Etsy What to Sell to Make More Money

Etsy What to Sell to Make Maximum Profit

Etsy is a great platform for selling handmade items and craft products. It’s a trendy e-commerce marketplace amongst artisans and craftspersons looking to start their own businesses.

But when it comes to creative items, there is always the danger of not knowing the market well and selling irrelevant stuff people don’t really want to buy. That’s why you must know what sells on Etsy to make more money.

Like every online marketplace, Etsy has an algorithm that entrepreneurs need to understand and crack before they start to sell. There are certain kinds of items that sell extremely well on Etsy while others won’t sell at all. You need to find your balance point according to your niche and figure out your unique sweet spot.

Hello there! If you’ve decided to take the plunge into the world of Etsy e-commerce but are not sure what to sell to make a profit, we are here to help. We’ll give you a list of the best selling items on Etsy and tell you in detail about the strategies you need to follow to sell well on Etsy.  Whether you are a long-time Etsy entrepreneur looking to change your product lineup to boost sales or a new one looking at creating a product portfolio that sells well, we have sound advice in store for you.

 

Selling well on Etsy is all about a mix of intuition and objectivity. You can follow some formulas, but it’s equally important to know the trends and then draw your own conclusions. The market for creative and crafty items can be pretty unpredictable, so it’s essential to keep experimenting and innovating. Blindly following the existing trends might not do the trick for you.

 

You must remember that Etsy is not the place to start selling random products with over-enthusiasm! Doing foolproof research even before starting your Etsy store is imperative. It’s equally important to know what not to sell on Etsy. Every e-commerce site has its USP; an Amazon bestseller might have zero demand on Etsy. Make sure you weigh all the pros and cons before finalizing your product line.

In this post, we will give you a step-by-step guide to figuring out what are the best-selling items on Etsy.

Etsy Best Selling Items Key Takeaways

• An Exhaustive list of Etsy best-selling items.
• Strategies for Selling Well on Etsy.
• Tips & Tactics for Maximum Audience Engagement to Boost Sales
• Multi-Channel Marketing for Selling Well on Etsy
• How to Innovate within a Popular Etsy Category to Create Your Brand USP
• How to Leverage Etsy Algorithm for Boosting Sales
• How to Create Season-Specific Unique Product Lines
• How to Create a Balanced Product Line
• How to Ensure Your Etsy Products Stand Out

Tips to Determine What Sells Best on Etsy

Before getting to know about the best-selling products on Etsy, let’s dive into the process of figuring out the best-selling Etsy products.

You must adhere to some method and structure for finalizing your Etsy product strategy. Here are a few tips you can use to determine what items sell the best on Etsy.

1.    Comprehensive Research

Comprehensive research is the key to determining what Etsy items sell best and generating the maximum average clicks.

You could use research tools like Think With Google or Google Trends to find the latest buzzwords. What kind of items do Etsy shoppers search for the most? What are the general search patterns you can see?

Also, you must not underestimate the power of  Etsy’s search engine. Simple keyword searches using phrases like “top products”, “ Trending Right Now”, or “ Popular Right Now” will give you a fair idea of what kind of items sell the most on Etsy. You could also use long-tail keywords related to your niche and create a list of the top searches. You could also consider going through their Trend Report to know all about the latest market insights.

It’s also worth checking out data resources like Statista for comprehensive information regarding Etsy statistics. Analyzing all that data would help you make an informed decision.

2.    Create a Balanced Product Line

Having a theoretical idea of what sells well on Etsy can only get you that far.

It’s now time to analyze all those findings and implement those in the form of a balanced product line.

You must ensure that you don’t confuse your audience with too many different kinds of items but also offer enough variety to keep them engaged. For example. If your niche is customized jewelry, you must incorporate different kinds of pieces. You must give them a well-curated section of a wide variety of jewelry pieces – earrings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants, etc. People don’t want to stay browsing at a shop that confuses them with products from all over the place. But they also don’t want to waste their time at a store that doesn’t offer any variety.

Now that you’ve gotten a rough estimate of the variety of items that sell well in your niche, it’s time to experiment and innovate to create your unique product line.

