When you think about small businesses, the OG platform that paved the way for the rest was Etsy. The platform provided small creators and enterprises with a platform to showcase and sell their products directly to interested buyers.
If you have a zeal and passion for creating and selling products, Etsy is still a leading platform of choice. However, with such a high level of competition pre-existing on the platform, finding the right business idea can be challenging.
To eliminate that confusion, we have sorted and shortlisted the top 20 Etsy business ideas for 2023 that you can consider.
20 Best Etsy Business ideas
We wanted to maintain a variety when picking and shortlisting the top 10 Etsy business ideas. Since everyone’s preferences and likings differ, we wanted to accumulate ideas that cater to everyone’s professional taste.
Here are the best ones worth exploring:
1. Wedding Printables
Weddings are magical, and there’s nothing you can say to deny that fact. Wouldn’t it be amazing if you got to be a part of an already stunning layout? Well, that’s exactly what wedding printables allow you to do.
You can customize anything and everything from the wedding card to the signs and the small tokens over the return gifts. What’s also great about starting a wedding printables business? You can channel your creative juices and make the most of someone’s special day.
Also, if you have previous experience with editing and graphics, this is a great business idea you can venture into.
2. Vintage Clothing
If you follow current and ongoing fashion trends, you’d know that retro is never out of style. Trends like cottage core and Y2K are living examples of that. So, why not tap into that idea and convert that into a profitable business model on Etsy?
You can either curate pieces of vintage clothing from thrift stores and resell them or offer customized apparel to individuals willing to buy them.
With the right picks and designs, you shouldn’t have difficulty marketing your business to the target audience.
3. Crafts
If there’s Etsy, there are going to be crafted. There are no two ways about it. Crafts and décor items shaped the platform and growth of businesses in the initial days. Although pre-existing sellers curate and sell unique craft pieces, there’s no disregard for new businesses and ideas.
So, if you are good with crafts and have some unique product ideas that you think would sell well, go ahead and put them up on the listing.
Craft is a very diverse niche. It could include home décor, jewelry pieces, or even smaller handicrafts that you think your buyers would appreciate. Amidst all the options, beads and craft jewelry outsell them all.
4. Baby Clothes
This might sound weird, but people reach out to Etsy sellers for baby clothes. But not just any random or common baby clothes; Etsy is where the customizations happen. If you can offer custom-designed baby clothes, that’s an idea that’s never going out of business.
New parents often want to preserve the memory of their newborn baby, and clothes play a huge part in it. That’s where you step into the equation.
What you can do is offer customized, embroidered, uniquely designed baby clothes that are one-of-a-kind and too hard to resist.
5. Custom T-Shirts
While we are on custom-made clothes, custom T-shirts also deserve special mention. You can start a business selling them as retail or even take up bulk custom T-shirts for events, parties, organizations, uniforms, etc.
What’s great about starting a custom T-shirt is that the demand for it will never fizzle down. The only thing you need to do is be creative with the designs you offer.
Avoid boring and copied designs because those will not attract sustainable customers returning with more orders.
6. Fabrics
Clothing is a business niche that’s never going out of trend. As long as people are there on Earth, they will want to wear clothes. If you don’t have the means to sell dresses or t-shirts due to a lack of resources, resort to fabrics.
Most people refer to Etsy to find good-quality fabrics. From cotton to sequined, the demand is quite diverse. So, why not make the most out of it?
According to Etsy, fabrics bring in 5000+ queries each month, showing that the demand is there. If you want to kick off a worthy business idea, this is undoubtedly a good one.
7. Holiday Decorations
This Etsy business idea is very time-specific and time-bound. You’d have to stock up and wait for the holiday season to arrive to make good sales. However, the holiday doesn’t always allude to Christmas and New Year’s.
You can also make the most of holiday decorations during Thanksgiving, the fall season, etc. So, if you have unique decoration ideas that you can bring to life, this is a very profitable business idea for Etsy.
8. Party Supplies
People are never going to stop partying. Be it for birthdays or anniversaries, or even a gender reveal, parties are part of human existence. Party supplies make a good niche if you want to get on Etsy with a working and profitable business model.
Supplies can include decorations, balloons, party banners, cake toppers, etc. The list is never-ending. You can also offer customized party supplies with printables for a more subjective customer experience.
