces as well as Etsy is at your local markets. You could set up a stall and sell a range of your pieces there.
Please note that selling pottery pieces requires more work and investment to get started compared to most of the other ideas in this blog post. But if this is something you are passionate about and want to set up a small business with, then you can! You will just need to be prepared for more costs with this idea.
30. Ceramic Homewares
Similar to pottery, ceramic items sell well on Etsy as well as other places too.
You can buy ceramic homewares at a wholesale price to sell either on Etsy or other online store. This is if you didn’t want to make the products yourself. Here are a few to get you started:
The most popular ceramic homeware items on Etsy include mugs, bowls, plates, vases, coasters and one-of-a-kind decorative ornaments.
31. Self Care Gift Boxes
Hampers have been around for a long time. But self care gift boxes are a newer concept, and something that does very well on Etsy.
You can create themed boxes for people and different occasions. One idea can be boxes for moms who have just had a baby and moms in general. Beauty care boxes sell well and aren’t too tricky to put together. You could put things like tea, face masks, small candles, bath salts and chocolate.
Pairing your Etsy shop and Pinterest to showcase your self care gift boxes and the items you sell is a great way to get high traffic to your Etsy shop.
Pinterest is free to use and an easy way to drive traffic to your store quickly.
32. Bath Bombs
Using a shop like Lush for inspiration, why not create your own bath bombs (or ‘fizzers’) to sell in an Etsy store?
These are a huge hit with both kids and adults alike and don’t require much work to make.
You could make unique bath bomb shapes like cupcakes, rainbows, flowers and just about anything else you can think of that catches your customer’s eye.
Selling these individually or in a pack is one way to sell bath bombs. Or, you could create small beauty pamper packs which include your bath bombs.
33. Homemade Soaps
Similar to bath bombs, making soaps at home to sell on Etsy is easy as 1, 2, 3.
Again, you can sell these as individual items, in packs or as part of a gift box.
To turn the humble soap into something that will entice your customers, you could add dried flowers or sea salts to your soaps. You could also sell other bathroom items like a soap dish with your soaps. If the soap dish is handmade too, even better!
34. Seasonal Gifts
Etsy sellers love to up their selling game around seasonal periods, given that’s when they can make the most money.
To get prepared for busy holiday seasons, be sure to have enough stock well in advance of any items you know may or do sell fast.
This is where you can take advantage of print on demand services, easing the burden of having to create and send everything yourself.
Items like mugs, t-shirts, stickers, phone cases, tea towels, homewares and gifts of all kinds sell well around seasonal peaks.
35. Handmade Blankets
People love a beautiful handmade blanket where thought and care has gone into them.
They make great gifts for people and that’s why shoppers flock to Etsy for special items like handmade blankets.
Personalized blankets are popular on Etsy, as well as unique one of a kind blankets that have special words on them. That way when people are snuggling into their blanket they will think of the person who purchased this special item every time they use it.
You could make these yourself, or learn how to and sell your beautiful handmade blankets on Etsy.
If you wanted to add a personal touch, you can easily offer to make blankets using photos that the customer would like included on the blanket as well as meaningful words.
QUESTION TIME: Best Things To Sell on Etsy
Is it worth it to sell things on Etsy?
We believe it is worth it to sell things on Etsy. Why? Because it’s a low cost and low risk eCommerce platform that you can quickly learn to use.
According to SimilarWeb, Etsy has 373.3M visitors every month. That’s a huge amount of people and good news for a new Etsy seller!
Etsy is known for its unique handmade and vintage items but it has also grown into a huge online marketplace. If you have unique, well thought out products to offer and learn all you can to make the most of the Etsy platform, then it is worth it.
How much does it cost to sell things on Etsy?
Listing fees are charged at USD$0.20 per listed item. But there are other costs involved such as transactional fees, advertising and promotion fees and subscription fees.
While setting up an Etsy store is free and easy to do, it’s important to be aware of Etsy’s fees they charge to sell on their platform.
You can learn all about Etsy fees right here.
Should I take a course before I start selling on Etsy?
Knowledge is power and if you want to succeed with selling on Etsy then taking a course to learn all that you can will help you get ahead.
There are some highly informative and useful Etsy courses via Skillshare. We recommend taking a course like this one to learn everything you can so you can set up your Etsy store and start getting your first sales.
If you want to get a head start and want to learn more about Etsy stores then you can use YouTube as your search engine and ask your questions there.
Can I still make money on Etsy in 2023?
Yes, it is possible to still make money on Etsy in 2023. People after all are doing it every day.
It’s not as easy to sell on Etsy as it used to be. However, there are new stores popping up all the time that are starting to make sales with their items.
So will people want what you offer in your Etsy store? The only way to find out is to give it your all, learn everything you can that there is to know about selling on Etsy and start building a loyal customer base.
While there is steady competition with sellers on Etsy, this is where you need to think outside the box to get the most sales. Setting up a Facebook page, Instagram profile and Pinterest business account will all help drive traffic to your store.
Do I need to pay taxes if I sell on Etsy?
Yes. Any money you make from Etsy sales is taxable.
Before starting any sort of business it’s important to check your country’s tax laws and speak to a professional who can answer any questions you have.
In the US, for example, any activity you do with the expectation of making money means it is subject to tax, even if you’re just doing it for fun. You can head to the IRS website to learn more about taxes in the US.
What is the downside of selling on Etsy?
While there are a lot of Pros with selling on Etsy, let’s take a look at some of the cons.
The fees. As mentioned above, Etsy charges listing and transactional fees. These include $0.20 per listing and they take 5% per transactional sale. This includes gift wrapping and shipping fees. If you use Etsy payments (allowing customers to pay by credit card) then you will also be charged a 3% fee as well as an additional $0.25.
This can put sellers off using the Etsy platform. However, if you compare that with Amazon Handmade for example, they take 15% of the sale price per listing.
The fee structure is something to consider when thinking about selling on Etsy.
Another con is the competition on Etsy. It can be hard to compete with already established sellers who have a loyal customer base and raving reviews. This isn’t to say that you can’t succeed on Etsy. It just means that you will need to put the work in to offer your customers something special and get your store established.
How much do Etsy sellers make?
While it’s impossible to know exactly how much an Etsy seller makes without asking them directly, we can hazard a guess using some of the information available on Etsy stores.
Looking at this Etsy store in the image below as an example, the number of sales they have made on their store times US$8, comes to a total of $230,848! This would not of course take into account Etsy’s listing and transactional fees. But it gives us an indication of how much money the store can make.
FINAL WORDS & BEST TIPS
If you’ve been curious about things to sell on Etsy and want to know if it can work for you, the only way you will find out is if you give it your all. Nothing in life comes without hard work and dedication.
One of the best and most effective ways to get the most out of selling on Etsy is by driving traffic from Pinterest.
Pinterest is a visual board where people go to be inspired. When they see your products on Pinterest they can easily click over to your Etsy store and purchase your product.
Etsy sellers you see making money on the platform are proof that you too can start selling and making money on Etsy.
Whether you want to start selling on Etsy part time and see how it goes, or have the time to jump in and give it everything you’ve got, creating a business on Etsy could be everything you’ve been looking for and much more!
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