The Business of DIY: 24 Things To Make and Sell in 2024

Salted fish is traded for fur and feed grains. A block of wooden is whittled right into a toy horse and offered at an artisan market. Watermelon seeds, sowed and tended, turn into full-fledged fruit earlier than exchanging fingers at a roadside stall. 

These inceptive transactions planted the seeds for commerce as we all know it at this time. And, numerous small companies nonetheless produce items made by hand, promoting them at craft reveals and pop-up outlets, by on-line marketplaces, and in their very own ecommerce shops. 

Promoting handmade items is a perfect first enterprise for aspiring entrepreneurs. Normally these companies could be began from home with minimal upfront funding. Forward, discover concepts for issues to make and promote on-line, with recommendations for each talent degree, from newbie to superior craftsperson. 

24 issues to make and promote

1. Bath bombs and handmade soaps
2. T-shirts and printed merchandise
3. Jewelry
4. Curated subscription boxes
5. Candles
6. Sweets
7. Art and prints
8. Digital products
9. Enamel pins
10. Traditional handcrafted goods
11. Lip balm
12. Pottery and clay objects
13. Pet supplies
14. Music
15. Photography
16. Woodworking projects
17. Tote bags
18. Sauces and condiments
19. Fragrance and essential oil blends
20. Paper products
21. DIY tutorials and online courses
22. Personalized gifts
23. Gift baskets and boxes
24. Natural cosmetics

While you’re a artistic searching for issues to promote, it’s simple to start out your personal DIY craft enterprise as soon as you discover the proper product. Browse these concepts to find what’s greatest so that you can make and promote primarily based in your distinctive expertise and pursuits. You’ll quickly be able to open your personal on-line retailer and begin promoting handmade gadgets to your target audience.

1. Tub bombs and handmade soaps

Tub bombs and soaps have a low barrier to entry as a craft to make and sell. On-line tutorials are an awesome place to begin to study the ropes, and business molds make meeting simple, even should you’re not artistic. Begin with easy recipes for merchandise like tub salts earlier than attempting extra sophisticated formulations with emulsions and preservatives.

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Get began: How to Make Bath Bombs

💡 Suggestions:

• Hold your stock tight—brisker tub bombs have extra fizz, and pure substances in handmade cleaning soap can expire.
• Examine your uncooked ingredient sources to make sure they’re magnificence grade and secure for pores and skin. 
• Test together with your native authorities that your manufacturing facility (even when it’s your personal kitchen) meets well being requirements. Within the US, for instance, the FDA units tips for air flow, air management, and surfaces.
• Packaging and branding are essential for magnificence manufacturers, so don’t skimp on model technique and hire design help.

2. T-shirts and printed merchandise

It is a maker enterprise for the non-maker. Should you’re searching for a (nearly) hands-off product to make and promote, a t-shirt enterprise might be the route for you. Your digital design could be printed onto varied items—together with t-shirts, mugs, tote baggage, keychains, and canine bandanas—and shipped to your prospects. On the lookout for a extra handmade really feel? Take into account studying the artwork of display screen printing and print your designs at residence or in a studio. 

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Get began: How to Start an Online T-Shirt Business: Everything You Need to Know

💡 Suggestions:

• T-shirts and printed merch can complement an current enterprise. Gyms, musicians, and charities, for instance, can promote branded swag to current audiences.
• Not a designer? Use companies like Shopify Experts to search out expertise who can flip your concepts into t-shirt designs.
• Use a print and success app, like Printful, Lulu Express, Gooten, or Teelaunch. These apps combine together with your Shopify retailer and routinely print, fulfill, and ship every order.

3. Jewellery

Jewellery is one other enterprise concept that may vary from easy and low-tech (say, beaded necklaces) to specialised (suppose silversmithing). It’s a saturated market, so doing all of your homework is essential. How can your designs stand out? Is there a niche market to cater to? Success on this discipline will depend on stable branding and craftsmanship.

