Picture this: Salted fish is traded for fur and feed grains. A block of wood is whittled into a toy horse and sold at an artisan market. Wool is stretched and woven into a blanket before exchanging hands at a roadside stall. Throughout history, people have looked for things to make and sell.
Today, in the age of global commerce and mass-produced goods, you might be surprised to learn that the market for handcrafted products is expanding. Growing at a 10.5% compound annual growth rate, it’s expected to reach a staggering $1.16 billion by 2035, proof that it’s never been easier to sell online.
Selling handmade goods is an ideal first business for aspiring entrepreneurs. In most cases, you can make money from home with minimal upfront investment.
Ahead, explore 23 ideas for things to make and sell online, with suggestions for every skill level, from the beginner to the advanced craftsperson.
23 products to make and sell from home
- Bath bombs
- Soaps
- T-shirts
- Jewelry
- Curated subscription boxes
- Candles
- Sweets
- Art prints
- Digital products
- Enamel pins
- Pottery and clay objects
- Pet supplies
- Music
- Photography
- Woodworking projects
- Tote bags
- Condiments
- Essential oil blends
- Paper products
- DIY tutorials and online courses
- Personalized products
- Gift baskets and boxes
- Natural cosmetics
Take a look at these 23 ideas for products to make and sell:
1. Bath bombs
Bath bombs are a solid mixture of baking soda, citric acid, and additives such as essential oils that fizz in the tub. The global market for bath bombs was estimated at $1.99 billion in 2024, and they have a low barrier to entry as a craft to make and sell.
Founders Isabel and Caroline Bercaw started Da Bomb Bath Fizzers in the basement of their family home when they were preteens. Since then, they’ve collaborated with brands like Disney and Mattel, and you can find their bath bombs on the shelves of Target.
You can start your own bath bomb business with a few ingredients you might already have on hand (such as baking soda, Epsom salt, and essential oils), plus a few low-cost ingredients like citric acid and plastic molds. All in, one bath bomb costs around $1 to make, and they can fetch $5 to $10 each.
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Keep your inventory tight—fresher bath bombs have more fizz.
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Investigate your raw ingredient sources to ensure they’re beauty grade and safe for skin.
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Packaging and branding are important for brands selling bath products, so don’t skimp on brand strategy. You might even consider hiring design help.
2. Soaps
If you like experimenting with fragrances, you might consider starting your own soap business. Most handmade soaps contain lye mixed with fats like oils, and you can easily make your own at home.
You’ll need supplies such as soap cutters, a blender, a microwave or slow cooker, lye-safe mixing containers, and soap molds.
To add a special touch to your products, you’ll also want to add ingredients like fragrant essential oils and dyes. You might also consider pressed flower petals and unique mold shapes.
Soap costs around $3 per bar to make, and you can sell each bar for $5 to $10.
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Lye is an essential ingredient in soap, but it’s hazardous. When you handle it, always wear gloves, long sleeves, and a face shield or goggles.
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If you want to market your soap as a luxury product, try using a premium ingredient like olive oil in place of a lower-cost ingredient like canola oil.
3. T-shirts
It’s never been easier to start a t-shirt business. Gone are the days when making t-shirts meant buying blanks in bulk and hand-printing each tee using a heat press or screen printing.
With print on demand, you create digital designs, and when a customer orders a product, your print-on-demand partner manufactures and ships the product to your customers.
“It’s a great option for those who are just starting out or even those who may want to test a product but don’t necessarily want to invest hundreds or thousands of dollars into buying in bulk,” Legendary Rootz founder Raven Gibson says in an interview with Shopify Masters.
Pricing depends on the print-on-demand service, the type of printing, and the blank t-shirt, but expect to pay your partner around $10 per shirt, excluding shipping costs. You can then sell that product for around $20.
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T-shirts and printed merch can supplement an existing business. Gyms, musicians, and charities, for example, can sell branded swag to existing audiences.
