There is a big difference between what crafts sell the best and which crafts will produce the most significant profit.
Before you start tackling a new crafting project, you will want to identify what the most profitable crafts to sell are.
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It is inspiring when people visit your craft booth and make a purchase.
Every time a sale occurs, you start thinking about making more for the next craft event.
When you only get “lookers” at your booth, you start to wonder why nothing is selling.
You start to look at other booths and try to figure out what is selling best for those crafters.
It is essential to know that just because a crafter is selling a large volume of products does not mean they are producing a substantial net income.
When you are in business, you want to look at both gross sales and net income.
Gross sales are the total amount of money made from sales before deducting any business expenses.
Net income is how much profit you made from the sales.
Sales – Expenses = Net Income
Let’s say that you sold $25 items at a craft show for $ 20 each.
Your gross sales would be $500.
The costs of the craft show, travel expenses, marketing expenses, and cost of creating the products come up to $350.
$500 (sales) – $350 (expenses) = $150 (net income)
The net income is what goes into your pocket.
So this reveals that you can not base your success on how many sales you have landed or how busy the crafter next to you is.
You do not know their expenses.
They could be selling products all day long and but if their profit line is low, their net income could be lower than yours.
I don’t know about you, but I would be happier with more money in my pocket than selling all day long for just a few bucks.
Why am I going over this when you are trying to learn what the most profitable crafts to sell and make money are?
I am going over this with you so you can make the best decision for your crafting goals.
Best Selling Hand Made Crafts
Below are some of the most popular hand made crafts that tend to do well at craft shows.
When you are reviewing the list below, keep in mind how long it will take you to create a piece and how much it will cost to make the product.
You will also want to research how much people are charging for similar items.
You can easily find out how many crafters are charging on Etsy.
- Jewelry
- Customizable items
- Terrazo coasters
- Hand Painted signs
- Farmhouse signs
- Accessory bags
- Anything for dogs (collar scarfs, handkerchiefs, sweaters)
- Customizable crafts (ornaments)
- Animal motifs
- Painted wine glasses
- Mixed media
- Leather
- Personalized baby blankets
- Bird Houses
- Birdseed ornaments
- Mixed media
- Notecards
- Fine art prints
- Etched drinking glasses
- Christmas wreaths
- Mason Jar crafts (soap pumps, Christmas scenes with lights)
The list above is meant to create a spark of ideas for you.
I bought a Cricut last year for my wife, and now she has so many ideas for crafts and not enough time to complete them all.
If you do not have a Cricut yet, you might want to consider looking into them. They are a powerful tool that will help you to create some beautiful one of kind crafts.
Most Profitable Crafts To Sell
Selling 1,000 dollars at a craft show might seem like a dream, but if your net income is only $100, you waisted a lot of your time.
Your time is valuable, and you want to make as much money as you can from your crafts.
Selling crafts for a business is all about making money.
I wish there were a simple answer to knowing the most profitable craft to sell, but there isn’t.
I will tell you how I decide what I sell at craft shows.
I create fine art with graphite, pen and ink, and pastels.
This horse I drew with pastel took me 8 hours to complete, and I am selling the original for $350. The cost of creating the product with a frame is $50.
My net income is $300 from one drawing.
I additionally offer limited edition prints, which increase the net income of this one drawing.
I also created woodburning and hand-painted signs and ornaments.
These items do not make as much of a profit as my fine art, but I can reach a broader audience because I display a variety of products.
Just focusing on the most valuable item is not always the best solution.
Having a variety of products is what has shown me the best results over time.
Most Profitable Crafts To Make And Sell
Here is a list of some of the most profitable crafts that sell well at craft fairs.
Beaded Bracelets – Beaded bracelets are easy to make and sell very well. There is a large variety of colors and shapes, and you can always find great deals on beads.
Wooden Toys – I had a table next to a crafter who made wooden toys for all ages. He had fire engines, cars, trucks, and even wind chimes. His supplies’ cost was low, but he did say that it took a great deal of time to make them.
Birdhouses – You can always find birdhouses at craft fairs, and that is because they sell well and are inexpensive to make.
Crafts For dogs are easy to make and does not cost much for the materials.
- Dog bandanas
- Dog Clothes
- Dog leash
- Dog scarfs
- Dog bed
Christmas Crafts – sell very well during the holiday season and can produce a substantial profit.
- Candles
- Wreaths
- Cards
- Gift tags
- Wooden signs
Soaps are a valuable handmade item to sell at craft fairs and online.
Here are some articles to help get you started making soap.
You can also find a ton of inspiration on Pinterest.
Ribbon Toys for Babies
Making baby ribbon toys are profitable and easy to make. Most ribbon toys can be made without sewing.
Here are some DIY ribbon toy tutorials:
Downloadable Printables
Use your creative mind to create beautiful downloadable printables.
