Etsy is a favorite among creatives and shoppers alike. With over 95M active buyers in 2022, it's the go-to for unique finds. Customers love connecting with makers, which sets Etsy apart from big retailers like Amazon. 🎁
The beauty of Etsy for new sellers? It's your chance to shine as an entrepreneur without the hassle of leases or storefronts. Just you, your creations, and your vision. 🌿
And the best part? Getting started is a breeze! The key to a successful Etsy business is finding that perfect idea to bring to life—and we're to help you discover the perfect Etsy shop idea for your next side hustle or entrepreneurial venture.
The top five best-selling categories on Etsy in 2024 🏆
First things first, which categories are actually selling on Etsy? Or in other words, which Etsy shop ideas are the most successful in 2024?
After taking a look at some of their current best-selling products, we’ve discovered a few things (in no particular order) that are in high demand among Etsy shoppers:
Printables 🖨️
Handmade products 🧑🎨
Personalized products ✒️
Hobby tools 🧶
Self-care items 🕯️
Now let's take a closer look at some Etsy shop ideas, based on these top-selling categories.
10 profitable Etsy shop ideas for 2024 🏃
Sometimes we need a little bit of inspiration to get us started. That’s why we’ve come up with these 10 Etsy shop ideas that should help start selling sooner, rather than later:
Etsy shop idea #1: Niche merchandise
The beauty of Etsy? You can never get too niche. ✨
Whether you’re part of a fandom and know just what will make them tick or have a vested interest in diving deep into "nerdy" subcultures, niche merchandise is the way to any fan’s heart. 💓
Things like memes on a T-shirt, famous quotes on a tote bag, or even celeb-inspired phone cases could become bestsellers if they’re clever enough.
The best part? You don’t have to be a graphic design pro to make this Etsy shop idea work. All you need is your imagination. With AI-powered business tools like Canva and AI art generators like Dall-E, you can design merch quickly and easily.
Plus, you can open a storefront without worrying about printing and shipping. If you use Printify, a print-on-demand service, it’ll create and ship each sold item for you. All you’d have to do is upload your designs and link them to your Etsy store.
📑Category: Personalized products
🛠 Difficulty: Easy
⏱ Startup Time: Low
📆 Overall Time Commitment: Low
Etsy shop idea #2: Stickers
Everyone’s stuck on stickers. 🗣️
And that might just be why it could be your next lucrative Etsy shop idea. Some Etsy sellers even report making as much as $500-$2,500 every month from their Etsy sticker business. 👀
So, if graphic design is your thing (or you want it to become your thing), you should get started yesterday. You can start your sticker journey by designing on Canva or by using software like Silhouette Studio. Once you’re done, upload them to your Etsy listing. And voila! It’s done.
From there, you can mark your stickers as a download-only or printable product. If you want the experience of making the stickers with your own hands, all you need is a printer and sticker paper.
📑Category: Printables
🛠 Difficulty: Easy
⏱ Startup Time: Low
📆 Overall Time Commitment: Low-Medium
Etsy shop idea #3: Craft supplies
One of the top five Etsy sellers (WarungBeads) sells beads and other jewelry-making necessities like chains and bead spacers. And get this—these crafting supplies have generated over 630K Etsy sales. 😱
If there’s a craft activity that you particularly enjoy, selling craft supplies might be a great idea for an Etsy storefront.
This might be one of the more unique Etsy shop ideas out there, but when you look at the numbers mentioned above, it's easy to see that hobbyists don’t mess around when it comes to their craft supplies!
The main thing to remember is that you shouldn’t just resell supplies you buy in bulk. Instead, you're likely to find more success by curating supplies that help your buyers become the hobbyists they've always wanted to be. You can help them avoid overwhelm with a smaller selection—that's the benefit of shopping on Etsy instead of a big box store, after all.
Dropping different collections and useful tools is what’s going to make all the difference here. Your goal should be to get someone excited to hone their craft.
📑 Category: Hobby tools
🛠 Difficulty: Medium (easy to list, but you always have to update your supply)
⏱ Startup Time: Low-Medium
📆 Overall Time Commitment: Medium
Etsy shop idea #4: Digital printables
It’s time to get down with digital. 🤖
Digital printables like planners and templates go a long way on Etsy. And it’s another one of those shop ideas where the only prerequisite is a healthy imagination. 🧠
You can make creative templates on Canva, upload them to your Etsy store, and mark them available for digital download. After that, there’s little work to be done on your part.
A few popular digital products would be things like social media templates, meal plan templates, and even lesson plan templates for teachers.
Seasonal details and themes are also always welcome—like Christmas or Halloween word searches! Because who doesn’t love a good theme?
📑Category: Printables
🛠 Difficulty: Easy
⏱ Startup Time: Low
📆 Overall Time Commitment: Low
Etsy shop idea #5: Baby clothes
If you want to make someone drool, baby or not, get in on the high demand for baby clothes and baby accessories on Etsy. 🍼
Having a talent with a needle and thread is no joke. Whether you want to handmake a jacket or crochet a hat, a lot of families specifically seek out handmade gifts for their little ones to make them feel extra special.
A lot of families also appreciate a sense of humor when it comes to baby apparel. So, get those cogs turning to get a feature on that next Facebook post.