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Use a print-on-demand app like Printful, Printify, Gooten, or Gelato. These apps integrate with your Shopify store and automatically print, fulfill, and ship each order.
4. Jewelry
Jewelry is a craft that can range from relatively easy to master (say, beaded necklaces) to highly specialized (think: silversmithing). It’s a saturated market, so doing your homework is important.
Before you start a jewelry business, ask yourself: How can your designs stand out? Is there a niche market you can serve? How can you differentiate your brand?
Lauren and Alexander Ludwig, founders of Their Jewelry, decided to sell products made without copper or brass, since Lauren has an allergy to both.
“I wanted to create a line that shied away from using those types of metals and things that are a common allergy to so many people,” Lauren says in an episode of Shopify Masters.
Depending on your skill level, you might decide to start out with a simpler type of jewelry that doesn’t require soldering equipment and an upfront investment in gems or precious metals. If you make beaded friendship bracelets, for example, you can expect to pay around 70¢ per bracelet in materials and sell each bracelet for around $3 to $4.
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Validate your idea by tracking trends in jewelry—use Google Trends, and follow popular fashion creators and influencers.
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Photography is important but can be challenging because of jewelry’s scale and reflective qualities. Invest in great jewelry photography by hiring a pro. You can save money by partnering with complementary apparel brands to share the cost of lifestyle shoots.
5. Curated subscription boxes
Caption: Source: ButcherBox
If you’re an expert in a specific product category (like spices, olive oil, or wine), you might consider launching a curated subscription box business.
You can even partner with third-party warehousing and shipping companies to let you focus on growth rather than logistics, as meat-subscription-business ButcherBox did.
“The way that we built this company in a capital-efficient manner was to partner with third parties everywhere that we could,” ButcherBox founder Mike Salguero says in an interview with Shopify Masters. “We have third-party farms, third-party processing facilities, third-party state cutting facilities, third-party distribution facilities, third-party shippers, third-party customer service, and third-party technology.”
Utilizing partnerships can also let you focus on sourcing the very best products in your category, rather than focusing on packing and shipping each box.
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Calculate your storage and assembly needs. Can your home accommodate your business, or do you need to rent additional space? Can you hire a third-party partner to help you store and ship boxes?
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Ease your customers into commitment. Offer a substantial discount to those who pay for year-long subscriptions, or offer the first month free.
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Use a subscription management app like Shopify Subscriptions (which is free for Shopify users) to keep everything organized.
6. Candles
Candles are one of the easiest crafts to make. But starting a thriving candle business requires finding a new angle in a saturated market.
“All the candle brands that you admire already exist,” Kristen Pumphrey, founder of P.F. Candle Co., says in an episode of Shopify Masters. “You have to figure out: What is my niche in the market and what’s not being fulfilled?”
Early in P.F. Candle Co.’s history, Kristen decided to create a unisex candle to fill a market gap she noticed when attending craft fairs with her partner.
“He worked the booth, and he’d be at all these craft fairs and he’d say, ’You know, there’s not a lot of stuff for guys here,’” said Kristen.
At the time, the candle market leaned heavily toward floral scents and pastel colors. P.F. Candle Co. stood out with its nature-inspired scents and its brown glass jars with simple brown labels.
It costs around $5 to make a simple eight-ounce scented candle in a jar. You can sell these candles for around $10 to 25.
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Consider purchasing product liability insurance. Due to the risks of injury or fire damage, be sure to protect your craft business from lawsuits that may result from the use of your product.
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In addition to experimenting with unique scents, one way to make your products stand out is through unique product packaging and strong branding design.
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Consider offering messaging and scent customizations for personalized gifts like wedding favors.
7. Sweets
If you have a knack for baking—or just a fine-tuned sweet tooth—you might consider selling candy, cookies, baked goods, chocolates, jams, or other sweets. Candy, chocolate, and jams have a longer shelf life than other food products, so you can make products ahead of time and store inventory. Just keep in mind that this is a category with unique complications like legal regulations and labeling.