Creating printables is easy on Canva and Photoshop, and you can sell digital files on Etsy and Gumroad.
Photo To Wood Transfer
This is a fun craft to make and can make you a lot of money if you customize them with family and pet photos.
To learn how to create visit, Wood Photo Transfers visit DIY WOOD Photo Transfer Keepsake.
Knit Scarves
Scarves do very well at winter craft fairs. They are great for gift-giving, and if you create stylish and trendy scarves, you might find yourself knitting all year for the holiday craft fair.
This Animal Scarves, Mitts, and Socks Pattern Book will spark your creative mind.
Increase Your Profit Line
The last thing I would like to talk aboutwhen it comes to most profitable crafts to sell is increasing your profit line.
The profit margin is how much money you make after costs. It is the same thing as net income, but you are looking at one item instead of the net income for the entire day.
Always strive to lower the costs of creating the crafts you sell.
For example, I use to use a POD site to print my fine art prints.
An 8 x 10 print would cost me $11.00 per print.
I decided to print my prints at home so I could lower the costs of each print.
The printer cost me a little over $300 to purchase.
Related Post:
Best Printers For Art Prints – Selling Art Online
Now it only costs me $3.00 for an 8 x 10 print, including packaging costs.
I sell 8 x 10 prints for $25. My profit per sale is $22.
My profit was $14 when I used a POD site to print my work.
I increased my profit margin by $8 per print.
So when you are creating your crafts, always look for a way to increase your profit margin.
Another way to increase your profits is to find the best prices for art supplies online.
Visit CreateForLess, Arteza® Art Supplies, or Blick Art Materials for the cheapest supplies.
Always look for coupons, sales, and the cheapest priced supplies.
Here are some craft supplies sites that offer a wide variety of craft supplies at great prices.
These are the sites I go to buy art and craft supplies, but there are other options available.
What I want you to take away from this post is to make the most money you can from each product you sell.
Where do you buy your craft supplies?
Let me know in the comment section below.
How To Start A Handmade Business Online
There are several ways you can open up a craft business online.
First off, make sure you have a business PayPal account set up to receive payments. From there, let’s check out the space you need to sell your crafts online.
Build A Website And Blog
One of the most profitable ways you can make money selling crafts online is to build a website and crafting blog.
Before you can build a website, you will need to purchase a domain name and hosting from a hosting service like BlueHost.
To launch a WordPress website, go to BlueHost click WordPress Hosting, pick your package, and follow the instructions to activate your WordPress site.
The next step is to install WooCommerce.
WooCommerce is a free e-commerce plugin that allows you to showcase and sell products on a WordPress site.
Here are some articles to help you get started with WooCommerce:
Your new WordPress site will have a blog and an e-commerce gallery all in one after you have installed the WooCommerce plugin.
Many craft businesses you see online are built on WordPress.
You will be able to collect your customer’s email address on your site with plugins like OptinMonster so you can send them newsletters about new handmade crafts and home decor you have for sale.
Another benefit is that you can write blog posts that will help to drive organic traffic (free traffic from search engines) to your listings.
Sell Crafts On A Shopify Site
Shopify is an e-commerce platform that is an e-commerce platform already built for you.
All you have to do is start uploading images of your crafts and the details, and you are ready to sell.
Shopify has a monthly fee that starts at 29/mo.
The Basic Shopify membership includes:
- Online tore
- Unlimited products
- 24/7 support
- Sales channels
- Manual order creation
- Discount codes
- Free SSL certificate
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Gift cards
Sell Crafts On Etsy
Another popular choice is to open an Etsy Shop.
Etsy is an eCommerce platform where you can sell hand-made items, crafts, and artwork.
Starting an Etsy shop is free, and the listing costs are very affordable.
To learn how to get started with Etsy visit:
How To Sell Art Prints On Etsy With Printful
Final Thoughts About Most Profitable Crafts To Sell
There are many options available for selling handmade products. Selling at craft fairs is a great way to earn money during the holidays and summer.
Selling different types of handmade products like lip balm, soaps, scented candles, birdhouses, and baby toys is easy to sell online and can generate a large amount of money when you do not do your craft fairs.
It is always essential to think about how much profit a craft will generate before diving in.
More Crafting Posts to help you build a profitable crafting business:
- A Complete Guide To Creating A Good Atmosphere At Your Next Art Show
- Greet visitors At Your Art Booth For Better Sales
- Best Craft Business Tips – How To Get Started
- Most Profitable Crafts To Sell And Make Money
- Craft Calculator – How To Price Handmade Products
- How To Create A Holiday Marketing Plan For Artists And Crafters
- How To Find Local Craft Shows For Crafters
- 7 Tips For Displaying Your Work Ar Art Fairs And Shows
- Top 10 Secrets For Selling Crafts Online
- Best Places To Sell Crafts Online
- 7 Best Craft Business Classes
