In this modern digital era, a website called Etsy is revolutionizing handmade and vintage items sales.
In case you didn’t know yet, people make a lot of money from selling on Etsy. So take note of these 11 best things to sell on Etsy to start earning an extra income.
The competition in e-commerce is increasing due to more people preferring online shops. So if you are planning to put up an online business, this may seem like a challenge to make money.
But recently, I found an e-commerce site that sells unique goods.
Etsy is an online market that features handmade, vintage, and craft items for sale. And if you are determined to enter this platform, it will surely bring you a lot of money.
If you’re looking for other ideas you can generate some extra income check out these articles as well.
How to Make an Extra $1,000 a Month
What Is Etsy?
Etsy is an e-commerce site like Sellfy and Shopify that promotes handcrafted and vintage goods. The products range from jewelry, accessories, clothing, shoes, home decorations, furniture, party decorations, toys, art pieces, collectibles, and other craft supplies.
As of December 31, 2018, a report stated that Etsy had over 60 million items for sale on their site. It has more than 2 million sellers catering to almost 40 million buyers.
More than 1.5 million stores are open to serve in Etsy, and the top sellers sell over 500 transactions a day.
How Much Money Can You Earn On Etsy?
A lot of you may be curious. ‘Is it possible to earn from selling on Etsy?’ Most of the time, those adept in the industry may give you unclear or vague answers.
They will say that it is the same in other businesses where you earn depending on the effort and time.
Well, here is an answer to that:
Cassie Smallwood earned more than $1000 within three months of owning an Etsy shop.
Fuzzy and Birch made approximately $4000 within 30 days of selling.
Handmade Journey made a profit of over $50000 just by selling for a year.
These shops vary in their services and goods offered: from fashion, vintage, and wood products, they all make a whopping six-figure income.
If you don’t want to make physical products, you could also launch a print-on-demand store to sell clothing (you can sell via Etsy as well).
Starting a small business is almost the same thing as running an Etsy shop. You still have to plan well to attract more customers and promote your products better.
Just like any business out there, you will experience failures or not get any sales. It is entirely normal.
How Much Do You Pay To Sell On Etsy?
It is free to open an Etsy shop! But there are fees to pay that you have to know before running your store.
It will cost you $0.20 per item to list and display for four months.
There is a 5% commission charge that Etsy takes from the selling price of your item.
Also, postage fees are depending on the courier you chose for delivery. But, you can add the cost on top of the item’s selling price so customers can shoulder it.
How To Be An Etsy Seller?
First, you need to sign-up and create an Etsy account. Your profile will serve as the account behind your shop and also for browsing other seller’s stores.
You can create your profile by uploading a profile picture or business logo to introduce yourself in the Etsy community.
Great! Now, these are just the beginning of your journey in Etsy. Upon opening your shop, manage your account by clicking ‘Sell on Etsy’ through its app or site.
Remember that you do not need to acquire a business permit or similar paperwork to sell on Etsy.
But after setting up your shop, what will you sell?
Things To Sell On Etsy
If you are talented in creating arts and crafts or are just creative in general, you can surely earn on Etsy. There are many products to consider but what are the best things to sell in your shop?
Items like personalized goods, fashion accessories, cards, pins, or knitted clothes are ideas on what to sell on the platform.
Even though Etsy promotes handmade crafts that are products of creativity, being creative is unnecessary, but it can be advantageous.
Some sellers make a fortune from selling printables and note organizers, but we will talk more about that later.
How To Find The Top Sellers On Etsy?
You can access the site Etsy Rank that provides you data to see the top sellers of Etsy and how much they earn.
By scrolling through the list, you can quickly determine which categories are selling the most. They are mostly planners, pieces of jewelry, and plant-related items.
11 Best Things To Sell On Etsy:
These are just eleven of the best things you can sell on your Etsy shop to start earning. As long as you are interested in joining, then you can make it happen.
Since we mentioned creativity is unnecessary for this platform to make money, you can source suppliers who sell creative and unique goods that you think fit Etsy.
