Struggling to decide what to sell on Etsy?
You're not alone. Getting product inspirations can sometimes be challenging.
That's why I've put together a comprehensive list of the most popular product categories on Etsy, complete with real examples of best-selling Etsy products to help spark your creativity.
Whether you're looking to start your very own Etsy shop or aiming to expand your current offerings, this article is made just for you.
Let's dive in.
You can see the number of sales a shop have next to the shop name and shop icon. And if you see there's a line underneath the number of sales, you'll be able to click the link and see that shop's recently sold items.
However, it’s not possible to see what sells the most on Etsy. You can only see the number of favourites that item has, which can give you a rough item of how popular it is.
You can also use Etsy research tools like Alura, Etsyhunt or eRank to get an estimate of the item’s sales number.
While there is no direct statistic for the total products sold in each category, I’ve used a market research tool called Alura to get information of the most successful sellers in each category.
The number in the bracket is the combined number of sales of the top 10 Etsy shops in each category as of August 2023. This can help us get a rough estimate of how popular a product category is on Etsy.
Jewelry is one of the most popular categories on Etsy with sky high demand. The market is also incredibly competitive, with sellers offering pieces with various styles and price points.
Standing out requires a unique point of view. Customised jewelry is in high demand, like name necklace and custom birthstone jewelry. So if you are interested in selling jewelries, consider adding personalisations for your target customers. There’s also a rise in popularity on jewelry using sustainable and ethically sourced materials.
This category includes many digital products like planners, invitations, templates, etc.
One of the reasons why this category has become highly competitive in the last few years is the improvements of design tools like Canva, making it easy for people to create sellable designs.
If you want to stand out, you need to think about a specific customer and creating trendy designs that cater to them better than your competitors.
The Home & Living category features a wide range of handmade products including home decor, bathroom essentials, kitchenware, furniture and more.
Competition is high, but creating high quality items with unique designs and/or personalisation options can help you stand out on Etsy.
This popular category features both physical and digital products. Physical products include wedding dresses, bridesmaids gifts, wedding decor, and so on; Popular digital wedding products include invitations, welcome signs and couple’s portraits.
Follow the latest wedding trends could help you stand out in this category, from boho-chic to a colour explosion wedding.
This category includes one of the most popular products on Etsy - T-shirts.
Highly competitive market because many items in this category are print-on-demand items, which takes less time to create compared to a more traditional handmade product.
It could be hard to stand out if you don’t cater to a very specific niche with unique designs, or create handmade clothing items that are not covered by print-on-demand services.
There’s a wide array of products under this category. Hair accessories like hair clips and scrunchies, baby accessories like baby headbands and bibs, and scarves and wraps.
To set yourself apart, think about using high quality materials with a unique design. Offering personalised items is another way to stand out for gift buyers.
This product category lean towards customers who care about wellness and self-care. You can differentiate by offering natural, vegan, or therapeutic products. Many customers also buy gift sets in this category, either for friends or family, or for themselves as a treat.
Another competitive category with many digital products including wall art and prints. Originality and unique designs are important to stand out in this market.
This market is more targeted towards babies and young children, with products like toddler puzzles and educational toys for young kids in high demand.
There’s also a rise in popularity in adult party games and puzzles.
Target pet owners with products like name tags, collars and pet beds. Offer personalised products or premium materials can help you stand out among competitors.
This highly popular and competitive category on Etsy offers products to help people to unleash their creativity by creating jewelry, clothing, etc. DIY kits and beginner kits are also popular for customers who are thinking of picking up a hobby.
It’s a difficult category to enter unless you have a unique advantage of having access to cheap or unique materials.
It may feel like a daunting task choosing what to sell on Etsy.
With so many popular categories, and the fear of entering an over-saturated niche, how do you know which to choose?
Over the years of guiding Etsy sellers, here are some tips of how to choose your niche:
The best starting point is often within. Assess your personal skills, interests and talents. Starting with something you know and love will help your creations shine on Etsy.
Also consider your unique advantages when choosing your product category and niche. Maybe you have access to cheap raw materials, insider knowledge or a particular niche, etc. Using that can often mean you can create something that shoppers can’t easily find elsewhere, making your products more attractive.
While broad categories like jewelry and home decor have high demand, they are also very competitive.
Niching down helps you cater to a specific subgroup of customers within a larger category. For example, you can niche down from ‘jewelry’ to ‘colourful clay earrings’.
Doing so can help you carve out a smaller sub-niche that is not as competitive, making it easier for you to stand out and build a loyal customer base.
While passion and market demand are essential, it’s also important to consider the cost of creating your products and the potential profitability of them.
Think about material costs, production time (if it takes longer to make, the labour costs will be higher), shipping fees (higher for larger and heavier products), etc.
Now that you know these popular product categories on Etsy, it’s time to think about starting your very own Etsy shop.
Here are my top 20+ tips to kickstart your new Etsy shop.
And if you haven’t already, get 40 new free listings here (available for new Etsy sellers).
