Brett Helling
September 17, 2024

What To Sell On Etsy: Ideas To Try [& Why They Sell]

Discover the top-selling items on Etsy and how to find successful items to sell there. Learn all you want and create your own profitable Etsy store.

Are you a person with imagination and creativity seeking the ideal platform to showcase your incredible DIY creations?

Do you enjoy producing one-of-a-kind handmade products?

If so, look no further than Etsy, which is popular as the ideal place for all vintage items and handcrafted goods.

Find your niche in this wonderful, expansive market that offers products to suit a wide range of likes and preferences.

Bring out your inner artist and use your imagination to build a successful business on Etsy, thriving upon your creative energy.

Key Takeaways

  • Etsy connects buyers and sellers of handmade, vintage, and unique goods globally.
  • Popular categories include clothing, jewelry, home decor, and custom accessories.
  • Etsy prohibits selling illegal, dangerous, or controversial items, maintaining marketplace standards.
  • Selling on Etsy is cost-effective, but competition and branding challenges exist.

What Is Etsy and How Does It Work?

Etsy is an online marketplace and Ecommerce platform that bridges the gap between the buyers and sellers of unique, vintage factory-made goods and handmade items.

Etsy can swiftly recognize small talented businesses as it has grown into a global network of creative entrepreneurs and customers with approximately 90 million active members and over 5 million vendors.

Starting on Etsy is no rocket science; all you need is to make an account and create a shop to begin your entrepreneurial journey.

In order to do this, you must create product listings with the product title, images, written product descriptions, and prices.

The seller can then run their business, keep an eye on their orders, and communicate with customers.

Buyers have the choice of looking for a product that satisfies their requirements.

They can look for products by category, such as apparel, jewelry, or décor for the home, or by a specific keyword.

When a customer finds an item they want, they can buy it using Etsy’s safe payment method.

On Etsy, purchases can be made directly from the website. The item can then be shipped to the buyer after the seller receives the notification of the sale.

In order to build credibility and win over customers, Etsy relies on customer reviews. This helps the platform use genuine feedback and build a strong reputation.

What Kind of Items Can You Sell on Etsy?

If you are aiming to set up an Etsy Shop, then being aware of what can be sold on the platform is necessary.

Here are some highly popular product categories that fit the niche market that Etsy is trying to reach:

vector graphic showing an illustration of a man using a binoculars watching what to sell on etsy.

1. Clothing

Clothing is one of the main aspects of the fashion industry, which will always be in great demand.

Anyone looking for unique and sustainable clothing is very much likely to stumble upon the treasure Etsy has stored for them in its multiple clothing shops.

A variety of goods, including hand-made caps, dresses, t-shirts, and other apparel is available for the customers to choose from.

Many Etsy sellers also specialize in making unique, one-of-a-kind designs that bring in loads of customer traffic to the site.

2. Jewelry

One of Etsy’s best sellers is the handmade jewelry sold on the platform.

Pre-made and personalized jewelry are available, not just in precious stones but in all kinds of materials and at affordable prices.

A niche for pearl jewelry, stainless steel, beads, polymer clay, and natural seashells and pebbles, all available in various jewelry shops.

Starting a Jewelry business can be tricky, but jewelry is one of the best-selling products on Etsy, and if you opt for handmade jewelry as your business niche, then you wouldn’t have to worry about the uniqueness and originality of your product.

3. Household Items

The huge variety of distinctive and handcrafted items in Etsy’s household goods section makes it a terrific marketplace for customers searching for something special for their homes and artisans to display their talents.

Handcrafted pottery, picture frames, fragrant candles, office supplies, and kitchenware are among the most popular items in this category.

Moreover, Etsy gives sellers a competitive edge and creates a new market for manufacturers by enabling customers and sellers to work together to create products that are tailored according to their individual needs.

4. Accessories

Accessorizing an outfit always tends to lift the fashion game, which is why unique items that come under this category are widely sought after.