There are a number of niche markets you can explore, including sweets for holidays and custom sweets like bespoke cakes.
In order to make your company stand out on the shelf, consider investing in unique branding. Take a look at the luxury chocolate brand Compartés. The company sells specialty chocolates in design-forward packaging.
“I wanted to make it look like fashion, not like what everyone else had on the market, because why do something if I’m going to do it like everyone else?” Compartés owner Jonathan Grahm says on an episode of Shopify Masters. The packaging also makes Compartés chocolate ideal for gifting.
If you’re making chocolate at home, you’ll want to budget around $500 for equipment like molds and a melanger (a machine that tempers chocolate). Once you’re up and running, you can expect to spend around $3 to make a small chocolate bar. You can sell your small batch chocolate bars for around $9 to 15 a bar.
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Trace the supply chain. Carefully select your raw ingredient suppliers to ensure that what’s on your label matches what’s inside.
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Before you start a food business, learn about your local food business laws. One way to do this is by checking your local and state government websites. For example, California maintains a list of foods you’re allowed to make at home and sell, and you’ll need to receive a permit from your local health department if you plan to sell through resellers like coffee shops.
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Rotate your inventory and stress the importance of doing so to everyone who handles it. This can help ensure your products are always fresh.
8. Art prints
No matter your medium, there’s a good chance you can sell your art online: paintings, photographs, sculptures, textiles, and more are all good candidates for ecommerce. Art prints can be particularly conducive to ecommerce, since you can sell multiple versions of the same product.
If you want to handmake your prints, you can explore mediums like screen printing and risograph printing. Note that you’ll likely need to produce these from a printmaking studio, since the necessary equipment can be expensive.
If you want to make prints from home without a substantial upfront investment, you might consider linocut printing. You can purchase a starter kit with your first linoleum block for around $30 (minus paint, which will cost an additional $30), then sell prints from that block for around $20 to 30 each. More intricate linocuts can sell for even more.
You can also outsource the printing process with a print-on-demand integration. Your print-on-demand partner will make and ship your product, letting you save the time it takes to manufacture and ship your products.
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For high-quality product photography, consider having your work professionally photographed or scan it on a flatbed scanner. If you’re selling wall art, consider showing it within the context of a room.
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Consider reproducing your art in multiple formats, like prints, cards, t-shirts, and mugs. Do it yourself through a partnership with a print-on-demand company, or license your work to other ecommerce brands.
9. Digital products
Digital products like font licenses, wedding invitation templates, webinars, or more are all things you can make and sell from home—or anywhere with an internet connection. There are several benefits to selling digital products on your own website, including low overhead costs and not having to deal with storing inventory or shipping.
If you’re creative, you might also consider selling digital art products like virtual reality experiences, downloadable graphics, and sewing or knitting patterns. For example, designer Dustin Lee started the ecommerce company Retro Supply to sell illustration packs to fellow designers.
You can create digital products with almost no startup costs—you’ll just need a computer and design software, which might carry an initial purchase or subscription cost. Your prices will vary depending on what you’re selling. Sewing patterns, for example, often sell for around $5 to 10.
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Choose an ecommerce platform that supports digital downloads. If you’re on Shopify, you can download the free Digital Downloads app to start selling digital products right away.
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Try promoting your digital products with customer testimonials, especially if you’re selling information material like sewing patterns or design assets. This can help potential customers trust your brand, since they’ll know that it works.
10. Enamel pins
If you have a knack for creating eye-catching designs, you might consider making and selling enamel pins. There are a number of different types of enamel pins you can make, like offset epoxy pins (when a thin layer of plastic is adhered to the underlying enamel), dual-plated enamel pins (when you use two different types of metals), and soft enamel pins (when you paint the recessed areas of the pin).
You’ll usually work with a manufacturer to make enamel pins, but the creative part is up to you. Design your own, or work with a designer to bring your vision to life and build your own business.