3.    Research Etsy Competitors

Researching the competitor landscape is a great way of figuring out what to sell on Etsy.

Use various competitor research and keyword tools to check out the list of top-selling Etsy stores and their related listings.

Now dive deep into research mode and check out the product attributes of the best-selling products of the top merchants in your niche. What is the USP of those items? What unique advantages do they offer to customers over similar products sold by other sellers? What kind of unique products can you see that you can’t find elsewhere?

From customized jewelry, vintage clothing, party supplies, and custom art to pet accessories and wellness products, you can find everything in the Etsy marketplace. You must create a list of the top products in your niche and decide on your Etsy product line accordingly.

4.    Find the best products in your niche and add your unique spin

Creating a great Etsy product line is all about being innovative and creative.

Most of the popular Etsy categories are highly competitive. So unless and until you create something unique, your items would get overshadowed by popular sellers.

You need to find a popular product category and give it a unique interpretation. It could be an added advantage offered by your product that other products in the niche aren’t offering, or some distinct feature, or something unique in terms of look and conception.

For example, if your niche is handmade mugs, you have to think of a core concept and design items accordingly. Etsy is saturated with shops selling handmade mugs. What is it about your mugs that people would prefer those over similar stuff made by other sellers? You must find an answer to all these questions before you create your product line.

Top 8 Best-Selling Items on Etsy

Etsy has a user base of over 95 million active buyers!

It has a vast network of 7.3 million sellers.

According to various official estimates, Etsy generated revenue worth 2.2. Billion dollars in 2022, registering more than a 10 percent increase year-on-year.

For the sellers, it’s essential to know which items sell like hotcakes on Etsy.

Let’s find out!

1.    What to Sell on Etsy: Customized & Handmade Jewelry

 Jewelry of all kinds remains one of the best selling items on Etsy in 2202.

The famous Etsy jewelry store CaitlynMinimalist was a top seller in 2023 with 2,254,552 sales!

Unique and customized jewelry is always in high demand amongst customers across all age groups. It’s the perfect gift for Weddings, Anniversaries, Mother’s  Day, Valentine’s Day, New Year, Christmas, etc.

Furthermore, the global jewelry market is predicted to grow to 330 billion dollars by 2026. There couldn’t be a better time to start your Etsy jewelry business. You just need to create stunning and visually appealing pieces in all shapes, sizes, and styles. Add a bunch of themes to your jewelry pieces to give them that Midas touch and attract more customers!

You can check out the Etsy search engine for the top categories of jewelry sold on Etsy and get some inspiration for your product line.

Some of the unique categories that sell well on Etsy include

• Crystal Jewelry
• Clay Jewelry
• Body Jewelry
• Personalized Jewelry
• Custom Name Jewelry
• Vintage Jewelry
• Minimalistic Jewelry
• Custom Necklace
• Boho/Hippie Jewelry
• Bracelets
• Earrings
• Rings

Research the Etsy marketplace to find out the latest jewelry trends and introduce products accordingly. For example, jewelry with minimalistic and modern designs is quite popular on Etsy. So you could innovate within this segment and create your signature pieces.

The best part about setting up a jewelry shop on Etsy is the flexible nature of this business. One can design jewelry using a wide range of tools and materials. The skill set required is fairly diverse. You can customize according to your budget; the idea is to create unique pieces that capture the latest trends. You can do this within a reasonable budget as well.

2.    What to Sell on Etsy – Clothing

Clothing remains one of the most sought-after products on Etsy. Who doesn’t love a cool t-shirt with distinct designs and jazzy, funky, and edgy taglines?

The keyword clothing generates more than 16 million results on the Etsy search engine. But it’s a highly competitive category. The Etsy marketplace is choc-a-bloc with custom t-shirts, sweatshirts, mom clothing, bridesmaid clothing, baby clothing, etc. How do you carve out your own space? How to attract the right customer?

The key to success in this niche is creativity. If you want to become an Etsy top performer in selling clothing, you must curate your items around a specific theme. Theme-based clothing is what really draws the customer’s eye.

If you are selling t-shirts, what kind of unique designs, cuts, and illustrations do you offer that the customer can’t find in other Etsy shops? If baby clothing is your niche, you must conduct adequate R&D to find out all about the best fabrics that are gentle and delicate on baby skin. When it comes to marketing clothes for the little ones, your product quality will make you stand out.

