Hands up if you've ever wanted to sell your handmade crafts online or at a craft fair! It can be both exciting and nerve-wracking, trying to figure out what to make and hoping that people will love your creations.
If you've been wondering how to make extra money from arts and crafts, then you're in luck. There are many profitable crafts you can make and sell online without even leaving the comforts of home.
In this post, we'll outline the most profitable handmade arts and crafts that are sure to generate a great income for your home business or side hustle. We've categorized what crafts are in high demand in separate sections to make your search easier.
So whether you're an experienced crafter or just getting started, read on for some great ideas. Don’t miss out on crucial tips that can help you put your talent to good use and earn at the same time!
What Fashion Handmade Crafts Can You Sell?
Fashion products are not only trendy, they’re also quite profitable. They’re easy to sell online or offline because there’s a large market for fashion products.
Many people are always on the lookout for unique and stylish accessories like clothing, bags, and more.
1. Jewelry
Jewelry crafts are always in high demand that's why it's one of the hot-selling crafts. In fact, handmade jewelry is also one of the most popular crafts to sell on Etsy.
When it comes to profit margins, the average is 5% to 20%, depending on the type of jewelry you’re making and selling. But for special and unique pieces, you can raise your profit to up to 75%.
Some handmade jewelry ideas to consider include the following:
- Beaded earrings, necklaces, and bracelets
- Woven friendship bracelets
- Charm bracelets with collectible charms
- Pendants made of semi-precious stones like jade, amethyst, red jasper, white jadeite stone, rose quartz, etc.
2. Tie-Dye Shirts
If you’re looking for DIY crafts to sell that don’t require a lot of skill, then how about making tie-dye shirts?
For the past couple of years, tie-dye fashion has been making a comeback. Clothing with tie-dye designs is super popular, especially with teens and young adults.
While some people love creating their own unique designs and patterns, a lot of people would still rather buy a ready-made shirt with fun tie-dye designs.
To start your own tie-dye T-shirt business, you just need to source good-quality shirts and dyes. You can then create your own designs and start promoting your own T-shirt brand.
3. Eco Tote Bags
Another popular fashion craft that you can make and sell is eco totes bags made of cloth or canvas.
More and more people today are practicing conscious living and one way to do this is by going green. These tote bags are reusable and can be used instead of paper or plastic bags.
The great thing about making these bags is that the pattern to sew them is very simple. Even if your sewing skills are beginner-level, it's not that difficult to learn how to make one.
You can use printed canvas or print your own designs for your tote bags. You can even offer personalized tote bags for an added fee to your customers.
4. Hair Bows and Scrunchies
If you have decent hand-sewing skills, try your hand at making cute hair bows. This is perfect if you want to make crafts that moms and young children would love.
Hair bows and scrunchies are very profitable because you don't need a lot of material to make one. A yard of fabric or ribbon will go a long way in creating multiple hair bows. You can even use scrap cloth or ribbons to make these crafts.
5. Knitted Scarves
One of the best hobby crafts to sell is knitted scarves. If you love knitting, why not turn that passion into your very own homemade scarf business?
Handmade scarves with great quality wool are always in demand, so you can easily sell them online or offline.
To make your scarf business stand out, you can also offer custom-made scarves. Once you have a good customer base, ask them to give you ideas for your next scarf design and color. Make it unique so that your clients will keep coming back for more!
6. Bag Stuffers
Bag stuffers or purse stuffers are pillow-like crafts that are used to keep the shape of a luxury bag like a Chanel classic flap bag or a Birkin.
Because bag owners spend thousands of dollars to purchase these designer bags, they will not think twice about buying an extra pillow to make sure the bag will maintain its shape.
Bag stuffers are usually made with luxury cloth like satin or specially woven fabric that will not scratch the bag and pillow stuffing. The only tricky part is making sure that the bag stuffers are specifically measured to the designer bag you’re selling it for.
Which Crafty Home Items Are Profitable?
Some of the top-selling homemade items are crafts designed for the home. Many homemakers love to add unique touches to their home to make it look cozy. Plus, homemade crafts are usually at a lower price point which is perfect for their tight budgets.
Below are some brilliant ideas for crafts you can make for the home.
