What Sells Best on Etsy -Top 11 items to sell for easy money

One best thing about this digital era is the ease of buying and selling. Online shops have made this very easy for everyone. This also includes good, legit, and easy ways to make money by selling goods online. 

One of the most common online shops we have around today is Etsy. 

What Is Etsy? 

Etsy is one of the leading global marketplaces for selling and buying unique and creative goods. This American e-commerce website also focuses on vintage or handmade items and other craft supplies. 

It is more of a hybrid company that combines the feeling of an art fair with a marketplace like eBay. 

The items sold on Etsy are in a wide range of categories like bags, jewelry, furniture, home décor, clothing, arts, toys, tools, and craft supplies. 

All vintage items sold on Etsy are at least 20 years old. 

One of the best and easiest ways to make money these days is to sell things online and you can do so on Etsy. From the comfort of your home, you can make your crafts and sell them on this popular online store. 

If you are interested in selling on Etsy, then continue reading to the end. We put together this post to give you ideas on best-selling products on Etsy. This will help you pick what to sell and make good money fast.

Is Etsy The Best Place To Sell? 

Etsy might not be a big name but in 2020, Etsy ranked as the third on the seller choice marketplace rating. 

Despite multiple eCommerce giants like Amazon, eBay, Alibaba, and co, Etsy still has its USP and it is doing very well in spite of the huge competition. 

What makes Etsy stand out and survive this competition is that its platform is mainly for the sales of creative and original handmade items. This is why Etsy is the best place for artists and crafters to make good money selling their products. 

In 2019, Etsy ranked as the number one place to sell online. Statista revealed that Etsy had 2.1 million sellers in 2018 and over 39 million active buyers. 

In late 2020, Statista stated that there were over 2.5 million sellers and over 45.7 million buyers on Etsy. They also said Etsy generates $818.79 million as their annual revenue. 

This makes Etsy the best place to sell your crafts and other artworks. 

Things You Should Know Before You Start Selling On Etsy

Selling on Etsy is not a walk in the park as there is a huge competition on this popular online shop. You have to know your strengths and weaknesses before you venture out into this business. 

You also have to know the niche or category you can fit in best before you open a shop on Etsy. 

So, before you decide what to sell and get a shop on Etsy, ask yourself the following questions. 

• What is my passion? 
• What do I love creating or selling? 
• Will I treat my Etsy Shop as a business or hobby? 
• What keeps me going? 
• What can I work hard at without feeling exhausted? 
• Can I satisfy my customers?
• What gives me joy or inspires me? 
• If this is a passion or hobby, ask yourself: How can I profit from my hobby/passion? 
• Can I have patience until the business starts to thrive? 

If you answer these questions honestly, you should be able to know your niche and be successful in it. We will also give other tips in this post to help you achieve success selling on Etsy. 

The first and biggest reason why many people don’t achieve success selling on any online shop is because they didn’t identify their passion or what they were good at before starting. 

Some of them just saw someone successfully selling jewelry and thought it was that easy and jumped in. Don’t make this mistake because you might get tired after some time and since that field is not your passion, you might end up not making money. And after some time, you might even quit the business.

So, to avoid this, you have to pick a niche you love. A niche that you are passionate about, to keep you going even when you feel like giving up. Especially at the beginning stages when you are not yet making money. 

How To Start Selling On Etsy

1. Get to know Etsy

The first step is to make your research and know everything about this online market before you open your store. Go to the website, Etsy.com and start at the seller policies and even learn about the fees for sellers.

After familiarizing yourself with all these, then you are ready for the next step. 

2. Open your shop 

To open your shop, you have to create an Etsy account so you can run your shop or buy from other sellers on the site. After you’ve created your account, add a bio and a profile picture so other people in the Etsy community can know you. 

Then to open your shop, check at the top right of the website, click sell on Etsy and follow all the instructions you see. 

Set your country, shop language, shop name, and currency. Do all the necessary settings and click ‘save and continue’.  

For an easy process, you should do it on a desktop browser. Once your shop is open, you can start selling on Etsy. 

3. Finish your shop setup 

Below are a few steps you need to take to finish your shop set up and start selling on Etsy. 

• Get clear banners and a shop logo to represent your brand. This will also make a good first impression on shoppers. 
• Make a shop announcement by sharing a brief welcome message with shoppers.
• Structure your ‘About’ section properly. Upload photos or videos and you can even share the story behind your products. Tell your shoppers how your business came to be and share the vision for your brand. 
• You can introduce people you collaborate with or other members of your team. 
• Outline your policies for returns, shipping, payments, exchanges, custom items, and any guidelines important for shoppers to know before they purchase from you. 

