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10 Easy Paper Crafts Compilation | DIY Craft Ideas | Art All The Way

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Knit hats are among the items you can make and sell.

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If you have a talent for making things with your hands, you are not restricted to decorating your house with your crafts or wearing your masterpieces yourself. Instead, you can sell what you make, and -- depending how you handle the sale of your handmade items -- you may not even need a business license to do so.

Sell your handmade items from home. In some jurisdictions, small, home-based businesses do not require licensing. Check with your local department of licensing and inspections or a similar agency to learn whether this is true in your jurisdiction.

Make selling your handmade items a hobby rather than a business, as you don't need a business license for a hobby. In order for selling activities to qualify as a hobby, however, you have to make things because you love the process and not to make a profit. Your efforts may qualify as a hobby if you have another source of significant income for paying your bills and you make items to sell just for fun.

Sell on an occasional basis. For example, if you sell your items at flea markets and craft fairs a couple of times a year, you may not need a business license.

Offer the items you make through occasional yard and garage sales. You generally do not need a business license to sell this way.

Make seasonal items to sell during the holidays. If you do not sell them at any other time of the year, you may not require a license.

Offer your handmade items privately to friends, family members and business associates. If you sell on a small scale and only to people who already have a relationship with you, some jurisdictions may not require you to have a business license.

Sell the things you make online through auction websites or sites designed entirely for people who sell handmade items. Some jurisdictions may not require business licensing if you do not serve local customers.

Tip

Even if your jurisdiction does not require you to have a business license, you likely still have to pay taxes on the money you earn. Check with federal and local tax agencies to learn how to handle taxes on income you receive from the items you make.

Tip

Even if your jurisdiction does not require you to have a business license, you may still have to pay taxes on the money you earn. Check with federal and local tax agencies to learn how to handle taxes on income you receive from the items you make.

About the Author

Jordan Meyers has been a writer for 13 years, specializing in businesses, educational and health topics. Meyers holds a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Maryland and once survived writing 500 health product descriptions in just 24 hours.

Photo Credits

PhotoObjects.net/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images

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How to Sell Things You Make Without a Business License

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If you have a talent for making things with your hands, you are not restricted to decorating your house with your crafts or wearing your masterpieces yourself. Instead, you can sell what you make, and -- depending how you handle the sale of your handmade items -- you may not even need a business license to do so.

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We are the national development agency for the contemporary crafts in the UK.

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Shopify's Ecommerce Blog - Ecommerce News, Online Store Tips & More

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Salted fish and tobacco are traded for fur and feed grains. A block of raw wood is whittled into a toy horse and sold in a stall at a local artisan market. Watermelon seeds, sowed and tended, become full-fledged fruit before exchanging hands at a roadside stall.

Making things from scratch, cultivating them by hand, and carving out a living by selling and trading them-these are the inceptive transactions of commerce. Commerce has evolved in the past few hundred years, with the biggest changes coinciding with rail transport, the manufacturing boom, and the Internet. As far as we've come, the roots of commerce remain firmly planted.

Today, thousands of Shopify merchants produce made-by-hand goods, selling them at craft shows, pop-up shops, and through their online stores worldwide. Ecommerce gives makers more reach, and apps help keep their businesses running more efficiently, letting them focus on what they do best: their craft.

Over the years, we've shared deep dives into DIY businesses, producing case studies and guides to help you turn your handmade passion into a living.

But maybe you're not quite sure what to make and sell. Maybe you're looking for a new hobby to busy your idle hands (and earn additional money on the side). Or maybe you're not crafty at all.

We've compiled a list of things to make and sell, something to appeal to everyone from beginners to the advanced craftsperson, from skilled trades to relatively hands-off ventures. Each idea will include a link to a comprehensive guide, as well as a Shopify store to inspire your own.

Sell handmade goods in your spare time

Josh Pigford started selling handmade goods on his Shopify store, Cedar & Sail, while running another company full time. Learn how he got started and what strategies he used to make the most of his time.