Some of the popular categories of Etsy clothing are

• Handmade Clothing
• Vintage Clothing
• Baby Clothing
• Customized T-Shirts
• Bridesmaid Clothing
• Futuristic Clothing
• Bohemian Clothing
• Grunge Clothing
• Gothic Clothing
• Embroidered Clothing

Customization is the key to selling well in this niche. No one is going to get on Etsy to buy a basic pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Customers look for unique stuff out here.

The key is to sell clothing that reflects their lifestyle, hobbies, and personality. For example, you could sell t-shirts with customized pet names, car names, illustrations of popular music bands, cartoon characters, flora & fauna, etc.

There are many clothing ideas to sell on Etsy, but the most important thing to remember is your design and concept game have to be top-notch.

3.    What to Sell on Etsy – Vintage Items

Vintage items are one of the top-selling categories on Etsy.

In fact, Etsy is best known for handmade and vintage items,

Vintage items are highly sought-after by customers since they help them to make a cultural and fashion statement. Also, many of these items have wonderful background stories and historical value attached to them so these vintage treasures are in great demand.

Etsy offers a huge range of vintage items including

• collectibles
• Jewelry
• home decor items
• Vintage clothing
• sewing patterns
• Teacups
• Vintage furniture
• Vinyl Records
• Books
• Antique Postcards
• Antique Charms
• Art and Posters
• Kitchenware

The Etsy criteria for your items to be classified as “verified vintage items” is very strict. They must be at least 20 years old to earn this formal classification. But you can always create products inspired by the vintage style even if they cannot be technically classified as vintage. These could be vintage-style jewelry, clothing with a vintage aesthetic, home decor items with a vintage feel, etc.

The keyword vintage generates more than 22 million search results on Etsy. So you could always create items inspired by vintage aesthetics and use the term vintage generously in your product descriptions, tags, and shop name to boost sales.

If you have some real vintage items to sell, be sure to share their background stories with the audience. What is their historical significance? What makes them unique and rare? How did you come to collect them?

One of the most popular vintage items on Etsy are t-shirts with vintage designs.

4.    What to Sell on Etsy – Stickers

Stickers sound like such a niche item, but you’d be surprised to know they are one of the top bestsellers on Etsy.

PlannerKate 1, one of the Etsy top sellers specializing in stickers hit a sales figure of almost 2 million.

The best thing about this item is that they are easy to make, and the investment required is minimal. They sell so incredibly well because they can be used for multiple purposes. High demand combined with low investment makes this product category a lucrative Etsy business idea.

You can find a stunning collection of all kinds of stickers on Etsy that includes

• Wall Stickers
• Bumper Stickers
• Planner Stickers Kits
• Personalized Vinyl Stickers
• Inspirational Quotes Stickers
• Personalized Pet Stickers
• Custom Text Stickers
• Boho Stickers
• Stickers Pack
• Book Cover Stickers
• Stickers for Laptop

With designs ranging from whacky and comical to sleek and professional, the sticker market on Etsy is highly varied with something in there for every customer type.

The key to doing well in this niche is to determine the purpose of the stickers and then conceptualize and implement a design accordingly.

For example, if you are making wall stickers for use in a kid’s room, you’ll be using lots of colors and designs with an element of fairy tale fantasy and comic characters. But you cannot have the same design approach while making stickers for use on a laptop. There, your design has to be more minimalist and contemporary.

Stickers are one of the easiest-to-make items on Etsy. All you need is creativity and decent graphic design skills. It’s a great niche for new entrepreneurs. This niche also allows you to create customized bulk sets and decide different price points accordingly.

5.    What to Sell on Etsy – Home Decor

Home Decor is an evergreen Etsy niche. People are always looking for decorative items to do up their homes and brighten up their living spaces.

Etsy is the ideal e-commerce platform for unique handmade home decor products with a touch of personalization.

It’s a highly competitive category, but the plus side is you have many product options available. So you can choose a sub-niche and create a lucrative product line.

The work-from-home trend took off during the pandemic, and it still continues. Therefore, the demand for home decor products is only going to increase with time.