You can then outsource manufacturing to companies like WizardPins or The/Studio, or find a manufacturer on a marketplace like Alibaba, where pins can cost around 30¢ when you buy 100 or more at a time. Pins typically retail for around $5 to $10, but you can charge more for larger pins or pins with intricate designs.
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You can use software like Canva or Photoshop to help you design your pins. Stick to solid colors (no gradients) and avoid fine details to ensure a professional-looking end result. Check with your manufacturer on the acceptable file format for your designs.
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Research manufacturers before committing, and ask the right questions: What are the clasp and material options? Can they send physical samples before you commit to a bulk purchase?
11. Pottery and clay objects
Throwing pottery on a wheel is a specialized craft that takes a lot of practice. If you’re new to the craft, check out local ceramics programs to give you the know-how and shared studio space to use a kiln and tools.
If you’re an experienced potter, you might consider selling your work to hospitality businesses in addition to retail consumers. That’s how New York ceramicist Jono Pandolfi operates his business, Jono Pandolfi Designs, which supplies dinnerware to high-end restaurants.
“The direct-to-consumer and the hospitality channels have really reinforced each other,” Jono’s brother and CFO Nick Pandolfi says on an episode of Shopify Masters. “The hospitality channel is what gets our name out there and what lets so many people find us, and then we sell direct-to-consumer at a higher margin.”
If your focus is vases, try partnering with a local florist or event planner. If you make mugs, consider selling to local coffee shops at a discounted rate.
If you’re an efficient potter, you can make each mug for as little as $6, considering clay, glaze, and electricity for the wheel and kiln. (Note that this figure assumes you own your own wheel and kiln—buying studio time varies depending on your location, but expect to pay at least a few hundred dollars per month.)
While wheel-thrown ceramics are the gold standard for objects that will hold food or water because of their glass-like glaze that makes them food safe and easy to clean, there are other types of ceramics that carry lower startup costs. Try air clay or polymer clay, for example. These can harden by themselves and only require you to buy the clay and any sculpting tools. You can make everything from beads to candlesticks to jewelry holders.
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You can make more than plates, bowls, and mugs. Ideas for things to make and sell with clay or clay alternatives include planters, sculptures, ornaments, jewelry, magnets, containers, and coasters.
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Have a future entrepreneur in your family? Safe clay alternatives can be the basis for many business ideas for kids.
12. Pet supplies
Pet owners in the US spent $152 billion on their furry friends in 2024, according to the American Pet Products Association. You can start a pet business by making handcrafted products like pet treats, collars, toys, and more.
Whatever product you choose to make, be sure to solidify a unique selling proposition that differentiates your products in the crowded pet product market. For example, the dog food and treat company Full Moon Pet promises products that are human-grade, made in the USA, and produced in small batches.
Startup costs across this industry will vary widely. Dog treats are a pet product you can make at home with little upfront investment, and you can expect to pay 82¢ to make six bakery bag–wrapped treats. You can then sell those treats for $5 to 10.
If you decide to make pet food, check with your local government to make sure you’re meeting certification requirements. If you plan to sell pet food in New York state, for example, you’ll need to register each product you sell every year.
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Use your own pets (free models!) as the “faces” of your business. Lifestyle photos can help potential customers see how an item will fit their own pet.
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If you’re making and selling dog food or treats—basically, anything that can be ingested—be sure to do your research. Are your cookie ingredients safe for pets? Do your toys have small parts that could cause choking? Have you attained the necessary licenses and registrations with your local government?
13. Music
If you’re good at making music—or have an ear for it—you might consider starting a music business. There are a number of ways to make money with music, from selling digital downloads of your songs to working as a songwriter to teaching music lessons.
If you opt to sell digital downloads, you can sell songs for around $1 or albums for around $10. Your startup investment will vary depending on your recording setup: You can spend thousands on studio time and sessions with musicians, or you can record an album at home (some successful musicians have even recorded and produced songs on an iPhone). Once you’re happy with your finished product, make sure to choose an ecommerce platform that facilitates digital downloads, like Shopify.
