Handmade business ideas: Top 25 DIY products to make and sell in 2024

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

1. Jewelry

The great thing about starting a business that involves making and selling your own jewelry is that jewelry is versatile, always in demand, and allows for endless creative expression. You can craft stunning pieces like necklaces, earrings, bracelets, or rings using materials such as beads, wire, clay, resin, or gemstones.

Keep in mind that the jewelry-making supplies and equipment you'll need to have on hand before launching your handmade business will depend on the types of handmade jewelry you plan on creating.

For example, wire wrapping may require pliers and cutters, while metalworking for rings or pendants could necessitate a soldering kit, hammer, and anvil to shape and join metal components. The inclusion of precious metals and stones vs. recycled materials and semi-precious stones will also have an impact on your business costs.

As handmade jewelry is popular with consumers and sellers alike, it's a good idea to take the time to determine how to make your designs stand out from those offered by competing businesses. Consider, for instance, focusing on out-of-the-ordinary themes, personalized touches, or eco-friendly materials that reflect your brand’s story and style.

2. Custom embroidery patches

While people often use embroidery patches as practical items to cover up holes in well-worn jeans, t-shirts, backpacks, jackets, etc., they also add them to their clothing and accessories just for fun or as a form of self-expression. 

If your business venture entails making custom embroidery patches to sell, you might create unique designs for consumers, for personal use, or for businesses, as embroidered logo patches can be a great branding tool!

All you need to get started is an embroidery machine or hand-stitching tools, quality thread, and fabric. Concentrating on intricate designs, bold colors, or personalized options that cater to specific customer preferences will make your patches unforgettable with your target market.

3. Hand-painted shoes

Fancy or casual, shoes are a crucial piece of the puzzle when it comes to putting together a stellar outfit. Making hand-painted shoes to sell allows you to turn everyday footwear into wearable art that your customers will love to show off! 

With some high-quality paint, brushes, and protective sealants, you can create designs on sneakers, boots, or heels, ranging from custom illustrations to bold patterns or themed artwork.

To boost your product sales, you might opt to offer personalization options, avail of trending themes, and use vibrant, durable finishes that will ensure that your eye-catching footwear lasts for years to come.

4. Knitted or crocheted scarves and hats

When the weather turns chilly, people don a variety of extra clothing items to keep the cold out and themselves as warm and toasty as possible. Creating scarves and/or hats can therefore be an easy way to transform your knitting or crocheting skills into a profitable handmade business idea.

Knitted or crocheted hats and scarves are perfect DIY products for anyone with a knack for yarn crafts. To begin preparing your product catalog, you'll just need to have yarn, knitting needles or crochet hooks, and a flair for creativity.

With this craft idea to sell, you can make your unique designs stand out by experimenting with bold colors, trendy patterns, or luxurious textures, and consider offering custom sizes or personalized touches to delight your customers!

5. Vegan wallets or bags

Vegan leather wallets and bags are stylish accessories made from cruelty-free, sustainable alternatives to traditional leather. They appeal to eco-conscious and animal-loving consumers seeking ethical fashion.

Options like cork, mushroom leather, pineapple fiber (Piñatex), and polyurethane offer versatility and durability. 

When designing your creations, aim for sleek craftsmanship, bold colors, and various textures. You might also opt to highlight the eco-friendly story behind your materials—because who doesn’t love sustainable style with a purpose?

6. Custom bow ties

Selling custom handcrafted bow ties is a classy yet quirky handmade business idea that lets you tap into the growing demand for unique, stylish accessories. Perfect for weddings, events, or everyday flair, bow ties are versatile and always in vogue.

What's more, you don't need loads of sewing prowess to make bow ties. You should, however, possess quality fabrics, a sewing machine, scissors, and adjustable hardware to craft your fashionable creations as efficiently as possible.  

Differentiate your offerings from those of the competition by offering fun patterns, luxurious materials like silk or velvet, and custom options that let your customers flaunt their individuality with every knot!

Home décor

Photo by Vlada Karpovich

7. Handcrafted candles

Fragrance is a powerful thing. Scents can uplift a room's ambience, bring us back to special moments we experienced in life, and promote relaxation and stress relief.

By making your own handcrafted candles to sell, you can help your customers create cozy vibes—be it at home or at the office—or offer thoughtful gifts to their loved ones. You can craft a variety of candles, from classic soy wax jars to decorative pillar candles, scented melts, or even intricate, shaped designs.

With your wax, wicks, containers, and fragrances in hand, feel free to experiment with special scent blends, eco-friendly materials, eye-catching packaging, or personalized options that add a special touch to each creation. 

