What You Can Sell to Make Money: 28 Product Ideas
Selling physical items online is a quick and straightforward way to earn extra cash. Even though this venture doesn't require special skills or knowledge like selling services or digital products, choosing the right product to sell isn’t always easy. Many new sellers find themselves asking, "What can I sell to make money?"
This article provides a guide on selecting a profitable product in addition to a list of popular categories containing items that sell well.
Table of contents
What You Can Sell to Make Money
With countless products available, selecting the right ones to sell can feel daunting. Your choice of product, platform, and business model can vary, each with its own unique benefits and challenges. Here’s a concise overview of the four main product types to consider:
Used goods: Reselling used items (like clothes or books) is a simple way to start out. You can sell personal items on social media or other platforms like Poshmark for quick cash. However, low prices also mean slim profit margins, and managing returns can be a hassle.
Homemade or handmade products: These kinds of products turn hobbies into profit, making them a perfect choice for creative types. Unique or eco-friendly items sell well on Etsy or eBay, but building a strong brand to attract customers takes time and marketing.
Private label items: Partner with a supplier to produce and sell products under your own brand. This model offers scalability and higher profit potential, but also demands a larger initial investment and time to establish brand recognition.
Other brands’ products: You can opt to resell wholesale or arbitraged products from other brands via Amazon or a Shopify store. This approach allows for quick market entry, but faces stiff competition and may also require brand permission.
Each product type presents its own pros and cons that can impact startup costs and the amount of time it takes to generate a profit. Your personal interests can guide your choice, but choosing a truly profitable product demands careful market analysis. In the next section, we’ll discuss how to identify high-profit-potential items.
How to Choose Profitable Products
If you want to make more money, you need to sell highly profitable products. In order to find these kinds of products, it’s essential to perform a thorough market analysis. Let’s explore how to conduct this type of analysis, using Amazon as an example.
Amazon is one of the largest and fastest growing e-commerce platforms, making it a valuable resource for understanding market trends. There are also various analytical tools available, such as AMZScout, designed to provide accurate data that helps sellers conduct product analysis effectively and easily.
Discover New Product Ideas
To help you generate a list of the best product ideas for your business, let's use the Product Database. Follow these steps:
1. Open the AMZScout Product Database. Start a free trial by entering your email address.
2. Apply filters to refine your search. Focus on the following criteria, as recommended by top sellers:
Price: Aim for a price range of $30-50 to ensure high margins.
Estimated Sales: Target at least 200 sales/month to ensure stable demand.
Rating: Avoid products with a rating lower than 4 to maintain positive reviews.
Number of Sellers on the listing: Limit to a maximum of 15 to avoid intense competition.
Weight: Opt for non-fragile and lightweight items (under 5 lbs) to save on shipping costs.
![How to use AMZScout Product Database for product research]( "AMZScout Product Database Filters")
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3. Get your results. Click "Find Products" to generate a list of items worth selling.
Amazon is a great, cost-effective platform for launching a business. It offers a huge customer base and you don’t need to build your own website. If you’re hoping to make thousands of dollars on Amazon, it's important to choose products that match your search criteria. This will ensure that you're starting from a strong base before you conduct further research and analysis.
In-Depth Product Analysis
Once you compile a list of potentially profitable ideas, it's crucial to verify each product individually to ensure that it can be genuinely profitable. With the AMZScout PRO AI Extension , you can check the profitability of any item from your list and make sure it aligns with your business goals.
To do this, follow these brief instructions:
1. Install the AMZScout PRO AI Extension.
2. Find products through the Amazon search bar. Enter the name of any product you found through the AMZScout Product Database.
3. Open the AMZScout PRO AI Extension. Click the AMZScout icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.
4. Access the niche’s performance. In the upper right-hand corner of the open window, check:
Niche Score: This includes a text-based explanation of whether it's a good idea to start a business selling a product from this niche, based on an evaluation of a combination of sales analysis, competition, and demand.
![AMZScout PRO AI Niche Score]( "AMZScout PRO AI Niche Score")
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Niche History: This helps you analyze the niche’s performance over time to determine if sales trends are positive, stable, or negative, enabling you to assess demand and profitability.
5. Choose the most suitable business model for the item. Click “Product Score” next to any item of interest to see if it's better suited for private label or resale, along with the reasons.
Note: If a niche shows strong performance, sort products by “Estimated Revenue” to view the top earners.
6. Check the item’s performance. Click “Product History” under the item to analyze its trends and stability, focusing on:
Sales: Identify whether the trend is positive or negative.
Reviews: Check if review growth aligns with sales increases.
Pricing: Determine the price needed to stay competitive.
Note: You can review data for up to two years.
7. Calculate your potential profit. Click on the Profit Calculator under any item to ensure that factoring in all costs, the margin exceeds 15% to ensure the item's profitability.
