Start your DIY side hustle today with this huge list of easy things to make that sell.
If you’re looking for a little extra cash, I’m going to give you a ton of ideas that can be started at home, with minimal investment.
There are many success stories, where someone ditched their 9-5 to go all-in with a passion project that brought them more money than their previous job.
This could be you. But first of all, you need to make a plan on what you’d like to sell and where to sell it.
But what if you don’t have any skills?
The good news is, all the methods I mention in this article are beginner-friendly and can be learned in a day.
And thanks to the internet, you can Google just about anything and find a tutorial on it.
To get some free training, grab your 14-day free trial of Skillshare here.
Skillshare is a massive e-learning platform with courses run by creatives, for creatives. Learn many different skills including; animation, illustration, design, photography, business skills and much more.
Easy Things to Make That Sell Online
1. Niche Printables
Printables are a great side hustle for beginners, being easy to make and in-demand on platforms like Etsy. And once you do the work up front, the income you make becomes passive with the same printables selling over and over again.
Firstly, you need to come up with an idea for your printables. For example, niches that sell well on Etsy are; special occasions, organisational and seasonal. Do your own research by going onto Etsy and typing in keywords to see what pops up first.
Some good ideas I’ve seen are; printables for bachelorette parties or weddings and business planners.
Once you’ve decided on an idea, you need to start designing it. For basic printables you can use Microsoft Word or PowerPoint. But to have more advanced options, Canva is by far the best choice and you can use it for free!
Just remember, you can’t use the ready-made templates on Canva to sell as your own. You must create new designs from scratch.
Learn more:
2. Digital Downloads
Types of digital download you can sell include; eBooks, online courses, graphic designs, apps and stock photos. There are endless possibilities that people will buy to make their life a little easier.
Have a think about where your skills lie. If you’re a creative, you could sell your graphic designs or stock photos on websites like Creative Market, Etsy or Zazzle.
If you have knowledge that will help someone solve a problem, you could write an eBook or film a short course.
Amazon is one of the tip sites to sell eBooks and you can also promote it through your social media accounts.
E-learning is a multi-billion-dollar industry and is only going to keep growing. If you have an idea for an online course, don’t hesitate to shoot your video and sell it through Skillshare, Udemy, Teachable and many bigger educational platforms.
Learn more:
- How To Write EBooks For Money (Complete Beginner Guide)
- How To Make Passive Income Selling Courses Online
3. Print On Demand Apparel
Print on demand (POD) is a business model where your designs get printed onto specific apparel like t-shirts, mugs, bags, hats and hoodies after a customer makes an order. Thanks to POD platforms like Redbubble, Zazzle, Printful and Teespring, you can start your own apparel business free and not have to buy a ton of stock that may not sell.
You can literally upload your designs over a weekend and start making sales. Of course, your designs have to be good to get noticed, but often the simplest designs sell the best like slogans which are not that hard to design.
If you feel you can’t create decent t-shirt designs, consider paying someone on Fiverr. For $5 – $10 you can order multiple designs and save yourself a lot of hassle.
To make your own designs, use free software like Canva or the smartphone app Snaptee.
Once you have your designs, upload them to a POD platform, create your own shopfront and write clickable titles and keyword-rich descriptions.
Share your designs across social media, especially Instagram which is a very visual platform – great for showing off your designs.
Learn more:
4. Bath Bombs
If you love a little soak in the bath amongst the bubbles, you’ve probably used a bath bomb or two. But you probably didn’t realise how easy they are to make and how to sell them for profit?
With the bath bomb business; the overheads are low, you can sell them online or offline, they are pretty small and can be stored easily and it’s easy to customise your own recipes.
Some popular bath bomb ideas that sell well include;
- Glitter bath bombs
- Jewel bath bombs
- Shaped or themed bath bombs
- Basic bath bombs infused with a scent
Learn how to make bath bombs here:
5. Handmade Soap
Handmade soap is another easy thing to make that sells well. They’re also great for gifts so your next Christmas presents will be taken care of!
You can make soap in all types of colours, shapes and delicious scents. It really is down to your creativity, which determines what you come up with. The basic tools you’ll need to make handmade soap include;
- Glycerin soap base
- Soap molds (or an ice cube tray will work)
- Essential oils
- Stir sticks
- Rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle
- Microwave safe container
All these tools can be found affordably on Etsy or Amazon and Aliexpress have some great, unique soap molds.
Learn more:
6. Jewellery
While jewellery is a busy market, it is possible to make money designing your own stuff if you make it stand out. Jewellery can range from simple boho beads to expensive pieces made from gold or silver.
Have a search through Etsy to see what is selling well. Also check out Google trends and Instagram to further validate any idea you have.
Once you have your idea, you can sell through Instagram to begin with. And when things pick up, you can start a Shopify or Etsy store for very little investment.