Read Cedar & Sail's case study

10 Things to Make and Sell

1. Bath bombs and soaps

2. T-shirts and printed merchandise

3. Jewelry

4. Curated gift and subscription boxes

5. Candles

6. Sweets

7. Art and prints

8. Digital products

9. Enamel pins

10. Traditional handcrafted goods

1. Bath bombs and soaps

A simple Google search returns pages of tutorials to teach you to make your own soaps, bath bombs, and other beauty products at home. They range from simple recipes for bath salts to more complicated formulations requiring emulsions and preservatives. This business idea has low creativity requirements-soaps and bath bombs can be made using commercial molds-but packaging and branding are important in beauty, so consider hiring design help.

Get inspired: Honeybunch Handmade on Shopify (Case Study)

Get started: How to Make Bath Bombs

💡 Tips:

Keep your inventory tight-fresher bath bombs have more fizz, and natural ingredients (like essential oils) in soap can expire.

Investigate your raw ingredient sources to ensure they're beauty-grade and safe for skin. Shopify merchant Salem Essentials recommends understanding the basics of chemistry.

Check with your local government to ensure that your production facility (even if it's your own kitchen) meets health standards. In the US, for example, the FDA sets guidelines for ventilation, air control, and surfaces.

2. T-shirts and printed merchandise

This is a maker business for the non-maker. Your original idea can be designed (this is where the "made" comes in) and printed onto various goods like t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, and dog bandanas, and shipped directly to your customers. It's a hands-off business that has a very low barrier to entry.

Get inspired: Sugoi Shirts on Shopify (Podcast)

Get started: How To Start An Online T-Shirt Business

💡 Tips:

T-shirts and printed merch can supplement an existing business. Gyms, musicians, and charities, for example, can sell branded swag to current audiences, and help to build the brand.

Not a designer? Use sites like Creative Market or Upwork to find talent to help you turn your ideas into designs for your t-shirt business.

Use a print and fulfillment app like Printful or Teelaunch. They integrate with your Shopify store, and automatically print, fulfill, and ship each order.

3. Jewelry

Jewelry is another business idea that can range from simple and low-tech (say, beaded necklaces and woven bracelets) to skilled trades with special equipment (say, silversmithing). It's a saturated market, so doing your homework up front is important-how can your designs stand out? Is there a niche market to sell to?

Get inspired: Biko on Shopify (Case Study)

Get started: How to Start a Jewelry Making Business

💡 Tips:

Fashion is fickle. Validate your idea by tracking trends in jewellery-use Google Trends, and follow popular fashion blogs and influencers.

Consider adding apps like Jewelfie and Online Ring Sizer to help your customers with fit.

Photography is extremely important, but also difficult because of the scale and reflective qualities of jewellery. Invest in great photos by hiring a pro. You can save money by partnering with complementary apparel brands to share the cost of lifestyle shoots.

4. Curated gift and subscription boxes

A gift or subscription box business is a great idea for those who are less crafty but have an eye for curation. Contrary to print-on-demand t-shirts, curated box businesses can be very hands-on. Assembly can be a tedious task, but the business has its advantages: subscription boxes are usually packed all at once at the same time each month, and in the same size box, making the shipping process simple.

Get inspired: Present Day on Shopify (Case Study)

Get started: How to Launch a Subscription Box Business

💡 Tips:

Calculate your storage and assembly needs. Can your home accommodate your business, or do you need to rent additional space?

Ease your customers into commitment. Offer a substantial discount to those who pay upfront for subscriptions, or offer the first month free.

Use an app like Recurring Orders and Subscriptions to manage subscriptions.

5. Candles

The candle business in the US is a $2.3 billion dollar industry, and within that there are several niches to explore: religious, birthday, eco and natural, scented, beeswax, novelty, and more. Like with soap, there's no shortage of DIY tutorials for novice candle makers, and basic melt and pour methods require little to no previous craft skills.

Get inspired: Wax & Wick on Shopify (Podcast)

Get started: How to Make Candles

💡 Tips:

Get insured and use safety labelling. Due to the nature of candle use, and the increased risks of injury or fire damage, be sure to protect your business from civil suits that may result from the use of your product.

Tap into a niche to stand out in a crowded market. Frostbeard Studio appeals to book lovers with cleverly named candle-scents and copy filled with literary references.

Pay attention to branding and packaging. Candles don't differ much from an ingredient perspective, but your product can stand apart with beautiful packaging and strong branding.