If you aren’t a musician yourself, you might try starting a music supply shop or launching an ecommerce record store. Take Vinyl Me, Please, an online record store that works closely with labels and musicians to press exclusive records. The company then offers those records as one-time purchases as part of its subscription option: Members receive one record a month.
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Brand storytelling is an important part of an effective marketing strategy, even when your brand is just you. If you’re marketing yourself as a musician, try sharing pieces of your personal story in addition to your tunes.
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Build your following by collaborating with other artists and sharing your music across multiple platforms.
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Beyond making a splash on social media platforms, create a website for yourself and consider selling merch and digital downloads.
14. Photography
If you know how to capture the perfect shot, you can start a photography business selling your photos online. You can sell physical prints of your work by partnering with a local print studio, printing images at home, or outsourcing the printing process to a print-on-demand company. Or, sell photos online by licensing your images on stock photography websites.
If you like working with people, consider becoming a photographer for hire, capturing weddings and special events. In that case, make sure to build a photography portfolio website to showcase your work style to potential clients.
You’ll need to invest in professional-grade equipment, which can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. However, event photographers like wedding photographers charge thousands of dollars per event.
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Consider release forms to ensure you have permission to sell photographs of people captured in your shots. You may also need permits to shoot in specific locations, like National Parks.
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If you work for hire, create packages for your product photography services. This makes it easier for potential clients to find an option that suits their budget.
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When you’re just starting out, try out a free photo-editing app to give your work an extra edge on a small budget.
15. Woodworking projects
Woodworking is a popular hobby, and it can also be a viable business opportunity. Keep in mind that this is a business idea that requires specialized equipment like lathes, so it can carry high startup costs.
Before you invest, consider taking a woodworking class at a local shop to make sure you enjoy the process. You might also consider getting started by refurbishing existing wooden objects like dressers and tables, which can help you learn about finishing without requiring you to invest in expensive equipment.
You won’t be confined to wooden furniture. Woodworking objects to make and sell include cutting boards, salt and pepper shakers, boats, ornaments, planters, furniture, toys, and more.
The cost to create wooden objects will vary widely depending on what exactly you’re making, the quality of your materials (are you using fancy hardwoods or found materials like wood pallets?), and the tools you have on hand.
As an example, if you’re building a hardwood coffee table from scratch, you can expect to pay around $150 to $200 for wood. You’ll also need to factor in the initial startup cost of tools (or the cost of visiting a woodworking shop) and the cost of finishes. However, well-constructed coffee tables can retail for upwards of $400.
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You can specialize in bespoke items like custom one-of-a-kind furniture or more affordable templated pieces. The level of effort and skill should both be reflected in your pricing strategy.
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Capture content to document the process. Potential buyers may be interested in how your products are made.
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You can get started by refurbishing existing wooden objects like tables and chairs.
16. Tote bags
If you know how to sew, you can make tote bags from scratch using canvas, reclaimed materials, or leather. To make your bags pop, try craft techniques like screen printing, felting, or appliqué to give them a unique touch.
But you don’t need to handmake each product. Consider partnering with a print-on-demand company. Simply upload your tote bag designs to a print-on-demand app, and once a customer purchases the product, your partner will manufacture and fulfill the order.
Tote bags retail for around $15 to 40. With a print-on-demand company, expect to pay around $12 per bag.
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Totes make ideal canvases for art. If your original art is too pricey for most of your fans, make and sell totes offer a low cost way for them to buy a wearable reproduction of your work.
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Consider making and selling (or giving away) branded tote bags as promotional merch for any type of business.
17. Condiments
Love cooking? Consider making small, non-perishable food items that you can sell online. Oils, hot sauces, and spice blends are all simple ideas for new business owners. This can be an especially good idea for home cooks who have a particular specialty item.
