15 Handmade Items That Sell Well And You Can Easily Make at Home
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Do you enjoy making handmade items at home in your spare time? Have you often dreamed about turning this passion into a profitable income? If so, this list of handmade items that sell is something you'll want to check out.
There are many benefits to selling handmade items online. One is that you can get rewarded for your efforts and maybe even turn your hobby into your own business that allows you to ditch your 9-5.
But what are profitable crafts to sell? Which items are guaranteed to sell on various online marketplaces? This is where the difficulty lies.
Because to be successful at selling handmade items, you do need to make sure there is a demand for your products. There's no point in listing a random item for sale if no one wants to buy it!
So, before you dive into setting up your own online store, have a read through this article detailing a range of popular handmade products that are best sellers in the online marketplace.
The Best Handmade Items That Sell Well
Whether you're looking to offer handmade goods through your own Etsy shop, an e-commerce store or to sell locally at craft fairs, it pays to research the most profitable crafts and validate your ideas.
Do your research on places such as Etsy, Amazon Handmade, and Google Trends. If there is competition, that's a good thing because it means there is demand.
However, as a new seller, it's important to niche down to have a chance of competing with established sellers.
Let's explore the best ideas for what you can make and sell to make money online in your spare time.
1. Handmade Jewelry
Selling handmade jewelry can be as simple as creating boho friendship bracelets or as creative as designing elaborate costume jewelry.
Bracelets, rings, and necklaces are high-demand items people buy for themselves and as unique gift ideas.
But this means it's a saturated market, and you'll have to think about how to make your designs stand out.
What niche customer will you cater to? A few simple jewelry ideas include:
- Charm bracelets
- Beaded necklaces
- Upcycled earrings
- Friendship bracelets
- Woven necklaces
- Wire wrapped rings
If you plan to specialize in earrings, check out our fabulous list of ideas for earring brand names!
2. Handmade Soap and Bath Bombs
Handmade soap and bath bombs are some of the best-selling handmade items that are easy to make with minimal upfront investment.
Plenty of online tutorials teach you the basics of what you need to do, and you can buy cheap soap-making molds and bath bomb molds online.
You can even find simple bath bomb recipes that include ingredients in your kitchen cupboard already.
If you need inspiration, check out Da Bomb bath bombs created by two teenage sisters. They've earned over $20 million selling bath bombs!
Take a look at our articles on soap business name ideas and soap business slogan ideas for branding suggestions.
3. Wall Art and Prints
Are you an aspiring artist? Do you often paint or sketch in your spare time?
While you may just create art to relax, it can also be turned into a money-making online business.
A few ideas for art that sells include sculpture, paintings, digital art, logos, textile art, and prints. It's possible to sell your own original art, reproductions of famous art, or create art for companies to be used for commercial purposes.
You can upload your art to print-on-demand companies and print it onto t-shirts, mugs, hoodies, and other apparel or work with an established online art dealer.
A few great platforms to sell art include:
Learn more in this guide detailing how to make and sell art prints.
4. Printables
Printables are downloadable items such as planners, to-do lists, stickers, crossword puzzles, and knitting patterns that can be easily made on Canva.
They can be for personal and professional use and are easy to make and sell on places such as Etsy, social media, or your own online store.
Because printables are so popular, it pays to niche down. A few popular printable ideas include:
- Party planners
- Wedding planners
- Shopping lists
- Diet and fitness goals
- Kids summer worksheets
- Journal inserts
Learn more in this guide on how to make money on Canva.
Ready to start making money with printables? Sign up and start using Canva for free today.
5. Beauty Products
The beauty industry continues to boom, and stats show that it generates over $100 billion in revenue worldwide.
There are many beauty products you can make easily at home to sell with ingredients you already have. Just be sure that what you create meets industry and safety standards.
And, while you might start making beauty products yourself at home when your business grows, you can scale production by working with a white-label producer or manufacturer.
A few handmade products in the beauty niche that sell well on Etsy include:
- Natural deodorant
- Handmade cuticle oil
- Lip balm
- Beauty hampers
- Facial serum
- Beard oil
- Aromatherapy massage oil
6. Clothing and Apparel
Thanks to print-on-demand (POD) sites such as Printful and Printify, anyone can start a profitable home business selling clothing and apparel online.
Handmade clothing sells, and everyone loves a unique design. All you need to do is upload your designs to a POD platform, which will be printed onto items such as t-shirts, mugs, hoodies, tote bags, and more when someone makes an order.
The POD company takes care of shipping, delivery, and customer care so you can sit back and enjoy passive income.
Don't know where to start? Follow this guide on how to start a t-shirt business from home that makes $10,000+ a month.
7. Handmade Toys
If you have a skill for woodworking, you could create wooden toys for kids to sell online.
Wooden toys sell extremely well on Etsy, but make sure that what you produce meets essential safety standards.