8. Custom pottery or ceramics

Blend artistry with functionality and appeal to customers who value one-of-a-kind, handcrafted home décor by crafting custom pottery or ceramics. This category of DIY products can include everything from decorative vases and planters, to mugs, bowls, or personalized plates that bring charm to any space.

Note that making pottery or ceramic pieces will require you to have a bit more equipment at your disposal than other handmade goods. Besides clay, you'll have to have a pottery wheel, kiln access, and glazes to finish your designs.

Trying out bold colors, intricate patterns, or custom engraving can help you catch the eye of a broader group of consumers. Remember to also highlight the craftsmanship behind each piece to showcase their one-of-a-kind allure.

9. Hand-painted wooden signs

Hand-painted wooden signs are charming, customizable, and perfect for home décor or gifts. When brainstorming different options of things to make and sell online, consider creating rustic farmhouse signs, inspirational quotes, seasonal décor, or personalized family name signs.

These DIY products are relatively easy to make with some quality wooden boards, acrylic paints, brushes, and a steady hand (or stencils for precision). Incorporating trendy designs, bold lettering, and weatherproof finishes for durability can make your creations all the more appealing. 

Adding personalized options or unique artistic touches will help you attract customers looking for special pieces to brighten their spaces. 

10. Woven baskets

Perfect as home décor, used for organizing, displaying plants, storing throws, or as statement wall art, woven baskets are functional, stylish, and loved for their eco-friendly charm. 

To create them, you’ll need natural materials like rattan, seagrass, or jute, plus weaving tools and a bit of patience. Craft simple baskets or up your game by offering creative shapes, fun motifs, or dyed designs.

By concentrating on quality craftsmanship and marketing your baskets for specific uses (e.g., toy storage or picnic sets), your handmade business will be seeing sales in no time!

11. Personalized throw pillows

With endless customization options—names, quotes, monograms, or custom designs, personalized throw pillows are a fantastic handmade business idea. Combining comfort and creativity, these DIY pieces are ideal for unique home décor or heartfelt gifts. 

The various supplies necessary for creating personalized throw pillows include fabric, stuffing, a sewing machine, and tools for personalization like embroidery kits, fabric paint, or heat-transfer vinyl.

Think about offering trendy patterns, high-quality materials, or eco-friendly options, depending on the preferences of your target market, focusing on clean craftsmanship and creative designs that reflect your customers’ style or special moments.

12. Wooden bird houses

Birdhouses are a delightful way to support local wildlife while adding charm to outdoor spaces, making them a fantastic handmade business idea. They provide shelter for birds, help with nesting, and contribute to a balanced ecosystem.

In order to build wooden birdhouses, you'll need quality wood, nails, a saw, paint, and protective sealant. In addition, it's best to incorporate sturdy, weatherproof construction and eco-friendly materials. 

Designing unique shapes, adding colorful finishes, or catering to specific bird species with appropriate entry sizes can help your DIY woodworking business stand out from the crowd. Combine functionality with eye-catching aesthetics, and your birdhouses will become a must-have for bird lovers and garden enthusiasts alike!

Products for pets

Photo by RDNE Stock project

13. Customized pet collars or harnesses

If you target market consists of animal-loving shoppers, consider crafting collars or harness for pets to sell on your website. These things to sew and sell are practical and customizable, and they allow pet owners to showcase their animal companion’s personality in style.

When starting to make your products, remember that pet owners want collars and harnesses that are durable, comfortable, and stylish, while ensuring that their pets are safe and secure. You'll therefore want to obtain durable materials like nylon, leather, or eco-friendly fabric, strong buckles, D-rings, and sewing or crafting tools.

Handmade options can include personalized collars with engraved tags, eco-friendly fabric collars, or colorful braided designs. For harnesses, think about creating padded step-in styles, no-pull harnesses for training, or chic designs with matching leashes.

14. Natural pet treats

Pet owners love healthy, wholesome treat options for their furry friends, whether they're cats, dogs, guinea pigs, or other lovable critters. Natural treats for pets are customizable, cater to dietary needs, and meet the growing demand for eco-conscious, quality pet food, making them a wonderful option for your handmade business!

