Selling items is a great way to make money. It can be done either on an online platform or in person at local markets. Some of the most popular items to sell are creative or handmade items and trendy products.
The best thing about selling is that it can be for anyone. If you are a stay-at-home parent or someone who works from home, you can start with things to sell from home.
If you have a decent number of social media following, online friends, or virtual connections, you may take your chance on things to sell online.
It is also possible to establish a business that sells things. You can get started by creating easy things to sell for a small business or getting items from a supplier and reselling them.
In this post, you will learn 30 popular things to make and sell for profit. For you to choose which things you can sell, you will need to consider and research potential buyers or markets.
Creative Things to Sell to Make Money
You need to remember that creativity is a plus factor when selling items. It starts with a creative advertisement, then your one-of-a-kind logo, brand name, or storefront sign, and then your awesome packaging.
Most importantly, you can turn your creativity into a whole new product to sell!
If you don’t know a thing about creating products, there are tons of tutorial videos available on the internet for free.
So, go ahead and prepare your materials to start creating one of these creative things to sell to make money online or in person:
1. Handmade Beauty Products
Although there are many established brands of beauty products and the competition is tough, handmade beauty products are still sold competitively. Many people are continuously searching for new products to try, including handmade products.
You can create your very own beauty line of handmade beauty products. You can choose which materials to use and control the formulation.
Some of the homemade beauty products you can sell are:
- Beauty Soap
- Lip Tint
- Moisturizer
- Sunscreen
- Facial Wash
- Lotion
- Makeup
Homemade beauty products are examples of things to sell online or in person.
2. Soap and Bath Bombs
One of the easiest things to make and sell is soap and bath bombs. There are dozens of different recipes you can use, all of which can be made with simple ingredients that you may already have on hand.
Soap and bath bombs can be sold at farmer’s markets, craft fairs, or online platforms.
3. Jewelry
Another option for easy things to sell for a small business is jewelry. If you love accessories, you can try jewelry-making and start selling them online or in person at craft shows and fairs.
With a little bit of practice and material investments, you can create beautiful pieces that people would love to buy.
4. Candle
Another popular and easy thing to make and sell is candles. You can create your unique scents and styles or mimic well-known brands.
Candle-making requires very simple materials, which include candle wax or base, hues, and molds. You need to become extra creative if you want your candle to stand out.
Candles can be sold online or at local stores, depending on the size of your business.
5. Food and Desserts
If you are a great cook, you can sell food or desserts because who doesn’t love food? You can start by cooking up an extra batch of your specialty dish or dessert and selling them to your neighbors, friends, and relatives.
They will then mention your cooking to their friends, family, or colleagues, and that will be the start of your food and dessert business.
6. Art
Artwork is another item that tends to do well at craft shows. Choose a medium that you love working with, such as oil painting, watercolor, digital art, and others.
Using your chosen medium, create several artworks and start selling them.
7. Traditional Handcrafted Items
Traditional handcrafted items never go out of style. That’s why it is a great example of things to make and sell online or at craft shows and fairs.
Some of the traditional handcrafted items you can try are woven items, printed textiles, metal works, leather works, and wooden works.
8. Pottery
If you take pottery as a hobby, you can also make it as an income. Pottery is one of the popular examples of things to sell to make money online and in person.
Create unique things through pottery, such as mugs, planters, and vases, and sell them to make extra money.
9. Photography
Although most people can take photos using mobile phone cameras, it takes special photography skills to take beautiful photos. If you have a talent for photography, you can sell your photos and make money out of them.
Some examples of photos you can sell are:
- Scenery
- Animals
- Random objects
- Family Photos
- Event Snapshots
- Birthday Photoshoots
- Pre-Nuptial Photos
- And More
You can sell your photos online as stock photos for websites or apps, or you can display them in an exhibit or storefront.
10. Fragrances and Essential Oils
If you are a keen observer of scents or have a sharp sense of smell, you can create your fragrances, perfumes, and essential oils for all uses. To make fragrances and perfumes, you will need a supply of essential oils and scents.
Combining two or more scents with the right essential oil, you can concoct amazing fragrances that you can sell for your business.
You can also create essential oils for different uses, such as pain relievers, sleep inducers, stomach soother, and more. You just need to perfect the right combination of different essential oils.
Related: How to start a dropshipping business.
11. Notebooks and Paper Goods
Handmade notebooks and paper goods often use recycled paper as the main materials. If you are creative and want to help the environment, then making notebooks and paper goods out of used materials can be your creative things to sell to make money.
12. Personalized Gifts
Customized and personalized gifts are a thing now. You can sell anything customizable, and many people will patronize them, either for themselves or as gifts to others. Some examples of personalized gifts you can sell are:
- Bags
- Shirts
- Notebooks
- Tumblers
- Mugs
- Robes
- Pillowcase
- Accessories
- And more
13. Tote Bags
Become creative with tote bags, and sell them to make money. You can buy plain canvas tote bags in bulk for a very low price. Once you have designed the tote bags, their value increases, and you can sell them for a higher price.
14. Pet Accessories
If you are a pet or know many pet owners, you can create pet accessories and make money by selling them. You can start by making cute collars, pet clothing, leash, and many more.