Even shop owners who don’t specialize in this specific niche keep many accessories to pair and cross-sell with their niche category products.

Accessories aren’t only limited to fashion, stickers, and cases to accessorize gadgets are also available such as bumper stickers, laptop stickers, and customized phone cases.

Hence, Etsy can prove to be a fruitful place for sticker business owners too.

Customers have a fantastic opportunity on Etsy to discover exclusive and personalized accessories that fit their tastes and preferences, and this is exactly what makes these items profitable.

What Cannot Be Sold on Etsy?

Etsy adheres to strict regulations on what products can and cannot be sold on the platform to safeguard its reputation as a marketplace that encourages handmade, vintage, and unusual goods.

Below are some items that cannot be sold on Etsy:

1. Alcohol or Drugs

The selling of illegal drugs and alcoholic beverages is forbidden on Etsy to ensure that it is a secure platform for shoppers and sellers.

Since such products don’t correspond with Etsy’s core values, this also includes all items that contain such substances.

2. Animal Products

Human remains and animal products must adhere to tight guidelines even though they aren’t explicitly prohibited on Etsy.

It is forbidden to purchase anything made from living animals, endangered species, cats, dogs, or creatures that produce ivory.

However, using leather, textiles made from animal or human hair, non-ivory species, antlers, and teeth is acceptable.

When selling anything on Etsy associated with animal products or human remains, vendors are recommended to consult CITES.

3. Dangerous Items

For the protection of both the buyer and the sellers, selling dangerous items is not authorized on Etsy.

In order to maintain a safe environment online and avoid complex legal and delivery procedures, selling potentially harmful goods like explosives (fireworks, sparklers), combustible products, radioactive materials, hazardous compounds, and single lithium-ion batteries is prohibited on Etsy.

4. Items That Promote Hatred

Etsy’s shop policies display zero tolerance for products that promote any kind of hatred.

This policy covers everything that can cause controversy in relation to politics, religion, race, ethics, or nationality.

It is important to point out that while the promotion of religion is permitted, any hate speech, propaganda, or symbols are forbidden.

What is Etsy’s Best-Selling Item?

1. Home Décor

People have become even more aware of the value of a multifunctional but aesthetically pleasing home after spending days at their home during Covid.

With a listing of over 12 million, wall art is one of the hot-selling items. The majority of Etsy sellers provide wall art for both the office and every room in the house.

Other home décor items included paintings with more than 3.4 million listings.

2. Pins

It is surprising how such an item as ordinary as pins can make waves on a highly popular platform like Etsy.

With over 2.2 million listings, many Etsy sellers sell enamel and brooch pins in edgy, stylish, and custom-made designs.

3. Books

With item listings as high as 2.5 million, it is fair to call books a highly popular selling item on Etsy.

But not every book on Etsy is intended to be read; some are merely there for decoration and to take up extra space on the shelf so it looks aesthetically pleasing.

4. Dresses

One of the top-selling and profitable items, dresses, have over 2.3 million listings on Etsy.

Fashion-related goods are among the most profitable products on Etsy, and offering customers fashion in the form of personalized items and unique designs just elevates the experience for them.

Who Is the Biggest Seller on Etsy?

Making it big in Etsy’s world of handmade jewelry, CaitlynMinimalist specializes in custom jewelry, including rings, necklaces, and bracelets.

Any text or piece of writing can be engraved into the jewelry according to the customer’s wants.

The shop has over 20 thousand sales, and the company’s revenue for 2023 has reached USD 68,900,936.

What to Sell on Etsy?

If you plan on selling on Etsy, it is important to ask yourself, “What to sell on Etsy?”. Below are some frequently asked questions related to this topic.

Which Handmade Items Sell Best?

Handmade items such as jewelry, candles, bath bombs, and soap are highly sought after worldwide.

The price you can fetch for these items in online stores depends on the quality of your craftsmanship and the products you produce.