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Get began: How to Start a Jewelry Making Business

💡 Suggestions:

• Validate your idea by monitoring tendencies in jewellery—use Google Tendencies, and comply with fashionable vogue creators and influencers.
• Images is essential but additionally troublesome, due to the size and reflective qualities of jewellery. Put money into nice photographs by hiring a professional. It can save you cash by partnering with complementary attire manufacturers to share the price of life-style shoots.
• Jewellery making is a perfect DIY craft enterprise for budding entrepreneurs. Woven bracelets and beaded necklaces can enchantment to makers of all ages.

4. Curated subscription containers

A present or subscription field enterprise is the proper concept for many who are much less artful however nonetheless desirous about making gadgets to promote. When you’ve got an eye fixed for curation, assorted reward containers might be an glorious enterprise concept. Since subscription containers are normally packed , on the similar time every month, and in the identical dimension field, the shipping process is simple.

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Get began: How to Launch a Subscription Box Business

💡 Suggestions:

• Calculate your storage and meeting wants. Can your house accommodate your small business, or do you could hire further house?
• Ease your prospects into dedication. Provide a considerable low cost to those that pay upfront for subscriptions, or provide the primary month free.
• Use a subscription management app, like Bold Subscriptions, to maintain the whole lot organized.

5. Candles

It’s estimated that the worldwide marketplace for candles will probably be price $16 billion by 2031. Whereas it’s a crowded market, there are a number of niches to discover: spiritual, birthday, eco-friendly, scented, beeswax, novelty, and extra. There are many on-line DIY tutorials for novice candle makers to get began. And fundamental soften and pour strategies require no earlier craft expertise, making candles one of many best craft concepts to make and promote on-line. 

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Get began: How To Start a Candle Business

💡 Suggestions:

• Get insured and use security labeling. As a result of nature of candle use, and the elevated dangers of damage or fireplace harm, make sure you shield your craft enterprise from civil fits which will end result from using your product.
• Faucet into a distinct segment to face out in a crowded market. Frostbeard Studio appeals to ebook lovers with cleverly named candle scents and duplicate stuffed with literary references.
• Take note of branding and packaging. Candles don’t differ a lot from an ingredient perspective, however your product can stand aside with ecommerce packaging and powerful branding design. Even cheap Mason jars could be dressed up with artistic labels.
• Take into account providing prospects customization to make personalised presents or marriage ceremony favors with their very own messaging, scents, or labels.

6. Sweets

Sweet, cookies, baked items, candies, and jams. Sugar could be spun and dissolved and baked into countless issues to make and promote on-line or in individual. It is a class with distinctive issues—legalities, labeling, and shelf life—but additionally with a lot of room to get artistic. Niche markets embrace: holidays and events, customized, novelty, catering, pet treats, and reward baskets. Native craft festivals are the perfect testing grounds on your new sweets enterprise.

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Get began: How to Start an Online Food Business

💡 Suggestions:

• Hint the availability chain. Rigorously choose your uncooked ingredient suppliers to make sure that what’s in your label matches what’s inside.
• Seek the advice of with a lawyer or meals inspection company to make certain your labeling meets native necessities for dietary content material, substances, and allergy warnings.
• Rotate your stock and stress the significance of doing so to everybody who handles it.
• Examine the viability of promoting your product on-line when contemplating any food business ideas.

7. Artwork and prints

It’s by no means been a greater time to be an artist. Creator instruments and promoting platforms let artists make and promote their creations on to followers. Work, digital printables, images prints, sculpture, and textile artwork can all be offered on-line. Whether or not you’re trying to promote unique superb artwork or reproductions, discover the enterprise mannequin that works greatest for your small business. 

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Get began: How to Sell Art Online

💡 Suggestions:

• Work with a longtime gallery to indicate your work in individual and assist construct an viewers on your on-line retailer.
• For product photographs, have your work professionally photographed or scan it on a flatbed scanner. For life-style photographs, present wall artwork throughout the context of a room.
• Take into account reproducing your artwork in a number of codecs, like prints, playing cards, t-shirts, and mugs. Do it your self by a print-on-demand firm, or license your work to different ecommerce manufacturers.

8. Digital merchandise

Digital merchandise like font licenses, marriage ceremony invitation templates, webinars, or Photoshop actions are all issues you may make and promote from residence—or wherever with an web connection. There are a number of advantages to promoting digital merchandise, together with low overhead prices and no coping with bodily stock or the transport course of.

