Things to Make and Sell: Crafts to Sell on Amazon for a Profit
Starting an eCommerce business does not mean you need to find products from a supplier to sell. Across major online marketplaces, do-it-yourself (DIY) products perform just as well as those procured through traditional sourcing methods. While many think first of Etsy when it comes to selling homemade items, Amazon is an equally popular marketplace to profit from the stuff you make at home.
In this post, we will go through the best things to make and sell on Amazon and how you can ensure that you choose a product that customers want.
Table of contents
Why Is Amazon a Good Place to Sell Handmade Goods?
There are many reasons Amazon is the best place to make money with handmade products. Let’s examine some of the biggest advantages:
Large Audience
Amazon has a massive audience. The site receives billions of visits each month and customers place millions of orders. When you list your products on Amazon, you have the opportunity to get your items in front of a large number of customers without having to pay for marketing.
Solid Profits
With low product costs, selling your small homemade items can lead to solid profits. Amazon only charges a 15% commission fee which is relatively low given all there is to gain from the marketplace. Plus, there are no fees to list your items.
Unlike markets like eBay and Etsy, you can list as many items (even expensive ones) without having to worry if they go unsold.
Simple Order Fulfillment
Amazon offers sellers the most efficient order fulfillment. If you choose to use the Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) program, the company will store, pack, and ship your products for you. This will make it easier for you to work on your products as you won’t need to worry about handling these responsibilities yourself. Plus, if Amazon ships your products customers will get them quickly and without issue.
Amazon Handmade Program
With Amazon, you not only have the option to sell handmade items on the main marketplace, but the company has a dedicated program called Amazon Handmade that caters to crafts makers and vintage sellers.
The program has its own separate marketplace that customers can use to find cool and custom items. By segmenting the markets, Amazon gives your products the chance to stand out from the mass of items on the regular market.
In the program, you don’t have to pay the typical Amazon professional seller fee. You also do need to get UPC codes for your homemade goods.
Your Handmade store is fully customizable. You can create a custom shop and artisan profile that shows your items in the best possible way. With the program, you can also offer personalized products that your customers can customize during the checkout process.
Amazon has a strict audit process to ensure that you did indeed make the products from home. There are also limits to the categories in which you can list handmade products. This includes:
Accessories
Artwork
Baby
Beauty and personal care
Clothing
Shoes
Home
Outdoor
Jewelry
Kitchen
Pet supplies
Stationery
Toys
Sporting goods
To join the program, you will need to complete an application. Once it is approved you can begin listing your items and customizing your shop.
Choosing a Niche
To start, you will want to know how to find a niche. In theory, you can make and list anything on Amazon but that does not mean that it will perform well. By selecting a niche, you will ensure that you only make products that customers want.
A niche is also important because it lets you focus on a specific group of customers. By doing so, it is easier to market your products.
The most effective way to find a niche is to perform thorough keyword research. This research will inform you what customers look for when shopping on Amazon.
The AMZScout Keyword Search tool is useful for finding popular keyword ideas for handmade products. With the tool, you enter a search term and it gives back a list of related keywords most used by customers.
Click on the link to open the AMZScout Keyword Search.
Then enter the keyword you’d like to analyze.
The results include the total search volume for the phrase as well as details on how its use is trending over time. You can use these to find new ideas and validate the demand for a particular type of product.
The tool comes with filters to make your search quick and easy. You can select a specific number of words in the phrase or target range for the monthly search volume.
The AMZScout Reverse ASIN Lookup feature is another useful tool for finding a niche for your handmade items. With it, you can quickly collect relevant keywords from your most successful competitors.
Click on the link to open the Reverse ASIN lookup.
Enter the ASIN.
The tool will give the top phrases that the competing product currently ranks for.
Finding a Niche with Social Media
Another effective way to find good handmade niches is to look at social media. Sites like Pinterest and Instagram are popular places for makers to show off the stuff they create. You can review these platforms to come up with new ideas and then run them through the AMZScout tools listed above.
Top Things to Make and Sell Online
Here are some of the top product ideas to make and sell on Amazon:
1. Apparel (Merch)
Apparel products are one of the easiest homemade products to sell on Amazon. Whether you make the garments entirely yourself through sewing, or screen print your design onto the fabric, customers are always looking for new and creative merch.
2. Candles
Candles are another easy product to make and sell. You can find plenty of videos online on how to create them. Plus, these products are nice and small, meaning you can ship them to customers for low fees. On Amazon, you can sell scented, beeswax, natural, or eco-friendly candles for a good profit.
3. Beauty
Beauty products have traditionally been a great product to sell through online marketplaces. This type of product is great for handcrafting. You don’t need any special equipment, simply some low-cost materials that are readily available in nature.
