The Business of DIY: 21 Products to Make and Sell

Salted fish can be traded for fur or feed grains. An artisan market sells a block of wood that is cut into a horse-like toy. After being sown and nurtured, watermelon seeds can be harvested as full-fledged fruits before they are sold at an artisan market.

These ingenious transactions were the catalyst for modern commerce. Many small businesses still make goods by hand and sell them at craft shows, pop-up shops, online marketplaces and their own ecommerce sites.

A great way to start a business is selling handmade goods. These businesses can usually be launched online without any upfront capital. Explore ideas to sell and make things online with suggestions that cater to every skill level, from novice to expert craftsperson.

1. Handmade soaps and bath bombs

As a craft, soaps and bath bombs are easy to make and sell. You can find tutorials online that will help you get started. Commercial molds make it easy to assemble your products, even if they aren’t your best work. Begin with basic recipes like bath salts, then move on to more complex formulations that include emulsions or preservatives.

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Get started: How to make bath bombs

Tips:

• You should keep your stock small as fresher bath bombs can have more fizz and natural ingredients in handmade soap can go bad.
• To ensure that your raw ingredients are safe and beauty-grade, you should investigate their sources.
• Even if your kitchen is your production facility, make sure it meets all health standards. The FDA has guidelines in the US for ventilation, air control and surfaces.
• Beauty brands need to be able to communicate their brand’s values through packaging and branding.

2. Print merchandise and T-shirts

This is a business that can be run by non-makers. A t-shirt company could be the right choice for you if you are looking for an easy product to create and sell. You can have your digital design printed on a variety of goods, including mugs and tote bags as well as keychains and dog bandanas. Then, you can ship to your customers. You want something more personal? Learn the art of screen printing, and you can print your designs at home as well as in a studio.

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Get started: Everything you need to know about starting an online T-shirt business

Tips:

• Print merch and T-shirts can be used to supplement existing businesses. For example, gyms, musicians, or charities can sell branded merchandise to their existing customers.
• Not a designer? You can use services such as Shopify Experts for talent that can transform your ideas into tee-shirt designs.
• You can use a print-and-filling app like Printful or Lulu Express. Gooten and Teelaunch. These apps can be integrated with Shopify to automatically print, fulfill and ship every order.

3. Jewellery

Another business idea is jewelry. It can be simple and low-tech (like beaded necklaces), or specialized (think silversmithing). This is a highly saturated market so it’s important to do your research. What can you do to make your designs stand out? Is there an niche market you can serve? Solid branding and craftsmanship are key to success in this industry.

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Get started: How To Start A Jewelry Making Business

Tips:

• Validate your idea with tracking jewelry trends–use Google Trends to track them, and follow fashion influencers and creators.
• Photography is essential, but it can also be difficult due to the reflective nature of jewelry and its size. Hire a professional photographer to take great photos. Partnering with other apparel brands can help you save money on lifestyle shoots.
• For budding entrepreneurs, jewelry making is a great DIY business idea. Makers of all ages can enjoy woven bracelets and beaded neckpieces.

4. Subscribe to our newsletter and receive curated gift and subscription boxes

For those who are not as crafty, but still want to make items for sale, a subscription or gift box business could be a great idea. Assorted gift boxes are a great business idea if you’re good at curation. Subscription boxes are typically packed in one box and shipped in the same size.

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Get started: How To Launch A Subscription Box Business

Tips:

• Calculate your storage needs and assembly requirements. Is your home big enough for your business?
• Your customers will be more likely to commit. Subscribers who pay upfront for subscriptions will receive a significant discount or the first month is free.
• To keep everything organized, use a subscription management application like Bold Subscribes
• Gifts made from handcrafted items are great. Partner with other artisans to create curated gifts for your boxes.

5. Candles

It is expected that by 2031, the global candle market will reach $16 billion. Although it is a very competitive market, there are many niches you can explore such as religious, birthday and eco-friendly. For novice candle-makers, there are many online tutorials. Candles are one of the most simple craft ideas you can make online.

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Get started: How to Start a Candle Business

Tips:

• Safety labeling is a good idea. Get insured. Because candle use is a high-risk activity, there are increased dangers of injury and fire damage. You need to ensure that your craft business is protected from any civil lawsuits.
• To stand out in a competitive market, tap into a niche. Frostbeard Studio is a book lover’s dream with its cleverly named candle fragrances and clever copy that includes literary references.
• Branding and packaging are important. While candles are similar in terms of their ingredients, they can be distinguished by strong branding and ecommerce packaging. You can even dress up inexpensive Mason jars with creative labels.
• Customers may be able to customize their gifts and favors by adding their messaging, scents, and labels.