Here are three niches to consider if you want to start making and selling handmade natural pet treats:

• Dietary-specific treats: Cater to pets with special dietary needs, such as grain-free, gluten-free, or hypoallergenic treats. Focus on providing high-quality, natural ingredients that address common allergies or health concerns like sensitive stomachs or weight management.
• Eco-friendly and sustainable treats: Create treats using locally sourced, organic ingredients with eco-conscious packaging. Highlight sustainability by offering zero-waste options or treats made from upcycled food ingredients.
• Gourmet and luxury treats: Offer high-end, artisanal treats, such as beautifully decorated biscuits, unique flavor combinations, or special-occasion options like birthday cakes for pets. Emphasize premium, human-grade ingredients to appeal to consumers seeking indulgent products for their furry friends.

15. Pet toys

Toys are vital for pets' mental stimulation, exercise, and emotional well-being, making them happier and healthier companions.

Crafting toys for pets can be a rewarding handmade business idea, as shoppers are constantly on the lookout for safe and high-quality products for their animal friends. Popular types include chew toys, interactive puzzles, tug ropes, and plush buddies. 

With this idea, you'll want to focus on using durable, pet-safe materials like natural fabrics and non-toxic dyes. You can then let your creativity run wild with fun shapes or features, ensuring that each design caters to pets' varying needs. 

Art and stationery

Photo by Anna Tarazevich

16. Watercolor paintings or prints

Watercolor paintings or prints are a beautiful handmade business idea, blending artistry with timeless appeal.

When deciding how to create art to sell, keep in mind that originals can captivate with their uniqueness and texture, but prints allow for scalability and affordability. Furthermore, paintings offer exclusivity but take time, while prints reach broader audiences and maximize profits.

As an entrepreneurial watercolor artist, you’ll need quality watercolor paper, paints, brushes, and tools for digitizing prints (like a scanner). For your best chances of success, it's a good idea to concentrate on specific themes like nature, abstract art, or custom designs. 

17. Greeting cards

Handmade greeting cards are the perfect handmade business idea if you're looking to attract customers seeking unique ways to express love, gratitude, or celebration. Birthday cards, wedding invitations, holiday greetings, or quirky everyday notes—the world is your oyster when it comes to greeting card creation!

To ensure high-quality greeting cards, quality cardstock, pens, markers, stamps, and embellishments like ribbons or stickers should be readily available in your supply closet. Take your designs to the next level by incorporating hand-drawn art, calligraphy, or even mixed media.

In addition, keeping up with trends like eco-friendly materials or pop-up designs and offering personalization (customers love custom messages or names) can aid in further encouraging purchases from your DIY business. With creativity and care, your cards will turn simple gestures into treasured keepsakes!

18. Calligraphy prints

If watercolors aren't your thing, perhaps you'll want to give calligraphy a go. Calligraphy prints combine timeless elegance with a personal touch. Popular styles include inspirational quotes, custom names, wedding vows, and holiday-themed designs.

To get started selling these crafts online, you’ll need basic calligraphy skills, quality pens, ink, and premium paper or canvas. A steady hand and creativity are essential! 

Try experimenting with unique lettering styles, vibrant color palettes, and layered textures. You may also want to consider adding gold foil accents or creating digital versions for customization. Offering personalized options or packaging your prints with frames can further elevate your business.

19. Bookmarks

A common frustration for anybody who loves to read is setting aside an incredible book, only to not be able to find their place again when they’re ready to dive back in. That’s why a bookmark is an essential, yet simple, tool for anyone who enjoys reading.

Practical, easy to create, and loved by readers of all ages, bookmarks are perfect handmade items to sell on your ecommerce website. There're also a great option if you want to start a business with no money, as all you need are basic crafting skills, creativity, and supplies like cardstock, laminators, tassels, or even fabric for sewn designs.

You can craft unique bookmarks in various styles—artistic illustrations, inspirational quotes, personalized names, or fun themes like animals or seasons. Adding features like tassels, magnetic clips, charms, or eco-friendly options can also appeal to different market groups and make your creations truly memorable!

20. Illustrated calendars

Although many people use digital calendars these days to help organize their lives, others still like having a physical calendar on hand to mark important dates, events, and appointments.

Besides requiring skills in illustration and design software (or traditional art supplies), to create illustrated calendars to sell online, you'll also need an eye for layout and organization. Options abound with this DIY idea: wall calendars, desk versions, or even perpetual calendars with reusable designs.

Themes could include nature, motivational quotes, seasonal art, or custom illustrations. Regardless of the theme you use, you can further bolster your calendars by incorporating high-quality paper, vibrant prints, and special artwork styles. 

21. Handmade books

If you dream of writing a book to share with the world, there's no need to wait on a call from one of the major publishing companies—give self-publishing handmade books a try!