For example, Oaktown Spice Shop founders John Beaver and Erica Perez sell freshly ground individual spices and spice blends like Campfire Coffee Rub. Their products are not only innovative, but much fresher than spices you can buy in the grocery store.
The cost of starting an ecommerce condiment business will depend on your company’s scale. If you’re making a small quantity of products from home, you’ll only need to pay for the cost of ingredients (plus licenses and registrations). In the case of spice blends, you’ll need to purchase whole spices and a spice grinder (a high-end grinder costs around $300, but you can also use a cheap coffee grinder for smaller batches). You can sell your blends for around $10 a jar.
If you’re operating a larger business that requires a commercial kitchen, you’ll also need to account for the cost of renting an existing space or outfitting one of your own.
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Start at local markets and expand your reach with an online store once your packaging is shelf stable and shippable.
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Regulations regarding the production and packaging of food items can be strict. Be sure you are following government guidelines to keep people safe.
18. Essential oil blends
Essential oil blends are among the simplest products to make and sell from home. Experiment by mixing skin-care-grade oils to produce and bottle your own unique scents and aromatherapy experiences. Look for wholesale essential oil suppliers to keep your costs low.
If you buy in bulk, you can produce a five-milliliter bottle of essential oil for less than $1 and sell it for $10 to $16. Keep in mind that pricing can vary considerably between oils. If you want to use a more expensive oil, consider blending it with a carrier oil (an unscented oil like sweet almond oil) or other essential oils with complementary scents.
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Undiluted essential oils can be too strong for direct use. If you sell pure oils, clearly explain that customers will need to dilute them with a carrier oil like coconut oil before applying to their bodies.
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Success in the fragrance industry relies not only on your scents but on packaging and branding, too. Don’t rush this step!
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As you perfect your scents, consider working with a white label manufacturer to expand your line into creams, soaps, and other body care products.
19. Paper products
If you’re a great illustrator or designer, you might consider making paper products like greeting cards, stationery, wedding décor, and stickers.
To print stationery at home, you’ll need to pay for high-quality paper (around 7¢ per piece), then account for the price of ink and the upfront cost of your printer. You can sell custom greeting cards for around $4 to $8.
To make more complicated paper objects, you might consider investing in a Cricut—a cutting and printing machine that lets you make items like stickers and greeting cards with cutouts.
You might also use a traditional printing method, such as woodblock or linocut, to craft products like greeting cards and stationery. You’ll carve a wood or linoleum block, then use that block to mark sets of your chosen product. These methods let you avoid creating each object from scratch, but they still let you infuse each product with a handmade touch.
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Consider how you might scale your business. If you craft greeting cards from scratch, for example, can you eventually transition to having your designs commercially printed? You might consider partnering with a print-on-demand company to streamline the manufacturing and shipping process.
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Many paper businesses depend on seasonality. Be sure to plan your collections and products around holidays, seasons, and other occasions.
20. DIY tutorials and online courses
If you have expertise in a particular area—whether that’s a creative practice like sewing, soap making, or woodworking, or a business skill like Excel—consider creating online courses to spread your knowledge with others. You can stream videos in real time, or you can prerecord them.
An ecommerce platform like Shopify lets you sell downloadable digital content and subscriptions, allowing paying audience members to access paywalled premium content.
To get started, consider offering free full-length videos or posting short tutorials on platforms like Instagram or TikTok to hook potential customers. Once your audience knows how valuable your content is, they might be more likely to pay for it.
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If you have a successful handmade business, video courses can be a great way to earn passive income.
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When selling courses, consider what value you can add to compete with existing free tutorials on platforms like YouTube. For example, do you have downloadable templates or patterns? Do you offer “office hours” to chat through projects or challenges?
21. Personalized products
Offering product customizations can help your business stand out in a competitive market, whether you’re selling jewelry, clothing, or home décor. For example, you could offer embroidery on textile products, paper products like calendars, jewelry with engraved pendants, or customizable charm necklaces and bracelets.