8. Evaluate your ability to sell the product. Use the “AI Product Analysis” feature under the product to examine its pros and cons. This overview helps you determine whether potential risks can be addressed and whether the opportunities align with your business goals.
Tip for brand owners: If you're seeking ways to stand out and increase profitability, review the AI-generated improvement suggestions. Access “AI Product Improvement” through the “AI Product Analysis” to discover customized ideas for product enhancements and strategies to better position your product in the market.
9. Choose the top product for your store. To refine your selection, save the most promising items to your Favorites by clicking the heart icon next to each product. Then, open the Favorites menu in the top-left corner of the PRO AI Extension window and select “Product Comparison”. This feature provides a clear comparison of each product's strengths, making it easier to choose the best option for your store.
Sellers always need to analyze products to ensure they will be worth their time and effort. Fortunately, you can use the AMZScout toolkit, which helps you simplify this process, and provides accurate and immediate information.
Profitable Products to Sell Online
As is evidenced by product research, it's essential for a product to be considered profitable to meet the standards of high margins, demand, and lightweight construction. Here are seven examples of product categories that meet these criteria:
Home Accessories
Examples: Pillows, blankets, artwork, vases, DIY kits, and candles.
This category is incredibly popular with small businesses, accounting for almost a third of all Amazon sales. With a wide variety of everyday items, there is constant demand for products in this category. Additionally, the wide array of items means there are numerous suppliers available. This allows you to choose the best terms so you can source quality products and maximize your profits.
According to AMZScout PRO AI, the home accessories niche shows strong sales growth. For instance, bathroom rugs are a top performer that generate about 90,000 monthly sales on Amazon, yielding roughly $1 million in revenue.
Note: As Amazon reflects global e-commerce trends, these insights can be applied to other platforms as well.
Clothing and Accessories
Examples: Sneakers, bags, t-shirts, wallets, etc.
In 2025, U.S. retail e-commerce revenue from fashion and accessories is projected to exceed $159 billion (according to Statista), offering sellers significant opportunities for profits. These items are in demand across all genders and ages, especially among women. By choosing an effective promotional strategy and the right platform, retailers can tap into this trend. Apparel and accessories are also lightweight, which leads to reduced shipping costs.
Health and Beauty
Examples: Natural cosmetics, organic skincare products, aromatherapy oils, and healthy snacks.
Health and beauty products often require regular replenishment, ensuring stable and repeat sales. If you’re considering selling health and beauty products, check out a detailed guide here. Customers in this sector also tend to be brand-loyal and stick to stuff they prefer. Focusing on premium or niche products can generate higher margins. Additionally, there’s a growing trend towards environmentally friendly products, which makes organic offerings stand out from the competition.
Sports Goods
Examples: Athletic apparel, shoes, equipment, and accessories.
The ever-increasing focus on living a healthy lifestyle has led to a growing demand for products that promote fitness and well-being. These items can often be found at modest prices, allowing for a higher markup and greater profit potential. Additionally, selling bundles with products from other categories, such as healthy snacks or fitness watches, can drive more sales and increase profits.
For instance, fitness trackers are a promising niche, with AMZScout PRO AI reporting high sales on Amazon, high margins, and relatively low competition, earning the niche a score of 7/10 .
Children's Products
Examples: Children's clothing, toys, books, feeding, and childcare products.
Many parents strive to buy the best for their children, so children's products are in high demand. In addition, the wholesale cost of these products is typically much lower than their retail prices, offering the opportunity for good margins. However, it's also important to note that competition here is fierce and sellers need to monitor their offerings constantly if they want to stay competitive.
Gift Sets
Examples: Gift sets for various occasions and holidays.
Offering gift sets allows you to sell several items together, increasing your profit potential. With the right promotional strategy, you can generate significant profits, especially before holidays or special occasions (such as proms). However, it's important to consider whether a gift set has seasonal use, such as Christmas decorations, in order to manage your stock effectively. Alternatively, you may want to focus on items that are in demand throughout the year to maintain steady sales.
Tech Gadgets
Examples: Gadgets and accessories for smartphones, laptops, tablets, and other devices.
This is one of the most lucrative categories due to high product prices, leading to significant margins. There is constant demand, driven by technological advances and ongoing improvements of these devices. However, selling items with batteries may require additional approval. Also, oftentimes it’s necessary to make a substantial investment in stock before you see a profit in this category.
All of these examples are currently sought-after by buyers. It's vital to evaluate each product individually to check its performance and profitability.
Conclusion
Selling products online may start off as a side hustle to help people earn extra money, but once your business becomes automated, it can transition into a passive source of income. To streamline your selling process and maximize scalability, utilize the AMZScout toolkit. This will enable you to discover ideas and pinpoint the best products that can generate consistent profits.
