13 Profitable Things to Make & Sell for Extra Income 

When you’re looking for things to make and sell for extra income, you want creative ideas that are also profitable and in high demand. In this guide, we provide you with our top 13 tips to make and sell from the comfort of your own home. Not only will you learn about the benefits of starting up your own handmade business, but also how to set it up and promote it. We’ll also show you how to build a professional online store using Hosted.com®’s Website Builder to get your online business going quickly and easily.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• A business created for things to make and sell combines creativity, flexibility and profit potential, making it an ideal side hustle or full-time career.
• Choosing the right product depends on your skills, budget, and target market. Start small, test demand, and scale accordingly.
• Sell online successfully by starting small, understanding your market, and providing value at the right price.
• Consistent branding and targeted marketing are essential if you wish to stand out and attract customers.
• Hosted.com®’s Website Builder makes it easy to launch and manage an online store, so you can focus on creating and selling your products.

Benefits of Starting a Handmade Product Business

Having your own online store has become easier than ever. Whether you’re looking to earn extra cash with a side hustle or turn your DIY hobby into a full-time career, creating and selling handmade items can be a great way to do it. It also includes many other perks, both financial and personal.

Creative freedom is a huge perk. You can build your own business around what things to make and sell online without constraints or limits, and you get to be your own boss.

Unlike many other businesses, you don’t always need a huge investment to get started. You can often start with what you already have, plus a website, which keeps startup costs low.

When you sell something handmade, it’s not just a product; it’s one-of-a-kind. This means it has more perceived value, and you can often ask for higher prices, leading to higher profit margins compared to mass-produced items.

Lastly, more and more people who shop online (and in the real world for that matter) are increasingly focused on sustainability, personalization, and supporting local businesses. This trend shows there’s a healthy, growing market for quality handmade products. In fact, it is estimated that 18% of global handmade goods sales come from online platforms.

13 Profitable Things to Make & Sell Online

With more than54% of the world’s populationshopping online as of 2025, according toStatista, there’s never been a better time to start your own online business. Here is our list of creative things to make and sell to inspire you.

1: Custom T-Shirts and Screen Printing

A custom T-shirt and screen printing business is a great way to tap into a huge market with almost endless possibilities for creativity. You can focus on niche areas, such as bands, anime, or nostalgia, including classic video games and movies, which have a dedicated fan base always looking for more unique designs to add to their collections.

One of the biggest advantages is the relatively low risk involved. For example, once you have your designs ready and uploaded online, you can use print-on-demand services to avoid holding a large inventory, only creating products as orders arrive.

This allows you to experiment with new ranges, such as hoodies and tote bags, to expand your product line and increase sales once again without major financial risk.

The best part of doing it this way is that there is potential for great profit margins combined with consistent demand year-round.

2: Beauty Products

The cosmetics and skincare market is booming. Just look at your Instagram or TikTok feed.

Products like handmade soap, lip balms, moisturizers, and body scrubs are everywhere and always in demand. A major trend that shows no sign of slowing down is personalized skincare using essential oils and natural ingredients, which allows you to create a high-quality self-care range that appeals to multiple customer demographics.

Another great idea is bath bombs, which you can make using a mold and a few simple household ingredients like baking soda, Epsom salts, and citric acid.

However, it’s essential to be aware of and comply with all labeling (listing ingredients, allergens, etc.) and health regulations, to ensure your products are safe and you’re covered legally.

3: Handmade Jewelry

Handmade jewelry making offers creativity and has a broad appeal, as well as many ways to stand out. For starters, you can specialize in a specific style(s) or material (steel, leather, gold, precious stones, etc.) to attract certain customers. For example, you can create beaded jewelry, focus on elegant, intricate designs, experiment with resin pieces, or even produce unique items from upcycled materials.

Because most pieces are small and lightweight (depending on how detailed the item is and what you make it from), they are usually affordable and easy to ship, both locally and internationally. This simplifies managing your order fulfillment process and also keeps overheads low, and increases profit margins.

4: Home Decor Items

Starting a business in handmade products for home decor is a great way to tap into a market where trends and personal style play a huge role. The creative options are endless, allowing you to create a variety of decorative items such as wall art, picture frames, decorative mason jars, or hand-painted plant pots.