Take a look at the jewelry and accessory brand BaubleBar, which offers a number of customizable products, including charm necklaces. The shop lets customers choose their own charms, then sends them an assembled necklace. Using charms can be an easy way to make customizable jewelry—no engraving or soldering required.
If you want to sell products besides jewelry, you might offer customization through a print-on-demand partnership. You can create customized designs for customers, and the print-on-demand company will add your designs to the product and ship it to the customer.
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If you’re making your own customizable paper from home (think day planner pages, car decals, or family photo calendars), invest in a quality printer or Cricut machine to make sure your products look professional.
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Personalized gifts can be especially popular close to holiday shopping seasons, so you might consider increasing your ad spend around holidays.
22. Gift baskets and boxes
Gift boxes are a great thing to make and sell if you have a knack for curating products people love. Assemble pre-made baskets for specific gift-giving occasions to sell online, or allow customers to build their own from a curated offering.
Toronto-based Present Day does both, selling curated boxes with themes like “game night” and “tea and spa” as well as the option to create your own box or basket from a handpicked selection of local products.
The cost of assembling a gift basket will depend on the price of the products you include. Try to source your products wholesale when possible to secure lower prices, and make sure to account for the cost of your time in both sourcing products and assembling the boxes. You’ll also want to factor in the price of the packaging materials. From here, know that most companies aim for a 50% to 60% markup, but your markup will depend on your competitors’ pricing and the demand for your gift boxes.
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Handmade items make great gifts. Consider partnering with other makers to provide curated items for your gift baskets.
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To stand out in the gift basket and subscription box market, focus on a niche for your online business. For example, narrow in on handmade beauty and fill your boxes with essential oils, bath bombs, or natural cosmetics.
23. Natural cosmetics
The growing demand for “clean” beauty products presents a clear opportunity for DIYers to start a makeup line or skin care business using household ingredients. For example, Olio E Osso makes tinted balms for lips and cheeks using just shea nut oil, olive oil, beeswax, essential oils, and coloring. Even after receiving mentions in publications like Vogue and from celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Olio E Osso still hand-pours its products in small batches.
If you’re making homemade lip balm, expect to spend at least 12¢ per tube on ingredients. The cost of tubes will vary depending on materials and quantity, ranging from about 15¢ for plastic tubes to 60¢ for cardboard tubes. Regular lip balm sells for about $5, while tinted lip balm can go for more than $10.
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Check Food and Drug Administration rules to make sure you’re adhering to legal requirements surrounding cosmetics. For example, you’ll need to comply with labeling regulations.
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Beauty products—especially natural cosmetics—have a limited shelf life. Essential oils and other organic ingredients can be vulnerable to time, heat, and light. Keep a sharp eye toward inventory management to avoid spoilage.
Factors to consider when choosing what to make and sell
Not sure which idea to start with? Here are some things to consider:
Your skills
Consider what you’re already good at doing. Maybe that’s making jewelry, taking photos, baking amazing cookies, or giving perfect gifts. Being skilled at something means you’ll make products faster and won’t have to spend time learning everything from scratch.
Market demand
Before you start creating, understand what people actually want to buy. Look at sites like Etsy or Instagram to gauge market demand, or check out local craft fairs to make sure consumers are buying the type of product you want to make.
You can also ask friends and family what they’d be interested in buying. It may seem basic, but that’s how Kristen of P.F. Candle Co. got the idea for a gender-neutral candle.
Search data, publicly available from Google Trends, can help validate your ideas. If searches for your product idea appear to be on the rise, it could be a great time to start your business.
Production costs and time spent
Figure out exactly how much you’ll spend on supplies and how many hours it will take to make each item. If it costs you $40 to make a necklace, for example, but the going rate for that type of necklace is only $45, you might want to pick a product with a higher profit margin.