Now let’s get on the list!
Handmade Pieces Of Jewelry
Among the items on the site, jewelry makes the most money. These items are handmade, varying from necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and other accessories.
These days, they sell better because they are customizable according to the buyer’s request. People find it more memorable and meaningful to give handmade and personalized jewelry rather than a standard one.
Handmade jewelry pieces are popular during weddings or special events because they can serve as memorabilia for these occasions.
If you are creative, you can craft products even at home.
Jewelry Supplies
If you are not talented enough to create your craft, why not sell to the crafters? These products are a more leisurely take on selling jewelry that can take you hours to make.
Jewelry supplies are useful items to sell, especially as more people are flowing with creative juices and want to make personalized jewelry.
Take advantage of this and be a jewelry supplies seller. You can make a lot of money from selling them.
Party Decorations
People enjoy parties, that’s why they are willing to spend on special occasions. And what makes a party complete? The party decorations.
When we say party decorations, these can include party banners, cake toppers, invitation cards, and other unique accessories.
These products are the most popular at weddings. They are one of the most searched items on Etsy.
Printables and Digital Artwork
Digital products are the best when you can’t be bothered to manage deliveries. For example, printables digitally made are items that buyers can personally print.
These works include stickers, planners, personalized notebooks, stationery items, and other crafts created in digital space.
I want to recommend selling planner printables, considering it is one of the bestsellers on Etsy under the category of printables.
So if you are fond of using planners, and now you know it is one of the bestsellers, consider selling planner printables on Etsy.
This category can also be at your advantage if you are not particularly keen on the shipping aspect seeing that it is hassle-free.
You may also take courses that teach anything you need to know about printables. You can learn more about the process of creating, marketing, and selling them for your Etsy shop.
Mugs and Socks
Do you think socks and wooden beer mugs are outdated? Well, they are still a thing! Even you might have received a mug or sock as a gift.
But why is it that these items are still popularly selling? Simple. They are practical to give and to use.
Toys
Of course, kids love toys. Find a kid who doesn’t. Toys are one of the best sellers in Etsy because of their demand among children.
There are also handmade wooden toys that customers purchase for babies. Also, slime and Play-Doh sell well for older kids.
Kids’ Clothes
Guess who made its return? Knitted outfits did that. They are one of the easiest to sell on Etsy while also making you a lot of money.
People enjoy the softness and comfort of wearing knitted clothing. And surprisingly, they are becoming quite the trend.
Accessories
Accessories, in general, are one of the most sought-after items on Etsy. These include hair ties, headbands, scarves, wallets, purses, or even leather accessories.
You can also market these accessories to babies up to toddlers.
Pet Supplies
Pet owners spend money on their pets. So selling random cute but fun-to-wear accessories for pets can be an excellent item to sell on Etsy.
You can also put up in your list the usual pet supplies like collars, leashes, tags, bathing essentials, toys, and other accessories. Anything pet-related makes good money on Etsy.
Vintage Goods
Vintage goods can be pleasing for most consumers because of the vibes and special feeling you get from them. Items like clothes, shoes, accessories, jewelry pieces, or even toys, can sell well on Etsy.
Supplies
In general, suppliers are best sellers on Etsy, especially people who are trying out DIY projects.
These projects can be home redecoration; that is why fabrics, wallpapers, and other decorations sell best on Etsy.
Other DIY projects that need supplies need the creativeness of buyers. Products such as yarn, fabric, sequins, beads, stencils, patterns, or different types of papers all seem to sell well.
If you can access these supplies, you are in for the successful ride of selling them on Etsy.
How To Find Customers For My Etsy Shop?
You do not need to direct web traffic on your Etsy shop to be noticed, unlike other shops where you need to set up your location with more foot traffic strategically.
Read these ways to find customers for your Etsy shop:
Pinterest is a free image-sharing social media platform that can help you get customers for your shop. The site aims to promote unique discoveries for people, so this is perfect to market your Etsy products.