Remember: product descriptions count and the way you talk about your jewellery will be the difference between a sale and sending someone running to a competitor.
Learn more:
7. Candles
There’s nothing better than chilling after a long day surrounded by the gorgeous aroma of a scented candle. In the US, the candle industry is worth $3.2 billion and depending on what type of candle you’re selling, the profit margin can be $5 – $20 per candle.
Another great thing about candle making is that it’s a relatively easy business. Anyone can do it, even with zero craft skills. All you have to do is mix and pour the right ingredients.
Learn more through these easy candle-making tutorials on Skillshare.
8. Pet Supplies
According to a study by the George Mason University, in 2025 the global pet market will exceed $269 billion.
People love their pets and treat them like children. You can make money by creating and selling your own pet collars, pet outfits, toys, treats and pet beds.
If you don’t want to have the hassle making stuff, set up a dropshipping store with Shopify. This way you can buy cheap, put your own brand label on and sell for decent profit margins.
Learn more:
9. Subscription Gift Boxes
Subscription gift boxes can be offered in almost any niche. You could sell one off gift boxes or get people to sign up for a monthly subscription, which nets you recurring income.
Have a think about what subscription boxes you could offer and how will you differentiate yourself? You’ll have to set yourself apart from the rest to give people a reason to buy from you.
Ideas include; pet treats, cosmetics, bodybuilding essentials, Korean snacks, cosmetics or unique wines. The more specialised your boxes are, the easier it is to find your market. Have a think about your ideal customer and what they enjoy.
Next, you’ll need to sort products for your subscription boxes, decide on pricing and delivery plus set up a marketing campaign.
Learn more:
10. Art and Prints
Are you a budding artist but not quite sure how to make money from your passion? There are actually many ways to sell your art online and offline.
If you already have a ton of art pieces or digital designs to sell, starting an Etsy store is a great way to go. Etsy is a creatives dream with many people going on the platform to buy arts, crafts and gifts.
You can sell your doodles as stickers, logos, greeting card art, digital downloads, picture and poster art and as imagery for blogs and social media.
Another idea is to collaborate with a clothes store owner and sell your art printed onto clothes.
Set yourself up on platforms like Printful and Redbubble where you can sell your designs and not have the hassle of shipping products.
Learn more:
11. Natural Cosmetics
Making your own natural cosmetics might start as a hobby, but it can become a lucrative side hustle. Many people are turning to natural, niche brands after it came to light many of the big brands are using nasty chemicals and preservatives.
Make sure you do your homework and choose great ingredients for your products. Not every ingredient no matter how natural, should be used on the skin.
Once you’ve created your natural cosmetics and have tested them, you can set up a store to sell on Etsy, Amazon, EBay or your own website.
Learn more:
How to Set Up an Etsy Store to Sell Your Products
Once you’ve created your awesome crafts, you need to sell them somewhere. With Etsy being a creatives dream, there’ll be tons of customers looking for what you’ve created.
And the great thing about Etsy is that joining and starting a store is free. Etsy takes listing fees, a transaction fee and a payment processing fee. Each time you upload a new product, Etsy will take $0.20 and the listing will be live for 4 months, until you have to repay.
So you can see, it really is an affordable way to start selling your own products. Here’s how to set up your first Etsy store in a few simple steps;
- Click on the ‘’sell on Etsy’’ link and create your account
- Edit your shop preferences like language, preferred currency and whether you’re a full or part time seller
- Choose your Etsy store name. If you haven’t already decided on this, you can add keywords into the search bar that pops up and it will suggest suitable names
- Add items to your store plus at least 5 photos per item. Aim to show your product from all angles because this will increase trust and sales
- Fill out your listing description and details. Here you want to add keywords to your description and describe it in a way that talks to your ideal customer
- Decide on your listings renewal options. Eg; either automatic after 4 months or manual
- Add up to 13 tags per item. Have a think about what keywords shoppers will search for when looking for your product and use these as tags
- Complete the pricing and inventory. Add in any extra details like sizes, colours or materials
- Set any shipping fees. Fill out any extra information about your shipping processes
- Publish your listing. Etsy recommends to publish at least 10 listings in the beginning to increase your chances of sales. But if you don’t have that many products aim for at least 3, an empty store might put some customers off
Easy Things to Make That Sell – Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are many easy things to make that sell well.
I hope you now have an idea of what product you’d like to create and are on your way to making it happen.
Start with one product and once you start getting some sales, add more to your store to increase earnings. Try to stick within one niche initially, so your store becomes the ‘’go to’’ place for hen party printables, pet treats, art or whatever you decide on.
Have you made cash selling products online?
What worked best for you?
I’d love to know in the comments…
The post Need Extra Cash? Check These Easy Things to Make That Sell appeared first on Remote Work Rebels.
* This article was originally published here
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