📑Category: Handmade products
🛠 Difficulty: Hard
⏱ Startup Time: Medium-High
📆 Overall Time Commitment: High
Etsy shop idea #6: Home decor
Because the world has enough “live, laugh, love” home decor. 🖼️
Everyone wants to stand out with eclectic and unique home decor. And if you’re skilled with your hands, the moment when your Etsy shop takes off is in sight. 🛋️
You can get as intense with this idea as you’d like. You can join a woodworking shop and start a personalized charcuterie board business (that’s bound to get lots of hits during the gifting season).
Or you can go down the DIY route and make things like chainlink pillows from stuffing and fabric (like this creative TikTok user). Or you can make homemade candles with wax beads, a wick, essential oils, and a mold.
And if you’re an artist, wall art is always something people look for to brighten the room. Especially if you make a breathtaking original. 🧑🎨
📑Category: Handmade products
🛠 Difficulty: Hard
⏱ Startup Time: High
📆 Overall Time Commitment: High
Etsy shop idea #7: Natural homemade goods
A lot of people opt into Etsy to opt out of large corporations like Amazon. And those same people also tend to prefer all-natural alternatives or handmade items when it comes to their products. 🌿
Don’t believe us? One of the top five best-selling stores on Etsy (SeedGeeks) is an heirloom seed store that also sells other homemade natural products like lip balms and soaps. And they have made over 850K sales.
But not all of us have a farm in our backyard to take advantage of for an Etsy venture. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make homemade natural goods! 🙌
To start simple, you can perfect your own sugar scrub and bath bomb recipes (which require minimal ingredients). All you’d have to do next is package them adorably and maybe even add a logo on them.
Some more advanced options might involve making your own organic soaps or even solid deodorant.
📑Category: Handmade products
🛠 Difficulty: Easy
⏱ Startup Time: Medium
📆 Overall Time Commitment: High
Etsy shop idea #8: Vintage clothing
Nothing ever truly goes out of style. At least, not on Etsy. 🕺
There’s a huge resale market for curated vintage items making this a great place for beginners to start their first Etsy shop.
You have to find a niche, whether it’s a decade or aesthetic—that’s up to you! And then go hunting all across different thrift stores to find whatever lines up with your vision. Eventually, if you’ve got a good eye and a passion for fashion, you’re likely to build up quite a following.
📑Category: Personalized products
🛠 Difficulty: Medium
⏱ Startup Time: Low
📆 Overall Time Commitment: High
Etsy shop idea #9: Crocheted items
It’s time to get hooked on crochet, and make it your side hustle on Etsy. 🧵
The right crocheted item can send people into a frenzy. You can sell crocheted bouquets around Valentine's Day. Make crocheted stuffies of your favorite superheroes. Or you even offer fashion items like crocheted purses, bandanas, and bikinis!
And since crocheted items are so lightweight and hearty, they would be a breeze to ship. You can also sell crochet patterns if you’re a real whiz with those crochet hooks. This is definitely a fun (and potentially quite profitable) Etsy shop idea for all the creatives out there!
📑Category: Handmade products
🛠 Difficulty: Hard
⏱ Startup Time: High
📆 Overall Time Commitment: High
Etsy shop idea #10: Jewelry
One of the quintessential Etsy products since the dawn of time has been high-quality affordable jewelry. 💍
The top seller on Etsy (CaitlynMinimalist) is a personalized jewelry maker—and she's made more than 2 million sales over the years. She offers personalized necklaces with names and initials as well as other dainty jewelry. 📿
On top of her skill, she can credit her success to being able to carve out a niche for herself.
Another top five Etsy seller also sells jewelry (SilverRainSilver). Their whole niche is curated silver jewelry.
If you want to join in on the high demand for handcrafted fun, you do need to have some beginner jeweler's tools on hand like metal chains, clasps, pliers, and more.
📑Category: Handmade products
🛠 Difficulty: Hard
⏱ Startup Time: Medium
📆 Overall Time Commitment: High
5 keys to opening a successful Etsy shop 🥇
Have you chosen the perfect Etsy shop idea yet? If so, it's time to get started! To ensure your e-commerce venture’s success, follow these 5 simple steps:
Research the niche that resonated with you and come up with a business plan. 🏪
Curate a brand and make sure your photos are professional-grade. 📸
Research your competition and choose the right pricing strategy. 💸
Optimize listings for SEO (i.e. making it easier to find on Etsy search). 🤓
Promote and market your shop on social media. 🤳
And don't forget, there are tons of resources available across YouTube, TikTok, and the rest of the internet to help your new Etsy shop thrive.
Ready to get started with your favorite Etsy shop idea?
Whether you’re crocheting the next big thing, molding a gorgeous candle, or providing the template that’ll keep everyone’s meal plan on track, you’re doing something fun while also taking charge of your financial destiny.
Not to mention, you’d be building a connection with each and every one of your buyers. No matter how hands-on or hands-off you choose to be. So stop reading, and get to making!
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Frequently asked questions 😎
What does it take to open an Etsy shop? 💌
Opening an Etsy shop is quite easy. All you have to do is to fill out the following information:
Your shop name (it has to be between four and twenty characters).
Your location
A shop banner and logo design
An about section
Shop and shipping policies
And as you go to open your store, make sure to be aware of your state’s small business laws.
Are Etsy shops profitable? 💰
According to Statista, 44% of Etsy sellers use their business to “cover household expenses like bills, rent, and food.” That means most Etsy businesses, even as a main source of income, make a profit margin large enough to live on.
However, keep in mind these few fees associated with Etsy’s platform:
0.20% listing fee for every listing
6.5% transaction fees on items that sell
Payment processing fees