6. Sweets

Candy, cookies, baked goods, chocolates, and jams. Sugar can be spun and dissolved and baked into endless things to make and sell. This is a category with unique complications-legalities, labelling, and shelf-life-but also with lots of room to get creative. Niche markets include: holidays and occasions, custom, novelty, catering, and gift baskets. Be sure to investigate the viability of selling your product online. Are fragility and refrigeration barriers to shipping?

Get inspired: Sweet Mission Cookies on Shopify (Podcast)

Get started: How to Start an Online Food Business

💡 Tips:

Trace the supply chain, says food lawyer Glenford Jameson. Carefully select your raw ingredient suppliers to ensure that what's on your label is what's inside.

Consult with a lawyer or food inspection agency to be sure that your labelling meets local requirements for nutritional content, ingredients, and allergy warnings.

Rotate your inventory, says craft brewer Casandra Campbell, and stress the importance of doing so to everyone who handles it.

7. Art and prints

Forget the story of the starving artist. It's never been a better time to create the art you want to create, and sell it (without selling out). Whether you're dealing in fine art, or reproduction prints, you can access far-reaching audiences and sell worldwide.

Get inspired: Lulie Wallace on Shopify

Get started: How to Sell Art Online

💡 Tips:

Work with an established gallery like Shopify-powered Spoke Art to show your work in person and help build an audience for your online store.

Have your work professionally photographed, or as a low cost option, scan it on a flatbed scanner in pieces and stitch the image together in Photoshop.

Consider reproducing your art in multiple formats from prints and cards to t-shirts and mugs. Do it yourself through a print and fulfillment company, or licence your work to other ecommerce brands.

8. Digital products

The digitization of goods shows no signs of stopping. Making and selling digital products like font licenses, wedding invitation templates, webinars, or Photoshop actions requires a little up-front work, but is relatively hands-off once you get started. The overhead costs are very low, and some typical pain points that come with physical goods (inventory, shipping) are non-existent.

Get inspired: Retro Supply on Shopify (Podcast)

Get started: How to Sell Digital Products with Shopify

💡 Tips:

Choose a delivery method. Apps like Digital Downloads and Sky Pilot integrate with your Shopify store to automatically deliver digital goods, or provide a download link to each customer.

If you're hosting files on Shopify, make sure files are each 5GB or less. For larger files, try compressing them into .zip archives.

9. Enamel pins

Enamel Pins remain incredibly popular and are still on a strong upward trend. You'll usually work with a manufacturer to make enamel pins, but the design component can be as involved as you make it. Design your own, or work with a designer to illustrate your vision.

Get inspired: Sleepy Mountain on Shopify

Get started: How to Make and Sell Enamel Pins

💡 Tips:

If you choose to design your own pins, use Photoshop, Illustrator, or free alternatives like Pixlr and GIMP. Stick to solid colors (no gradients) and avoid fine details.

Whether you manufacture overseas or locally, be sure to ask the right questions of your manufacturer: What are your clasp and material options? Can you send me physical samples? What packaging options do you offer?

10. Traditional handcrafted goods

Leather tooling, wood carving, embroidery, and pottery are all traditional mediums with thriving markets. The backlash against mass-production is driving trends back to slow food, one-of-a-kind and bespoke goods, and artist craftsmanship. Many of these disciplines require skills honed over time, but you can access your inner maker and learn these skills via online tutorials, local workshops, and trial and error.

Get inspired: The Local Branch and Old World Kitchen on Shopify (Case Studies)

Get started: Four Handmade Goods Store Owners that Turned Their Passion Into Profit

💡 Tips:

Much of the appeal of crafted goods is the story behind the maker. Weave your own story into product pages, a compelling About Page, and even packaging.

How will you scale? If your idea takes off, consider how you will maintain the handmade nature of your goods while producing in large quantities: can you hire contract makers? Can certain components of the process be outsourced to a manufacturer, then finished by hand?

The ideas don't stop here-you can make and sell everything from dog biscuits and coffee tables to handbags and terrariums. Browse our case studies for more maker inspiration.

Ready to sell your handmade goods? Start your free 14-day trial of Shopify-no credit card required.

About the Author

Dayna Winter is a Storyteller at Shopify. She follows more dogs than humans on Instagram and isn't a real redhead.