Next, specializing in specific aesthetics helps you create collections that appeal directly to a specific audience. Going the niche market route is also great for making personalized gifts and seasonal ranges, which are always popular items for holidays and special occasions. This flexibility allows you to easily adapt to new trends and explore new ways to get creative.

5: Handmade Candles

Keeping with the home decor theme, candles are some of the most popular things to make and sell. They are relatively easy to make, as the materials required are low-cost and readily available for the most part. Using eco-friendly materials like soy or beeswax and infusing them with essential oils also allows you to appeal to health and environment-conscious customers.

By making unique shapes and scents with luxury packaging, you can make your products look and feel extra special compared to the competition. Candles are a versatile product with year-round demand, especially for seasonal scents and as staples for creating atmosphere. If you have the capacity, a good idea is to add candle holders to complement your main product line.

6: Pet Accessories

Launching a pet accessories business lets you tap into a large market filled with devoted (occasionally obsessive) potential customers. You have the opportunity to design unique and stylish items, from custom collars and leashes to toys, clothing, and carriers for smaller pets, that offer an alternative to the mass-produced products that are in every pet store.

Again, this business can be incredibly profitable, because pet owners are often more than happy to pay extra for high-quality, personalized items for their fur-babies. The key here is to focus on safety and durability. By using strong, pet-friendly materials and ensuring your products are made to last, you build trust and a reputation for quality and value for money.

7: Artwork

Selling art offers immense creative freedom and a variety of product types to explore. Original paintings and drawings are the most traditional products in this category, where you sell one-of-a-kind physical pieces. You can specialize in a specific medium, offering higher pricing due to the time and the uniqueness of each piece. The same goes for taking commissions for personalized, custom artwork for clients.

Alternatively, selling digital downloads allows you to create a piece of art once, and customers can then purchase a downloadable file to print themselves. This provides a business model with no inventory and shipping needs, plus unlimited scalability while making your work accessible to a much wider audience.

8: Stickers and Decals

Stickers and decals are a great idea for a craft business, as they are highly customizable, cheap to produce, and extremely popular for personalizing laptops, water bottles, journals, and so on.

You can also use a print-on-demand service for this, offering no upfront costs because you don’t need to buy any equipment or hold stock. You can further scale up by creating digital versions that customers can download and print.

Alternatively, if you want to have full control over production and quality, you could invest in your own equipment. This would include a quality printer and a cutting machine. While this is a higher initial cost, it can lead to further profit.

9: Artisanal Food

If you are of the culinary persuasion, artisanal, seasonal food like chocolates, sauces, baked goods, and preserves are great ways to capitalize on the constant demand for new and exciting items that can’t be found in grocery stores. Plus, they’re always popular in gift baskets or as pantry staples.

Shelf-stable products, such as preserves and sauces, can also be easily sold online, expanding your reach. You can also set up stalls at farmers’ markets or local craft fairs. You’ll need to be mindful of proper food safety and hygiene guidelines, including suitable packaging and labeling, especially for allergens and cross-contamination.

10: Leather Accessories

Handmade leather products are highly valued for their durability and craftsmanship. Items like wallets, belts, bags, and keychains have a timeless appeal and make great gifts.

While the initial investment can be higher than some of the others on this list, you can start with the basics, including cutting tools, hole punches, a mallet, stitching needles and thread, or a sewing machine.

Due to the cost of materials and the time-intensive nature of the work, you can set higher prices, as customers are often willing to pay more for premium, long-lasting leather goods.

11: Digital Downloads

As we mentioned earlier in the section on artwork, digital products are some of the most lucrative items to create and sell. This is because you get the best of both worlds in terms of creative freedom, plus minimal overhead.

You can create a wide range of items for almost any person or niche, from planners and templates to personalized eBooks and online courses. The only real limit here is your imagination.

Since there are no manufacturing or shipping costs, this type of business is easy to grow. It can be an excellent passive income source, because once the original is done and uploaded, all you need to do is keep your online store running.

12: 3D Prints

A 3D printing business is an excellent way to enter a creative, high-tech market. The range of potential products is huge, from custom collectibles and figurines to unique home decor and accessories.

Although there is an initial investment in the 3D printer, filament, and paints (if you intend to offer painting as well), you can start small, test your ideas, and expand from there. This gives you the flexibility to experiment with custom designs and various options before increasing production as your business grows.