It’s a flexible niche where you can create a unique product line depending on your budget. If you are on a limited budget, you could create small handmade home decor items and handicrafts. Digital art is also a great choice for new entrepreneurs wanting to enter this niche.

Some of the popular product categories in this niche are

• Customized Wall Art
• Furniture
• Lamps
• Rugs
• Mugs
• Customized Photo Frames
• Handmade Candles
• Candle Holders
• Decorative Cushions
• Picture Frames
• Vases
• Wall Hangings
• Posters
• Custom Pet Portraits
• Personalized Family Sign
• Custom Neon Signs
• Kitchen Accessories
• Retro Decor Items
• Wooden Decor Pieces
• Personalized Tea Sets
• Handmade Statues & Sculptures

Home decor is a massive category so you have to be really smart and meticulous with your research.

Scan the Etsy search engine for the main keyword “ Home Decor” and all related keywords such as “ home decor wall art, “ home decor signs”, “home decor and gifts”, etc. Once you’ve had a thorough look at the top seller items in each category, finalize the specific kind of products you want to make. Then decide within that type, what is lacking in the currently available products that you can improve upon. This is how you will conceptualize your unique product.

6.    What to Sell on Etsy – Digital Downloads

Digital downloads are one of the most economical Etsy categories to start a business.

All you need is oodles of creativity, a great design aesthetic, good graphic design skills, and access to an efficient workstation.

It’s one of those Etsy businesses where you can easily go solo and begin to sell immediately. Since you are creating stuff digitally and selling it as downloads, there is no hassle of taking care of logistics.

Many people sell art and designs as digital downloads. But that’s not the only digital item category you can sell through the platform. There are many other printables you can create and add to your product line.

Digital downloads and printables are priced extremely low. That might make you think this isn’t a profitable niche. But that’s far from true. Since it’s printables, there is no limit to the number of items you can sell. You can make huge profits if your Etsy shop becomes popular.

Few categories of items you can sell as digital downloads are

• Digital Planners
• Stickers
• Digital Daily Journals
• Printable Art
• Svg bundles
• T-Shirt Designs
• Printable Business Card Bundles
• Printable Birthday Cards
• Handwritten Fonts
• Clipart
• Custom Logo Designs
• Printable Book Covers
• Digital Calendar
• Printable Checklists

If you would like to create a printables business on Etsy but have limited graphic designing skills, you could consider outsourcing the design work. You can then produce in bulk and sell customized bundles under different product categories.

The most important thing is to do thorough keyword research on Etsy. You must check out the top stores in this niche, take a look at their offerings, and read their product descriptions in detail. You must read the marketing copy of top sellers and see the common patterns to boost your own sales.

7.    What to Sell on Etsy – Wedding Products

Etsy is the perfect marketplace to sell wedding products and gifts.

Wedding products are a highly profitable Etsy niche; weddings take place year-round, and people have to invest in wedding essentials. Moreover, there is a huge market for wedding gifts.

Etsy is a platform known for creativity and personalization. And a wedding requires an intense degree of personalization! Every wedding is special and to make the event unique, many artsy items are required. From elegantly crafted wedding invitation cards, decorations, dresses, wedding cakes, and customized gift packs for guests to bridesmaid costumes and personalized wedding rings, there are so many wedding items you could create and sell.

It’s a highly flexible genre. There is space for every level of Etsy entrepreneur irrespective of their budget. To begin with, you could easily create wedding invites and then sell them as printables. It’s a win-win situation for the customers as they get to customize the design and colors according to their preferences and write their own personalized messages.

Here are a few categories of wedding products that sell well on Etsy

• Wedding Invitation Cards
• Wedding Dresses
• Bride Accessories
• Bridesmaid Dresses
• Wedding Jewelry
• Wedding Guestbooks
• Wedding Planners
• Personalized Couple Gifts
• Personalized Wedding Ring Box
• Wedding Decor Items
• Bridal Bouquet
• Anniversary Journal
• Custom Neon Signs
• Wedding Cakes
• Wedding Cake Accessories
• Wedding Favors Gifts
• Newspaper Wedding Program downloads

The wedding products and gifts niche is a super exciting Etsy business area. You can create a product line out of the simplest of things that a couple would use together in their day-to-day life and create lasting memories.