Also, there aren’t many diverse party supply stores on Etsy, so you won’t have to worry about cutthroat competition too.
9. Homemade Cards
People love customization, so homemade cards are a hit, despite this digital era. If you are good with creating homemade cards from scratch, you will make a decent profit on Etsy.
When launching your business, focus on finding unique designs and create a few templates and mock-up designs to launch your business. Also, if you have good handwriting, you can offer handwritten letters on the cards.
10. Cooking Supplies
Cooking supplies often vary from one place to the other. The kind of spatula or knives you use back home might be different than what you get in another country. So, there is a diversity in cooking supplies. You can turn that into a profitable business model on Etsy.
What you can do to make your business more noticeable is offer unique designs of cooking supplies. Include aesthetic colors and design options too.
11. Stickers
This can either be a hit or a miss. If you are good at designing and creating stickers, you can give this a go. However, the only challenge is the competition on the platform. There are hundreds of other small businesses selling stickers on Etsy already.
So, offer something different and unique if you want to stand out. Also, if possible, make planner stickers. This will attract the attention of everyday journal enthusiasts.
12. Washi Tape
While we are on the topic of journalling, Washi Tape is another Etsy business idea you can venture into. The concept of washi tapes is colorful and printed tape rolls journaling aficionados use to make their journal entries much more aesthetic.
However, starting a washi tape business can be a bit of a challenge. You need to find a bulk seller from where you can buy them to resell them on Etsy. Also, if you want to sell customized washi tapes, that’s a completely different rodeo.
13. Ribbons
Ribbons are another popular business idea that works on Etsy. You can offer standard ribbons, designed ribbons, or even items made of ribbons.
What’s great about this is the creative flexibility you get. You can pick and choose whatever you want to make from the business model.
14. Beads
When discussing beads as a business idea on Etsy, we discuss selling the raw material. Beads are used in multiple ways, including jewelry, making hats, bracelets, etc. Some even create phone charms with them.
Bead supplies are very easy to source, provided you have resources for the manufacturer. But, once you sort that connection, selling beads can generate a steady profit and income for you on Etsy.
15. Feathers
Now, this might sound interesting, right? Feathers are a personal choice or preference for most people. So, if you are sitting there confused about what you can sell, we’d recommend sourcing exotic feathers.
They make great additions to accessories and are an integral part of the craft business scene. So, you can mediate as a bulk supplier to those craft businesses and earn a good profit.
16. Stamps & Pads
Rubber stamps are also quite popular on Etsy, and if you have the right connections or tools, you can create customized ones for businesses. Not only for professional use, but stamps are also quite popular among people who journal or want to keep their notes organized.
Coming to writing pads, you can’t have too many when it comes to stationery. And, especially with writing pads, you just can’t have too many. This is why selling stamps and pads will make a great business idea on Etsy.
17. Second-hand Goods
Thrift and vintage items are currently in right now. So, if you have many to spare and want to clear out space, why not list them on Etsy?
You get the dual benefits of clearing out your space or sourcing unique materials and selling them. Also, vintage pieces or second-hand goods hold a lot of value. So, the profits are pretty great too.
18. Candles
Candles are many people’s obsession. So, if you are into candle making and make good-quality, unique, pleasantly scented candles, why not sell them on Etsy and earn a profit?
Remember that candles are already being sold on Etsy, so you are bound to experience some competition. But, with the right persuasion and the ideas in place, you should be able to figure things out.
19. Digital Downloads
Everyone has certain talents, and if you are good at art, you can sell digital downloads of your art to people and earn a pretty high income.
Besides art, you can also offer digital downloads for software, games, or other elements within your creation capacity.
20. Phone Cases
Last on the list of best Etsy business ideas is phone cases. The reason why we have kept this at the bottom is due to the saturation. There are hundreds of Etsy sellers already selling phone cases. So, fitting in that space can be a challenge, to begin with.
What you can do instead is focus on finding unique ways to sell personalized phone cases that hold a memory and a meaning for the customer.
Conclusion
That concludes our list of the top 20 Etsy business ideas. Remember that Etsy is expanding, so you don’t have to limit your choices to these options. If you have a unique business idea and want to bring it to fruition, do so with Etsy. There’s no one stopping you from chasing your dreams and being financially independent.