13: Subscription Boxes

Selling curated subscription boxes is one of the best ways to create a regular revenue stream. By focusing on a specific niche or theme, you send out a selection of new, unique products to your subscribers every month.

Offering personalized, small batches can also make your boxes exclusive, which not only encourages customer loyalty and word-of-mouth but is often the best kind of exposure and marketing you can get.

IMPORTANT:

For items such as food and organic cosmetics, following health and safety regulations is essential. You don’t want customers falling sick or having allergic reactions. Ensure you understand exactly what’s required and comply with all guidelines for labeling, ingredients, and hygiene.

How to Start Selling Online Successfully

The global handmade and crafts market is valued at $906 billion and is projected to continue growing 8.83% annually.

However, launching a successful online business takes more than just having things to make and sell; you need to have a plan in place.

Your first step is to ensure your idea is worth the time, effort, and money by considering market demand. This will help you find your niche and create something that people genuinely want to buy. It’s also a good idea to see what the competition is doing and what improvements you can make.

Walk before you start running. You don’t have to get everything perfect on the first try; rather, work on getting a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) developed to test your craft ideas, then build from there. This allows you to make adjustments and improvements based on real results, not guesses.

Your pricing shouldn’t be guesswork, either. Calculate all your production costs, including materials, labor, and overhead, and of course, the big one: profit margins. Doing this correctly will help ensure your business remains sustainable and will provide an income for the foreseeable future.

Next, you need a place from which to sell your crafts. Online marketplaces like an Etsy shop and Amazon Handmade can be great for providing traction in the beginning, but having your own website gives you more control over your brand, reach, and customer experience.

Before the sales start coming in, you need to have a plan for inventory management, order fulfillment and the shipping process when you sell physical products. The digital area is much easier; all you do is send an email with a download link or file.

Managing orders, lead times, and providing great customer service with clear communication will build trust and turn one-time buyers into loyal, repeat customers.

Promoting Your Business

Once your product is ready and you have a business model in place, promoting it is the next big step. Here are a few marketing essentials to get the word out for your new business and put it in front of the right people.

Start by building your brand identity. Branding is more than just a business name, logo, and a color palette; it’s how people recognize and remember you. Your brand should have a cohesive look and feel that speaks to your target audience and helps them form an instant connection.

Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest are ideal for showcasing handmade items and word of mouth. Just ensure you have high-quality photos and videos. Another useful social media tip is partnering with influencers. They already have dedicated followers and can promote your products through affiliate links, earning a commission on sales.

Similarly, people love social proof, so encouraging happy customers to leave reviews on your site or social media pages is an easy way to build trust and attract new ones.

Once you’ve built it (more information on that below), optimize your website for visibility. Using the right Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques, keywords, performance, security, and mobile responsiveness helps customers find you through search engines, driving traffic to your store.

Social search is also something to consider, so encourage happy customers to leave reviews on your site or social media pages to build trust and attract new ones.

Launch Your Store with Hosted.com®’s Website Builder

It has been estimated that 18% of global handmade goods sales come from online platforms.

While marketplaces can be useful, having your own online store can be better for several reasons. First, you don’t have to pay listing, transaction, and payment processing fees, saving you a chunk of your profits. Next, this helps with credibility. Many people see a business with its own website as more trustworthy and professional.

It also assists visibility and reach by ranking in search results for your products and driving traffic directly to your site instead of going to another one.

Hosted.com®’s Website Builder makes it easy to create and launch a website or ecommerce platform for your craft business without having to write a single line of code.

It’s designed to make the entire setup process as quick and easy as possible, no matter your technical skill level. To begin, select from over 200 templates from a range of business types for your site. From there, customize it with the simple drag-and-drop editor, and upload your images, descriptions, and content. They are all fully mobile-responsive, ensuring a great experience for shoppers on any device and screen size.

Add widgets for functionality, such as contact forms, social media buttons, and of course, ecommerce tools, including multiple payment gateway support. You also receive built-in SEO tools that help you monitor traffic and boost your site’s search rankings.

Finally, press “Publish” and you are online.

Once you’re live, security is taken care of with a free SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate, malware detection, and firewalls to protect your business and your customers.

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