If you love making things and want to earn a little extra money, these are the most profitable crafts to make and sell. Turn your hobby into a side hustle!
Selling things you make is a fantastic way to enjoy earning money. You’ll spend your time crafting and creating and then profit from it. It won’t even feel like work.
Before you jump into starting a small business as a crafter, consider how to make the most profit. Some projects will be too expensive to create or aren’t very popular, making them tough to earn money with.
That’s where this guide comes in! Here, you’ll discover the smartest crafts to make that will earn you the most money.
How to Decrease Costs
The people who make the most money from their arts and crafts are the ones who keep their costs low. If you want to make a high profit, decrease your expenses first – this includes wasted time and expensive materials.
Pick out crafts that you can make for a low price. Consider all the supplies and tools you use to make your projects. With this in mind, this guide focuses on crafts with lower overhead.
To further decrease your costs, keep an excellent record of how much you spend on supplies and tools. You can try to find other places to buy them that will save you money.
Another thing to keep in mind is how long it takes you to make each project. If you can make more items, you’ll earn more money. So, you’ll find relatively quick crafts to make in the list below.
You can also track your time on projects and, in turn, try to find ways to save time. Maybe you can buy some pre-made supplies or find workarounds to speed up the process.
Crafts to Make and Sell for a Profit
Now that you know how to keep the costs low, let’s look at the crafts that will make you the largest profit. The ideas on this list have a relatively low cost of goods and are pretty easy to make, too.
Note: This list is not exhaustive. Just browse Etsy, and you’ll see tons of other ideas that aren’t here. Take the things you love to make and find a way to sell them. It will fill you with so much pride!
1. Digital Products
Arts and crafts don’t have to be a physical product. If you enjoy graphic design, turn this passion into a profitable side hustle. The costs are pretty low; you just need a computer and a design program or two.
People love ordering printables online. This can span a huge spectrum – from printable invitations to graphics for website owners.
Here are a few of the different kinds of digital products you can sell for a huge profit:
- Pinterest Templates in Canva
- Party Invitations
- Wall Art
- Planners
- Calendars
- Greeting Cards
- Stickers
2. Jewelry
There are lots of low-cost materials you can use to make jewelry and sell it online. Yarn, beads, and even cloth are all pretty affordable and give you excellent profit margins. You can also buy a laser cutter and make jewelry using wood and acrylic.
The thing that will help you most in selling your handmade jewelry is making unique designs. Help your crafts stand out from the rest.
These types of jewelry are some of the best-sellers:
- Earrings
- Necklaces
- Keychains
- Bracelets (+ friendship bracelets)
3. DIY Trays
People love decorating their homes with breakfast trays, and this home decor trend isn’t going away anytime soon. You can buy either unfinished wooden trays or upcycle trays you find at thrift shops. These beautiful trays can go for a nice price!
4. Decorated Office Supplies
More and more people are working from home. This means they want a way to make their home office look inspiring and beautiful! If you want to create something that’s in high demand, make things that can go in someone’s office.
The sky’s the limit here. Here are a few ideas, but don’t stop with them. Think of other things people might want.
- Clipboards
- Mouse Pads
- Bulletin Boards
- Wall Clocks
5. Hair Accessories
Hair accessories also use relatively low-priced materials. You can either niche down and only make things for babies, women, kids, or teens or make hair accessories for any age.
Hair accessories include any of the following ideas:
- Decorated Bobby Pins
- Hair Bows
- Headbands
- Barrets
- Scarves
- Hair Clips
- Satin scrunchies
6. Reusable Bags
If you love to sew, consider making reusable bags. This makes the list because the materials are affordable, and bags are some of the easiest sewing projects. There are lots of different types of bags you can make, like any of these:
- Makeup Bags
- Travel Toiletry Bags
- Reusable Sandwich Bags
- Wet Bags for Cloth Diapers
- Grocery Bags
- Fabric Tote Bag
7. DIY Planters
The more time people spend at home, the more they are interested in growing house plants. There are lots of ideas for making planters that you can sell. If you buy planters in bulk or on sale, you’ll save even more money and increase your profit.
Here are a few ways to make planters for succulents or houseplants:
- Painted Pots
- Macrame Planters
- Painted Ceramic Pots
- Make Clay Pots
8. Soap
The ingredients and supplies to make soap are relatively low. You might have to buy a few things upfront – like soap molds – but in the end, you can sell handmade soap for a high profit margin.
If you want to make and sell soap, use natural ingredients and create combinations that people will love. Here is an excellent guide on how to make and sell soap.
9. Bath Bombs
Looking for higher profit margins?
Bath bombs are amongst a group of easy crafts that cost nearly nothing to make. Made simply from baking soda, cornstarch, and citric acid, you can make a bath bomb for pennies.
Play with scent using essential oils and enjoy the process!
10. Candles
Making and selling candles is another well-paid craft. The supplies are pretty affordable, but you’ll need to consider the cost of shipping the candles so they don’t break.
Clean-burning soy candles are a hot item for small businesses.
11. Knit and Crochet
If you know how to knit or crochet, consider selling your creations. The demand is constant, and the supplies are relatively affordable (unless you buy expensive wool yarn).
You can make endless amounts of things if you knit or crochet. Here are just a few of the most popular ideas:
- Toys
- Coffee Cup Cozies
- Scarves
- Blankets
- Hats
- Hair Bands
- Knitting Patterns
- Stuffed Animals
12. Vinyl Crafting
Investing in a Cricut Machine or other vinyl-cutting machine will pay off big. There are so many things you can sell if you have one. Personalized items that you make with a Cricut sell for higher amounts than their non-personalized alternatives.
