Are you wondering what types of items to sell on Etsy? There are four categories of items you can sell on Etsy. They are handmade items, vintage items (anything over 20 years old), supplies and services (services has some restrictions). I will go into more detail as to what applies to each category below. You can also sell more than one type of product in your shop. For example, you can sell 1960s patterns which are vintage and a supply (a craft supply).
Handmade Shops
Handmade items are items that you make or that you design and a production partner makes (I will go over production partners later). First, let's talk about items that you make yourself. The lists of handmade items is endless. Here are some of the most successful handmade categories.
You will note that CaitlynMinimalist, ModParty and ThinkPinkBows is in the Top 10 Sellers list (for all registered shops on Etsy) as well as the Top 10 Handmade Sellers list (for all registered handmade shops on Etsy).
Production partners are companies that make items that you design. These must be original designs by you. A production partner can be a print company that prints your design on a t-shirt or mug. Production partners can print planners that you design and sell. Check out Etsy shops that have original designs for ideas on what type of items inspire you.
Supply Shops
You will note that some of the Top 10 Sellers are also Top 10 Supplies sellers. The arrows show where they rank in both. For example, PlannerKate1 is the Top Etsy Seller and Top 10 Supplies seller. That's amazing, but keep in mind that this shop has been open since 2014 (Etsy has since changed their algorithm so it doesn't show how long a shop has been on Etsy).
Another thing to keep in mind is what each shop's average sale is. The lowest price item on Beadboat 1 is $.28. That means the number of sales does not mean they are making huge amounts of money, although with over 900,000 sales, I'm sure they're doing fine..
Vintage Shops
Vintage items must be over 20 years old in order to sell on Etsy (unless it is handmade or a supply). You will note that vintage shops have far fewer sales than Handmade or Supply. However, the cost of items in these shops is usually significantly higher in these shops.
Service Shops
Services are very limited on Etsy so I won't go into a great deal of detail here. Etsy's policies state, “Only services that produce a new tangible item that meets our marketplace criteria may be sold on Etsy”.
The services that may be sold (if they produce a new tangible item), are custom writing and design, curated lists, and divination and spells. Please read Etsy's policy on services because this is a restricted category. The services I have seen on Etsy including website design, branding, photo editing, etc.
As you can see, there are so many different types of items you can sell on Etsy. If you'd like a more detailed list, you can download our Etsy Product Ideas Checklist.
Happy Selling!
