The 5 Best Crafts to Make and Sell for Profit

For Tomi Hill of StorymakersTradingCo, peddling geeky cards, pins and stickers through the internet was a means to supplement her family’s income while taking care of small children – all without having to spend each weekend at craft fairs.

While Milliron and Hill have certainly demonstrated that it is possible to convert a craft hobby into an enterprise, it is not necessarily easy. Many aspiring makers find themselves challenged in monetizing their crafts effectively.

If you want to make money by selling handmade products, the first thing you need is a creative idea about what to make. To assist in this process, we’ve gathered nine of the most successful crafts that can be sold for your convenience.

In order to come up with this list, we meticulously researched over 30 different craft categories on Amazon and Etsy. We were extremely selective about what crafts got included – only those that had great potential for high demand and profits made the cut.

• If you want to make crafting worth your while, it’s essential that there is a high demand for your product. We examined the data from top Etsy sellers (according to CraftCount), Amazon Handmade bestsellers, and trending products on Etsy in order to determine which crafts have the highest demand.
• To measure the potential profits these crafts could yield, we analyzed the average selling costs of products on popular sites like Etsy and Amazon Handmade in addition to gauging any relevant product expenses (such as supplies, equipment, and manpower).

Although this list comprises nine crafts, the same principles can be applied to additional handmade items not showcased in this guide.

1. Face Masks

The global pandemic has made masks an unfortunate necessity, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be put to good use by creatives! Those who have the ability to sew now have a great opportunity for crafting and selling these items. In fact, face coverings are topping bestseller lists on both Etsy and Amazon – indicating that this is far from something just here today, gone tomorrow.

This craft is relatively easy to make, even for those with minimal sewing skills. Furthermore, if you have a sewing machine at home, it will only take around 15 minutes of your time to construct one individual mask!

With face masks ranging from $5 to $10, there’s plenty of room for you to turn a profit. Bulk discounts on materials such as elastic and fabric can give your business an even larger boost. On top of that, shipping costs are low since multiple packs weigh less than one ounce each and pack flat into boxes or envelopes with ease.

To be successful in this competitive market, you have to be creative with your fabric design. Incorporate something unique like an embroidered pattern and give customers a compelling reason to purchase from you. If designing is not your thing, Spoonflower offers the ability for users to create their own original fabrics that are sure to help set them apart.

2. Stickers and Vinyl Decals

Stickers remain a fan-favorite across Etsy and Amazon, with many of the top stores selling wall decals and planner stickers that make it onto trending lists. If you’re looking to get into this craft, your choices are endless – die-cut vinyl stickers for laptops? Check! Bumper sticker designs? We have those too! With so much variety available in one product niche, there’s sure to be something perfect for finding your unique place among successful sellers.

With craft production, you can expect significant profit margins. For instance, die-cut stickers on Amazon Handmade are sold for $3 despite being made at a few cents with external services such as Sticker Mule.

Shipping costs are incredibly affordable. Die-cuts, sheets of stickers and bumper stickers have low weight and thinness which keeps the shipping cost to a minimum – plus minimal storage overhead as an added bonus! Although larger wall decals do come with higher shipping and storage expenses, their prices should be enough to cover it all!

Crafting each and every decal or sticker is doable, but requires a great deal of time. On the other hand, if you partner with an expert sticker manufacturer, your labor costs will be significantly reduced due to their efficiency and skill. The complexity level of your designs also weighs in on the cost calculation.

Hill cautions that, despite relying on a manufacturer for production, it is still necessary to devote effort into designing and preparing artwork. However, by outsourcing the creation of items from StorymakersTradingCo., she was able to scale much faster than when producing everything manually.

3. Enamel Pins

There is no mistaking that enamel pins have a steady and devoted fanbase, even though they may not show up in Etsy’s highest echelons of popularity. When looking at sales statistics and reviews on the platform, it becomes readily apparent that book or video game-inspired designs are especially beloved by consumers. Pin artists often advertise their work on Instagram where they consistently generate high levels of engagement from followers.