Here are the best things you can make with a vinyl-cutting machine.
- Wall Art
- Personalized Cups
- Signs
- Shirts
- Bags and Totes
Related content: 50 Cricut Crafts to Make and Sell
13. Wedding Specialties
The wedding business is among the most lucrative in the crafting world. While these crafting ideas may take a bit longer to create, your efforts will be rewarded.
Customers are willing to pay a premium to make their wedding extra special. And in most cases, it’s all about the marketing.
Take, for example, a pearl headband; simply listing it as a wedding accessory versus an everyday hair accessory could double or triple your listing price.
Here are some specialized wedding items to consider crafting:
- Custom Guestbook
- Adorned Veils (added bows, lace detail, crystals, or pearls)
- Dried Floral Arrangements
- Personalized Robes
- Handwritten Place Cards or Invitations
- Custom Wedding Favors
14. Custom Baby Gifts
Like weddings, customers are naturally drawn to customizable baby gifts. There’s just something about a one-of-a-kind handmade item.
Here are some ideas for DIY crafts, perfect for any baby shower or 1st birthday:
- Custom Onesie or Blanket Printed with Leaves
- Hand-Painted Wood Blocks
- Nursery Wall Art
- Baby Milestone Cards
- Custom Rattles
15. Resin Crafts
Resin is the new mason jar. In other words, resin crafts are everywhere! You can use resin to create high-quality products, from coasters to ashtrays, filling them with custom details like pressed flowers and gold flakes to draw customers in.
Because resin is a more expensive material to craft with and requires some experience, your prices can and should reflect this.
Here are some resin craft ideas to sell online:
- Jewelry
- Coasters
- Wall Art
- Book Ends
- Keychains
- Hair Clips
- Paperweights
16. Party Decor
Finally, consider making and selling party decorations. You can make so many different kinds of party decor out of things like paper, yarn, and tissue paper. It doesn’t cost much, but you can sell these packages for a good profit because you’re saving people time.
If you sell themed packages, you’ll sell more than if you just sell individual pieces.
Here are a few of the most popular types of party decor you can sell:
- Garland
- Signs
- Party Favor Boxes
- Balloons
- Streamers
- Pom Poms
- Centerpieces
- Selfie-station Background and Props
Where to Sell the Crafts You Make
Another part of making the most money and keeping your costs low is finding an affordable place to sell your stuff. We’ve moved way past local craft fairs when it comes to selling our homemade goods.
Here are the top three places that most crafters use. Choose the one you’re the most comfortable with; it’s not worth wasting time trying to get something to work.
Etsy
The most popular place to start selling your crafts is Etsy. They have an in-depth tutorial that shows you how to set up your shop for the first time.
The fees are reasonable and well-explained. You pay a small listing fee, a transaction fee after it sells, and an off-site ads fee if you make a sale from an Etsy ad. You can earn a decent income with an Etsy shop.
It does take marketing to draw people to your shop, which is probably the biggest drawback.
Shopify
If you want a stand-alone online store, Shopify is the best choice. In short, you choose a unique URL, and your shop can rank high in search engines with enough SEO work.
A Shopify site does cost a small hosting fee. There are three pricing tiers, depending on how much you plan to sell and how robust you need your website to be.
It’s straightforward to set up and use. If you are comfortable with computer software, then it will be simple for you. If you aren’t, then you might want to ask someone to help you set it up.
Facebook Marketplace
Finally, if you want a free way to sell your crafts and you don’t want to invest any time in maintaining or updating a website, use Facebook Marketplace.
Setting up a Facebook page is free and easy. Then, you can start listing and selling your items directly on Facebook. You have two options – sell in person or ship to people. Pick the one that you are most comfortable with.
The downside to selling on Facebook marketplace is that you won’t rank in search engines. So, if someone is looking to buy homemade cards, they won’t find you when they Google it. This is a significant downside if you want to grow and scale your business someday.
Related content: Best Direct Sales Craft Companies to Join
How to Improve Your Reach
Now that you have the lowdown on the most profitable crafts to make and sell, it’s time to hone your sales technique.
Use these three simple tips to improve your reach, bringing you more customers and subsequent sales.
1. Choose a Niche
One of the best ways to make money in a big market is to narrow in on your specific niche.
You can specialize in general categories like pets, baby items, or wedding customizations. Alternatively, you can specialize in an art form like pressed flowers, resin crafting, or crochet.
Get specific enough to stand out from the pack while leaving room for future ventures.
2. Know Your Target Audience
Knowing your customers will make a huge difference in how you market your e-commerce business.
Consider who the ideal customer is for your craft business. Are they stay-at-home mothers? Brides to be? Teenagers with disposable income?
Choose the marketing and social media platforms that best suit those potential customers.
For example, younger customers may appreciate creativity through TikTok marketing. Older audiences often prefer Facebook or Instagram.
Impulse purchasers often search through an online marketplace like Facebook Marketplace.
3. Request Reviews
Increase your reach and credibility through customer testimonials. Personal stories and photographs of the completed products are essential for your business.
This is especially important for online sales as folks rely on these reviews to verify quality.
Crafts to Make and Sell: Final Thoughts
When choosing which crafts to make and sell, always look at the cost of the supplies and how long it takes you to make them. You should also consider the shipping costs. Then, choose crafts that are inexpensive, fast, and easy to ship. If you do this, you can earn a nice profit on the things you sell!
You really can’t put a price tag on the pride and happiness you’ll feel selling things that you created! It is definitely worth all the financial and time investments you put into it.
Originally published September 14, 2020. Content updated September 2024.