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Get began: How to Sell Digital Products with Shopify

💡 Suggestions:

• Select a supply technique. Apps like Digital Downloads and Sky Pilot combine together with your Shopify retailer to routinely ship digital items, or present a obtain hyperlink to every buyer.
• Should you’re internet hosting recordsdata on Shopify, be sure that recordsdata are every 5 gigabytes or much less (for quicker downloads). For bigger recordsdata, attempt compressing them into .zip archives.

9. Enamel pins

Enamel pins stay a stable enterprise concept, because the accent development is holding sturdy. You’ll normally work with a producer to make enamel pins, however the artistic half is as much as you. Design your personal, or work with a designer to convey your imaginative and prescient to life and construct your personal enterprise.

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Get began: How to Make and Sell Enamel Pins

💡 Suggestions:

• Should you select to design your personal pins, you should use software program like Canva or Photoshop. Follow stable colours (no gradients) and keep away from superb particulars. Test together with your producer on the suitable file format on your designs.
• Analysis producers earlier than committing and ask the proper questions: What are the clasp and materials choices? Can they ship bodily samples? What packaging choices do they provide?

10. Conventional handcrafted items

Leather-based tooling, wooden carving, furnishings making, and embroidery are all conventional mediums with thriving markets. The backlash towards mass manufacturing is driving tendencies again to gradual meals, one-of-a-kind and bespoke items, and artist craftsmanship. Many of those disciplines require expertise honed over time, however entry your interior maker and study a brand new commerce by way of on-line tutorials or native school workshops.

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💡 Suggestions:

• A lot of the enchantment of crafted items is the maker’s story. Weave your personal story into product pages, a compelling About web page, and even packaging.
• How will you scale once you make and promote crafts? In case your concept takes off, think about how you’ll preserve the handmade nature of your items whereas producing in giant portions: Are you able to rent contract makers? Can sure parts of the method be outsourced to a producer then completed by hand?
• Seek the advice of Google Tendencies to find out learn how to use your expertise to make and promote issues which are in excessive demand.

11. Lip balm

Lip balm is likely one of the best merchandise to make utilizing instruments you might have already got in your house. Easy formulations of beeswax and pure oils require little greater than a warmth supply to assemble. When you don’t want fancy gear, it’s best to guarantee your setup meets trade and security requirements. 

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Get began: How to Start a Lip Balm Business

💡 Suggestions:

• Analysis the sources of your substances to make certain you’re utilizing these which have been rated for beauty use.
• Perceive the labeling legal guidelines of any nation or area the place you propose to make and promote your merchandise. In some international locations, the phrase “natural” is regulated and might’t be used except you’ve acquired the correct certification.

12. Pottery and clay objects

Pottery is likely one of the extra specialised concepts on this listing, requiring talent and correct gear. Should you’re new to the craft, take a look at native ceramics packages to provide the know-how and shared studio house to make use of a kiln and instruments. There are, nevertheless, different supplies which have a decrease barrier to entry and can be utilized to make related merchandise. Strive air clay, polymer clay, or poured concrete. 

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💡 Suggestions:

• Concepts for issues to make and promote with clay or clay alternate options embrace: planters, sculptures, ornaments, jewellery, magnets, containers, and coasters.
• Have a future entrepreneur in your loved ones? Protected clay alternate options could be the idea for a lot of business ideas for kids. 

13. Pet provides

Making gadgets to promote for pets is a enterprise concept with large potential. In actual fact, the worldwide market is estimated to high $232 billion by 2030. Home made canine treats, catnip toys, and pet collars are all simple issues to make and promote from residence if you have already got a artistic aptitude.

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Get began: Sell Pet Products: Ideas for Your Own Pet Business

💡 Suggestions:

• Use your personal pets (free fashions!) because the “faces” of your small business. Pet homeowners worth life-style photographs that assist them see how an merchandise will match their very own pet. 
• Should you’re making and promoting canine treats or toys—principally, something that may be ingested—make sure you do your analysis. Are your cookie substances secure for pets? Do your toys have small elements that would trigger choking? Have you ever thought of the suitable labels and warnings to guard your self legally?