Which Digital Products Sell Most on Etsy?

From digital art supplies to website templates, there is a large market for digital products on Etsy.

If you own a graphic design business, you can sell artwork, logos, and Photoshop presets.

Photography enthusiasts can try selling photos, videos, and VFX products. It all depends on your skills and proficiency.

Easy Things to Sell on Etsy

According to Etsy, in 2020, jewelry was the second best-selling item on the marketplace.

Other items, such as notebooks, stickers, and phone cases, are also in high demand.

Keeping up with the latest purchasing trends is crucial before deciding what to sell on Etsy.

Free Things to Sell on Etsy

Are you looking for ways to sell free stuff on Etsy and earn money? For easy profit, you can collect seashells, beach sand, and bird feathers.

Rare flowers and leaves can be pressed and refined into artwork to be sold as well.

Is It Worth It to Sell on Etsy?

If you fall within a narrow niche and have a great value proposition and unique selling proposition, selling on Etsy can be profitable.

However, before selecting whether Etsy is the best platform for your business, carefully consider and research the pros and cons.

Pros of Selling on Etsy

1. Cost-effective and Easy

As explained above, the process of setting up a shop on Etsy is fairly easy.

It also helps to lower costs by saving you the hassle of paying a website designer and domain and hosting fees.

Sellers can set up a shop for free on Etsy and pay only nominal fees for listing and transaction costs.

Additionally, adding and editing listings, along with updating your shop, can be pretty simple on Etsy.

2. Large and Active Customer Base

With an extensive and expanding customer base, sellers get access to a wide audience and potential customers.

Promoting your products on Etsy is much simpler than on a website you create yourself because of the platform’s previously established following.

Your site may need years of optimization before it ranks among the top 5 sites that Google searches.

However, Etsy offers a built-in collection of features and tools to assist sellers in optimizing their listings for Etsy SEO, making it simpler to appear higher in search results and draw in potential clients.

3. Niche Market

Etsy’s emphasis on handmade and vintage items gives sellers a chance to stand out from the mass-produced goods seen in bigger marketplaces.

This can assist sellers in creating a distinctive brand identity and draw buyers looking for unique, handcrafted goods that are hard to find elsewhere.

Tapping into the right segment of the market always help in increasing sales and attracting more customers to top-quality products.

Cons of Selling on Etsy

1. Lots of Competition

With more and more sellers signing up for the site daily, Etsy has grown extremely competitive in recent years.

Since established sellers already have a following of devoted customers, it may be difficult for new sellers to stand out and compete.

There is also the risk that any newcomer will plagiarize your work.

This may give potential buyers the option to purchase a product comparable to yours from another vendor rather than purchasing your product based only on your original concept.

2. Hard to Brand

With so many competitors selling similar products, it is difficult to maintain a distinct brand identity.

Due to the platform’s limited customization choices, branding is difficult for Etsy vendors.

Sellers have limited influence over the overall buyer experience since Etsy handles several factors, including shipping cost and payment processing fees, limiting Etsy store owners to personalizing their pages and store banners only.

This can make it harder to offer a tailored experience to customers, contributing to the development of a distinctive brand identity.

3. Hard to Grow a Loyal Following

Customers mostly use Etsy to find specific products rather than specific sellers.

This means they may be less likely to return to a particular seller for future purchases.

Developing personal connections with your customers as a marketing technique on Etsy is also challenging, further contributing to the lack of a loyal customer base for one’s brand.

Conclusion: Is Selling on Etsy Worth It?

A profitable and long-lasting online business on Etsy is very probable when you leverage the platform’s advantages and cater to any potential disadvantages.

You can make strategic choices to advance your internet presence and reach your company objectives.

Understanding the pros and cons of establishing a business at Etsy can help you make informed decisions, kickstarting your business on the right note.

About This Side Hustle

Learn more about this side hustle and find others similar to it