15. Cakes and Cupcakes
Baked goods are always popular with buyers, especially around the holidays or other special occasions. Start creating themed cakes and cookies that match the current holiday, such as Halloween cookies, Gingerbread, Pumpkin cakes, etc.
People will start buying your products as part of their holiday dishes.
16. Greeting Cards
Greeting cards never go out of style, and there’s no shortage of people who want custom-made cards for every occasion. If you create and sell greeting cards, you can be sure to have clients all year round.
17. Knitted Items
Knitted items like sweaters, scarves, and gloves are always popular during the winter months, making them perfect for selling during the winter season
Popular Things to Sell Online
Aside from virtual items, several things are more effective to sell online than in physical stores. These items are typically what people around the world want, need, or consume.
Therefore, selling them online will mean a wider reach and more potential clients. Below are some examples of popular things to sell online to make money.
18. Printed Merchandise
Printed merchandise bearing the names of past and present celebrities, or logos of huge international sports teams, is one of the most popular things to sell online.
These could be a piece of clothing, bags, caps, shoes, and other items. You can find people worldwide who would love to have these products.
19. Subscription Boxes
If you want regular customers, you can sell subscription boxes online. These are several related items in one box, delivered to a person regularly.
You can create unique themed boxes such as movie theme boxes, snacks around the world, items from a book, etc.
20. Online Courses
You can sell online courses for a specific subject matter that you are confident to teach about.
For example, if you are an expert in business management, you can create a course outline with appropriate course materials to develop a full course about business management.
You can have students around the world subscribed to your online course for a fee.
21. Music
Thanks to the internet, musicians can now easily sell their music through several online platforms. Apple Music, Spotify, Soundcloud, and other digital music stores let you upload and sell your original music.
22. YouTube Videos
Watching YouTube videos has become one of the favorite pastimes of many people. But did you know that video creators get paid when you watch their videos?
Yes, they are. So, if you want to get paid by YouTube, you should start uploading videos and start earning money.
Related: Check out PewDiePie’s net worth.
23. Memorabilia
Memorabilia are prized items that people will want to have. Some examples of memorabilia are signed items by celebrities or athletes, clothes or accessories worn during an important event, posters, autographed photos, etc.
If you have one or more of these, you can sell them online at a high price.
24. Collectibles
Collecting is one of the oldest hobbies that people continue to do nowadays. Sell collectible items online, and collectors will bid to have them.
Some popular collectibles you can sell online are vintage coins, rare items, Pokémon collectibles, toys in mint condition, etc.
25. Ebooks
If you have the skills and knowledge to write, you can create an Ebook that you can sell online. You can get started with a topic that you know widely about.
Once you are done, you can sell your ebooks to different online platforms.
26. Account Subscription
A premium account subscription can also be one of your sources of income online. By selling your premium account to different users, you can earn more money than you need to pay for the subscription price.
Some of the premium accounts that you can sell to different users are your Netflix account, Canva, and other online sites and apps.
27. Tech and Gadgets
We all know that gadgets and techs are not created equal, and some are not available to all countries.
In the US, for example, you can have the latest techs and gadgets earlier than in other countries. If you have the money, you can buy several gadgets and sell them online to ship to other countries.
28. Health and Wellness Products
Health and wellness products are another examples of popular things to sell online. As the cliché goes, “Health is Wealth.” Therefore, more and more people are becoming conscious of their health and wellness. These people are your potential clients.
Some of the health and wellness products you can sell are:
- Meal Plan
- Dietary Suggestions
- Exercise Equipment
- Supplements
- Vitamins
29. Organic Products
Organic products are also popular things to sell online. Because of people’s increasing awareness of the environment, natural and organic products have become the best alternatives to chemical ones.
Some examples of organic products that you can sell are:
- Cleaning products
- Beauty products
- Food
- Drinks
30. Home Decor
Home decor is one of the most popular categories on online shopping platforms. If you have an eye for design, consider starting your line of home decor items.
You can sell items like wall displays, carpets, curtains, etc.
Where to Sell Handcrafted Items Online
You can sell your handcrafted items online through several online platforms such as Amazon Handmade, Etsy, and Shopify.
Amazon Handmade is a platform made for artisans and other individual sellers. Through this platform, you can sell your handcrafted items to Amazon users worldwide.
Etsy is the earliest and most popular online shop where you can sell handmade, vintage items and craft supplies. Lastly, Shopify lets you create an online store where you can sell your products.
Related: Here are the best sites like Etsy to sell handcrafted things online.
Conclusion
With some creativity, dedication, and effort, it is possible to earn good money from making things by hand or reselling quality items – all without having any prior experience running a business.
You can sell them through different online shopping platforms, in a physical store, or at craft shows and fairs.
FAQs
What homemade item sells the most?
Jewelry is the best-selling homemade item, both in physical and virtual stores.
What products are in high demand right now?
For many years, beauty and cosmetic products remain on top of high-demand products.
How can I make money daily?
Aside from having a regular job, you can make money daily by selling things, subscribing to GPT (get-paid-to) websites, or by doing part-time online jobs.