14. Music

Music is a difficult trade to interrupt into, however when you’ve got the expertise, the world ought to know! There are a lot of benefits to beginning a music enterprise within the age of ecommerce and TikTok. Most notably, you don’t must depend on a significant report deal to achieve followers. Some music-related issues to make and promote from residence embrace inventory music, music classes, track licenses, and band merch.

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💡 Suggestions:

• Brand storytelling is essential, even when your model is simply you.
• Construct your following by collaborating with different artists and sharing your music throughout a number of platforms. 
• Past making a splash on social media platforms, own a dedicated domain name, and construct a web site so followers can discover you. 

15. Images

Anybody from an expert photographer to a hobbyist with a smartphone can promote images on-line. You may make and promote prints of your work, license your photos on inventory images web sites, and even promote your self as a photographer for rent.

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Get began: How to Sell Photos Online

💡 Suggestions:

• Take into account launch varieties to make sure you have permission from any folks captured in your pictures. You might also want permits to shoot in particular places, like Nationwide Parks.
• Create packages on your product images companies. This makes it simpler for potential shoppers to search out an possibility of their funds.
• While you’re simply beginning out, use free photo-editing apps to provide your work an additional edge on a small funds.

16. Woodworking initiatives

Woodworking is a well-liked interest amongst makers, and it will probably additionally turn into a viable enterprise alternative. It is a enterprise concept that requires specialised gear which will require excessive startup prices. Should you’re desirous about making and promoting woodworking initiatives, take a category first earlier than you put money into the thought.

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Get began: 12 Woodworking Projects and How to Sell Them Online

💡 Suggestions:

• You possibly can focus on bespoke gadgets like customized one-of-a-kind furnishings or extra reasonably priced templated items. The extent of effort and talent ought to each be mirrored in your pricing strategy.
• Seize content material to doc the method. Potential consumers could also be desirous about how your merchandise are made.
• Woodworking issues to make and promote embrace: chopping boards, salt and pepper shakers, boats, ornaments, planters, furnishings, and toys.

17. Tote baggage

Like t-shirts, tote baggage could be produced with little or no hands-on work. Merely add your doodles or digital designs to a print-on-demand app and your orders are routinely fulfilled. Should you’re expert at stitching, you may make totes baggage from scratch utilizing canvas, reclaimed supplies, or leather-based. Additionally attempt craft strategies like display screen printing, felting, or applique to provide them a singular contact.

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Get began: 10 Best Print-on-Demand Companies and Sites 

💡 Suggestions:

• Totes make excellent canvases for artwork. In case your unique artwork is just too expensive for many of your followers, make and promote totes provide a low price means for them to purchase a wearable copy of your work.
• Take into account making and promoting (or giving freely) branded tote baggage as promotional merch for any sort of enterprise.

18. Sauces and condiments

Love cooking? If opening a restaurant is at the moment out of attain, think about small, non-perishable meals gadgets that may be made and offered on-line. Oils, spices, and sizzling sauces are all easy concepts for brand new enterprise homeowners. 

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💡 Suggestions:

• Begin at native markets and increase your attain with an internet retailer as soon as your packaging is shelf steady and shippable.
• Rules relating to the manufacturing and packaging of meals gadgets could be strict. Be certain you’re following authorities tips to maintain folks secure. 

19. Perfume and important oil blends

Important oil blends are among the many easiest merchandise to make and promote from residence. Experiment by mixing skin-care-grade oils to supply and bottle your personal distinctive scents and aromatherapy experiences. And analysis the properties of every oil to supply correct info to prospects. 

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Get began: Simple and Low Cost Ways to Build a Memorable Brand Identity

💡 Suggestions:

• Success within the perfume trade depends not solely in your scents however on packaging and branding, too. Don’t rush this step!
• As you good your scents, think about working with a white label producer to increase your line into lotions, soaps, and different physique care merchandise.