Parents buy wooden toys for their kids, and they're often purchased as gifts for birthdays, baby showers, and Christmas.
Wooden toys that sell well on Etsy include:
- Handmade music boxes
- Wooden train sets
- Baby sensory toys
- Personalized wooden cars
- Wooden animal safari toy sets
Check out our list of toy company name ideas for naming inspiration for your new venture.
8. Personalized Gifts
Personalized gifts are extremely popular and sell well around holiday times and for special occasions such as birthdays, retirement, or work milestones.
A few personalized gifts you could create include:
- Custom phrase mugs
- Personalized wallet
- Engraved tag necklaces
- Couple portrait prints
- Mother's Day personalized jewelry
You can sell your handmade accessories through an e-commerce store or Etsy. But remember to detail how long production will take on the order page so customers know what to expect.
While this is one of the more time-consuming handmade items to sell, you can charge more for the personalized service.
9. Pet Supplies
Pet owners love their furry friends and will spend a lot of money on them. This means selling pet supplies is one of the most profitable business ideas worth looking into.
Easy pet supply items you can make and sell from home include pet treats, pet collars, pet clothing, pet beds, and pet toys.
If you decide to sell dog treats, just make sure you do your research to ensure you comply with all federal and local laws on pet food production. To legally operate a pet food business, manufacturers must register their labels with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and have a feed license.
Take a look at these successful Etsy pet stores for inspiration:
10. Pottery Items
Pottery products are some of the tougher handmade items to sell. This is because they require a certain amount of skill and creativity to make something people want to buy.
If you're new to creating pottery, visit local craft fairs and check other successful pottery businesses online to see what they're selling.
Learn the craft by watching online DIY tutorials and practice frequently making pottery items for yourself and your friends before listing any for sale.
But, once you get the hang of it, a few pottery items to sell online include:
- Planters
- Coasters
- Sculptures
- Mugs and jugs
Find a name for your new venture in our article that lists 2051 pottery business names!
11. Paper Products
If you're looking for a simple homemade crafts business, it doesn't get much easier than starting with paper.
A few paper crafts that are top sellers include greeting cards, party decorations, business cards, paper flowers, paper stickers, wedding invitations, and more.
And think about seasonality. If you create paper cards, consider planning your collections around the holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, and any special occasions you can think of.
12. Sweets and Baked Goods
Do you have a sweet tooth and love creating your own sugary treats?
If yes, your sugary passion can be turned into profit by selling sweet handmade items online or at local craft fairs.
However, while sugary snacks are a high-demand product, this type of business does come with challenges, such as food and safety regulations, labeling issues, and shelf life worries.
But, if you do your research, selling sweets and baked goods is a solid business idea that could make you a decent income.
Need inspiration? Check out how Mahy Elamin left her pharmacy career to build a 6-figure/year food blog.
13. Subscription Boxes
Statistics show that by 2025, the subscription economy will reach a market size of $1.5 trillion!
With this online marketplace booming, there's never been a better time to start a subscription box business.
You could box up and sell your own items or partner with other makers to sell their curated gift items in your boxes.
Make sure you do your research and be aware of common problems you may face. These include ensuring you have enough stock to replenish boxes and time to pack and post boxes to customers.
A few ideas for niche subscription boxes to sell include:
- Self-care boxes
- Mum and baby
- Bread-making subscription boxes
- Candle subscription gift boxes
- Craft subscription boxes
14. Coloring Books
Coloring books are also great items to sell online via a free Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) account.
This is a free service that allows you to upload your own designs, that'll be printed and delivered by Amazon once an order is made.
You can design your own coloring book pages for free on Canva. Or, you can pay a monthly subscription to Creative Fabrica and download as many coloring pages as you like in various niches.
Just make sure to design coloring book covers that stand out from the competition as potential customers scroll on Amazon. As this can be the difference between getting a sale or not.
15. Online Courses
The last idea for selling handmade items is to create your own online courses and DIY tutorials.
What skills do you have that you could teach to others? A few ideas include:
- Basic sewing skills
- Painting and drawing courses
- How to make handmade jewelry
- Soap and bath bomb making
- Investing and wealth building
- Nutritional and meal planning
There really are no end of ideas as to what you can teach online, and there are plenty of online course sites you can sell on, such as Udemy and Teachable.
Do your research to validate there's a market for your course idea. But don't be afraid to get creative, as niche courses often sell well.
Read this Teachable review to see if it's the best course platform to create and sell your courses.
Final Thoughts On Handmade Items That Sell
As you can see, there are many handmade items that sell, and you have plenty of room to get creative.
However, if you need more ideas, there are many more ways to make money online for beginners. To select a viable business opportunity that's right for you, consider your skills, passions, and market demand. By getting a balance of all three, you'll be able to start your own craft business that reaps the profits for years to come and keeps you motivated to get up for work every day!
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