You also have to think through key factors and consider many things like policies, production time, shipping plans, and costs. 

4. Add listings to your shop 

Once you’ve completed your shop section, then you can start adding products to your Etsy shop. A listing is when you add a product to your Etsy shop. 

5. Marketing, branding, and promotion 

A marketing strategy is very important as it is a key factor to the success of your Etsy shop. Marketing will help you find new customers for your products, and also update existing customers on your latest products. This will lead to an increase in your sales. 

To market your goods right:

• Make sure your shops are well optimized for Etsy search. Add your location so that your shop can show up in local searches. 
• Link your shop to your social media accounts and then you craft posts about your business. 
• Market your shop through paid advertising 
• Offer discounts to customers 
• Find a local market or craft fair where you can sell your goods 
• Join the Etsy community and teams where you can discuss and network with shoppers and sellers. 

6. Manage your shop 

You have to manage your shop after listing your items. This will help your business grow and develop. Below are effective ways to manage your Etsy shop. 

• Follow the customer care best practices. This will help qualify you for Etsy’s seller protection policy. 
• You need to learn what to do when you make your first sales. 
• Read and learn more about the Etsy review system.
• Manage your shop on the go, wherever you are using the sell on Etsy app.
• You can take a break from your shop when it is needed. You have a life apart from this, so attend to your health, your family, and other business. 

For more information on how to open an Etsy shop and start selling, read the beginner’s guide on the Etsy community, you can also get the seller handbook. And remember to connect with other sellers in the Etsy community.   

How To Sell Fast On Etsy 

The first way to achieve this is to pick something that you love. Pick a niche that no matter how rough the beginning is or how hard it gets, you wouldn’t quit. 

To sell fast and well on Etsy, you have to get the following right: 

• Your SEO 
• Market your products 
• Create a cohesive brand 
• Describe your products well 
• Get your brand colors 
• Create a unique logo 
• Get quality photographs of your products.

How Much Does It Cost To Sell On Etsy? 

You will pay 20 cents ($0.20) to list an item on the marketplace. This listing remains active for 4 months or until the item is sold. 

If the item sells, there is a 5% transaction fee on the sale price. Opening a shop on Etsy is free but listing your products is not. The more products you list, the more money you pay. 

So, if you sell handmade hats that come in different colors, you will create one listing for them that covers the different colors and give your buyers the choice to select the colors they want. 

If the validity of a listing runs out, you can renew it at the same amount of $0.20. There is an automatic renewal and a manual one. From a financial angle, it is better to renew the store manually. 

You can study your data and know which products are making sales and the ones that are not before renewing your listing. So if there are 100 listings in your shop, you pay $20 every 4 months. 

Even if you are not making any sales, the $20 keeps adding up on your expense sheet and that can eventually affect the cost of crafting your products. 

Also, you can create promotional listings and advertise your products, to enable you to make more sales. The cost starts from $1 per day and it’s based on cost per click model. 

What Sells Best On Etsy 

Here is a list of best-selling items on Etsy. 

1. Digital prints and downloads 

Digital printing is a method of printing from a digital-based image. This is a fast way to earn legit money if you have graphic designing skills. By selling it, you will be able to earn extra income on Etsy. 

All you have to do is to design high-quality digital prints that buyers would love to buy and decorate their walls with. People who love wall arts will patronize you. 

To be successful in this, graphic design has to be your niche. Then include your digital print files while creating your Etsy listing. Set the price and publish the listing.

Whenever someone purchases this from you, the buyer will be able to download the digital print. This is one of the best things to sell on Etsy because no shipping is required. 

This saves time and avoids extra stress. You can make passive income while sleeping without doing additional work. You don’t need overhead cost and you can sell one digital print many times – there is no limit. 

If you like this niche but you don’t have graphic design skills, you can pay a graphic designer to make beautiful designs for you. 

2. Jewelry 

This is one of the hottest niches on Etsy. Beautiful jewelry is one of the bestselling items on this site. They are also easy to ship because they are tiny in size. 

The cost of shipping is also very low compared to other goods. They are not heavy or bulky. This makes the package decent and portable. 

This is a great idea and an easy way to sell fast on Etsy, most especially if you are good at making jewelry. 

3. Handmade clothing 

Clothes are one of the top-selling items on Etsy. I am not talking about any clothes but handmade clothing items. 

If you know how to knit, sew, or make handmade clothes, then this niche is for you. And there are many ways to earn from this niche. 

People searching for handmade clothing on Etsy want something unique, beautiful, and even customized, so you would make a lot of money if you are creative.

4. Party décor 

This makes the list of top-selling items on Etsy because everyone from kids to the elderly throw parties and most of them want their parties to be unique and decorative. 