You’ll also want to think about the time you invest. If it takes you five hours to make something you can only sell for $20, for example, you might want to find a different product that’s quicker to make.
Personal interest
Pick something you actually like making, because you’ll be spending a lot of time creating it if your business takes off.
“When I started crocheting, I was immediately drawn to amigurumi, which is the art of crocheting plushies, specifically because I’m a huge stuffed animal lover,” Genna Tatu of Crochet by Genna says. “Having the passion for it definitely helped keep the hobby alive, versus with my other, failed businesses. I wasn’t necessarily passionate about them.”
Pricing
In order to earn a profit, you’ll need to determine an effective pricing strategy. There are a number of different pricing strategies, but at the most basic level, you’ll need to add up your material costs, labor costs, shipping costs, marketing costs, and overhead (think rent or utilities), then add a markup. That markup will be your profit.
However, you’ll want to keep a close eye on competitor prices. If competitors are charging lower prices, then you’ll want to match those prices in order to remain competitive. Alternatively, you can present a compelling reason for why your products are more expensive. For example, maybe you use premium ingredients or only source sustainable materials.
Free Value Proposition Template
Share what makes your brand stand out. Convince customers to consider, click, and buy. Our template makes it easy.
Make it, sell it!
The ideas don’t stop here—there are many creative ways to make money by handcrafting your own goods to sell online. To find the right business idea, balance your current skill set with your passion and market demand.
Homegrown businesses are the perfect springboard for aspiring entrepreneurs. Start as a side gig to learn the ropes before you make the leap. You’ll set your own working hours, earn extra money, and reap the emotional rewards of building your dream with your own hands.
Feature illustration by Eugenia Mello
Read more
- How To Source Products To Sell Online
- The Ultimate Guide To Dropshipping (2024)
- How to Start a Candle Business (with Examples)
- How to Start a Bath Bomb Business from Home- A Step-by-Step Guide
- How to Start a Dropshipping Business- A Complete Playbook for 2024
- Unlock Recurring Revenue with a Subscription Business Model
- What is Shopify and How Does it Work?
- How to Start an Online Boutique- A Complete Playbook
- Top 12 Achievable Business Ideas for Kids
- The Right Way to Monetize an Audience (With Lessons From Wait But Why)
Things to make and sell FAQ
What can I make and sell easily?
DIY crafts like knitted scarves, soaps, baked pet treats, bath bombs, crochet, and costume jewelry are all easy things to make and sell from home, because they don’t require highly specialized skills or expensive equipment.
What handmade item sells the most?
Jewelry is one of the highest-selling handmade items. To fetch higher prices, you’ll likely need to use high-quality materials like silver, gold, and gemstones.
How do I find popular things to make and sell?
When selling crafts, Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram are excellent sources for finding trends in handmade items, as well as for step-by-step tutorials to get started. Google Trends and industry reports are also useful sources to help find handmade items that are in high demand. Consider seasonality when launching your business—items trending at Christmas may not have the same demand year-round, for example.
What handmade things make money online?
Beaded jewelry, candles, and soap are among a number of handmade products that can make money online. Whether or not a product will make money depends on a few vital factors, like market demand, your pricing strategy, and your business’s competitive advantage. If you’re wondering whether a certain product will be profitable, consider creating a business plan to help you plan your business and calculate your potential to turn a profit.
How do I price crafts and handmade goods?
To price crafts and handmade goods, add up your costs (materials, labor, and overhead), then add a markup that allows you to make a profit. You’ll want to make sure your products are priced similarly to (or lower than) those of your competitors, unless you can justify high prices with premium materials or expert artisanship, for example.
Where can I sell my handmade products?
There are many places where you can sell your handmade products—and you don’t have to choose just one. You can make and sell products in-person at events like craft fairs or online on your own storefront or marketplaces like Etsy and Amazon. To limit third-party transaction fees and customize the user experience of your storefront, set up your own ecommerce site on a platform like Shopify.