When it comes to selling enamel pins, you can easily make a profit within the $8-$20 range. Depending on the size and finish of your order as well as its dimensions, quantity, and order size – all of which affect cost per item – you could pay less than $2 for every pin when working with manufacturers like vivipins.com. This gives you fantastic margins making them an excellent choice for any aspiring entrepreneurs.

Enamel pins are an economical way to advertise your business, since their production cost is quite low. You just have to conceive a design and collaborate with a manufacturer in order to create it. Moreover, the overhead related to storage or shipping this small product will likely not be significant either.

It might be tempting to charge a minimal fee for small, cost-friendly items. Nevertheless, it is essential that we remember the value of our artistry, skillset and time invested in each project. Hill passionately stated: “We not only lose potential profits if we undervalue ourselves; but furthermore inadvertently educate customers to disregard its worth.”

If you think selling enamel pins is something that interests you, the perfect place to begin your journey is Shopify’s guide. It will provide invaluable information and help get you started on this fun craft!

4. Cards and Invitations

The Greeting Card Association reports that Americans shell out an astonishing $7 to 8 billion on greeting cards annually. On the other hand, couples spend a staggering average of $560 merely on wedding invitations and stationery. Across all subcategories, there is an ever-growing demand for one-of-a-kind handmade cards.

From custom calligraphy to personalized printed cards, the stationery market provides an abundance of creative opportunities. Not only do handcrafted cards with features like quilling and dried flowers perform well in this sector, but they also offer a unique chance for crafters to express themselves. With so many options available, there’s something special here that appeals to everyone.

The costs of different materials used for cards and invitations vary depending on the supplies you need. Fortunately, shipping is always affordable which allows great room for profit margins due to the high expected price points. You have a wide variety of prices in this area with greeting cards usually priced around $5-$10 and unique wedding invitations ranging from $2-10 per card on average.

The time spent on the labor involved in creating a card is subject to the intricacy of its design. Crafting the ideal materials and refining your card’s design can take up to two days, according to PipsyCraft founder Milliron. Be sure you allocate enough time for this process as it will be crucial in achieving success with your cards.

Ready to print your design? You can easily have cards printed in 5 minutes or less, while more intricate designs such as quilling and watercolor may take up to 15.

If you want to make a killing in the greeting card business, Milliron has your answer. Keep it simple and leverage consistency by limiting designs and variations, prepping up several card bases before-hand, plus investing in tools that can ease out creative processes.

5. Craft Patterns

There is no doubt that selling craft patterns can be an extremely lucrative business venture. Consider these facts; PieceByNumberQuilts alone has generated 36,438 sales for quilting patterns with TheEasyDesign and Stitchrovia having 60,040 and 46,499 sales respectively for crochet and cross-stitch patterns! These impressive numbers are only the beginning of this thriving industry – countless more sellers have made admirable progress in their own pattern businesses.

If you have a knack for creating craft patterns, you’re in luck! You can sell these designs and make significant profits. For PDF downloads, the price normally ranges between $2 to $10 with more intricate templates potentially selling at higher prices – leaving you with nothing but pure profit after covering overhead costs such as graphic design software and site maintenance or marketplace fees. On top of that, popular marketplaces like Etsy and eBay both accept PDF products; furthermore, platforms such as Shopify, WordPress & GoDaddy also provide digital sales options through Payhip. So why wait? Get your craft business started today.

Make a profit doing something you enjoy

If you have any creative skill and ambition, you can monetize your crafts to create a profitable business. Milliron suggests that the most significant factor for success is to learn about your target market as if you were running a professional enterprise, in order to make informed decisions with regards to pricing and promotion. With enough time, dedication and experimentation along the way – taking care always not just of yourself but also abiding by all relevant rules – it’s possible for anyone with talent to turn their artwork into an income stream.