A party without decoration is incomplete and this is why party decors are selling fast on Etsy. If you want to make a good income from this site, you can consider this niche. 

You can sell unique party decors to customers who are willing to pay for your efforts. 

5. Games and toys 

If your specialty or handcraft is making toys, then you can earn some cool cash on Etsy because this is a best-selling item. One amazing thing about this niche is that it has low competition. 

Not many people can do this. It’s hard making handcrafted toys and doing this needs skills which most people don’t have. And this is not something that can be easily copied. 

If making handmade toys is your specialty, you can start selling them right now on Etsy and make your money. 

6. Vintage 

This is another best-selling item on Etsy but it is difficult to sell. One good thing about this niche is that no one else has the same items as yours to sell. 

If you have older vintage items at home that you’ve restored, then you can place them on Etsy and make money from them. 

If you want to make it on Etsy selling vintage products, then focus more on product photography and marketing. These items are for a specific audience. 

If your items are unique, you have the best photos, and market them correctly, then you will make it as a vintage seller on Etsy. 

7. Kids and baby products 

Handmade products created specially for babies are among the items that sell best on Etsy. This is also a popular category on the online shop and there is a wide range of products to choose from. 

Mothers are the target audience in this niche and the love they have for their babies keeps bringing them to Etsy to search for handmade baby products. 

If you can make beautiful, unique, and attractive baby items, then you will stand out from the crowd (because this niche has high competition) and sell very well. 

8. Vinyl and heat transfer supplies 

If you are not good at any craft like knitting, handmade jewelry, drawing, or other handmade stuff, don’t be discouraged yet thinking Etsy is not for you. 

You can make money selling vinyl and heat transfer supplies on Etsy and make it because these are bestselling items. 

These items are used to make crafts and t-shirts/clothing. Other Etsy sellers will buy these from you to make their crafts with. 

9. Stickers 

Everyone loves using stickers and this is why they are best-selling items on Etsy. They are used to design or decorate stuff to make them look cool. 

Stickers can also help you arrange stuff as they can be applied as labels when you write your to-do lists on them and much more. 

There are many reasons why stickers sell well on Etsy. 

• Almost everyone uses stickers 
• They are cute and beautiful 
• Handmade items sell fast on Etsy and if you make beautiful handmade stickers, you will sell well. 
• They are affordable 
• Parents and teachers use stickers as rewards for kids 
• There are low levels of returns on stickers due to their low price 
• Stickers are bought in bulk 

These are some of the reasons why stickers are part of what sells best on Etsy. If you are very good at making cute stickers, then this is your niche. 

Even if you can’t but you love stickers, you can get a graphic designer to do the job for you while you sell and market them on Etsy. 

Another advantage of selling stickers is that you don’t need a high budget before you open your store on Etsy due to their low price. Also, the cost of shipping is low compared to other goods. 

10. Pet supplies 

Millions of people in America love and own pets and can buy anything for their pets including pet toys. Some people even love their pets more than humans, lol. 

This is why there is a massive demand for pet supplies and other pet-related items in almost every market, both offline and online, and Etsy is not left out. 

You can sell handmade dog or cat collars, leashes, toys, litter boxes, beds, etc. and they sell very fast on Etsy. 

If you can create unique pet products, then this best-selling niche is for you. You can open your pet supply store right now on Etsy and start offering handmade pet supplies that can help pet owners in any way. 

11. Invitation papers

Everyone who wants to plan an occasion; be it a wedding, birthday, anniversary, get together, class reunion, etc. needs a unique invitation. This is what makes this a best-selling product on Etsy. 

This is also a good way to start your store because it is a low-budget business on Etsy and it is beginner-friendly as well. Also, many people are not selling this item so the competition is quite low. 

People who are into this niche on Etsy are making good money. You will make it too if you can make unique and beautiful invites. Make them in different styles and patterns. 

If you want to use trademarks or movie references on your designs, you have to get permission from the companies or producers first.

Other Useful Tips For Selling On Etsy 

• Don’t be hasty in picking a niche and when you pick your niche, don’t make your category too broad. 

For instance, if your niche is jewelry, don’t sell all kinds of jewelry items. 

You should stick to particular jewelry like rings or earrings. This will help you get targeted customers easily. 

• Don’t sell plenty of things in one store. For example, some people sell clothing, jewelry, and prints all in one store. This is a terrible mistake as your target audience might be confused.  

It is easier to identify and target your ideal customers if you are niche-specific. You will also be able to market your products well. 

Wrap Up

It’s easy to desire to sell on Etsy and make good money but picking the right niche can be a tough decision. We put this post together to help you know how to start your Etsy store and make money. 

We hope this helps you and if you have other questions, feel free to ask in the comment section. 

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