Writing and creating handmade books mixes storytelling and craftsmanship into unique, marketable treasures. People love the personal touch of handmade items, especially when paired with original writing or custom designs. In addition, there are all kinds of different genres you can explore as a blossoming author:

• poetry,
• short stories,
• children's books, 
• travel journals,
• recipe books,
• and more!

And while you'll of course need to possess decent writing ability, you should also have basic bookbinding knowledge, quality paper, sturdy covers, and tools like needles, thread, glue, and cutting materials to produce top-notch handmade books. You might opt to use hand-illustrated covers, eco-friendly materials, or specialty features like calligraphy or embossed titles as well to pique your target market's interest. 

22. Custom journals or notebooks

Speaking of books, if you don't want to write your own, you can alternatively design blank journals or notebooks for your customers to fill with their own thoughts, dreams, and ideas!

Personalization is key—offer options for custom names, themes, or designs to cater to different tastes. Experiment with layouts, like bullet journaling pages or gratitude prompts, to make your notebooks versatile.

In addition to using quality paper, sturdy covers, and decorative materials like fabric, paint, or embossing tools, top-of-the-line finishes, eco-friendly materials, and thoughtful details like ribbon markers or elastic closures can elevate your creations, ensuring they stand out and attract loyal shoppers.

Beauty products

Photo by Herbs Basics

23. Organic soaps

With the growing demand for natural, eco-friendly skincare products, organic soaps are another fantastic handmade business idea. Crafting handmade soap isn't super complicated, but it may take a small amount of time to get your recipes right where you want them to be.

With basic soap-making skills, quality organic ingredients like oils, butters, and essential oils, and molds or tools for shaping, you'll soon be creating organic soaps that can become skincare must-haves!

Test different scents, colors, and textures using natural additives like herbs, clays, or oatmeal to come up with the perfect recipes to delight consumers. It's also advantageous to ensure that your handmade soaps stand out with creative shapes, eco-friendly packaging, and clear labeling highlighting their organic benefits.

24. Bath bombs and salts

Combining relaxation with luxury, bath bombs and salts are irresistible as gifts or self-care treats, making every bath a spa-like experience.

To start making your own bath bombs and salts for your online store to sell, you’ll want to stock up on quality ingredients like baking soda, citric acid, Epsom salts, essential oils, and molds. The addition of colors, scents, and add-ins like dried flowers or glitter can aid in giving your creations a special touch.

Using natural, skin-friendly ingredients and offering themed collections or personalized options are good ways to differentiate your product catalog from competing businesses' products. Furthermore, eye-catching packaging and creative shapes (like hearts or stars) can make your handmade goods even more enticing. 

25. Lip balms and scrubs

Lip balms and scrubs help users keep their lips hydrated, smooth, and healthy, especially in harsh weather or as part of their self-care routine. Though often employed during the colder months, they're handy items to have on hand all year long.

Recent trends in lip care include the rise of tinted lip oils and balms that combine hydration with a touch of color, offering both skincare benefits and aesthetic appeal. In addition, multifunctional products that exfoliate and moisturize simultaneously, often incorporating natural ingredients like sugar crystals and essential oils, are gaining popularity for their convenience and effectiveness.

If you'd like to start a business selling lip balms and scrubs, you’ll need basic crafting skills and supplies like beeswax, shea butter, natural oils, essential oils, and sugar for scrubs. Keep in mind that the skin on lips is rather delicate, so it's crucial to verify that the ingredients in your creations are safe for this kind of usage.

How do you start a small DIY business selling handmade items online?

Hopefully this list of handmade business ideas has provided you with some helpful inspiration for your future business. Of course, once you've decided what handmade items you want to start making to sell, you'll need to figure out where to offer your stunning creations!

While online marketplace platforms like Etsy and Amazon Handmade are a popular option, especially for those new to ecommerce, having your own website will likely give you the most flexibility and earn you the most profits over the long term. 

No matter if you're an ecommerce newbie or an experienced online seller, the WiziShop platform has everything you need to build a winning online store!

Start by selecting the design template that best suits your vision for your brand from our wide range of options available to create a stunning website homepage. Add your product catalog in just a few clicks, availing of our powerful AI tool to help you generate business name ideas, product descriptions, FAQs, lists of pros and cons, translations, blog posts, slogan ideas, and more in seconds. 

What's more, our platform boasts over 400 pre-integrated marketing and sales features to assist you in boosting your conversions and more than 50 SEO tools to optimize your technical SEO and help your website climb the rankings on Google!

And if you ever have any questions, big or small, concerning your ecommerce store, you'll have access to Maia, our AI chatbot available 24/7, as well as our knowledgeable team of Business Coaches to help you achieve online sales success.