6. Sweets

You can make candy, cookies, cakes, brownies, chocolates, and jams. You can make endless sugar creations online and in-person by spinning, dissolving and baking. This is a category with unique complications–legalities, labeling, and shelf life–but also with lots of room to get creative. Niche Markets include holidays and occasions, custom and novelty, catering, dog treats and gift baskets. Your sweets business can be tested at local craft fairs.

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Get started: How to Start an Online Food Business

Tips:

• Track the supply chain. Select your raw ingredient suppliers carefully to make sure that the label you put on matches what is inside.
• To ensure that your labeling is compliant with local regulations regarding nutritional content, ingredients and allergy warnings, consult a lawyer.
• Rotate your inventory, and emphasize the importance to all who handle it.
• Consider the possibility of selling your product online if you are considering any food-related business ideas.

7. Prints and art

Artists have never had a better time. Artists can sell their creations to fans directly using selling platforms and creator tools. Online sales are possible for all types of art, including digital prints, photography prints and sculptures. You can sell original fine art and reproductions online. Find the best business model for you.

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Start selling art online

Tips:

• To show your work in person, get help from established galleries and build an audience for you online store.
• Professionally photograph your product or scan it using a flatbed scanner. Show wall art in the context of a space for lifestyle photos.
• You might consider printing your artwork in multiple formats such as mugs, cards and t-shirts. You can either do it yourself or license your work for other ecommerce companies.

8. Digital products

You can create and sell digital products such as font licenses, webinars or templates for wedding invitations from your home, or anywhere else with an internet connection. Selling digital products has many benefits, such as low overhead costs, no need to deal with physical inventory and no shipping.

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Shopify: How to sell digital products

Tips:

• Choose a delivery method. Apps such as Digital downloads or Sky Pilot can be integrated with Shopify to deliver digital goods automatically to customers, or to provide a download link.
• Shopify allows you to host files up to 5 gigabytes. This will allow for faster downloads. You can compress larger files into.zip archives.

9. Enamel pins

As the accessory trend continues to hold strong, enamel pins are still a viable business idea. While you will usually be working with a manufacturer to create enamel pins for your business, the creative part is entirely up to you. You can either design your own or collaborate with a designer . This will allow you to bring your vision to reality and start your own business.

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Get started: How to make and sell enamel pins

Tips:

• You can design your pins using software such as Canva and Photoshop. Avoid fine details and stick to solid colors. Discuss with your manufacturer the best file format to use for your designs.
• Before you commit, research the manufacturer and ask the right questions. Do they offer physical samples? What packaging options are they offering?

10. Traditional handcrafted products

Traditional mediums like leather tooling, wood carving and furniture making have thriving markets. Trends are shifting back to slow food and handmade goods as a result of the backlash against mass-production. These skills require years of practice. However, you can tap into your maker instinct and learn new trades via online tutorials or workshops at local colleges.

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Get started: How to sell furniture and home decor online: The Ultimate Guide

Tips:

• The maker’s story is a big part of the appeal of handcrafted goods. Your story can be woven into product pages, an engaging About page, or packaging.
• How can you sell crafts at scale? If you have an idea, think about how you will preserve the handmade quality of your products while manufacturing large quantities. Can contract workers be hired? Is it possible to outsource certain parts of the manufacturing process and have them finished by hand?
• Google Trends will help you determine the best way to use your skills in order to create and sell items that are highly sought-after.

11. Cosmetics and lip balm

You can make lip balm with the tools you already have at home. To assemble simple beeswax or natural oils, you only need a heat source. You don’t necessarily need expensive equipment. However, it is important to ensure that your setup meets safety and industry standards. If you want to expand your business and include cosmetic products, it might be worth working with a white label manufacturer.

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Get started: How To Start A Lip Balm Business

Tips:

• To ensure that you are using cosmetic-grade ingredients, research the sources.
• Know the laws governing labeling in any country where you intend to sell or make your products. Some countries have regulations on the use of the term “organic”, and you must obtain the appropriate certification.
• Natural cosmetics have a shorter shelf life than beauty products. To avoid spoilage, make sure you have enough stock.

source https://www.shopify.com/blog/things-to-make-and-sell