Set Up Your Website
You can create a website where you write about the products you sell. You can freely promote your Etsy shop and direct potential customers there.
SEO
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) will help in boosting your shop’s presence. As long as you understand SEO, your Etsy shop will show up when someone searches a keyword.
Social Media
Another free tool to use is social media. You can share posts about your products and direct them to your Etsy shop through Instagram, Facebook, or other social media apps.
Email List
Email lists can help you engage with potential customers when they sign up. They will receive email notifications of products or any information regarding your Etsy shop.
You can attract more customers when you know the right strategies to market your shop. With your collected list of emails, send them lists of your items for sale.
Also, give them discounts and coupons as a reward if they gave a useful review or followed your Etsy shop.
Here’s a piece of advice:
Don’t find your customers; instead, let them see you. Meaning, find ways to make it easier for customers to find your products and shop.
How To Successfully Sell On Etsy?
Other than knowing the best things to sell on Etsy to make you more profit, other factors can affect your success on this platform.
- Sell products that are in demand but worth the price.
- Improve your Etsy SEO to rank higher on online searches.
- Provide exemplary customer services to get good reviews.
Another tip is to get inspiration from other best-selling shops on Etsy. Find out what they sell, how to sell it, how to photograph their products, or how they write their product descriptions?
Follow their best practices to be a top-selling shop.
Things To Be Aware Of On Etsy
Before starting up your shop, make yourself aware of these things when using Etsy to sell:
Three-day Cash Out Policy
Etsy is a good catch for an e-commerce site, but it still has its disadvantages. You can freely choose how often you would like to get paid: daily, weekly or monthly.
However, you cannot instantly get your money. It takes you about three days to cash out your earnings from your Etsy shop. You can also receive the payment through your bank account.
If you need instant cash out of the money you made, it is not an excellent deal.
Fees
As mentioned above, there are fees to watch out for in Etsy, like listing fees, commission percentage, and postage fees.
These charges can decrease your Etsy shop earnings monthly, so make sure that you reasonably priced your items and allocate Etsy’s fee from your balance.
How To Sell On Etsy As A Beginner?
Here are essential tips that can help beginners make money by selling on Etsy:
1. Determine The Demand For Your Product
Do research first to make sure that the products you are planning to sell have a high demand. Observe if people are willing to spend money on your crafts or products you plan to sell.
If it is not in demand, then this may be an expensive venture for you.
2. Engage With Etsy Community
After setting up your profile, participate in discussions or forums with other sellers on Etsy. Ask for advice and experiences using the platform to have an idea of what you may experience.
Interaction builds a stronger connection and relationship in the community that helps you promote your shop among Etsy sellers.
3. Post High-Quality Photos
You know what to sell on your Etsy shop, now take good pictures of your products. Try using angles, lightings, highlights, colors, and depths to emphasize details.
Upload your photos in the highest quality possible to create a professional and artistic impression.
Let the customers see the actual look of your products by highlighting their beauty.
4. Be A Responsive Seller
Customers are highly likely to purchase from shops that have responsive and accommodating sellers. Reply direct answers to their queries, and give feedback to them.
These gestures can make the customers happy, and when they are satisfied, they give positive feedback on your shop. It increases your popularity among Etsy shops.
An additional tip is to create a ‘thank you’ card to include in your packaging. This little gesture pays off in the long run!
Etsy Courses To You Can Take
Udemy offers courses that are reasonably priced and help you learn more about running an Etsy shop. It also shows you how to find the best items to sell to make you more money.
Udemy is an online learning site to improve your SEO skills as an Etsy seller. You will learn a lot to help launch your Etsy shop and how you can continuously improve it.
Also, you do not need any experience before enrolling in this course. When you subscribe to Udemy, you can access plenty of lectures and even lifetime access to them.
The End
We’ve come to an end for this article. You’ve read everything you need to start your Etsy shop and what to sell to help you earn more.
Hopefully, you now have excellent knowledge of making money from selling on Etsy and sourcing the best products to market.
Again, if you’re looking for other ideas you can generate some extra income check out these articles.
