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Did you know that Etsy can be a great place to start a side hustle and grow your passion into a business? There are tons of easy things to make and sell on Etsy, from jewelry to candles to art. Etsy makes it easy to create your own store, stock it with your items, and begin selling to customers.
If you already have a hobby in mind you want to start selling then follow Etsy’s guidelines on how to set up an Etsy shop here. If you aren’t sure what you could easily make and sell on Etsy then read the below list to kick start your own small business.
How much can you make on Etsy?
How much you make on Etsy depends on a few things: what the cost of your items are, how many items you can sell, and how good your marketing is. Let’s start with how Etsy makes money.
Etsy charges the following for items listed and sold in your Etsy shop:
- 20 cents for each listing you have in your Etsy shop. This 20-cent fee is charged each time your item is sold. Listings expire after 4 months and you can pay 20 cents to relist it.
- 5% transaction fee for each item sold.
- 3% +$0.25 payment processing fee.
- 15% for offsite ads (if you make a sale from the ad). Etsy pays to advertise your items and you only pay when you make a sale from the ad. You can choose to opt out of this.
Let’s look at an example.
If you’re selling an item for $10 on Etsy, your breakdown may look like the following:
You would take home around $8.75 for that sale. If ads were used to procure the sale then an additional $1.50 would be deducted.
When setting your sales price on Etsy, it’s important to make sure you are listing your item at a competitive price but also one that reflects the time it takes for you to make it. Items like digital prints are fairly easy to duplicate whereas a handmade toy takes much longer.
How to successfully market your shop on Etsy
There are millions of sellers on Etsy, so it’s important to do research on the products you wish to sell. There are a few key rules to follow.
1. Choose a product that is in demand
A good place to start is by looking at the headers that Etsy supplies on their homepage, as well as the categories listed beneath. These are indications that these products are popular enough to have their own headings and may be good to look into for your own shop. You can also check out Etsy’s best-selling stores to see which types of stores are performing the best.
2. Set the price of the product competitively
You want to set the sale price of your products high enough to be worth your time and maximize profits, but don’t want to outprice yourself out of the competition. Search through stores in your niche to get a better understanding of what other stores are selling the same products for. You can get an idea of how well these stores do by the number of ratings and reviews they have.
3. Use good SEO to rank high in their search
Etsy is a search engine much like Google, and it’s important to have good SEO, or search engine optimization, when creating your product pages and shop info. Do this by adding relevant keywords to your product description and shop’s “About” page. Not sure which keywords to target? Take a look at other successful stores in your area and see which keywords they are using.
4. Take good product photos
Pictures are worth a thousand words, and if you have poor quality photos on your Etsy page it will reflect on your sales. Take quality pictures of your Etsy products by making sure they are well lit and clear. Your pictures are what will draw people in, so make them count.
5. Offer competitive shipping
These days most customers expect free shipping with their purchases, and it’s possible you could lose the sale if you don’t offer it. If shipping is costly for you, see if you can sneak the cost of shipping into the price of the product to help with the cost. If your product is unique and high quality, buyers may not have issues with the shipping. Once again, you can take a look at other shop’s in your niche and survey whether they charge shipping or not to get an idea of what works in your field.
What are easy things to make and sell on Etsy?
There are elaborate items sold on Etsy from homemade furniture all the way to musical instruments, but there are plenty of easy items you can make and sell on Etsy too. The below list is just a few items to consider if you are wanting to start your own Etsy shop.
1. Jewelry
Jewelry is one of the most popular genres on Etsy and many prospective buyers flock to Etsy for custom jewelry. You’d be surprised what you can make with supplies from your local craft store, but there are plenty of ways to step up your jewelry game as well through more advanced techniques. You can check out how to start a jewelry business here for more info.
2. Digital prints and products
Digital prints and products are one of the easiest things to make and sell on Etsy. You create the item one time and then can sell it as many times thereafter as you want. You also don’t need to pay for shipping if you send the product electronically. These products can include art prints, budgeting sheets, invitations, and cards. You can do research through the digital print shop to see what is popular. Procreate is a great digital illustration app if you want to start designing your own prints.
3. Planner items
Products for planners are very popular on Etsy. This can include stickers, digital prints for your planners, and planners themselves. Make sure to come up with a unique design to separate yourself from the competition.
4. Candles and holders
Candles are popular on Etsy, especially when they come in cute or funny holders. Making candles is pretty easy and you can learn how to make them here. Then work to come up with cute or funny sayings for your candle holders and you’ve got a nice Etsy candle.
5. Bath bombs and salts
Bath bombs are another easy way to create fun bed and bath products. You can learn how to make bath bombs here.
6. Art and photographs
Selling your art on Etsy can be a great option, particularly if you already love to create art. There are plenty of art mediums on Etsy that sell including paintings, photographs, sculptures, glass art, etc. The best part about art is because it’s more or less subjective you just have to find the right buyer.
7. T-shirts
T-shirts are very popular on Etsy, but you’ll need to be able to print your T-shirts and come up with cute and fun designs. Good niches to target here are wedding or bachelorette shirts.
8. Vinyl accessories
Creating vinyl products that go on mugs, cars, cell phone covers- really anything you can think of. You can get started by purchasing a Cricut starter bundle here.
Are there easy things to make and sell on Etsy?
Yes! Choose one of the above products are research the site and find a product that fits your skill sets and interests. Creating an Etsy store can be a great way to learn about business and transactions as well as start bringing in additional income.