From cutting boards to mugs and charcuterie boards to custom couple t-shirts and wellness products, there are plenty of ideas to choose from. It’s all about how you curate and market your Etsy wedding collection.

One thing to keep in mind is that it’s a specialized niche, and you need to have a sound working knowledge of the wedding market before taking a plunge into this business area!

8.    What to Sell on Etsy – Craft Supplies

The term craft supplies generates almost 17 million results on the Etsy search engine!

People like to try out new activities all the time. They love creating DIY items and trying their hand at crafts of all kinds.

As an Etsy business dealing in craft supplies and tools, you will have a varied customer base. Your customers would include people from all age groups wanting to try out new stuff during holidays and professional artists and craftspersons.

Craft supplies are a growing Etsy niche that can be tapped into. The best part is you don’t need to be an artist yourself to sell craft items. You won’t be creating full-fledged art and craft pieces but will simply figure out what kind of craft materials and tools are in great demand. You would source the base material from wholesale suppliers and then create your own unique product.

You need a sharp business sense and an eye for creativity to excel in this niche. You don’t have to be an artist yourself, but you must know how to brand your products and differentiate them from the craft supplies sold by other Etsy stores.

Craft supplies are a huge category. The best thing is to create a cohesive product line and stick to a maximum of two or three item types. For example, you could have your store focusing on selling DIY kits of all kinds. Or you could have an Etsy store that sells various kinds of embroidery kits. The idea is to stay away from the clutter but introduce enough variety in your products to keep the customer hooked.

Some of the best-selling products in the Etsy craft supplies niche are

• Stickers
• Beads, Claws, and Hooks
• Antique Charms
• DIY Beginner Craft Kits
• Sewing accessories and tools
• Crochet Patterns
• Art Supplies
• Craft Paper Packs
• Junk Journal Kits
• Printable Craft Supplies
• Vintage Paper
• Christmas Craft Supplies
• Handmade Envelopes
• Handmade Confetti
• Party Decorations
• Personalized Buntings and Garlands
• Crystals
• Gardening Kits
• Lace Sets
• Handmade Paper Flowers
• Binding Tools
• Ribbons
• Yarn

Many of the Etsy best sellers come from this niche.

It is an evergreen category year-round, but you must bring in special products and bundles during holidays and the festive season.

The secret to success in this niche is constant innovation and giving the customer relevant stuff they can use at reasonable prices.

 

Check out our article on Etsy vs. Shopify – Which Is Better? Shopify or Etsy? & How Does Etsy Work? Top Etsy Tips.

Wrapping Up

We’ve given you an exhaustive list of items you can sell on Etsy to boost sales.

We have also provided you with an overview of strategies you can adopt for choosing the right product type for your Etsy shop from the vast range of options available in each niche.

Finally, you should keep a few points in mind to take your Etsy business to the next level!

1.    Optimize Your Store

No matter how unique and good quality your products are, none is going to know about them unless they rank higher up on the Etsy search engine.

A good SEO marketing strategy is a must for optimizing your Etsy store. If you think you are not skilled enough to do this job, hire an expert. But your SEO game must be top-notch by all means.

You must add relevant tags to all your listings and keep crisp, precise, and easy-to-understand product tiles. And finally, you must include high-quality and catchy photographs to support your products.

2.    Your Pricing Strategy Must be Effective

You must apply an effective pricing strategy for your Etsy business to be a success.

The prices of your items shouldn’t be irrationally high, but neither should they be overtly low. The quality of your product should be able to justify the price tag. The best strategy to follow is to check out the average price of the product category you are dealing with and then decide your unique price point accordingly.

Solid market research is a must for formulating an effective pricing strategy. You should keep track of the prices offered by your competitors and go for bundle pricing to optimize sales.

3.    Enhance Customer Experience

Finally, you must strive to improve customer experience to strengthen your Etsy brand.

Engage with your customers through social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

Remember that customer engagement is the key to increasing customer demand for your product. Establishing a rapport with the customers and getting their valuable feedback will also help you improve your product offerings.