7. Handwoven T-Shirt Rugs
If you have tons of old t-shirts that are ready for the Salvation Army box, then try holding on to them first because you might have enough to start your own homemade rug business.
Yes, you heard that right. You can make colorful rugs, mats, and potholders using old colorful t-shirts.
You can find many tutorials online on how to make one depending on how complicated you want the design to be.
Don't worry though, it's not that difficult. In fact, one artist was featured in Vogue for doing exactly this project of basic weaving old t-shirts into textile.
8. Wood Pallet Plaques
If you know a bit of carpentry, putting together wood pallet plaques and selling them online is another craft for adults to sell.
Wooden pallet plaques are decorative arts that you can paint on. By adding words or images, you can make your crafts look unique and interesting.
To decorate the wood pallets, you don't need to use expensive wood. You can scrap them from an old furniture project or even buy them in bulk at wholesale prices. Just make sure to sand off the rough edges so it's safe for your customers.
9. Personalized Cheese Boards
Personalized Cheese Boards are amazing housewarming gifts that's why they’re also very popular on sites like Etsy.
While it may seem complicated to make these, it's actually really easy and not even expensive to start making and selling these crafts.
You'll need a Wood Burning Kit also called a Pyrography Kit, which will cost around $50 to $80 depending on how many tips and accessories it will come with.
You then need to source plain cheese or chopping boards that you can personalize with the name or initials of your customers.
You can find tutorials on YouTube and see for yourself how easy this process is.
10. Pet Accessories
You'll be surprised at how high the demand is for personalized and unique pet accessories like leashes, bows, collars, scarves, and more.
Many pet owners are always looking for stylish accessories that aren’t the usual factory-made ones that are sold in big pet stores.
11. Scented Candles
What's an arts and crafts list without scented candles?
Scented candles are undoubtedly some of the most popular crafts you can sell. It's also very profitable because the materials aren’t that expensive and once you get the hang of making them, it's not that difficult to make.
Before venturing into this business, you need to conduct some research on the scents that are trending for candles, so you can create your line according to what customers are looking for.
12. Handmade Soap and Bath Bombs
Like scented candles, handmade soap and bath bombs are also a great idea because these are consumable items that you can sell regularly.
When starting a soap business, make sure to use quality ingredients that will not irritate the skin or cause any allergies.
Can You Sell Handmade Stationery?
Yes, you can. What’s an arts and crafts list without handmade stationery anyway? And you can make good profits from them too!
13. Calligraphy Greeting Cards
Whether you want to start a stationery business or just craft cards for adults to sell at home, calligraphy greeting cards are great crafts that can be customized with your personal touch.
14. Art Kits
Putting together an art kit for children is another great business idea for arts and crafts lovers. If you know where to source affordable art materials, you can buy them in bulk and package them in individual art kits.
An art kit can have crayons, watercolor sets, color pencils, and other crafts for kids. You can sell these to daycare centers, party organizers, and moms.
15) Printable Templates
If you know your way around digital art, creating printable templates is a good passive income idea.
You can create different types of templates like calendars, budget worksheets, and labels that you can sell on sites like Etsy or through creating an online shop.
Where to Sell Your Arts and Crafts
To start selling your crafts, you can consider offline and online options. If you live in an area with a large crafts community, your local flea market can be a great place to sell crafts. You'll need to rent a booth and set up shop during weekends.
However, selling your crafts online is also a good idea because it automatically expands your market without high overhead costs.
Below are some great sites where you can start selling your crafts.
- Etsy – This is the world's most popular crafts marketplace where you can sell arts and crafts online.
- Facebook – You can create a Facebook page to display your crafts and join Facebook groups to start marketing them.
- Pinterest – This social media site is a great platform to direct traffic to your website, Etsy page, or Facebook page.
Start Making Money Today By Selling Crafts
So, there you have it! Our list of crafts that aren’t only easy to make but also profitable. We hope this article has given you some ideas on what type of crafts you can start making and selling today.
Remember to choose crafts that appeal to your personal style and interests so you'll enjoy the process of making them as much as possible.
Which of these crafts do you want to try first?
Aidan has been writing about personal finance for over 6 years. Prior to this, he worked as a Corporate Finance Analyst where he specialized in Due Diligence, Company Valuations and more. He is a CFA charterholder.
