What do you think of first when someone says “Etsy”? For me, it used to be handmade products and hand-created crafts that artisans carefully develop with loving care. Yes, that’s true. You’ll find tons of that on Etsy. But Etsy has expanded their reach, and is attracting new audiences daily.
Today there are all sorts of products available that traditional craftsmen have never laid hands on.
In fact, these products are:
- Highly profitable
- Require no up-front investment
- Require no inventory
- Require no shipping
- Fly off the virtual shelves of your Etsy shop with ease
Thanks to the innovation of print-on-demand and digital downloads, the door to Etsy profits has been flung wide open and is ready for you to step up and claim your share.
#1 – Mugs
Sounds super simple, doesn’t it? Did you know that mugs are one of the most versatile products? Millions are sold every year. People buy them for themselves and buy them as gifts for others. Mugs are terrific all by themselves. But a large portion of the mug customer base fills them with goodies and gives them as presents.
Unlike other products, mugs appeal to an enormously wide audience, including those who drink:
- Coffee
- Tea
- Hot chocolate
- Cider
- Toddies
- Espresso
- Bouillon
- And other beverages
But they are just as easy to eat from. Foods enjoyed from mugs include:
- Brownies in a mug
- Muffins in a mug
- Soups and stews
- Chili
- Scrambled eggs
- Bread pudding
- And plenty more
That’s not all! Mugs have lots of uses that have nothing to do with food, such as:
- Pencil holder
- Change holder
- Candy dish
- Crafting supplies
- Planter
- The list is endless!
But mugs are a physical product, so how does this fall into the “no inventory” category? Because you can order them from print-on-demand companies, you never touch a mug! You don’t have to buy them in advance. You don’t have to print anything on them yourself. You don’t have to pack and ship them.
In addition to people who will buy your mugs for their own use, think about all the holidays and occasions that mug gifts would be perfect for!
- Birthdays
- Teacher’s Day
- Administrative Assistant’s Day
- Grandparent’s Day
- Sister’s Day
- Valentine’s Day
- Christmas
- Hanukkah
- Kwanzaa
- Passover
- Hostess gifts
- Mother’s Day
- Father’s Day
- Boss’s Day
- And so many others!
Digital Downloads
You read that right. A downloadable file that the customer prints at home using their own printer. Why do Etsy shoppers love digital downloads? Because they are inexpensive, easy to get, and quick to print or use.
Business shoppers are one of the newest audiences to reach the Etsy marketplace and they are having great success selling all sorts of digital documents, including these:
#2 – Checklists
Checklists keep people on track. They are simple documents that don’t take long to create, but offer a great service to the customer.
What process do you use every day in your business or home life? Make a checklist that includes all the steps. Is there something you have created a personal checklist for that others would use? Think of the possibilities!
Personal
- Babysitter’s checklist
- Travel checklist
- Grocery checklist
- Carpool checklist
- Homework checklist
- Car shopping checklist
- Home shopping checklist
- And tons of others!
Business
- List-building checklist
- File upload checklist
- Social media checklist
- Image creation checklist
- Contract checklist
- Online banking checklist
- Marketing checklist
- And hundreds more!
You can create a checklist for anything that has steps, questions you want to remember to ask, processes, and more. Provide it as a standard PDF or a fillable one with checkboxes.
#3 – Frameable Art
I paid $5 EACH for large punctuation marks that I could print and use on my office wall. What if you sold just 1 of those per day… 30 a month? That’s a quick $150 in your pocket for something you set up one time and walked away from. But the passive flow of income keeps coming!
What kinds of art can you create?
- Words, sayings, quotes
- Graphic designs
- Photos with captions (using public domain photos and other sources)
- Cartoon characters (not copyrighted ones, though)
- Monograms
- Initials
- And many others
#4 – Journals
There is something about handwriting in a journal that seems very personal. That’s probably why the journal craze has continued to grow over the last few years. But physical journals can be rather expensive.
Digital journal pages are much less expensive, can be printed at will, and offer an unlimited design palette thanks to sites such as Canva and others.
Because journals are mostly lines, they are super-simple to create and profit from.
#5 – Coloring Pages For Kids And Adults
Kids love coloring. But over the past three or four years, adult coloring pages have developed into a full-blown craze! Coloring is calming, helps reduce stress, gives adults a creative outlet, and improves creativity. Coloring is also an activity the whole family can do together.
How — exactly — do you learn the specifics of setting up, finding digital ideas, and creating downloadables to sell on Etsy? I took Dvorah Lansky’s course called How To Become A Digital Shop Owner.
D’Vorah taught me everything involved with:
- Establishing my Etsy account
- Creating the banners
- Branding my Etsy shop
- Mining my hard drive for digital product ideas
- Creating and formatting my digital products
- Uploading my products
- Making sales!
She goes into great detail about every element involved. It’s the perfect “look over my shoulder” experience that lets you see specifically what needs to be done when, and how.
But these 5 items are certainly not the only things you can sell on Etsy with no inventory. You can also quickly make:
- Printable scavenger hunt cards, gift card holders, tickets and more.
- Printable stickers
- Printable reminder cards
- Print-on-demand t-shirts
- Digital download guides
- Printable word art
- Digital smartphone wallpaper
- Digital download lists
- Sewing patterns
- Seasonal printables
- Social media graphics templates
- Resume templates
See how easy it is to jump on Etsy and create a steady flow of passive income? Before you know it, your Etsy shop will be stocked full of products that you upload once and never have to touch again.
Have questions about how to sell on Etsy? Talk to me below!
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Karon,
You are always so willing to share valuable information so freely! Thanks for all you do for people you don’t really know. You are a blessing.
Aww! Thank you, Teresa!