There are some legal requirements you’ll need to adhere to if you want to sell these items. Specifically, you must use a production environment that complies with all FDA standards.
Some of the best beauty products to sell on Amazon include lip balms, bath soaps, lotions, and creams.
4. Kitchen
Kitchen products are another common Amazon product. It is a diverse category, giving you plenty of options for crafts to make and sell in this category. Many sellers use their skills to create various items made of wood. For example, paper towels rolls, bowls, utensil trays, or cutting boards.
5. Artwork
Art products are probably one of the first things that come to mind when you think of selling handmade items. Whether you paint your works yourself or use a digital tool like Adobe Illustrator there is always a strong demand for unique and creative pieces.
6. Toys and Games
Toys and games are great items to get for kids or other members of your family. This is another category where you can use your skills to make all sorts of unique wooden or metal items. Some good examples are toy blocks, wooden cars, fidget spinners, and board games.
7. Pet
Consumers are buying items for their pets more than ever before. People love to spoil their pets and Amazon is the go-to place to find all sorts of items. Some good pet items you can sell for money include clothes, treats, toys, furniture, leashes, and hygiene supplies.
8. Home Decor
Home goods products are one of the most popular items on Amazon. As a handmade seller, you can come up with plenty of cute or unusual decorations for people looking to spruce up their living environment.
Some of the best handmade home decor items to sell include throw pillows, rugs, bath mats, calendars, and curtains.
9. Furniture
Many buyers prefer handmade furniture because of its quality and uniqueness. These items will obviously be more challenging to make but the rewards can be great. Because you can sell these items at a much higher price, you can earn much more profit. However, you will need to take into account extra shipping costs.
10. Souvenirs
Souvenirs bring back memories of a certain time or place. These items are easy to make as they often do need to be used for anything. Some good handmade souvenirs you can sell include postcards, ornaments, fridge magnets, key rings, and shot glasses.
11. Jewelry
Jewelry is another popular category with a wide variety of items. Most items including rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings are well-suited for skilled makers. This is another niche that is easy to launch as you can sell simple items like beaded necklaces and bracelets. These only require inexpensive beads and the ability to quickly string them together.
Because this category is so popular, it is important to find a unique niche and make items that stand out to your audience.
12. Gifts
Handmade gifts allow people to offer something unique to those they care about. People often buy them for particular occasions such as a wedding or a birthday. They are also popular among kids to show your appreciation.
13. Accessories
Crafty accessories are a solid option for sellers looking for unique product ideas. Most accessories are small and you can make them without complex processes or equipment. Some of the best accessory crafts to make and sell include masks, hair buns, hair clips, wallets, mittens, and scarves.
14. Stationery
Handmade stationery is one of the most profitable crafts to sell on Amazon. These products are easy to create using a Cricut machine and there are many sub-niches for building a loyal audience. Stationery items are another product that is great for special occasions like weddings and birthdays.
15. Other Product Ideas
Here are some other good ideas for handmade items to sell:
Holiday Decorations
Holiday items give you a chance to have your creativity shine through during the festive times of the year. You can sell Christmas lights, a valentine card, a cornucopia for the fall, or any other seasonal item.
Eco Friendly Products
Eco-friendly products are growing in popularity as consumers look to do their part to take care of the environment. Some good eco-friendly products you can make at home include skincare items, water bottles, reusable straws, bags, and phone cases.
Traditional Handcrafted Goods
The Amazon Handmade marketplace is a great place for traditional handcrafted goods such as metal tools, metal art, and handbags. Basically, anything that you can create using your woodworking, embroidery, leatherworking, sewing, or glassblowing skills has potential on Amazon.
Tips For Selling Handmade Products
Now that you know some good things to make and sell on Amazon, let’s look at how to sell your products successfully.
Choosing a Price for Your Products
Once you have a niche, you’ll then need to know how to price your products. The first step is to calculate how much it will cost to make and sell your products. Your costs will include raw materials, equipment, and fees to ship your products. Because you are supplying the labor required to bring the items to life, handmade products have lower costs than sourcing through an external supplier.
When you know your costs, you can then find the best price to sell them for profit. To do this, you will want to check the price of your competitors on Amazon. You don’t need to make your items the cheapest but customers do like inexpensive items.
With the AMZScout PRO Extension, you can search your niche directly on Amazon to see your main competitors’ prices. When you open the extension, it will also provide an average price for the top products, giving you a quick idea of the ideal price for your items.
Conclusion
This post has outlined some of the best things to make and sell on Amazon. If you’ve been looking for a way to make money from your creative works, the marketplace can give you everything you need. Just make sure to carefully research your market before taking the time to craft your products.