20. Paper merchandise

The sky’s the restrict in relation to constructing a DIY craft enterprise with paper. Nice concepts for paper crafts embrace: paper flowers, papier mache sculpture, greeting playing cards, paper stickers, and celebration décor. Experiment with completely different initiatives to find your area of interest. Paper crafts vary from primitive (suppose paper-making from recycled pulp) to superior (like intricate cutouts utilizing a Cricut machine). 

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Get began: How To Make and Sell Stickers Online in 5 Steps

💡 Suggestions:

• Take into account the way you would possibly scale your small business. Should you craft greeting playing cards from scratch, for instance, can you ultimately transition to having your designs commercially printed?
• Many paper companies rely on seasonality. You should definitely plan your collections and merchandise round holidays, seasons, and different events.

21. DIY tutorials and on-line programs

Lastly, think about spreading the enjoyment of handmade to others by creating and promoting on-line programs. Others like you can be searching for concepts for issues to make and promote. Why not meet the demand? You can even provide free movies or quick DIY tutorials as a content material advertising technique to drive prospects to paid content material. Take into account instructing expertise in stitching, cleaning soap making, or woodworking, both as on-demand video or reside courses.

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Get began: 10 Steps To Create an Online Course That Sells

💡 Suggestions:

• Chew-sized tutorials on platforms like TikTok provide help to construct authority and develop an viewers earlier than you begin promoting content material.
• When promoting programs, think about what worth you’ll be able to add over the numerous free tutorials on YouTube and elsewhere. Do you’ve got downloadable templates or patterns? Do you provide “workplace hours” to speak by initiatives or challenges?

22. Personalised presents

Personalized shopping experiences have turn into a development with on-line companies in recent times. Providing a singular contact may also help companies stand out in a aggressive market. The identical is true for customized merchandise. Providing prospects the chance so as to add a monogram or embroidered identify to a product can drive gross sales, particularly round gifting seasons. 

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Get began: How To Start Your Own Cricut Business in 8 Steps

💡 Suggestions:

• Make and promote customized canine portraits or customized ID tags for pet homeowners. 
• Take into account promoting important oils and letting prospects construct customized blends.
• Put money into a high quality printer or Cricut machine to create customized printed items like day planner pages, automotive decals, or household picture calendars.
• Personalised presents are particularly fashionable near vacation procuring seasons—this can be a nice time to extend your advert spend on your on-line retailer.

23. Reward baskets and containers

Reward baskets are simple issues to make and promote should you’re not expert in a selected craft however have an awesome eye for curation. Assemble pre-made baskets for particular gift-giving events to promote on-line, or permit prospects to construct their very own.

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💡 Suggestions:

• Handmade gadgets make nice items. Take into account partnering with different makers to supply curated gadgets on your reward baskets.
• To face out within the reward basket and subscription field market, give attention to a distinct segment on your on-line enterprise. For instance, slender in on handmade magnificence and fill your containers with important oils, tub bombs, or pure cosmetics.

24. Pure cosmetics

Of all issues to promote on-line, magnificence could be one of the vital profitable. It’s additionally a crowded market dominated by a couple of legacy firms and a handful of newer DTC manufacturers. Manufacturers that discover success are people who uncover a gap in the market or cater to an underserved viewers. You possibly can experiment with handmade merchandise like balms or powders, however you might ultimately wish to improve to an expert facility to adjust to native laws. 

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Get began: 35 Eco-Friendly Products To Sell in 2024

💡 Suggestions:

• Cosmetics are one of many extra enjoyable and inventive issues to make and promote on-line, however they will also be difficult to supply. Brush up on trade laws round security and labeling.
• Magnificence merchandise have a shelf life, particularly pure cosmetics. Important oils and different natural substances could be weak to time, warmth, and light-weight. Hold your stock tight to keep away from spoilage.

Make it, promote it!

The concepts don’t cease right here—there are a lot of creative ways to make money by handcrafting your personal items to promote on-line. To search out the proper enterprise concept, steadiness your present talent set together with your ardour and market demand. 

Homegrown companies are the proper springboard for aspiring entrepreneurs. Begin as a facet gig to study the ropes earlier than you make the leap. You’ll set your personal working hours, earn extra cash, and reap the emotional rewards of constructing your dream with your personal fingers.

Function illustration by Eugenia Mello