Follow @nicecobra
Do you make and sell things on Shopify? Share your story in the comments below!

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The Business of DIY: 10 Things to Make and Sell Online

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Today, thousands of Shopify merchants still produce made-by-hand goods-some with traditional and primitive methods-selling them at craft shows, pop-up shops, and through their online stores worldwide. But maybe you're not quite sure what to make and sell. Or maybe you're not crafty at all.

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Around.io Blog: Handcrafted for Online Sellers

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This is a guest-post from Mélanie Vaast, who is a writer and project marketing manager at E-Commerce Nation. She has developed a keen interest in e-commerce and web marketing through her various experiences in international business developments. She also enjoys traveling and exploring cultures all over the world.
What are the Etsy best sellers? Have you considered creating an Etsy store but you're not sure what to list? Etsy is a great opportunity for arts and crafts experts to break into the eCommerce business . It is an online eCommerce portal site that accepts all types of sellers. The only criteria are that you have to create the item yourself or produce it in its sellable form yourself. If creativity is a big part of your life and you have always wondered what to sell on Etsy to make this creativity profitable, this article will try to give you a starting point.

What to Sell on Etsy

The hardest part of deciding on an eCommerce venture is to choose what to focus on. Etsy has thousands of items in several categories, and they allow you to sell in the following categories for their platform:

1) Home and Living

Some sellers on Etsy.com focus on things for your home. From handcrafted pots for plants to home decor of all kinds, many sellers have success in this category. If you have a knack for selling home decorative items or interior design products, this may be a great category for you to explore.

2) Jewelry

Jewelry is one of the hottest-selling categories on this eCommerce site. People all over the world sell various jewelry items in this category, and many of the pieces are handmade.

3) Clothing

Handmade clothing items are also a favorite selling category so if you have a knack for sewing or embroidery, Etsy may be a good platform for you.

Most of the clothing items feature personalized names or accents that allow you to customize the clothing for specific customers. Many of the T-shirts sold in this category are vanity statements or declarations about popular trending topics. Some sellers purchase white T-shirts, then decorate them in ways that people like to sell on Etsy. This category also features many accessories such as belts, bags, and other items, as well.

4) Toys and Games

The Toys and Games category features a variety of handcrafted toys and games for all ages. From baby items to electronics games, you can sell many different items in this category as long as it qualifies as a game or toy.

5) Craft Supplies and Tools

Instead of selling completed items, some people focus on selling craft supplies and tools to enable others to create things for Etsy. This is a lucrative category if you have a supplier that can keep you furnished with many supplies. From candle-making supplies to doll-making and many other hobbies, you can be the go-to person that people turn to in order to find supplies to create their craft items.

6) Kids and Baby

This category is popular because it offers a wide variety of products that are handmade or created for children and infants. These items make great gifts, and many mothers of infants or others come to Etsy to look for these types of products.

7) Vintage

The Vintage category is dedicated to featuring all sorts of older or antique items. If you have older items that you have restored or antique dishes, for example, you can sell them on Etsy in the Vintage category.

Top 10 Best Sellers On Etsy

Now that you have the 7 most important categories on Etsy, you may be interested in knowing what the most recent 10 best selling items were. Below is a list of the latest Etsy best sellers.

1) Stickers

Believe it or not, kids stickers are the number one selling category currently in Etsy. The only requirement is that they have to have been made by the seller in some way such as applying the design or creating the product in some way. Etsy's format is unique because of its original craftsmanship so just make sure that you have a hand in creating what you sell. Stickers sell well because teachers, parents, and non-profit organizations often look for handcrafted stickers to buy in bulk that can serve as rewards and incentives for kids.

2) Handmade kids' clothing

Kids' clothing that is personalized or adds a unique touch is a big seller on Etsy. The concern about getting cute and trendy cloth for the kids is quite new, about few decades, and the market is booming right now. Plus we all know that people are ready to spend more to have personal items, this is even more true concerning kids clothing category (How can you resist to so much cuteness?). Also personalized kid's clothing make great gifts, which brings even more customers than just parents to those stores. So remember to propose something that is unique for your customers and that will make the item very personal to them.

3) Homemade or Specialized Candies

Homemade Sweet, a jelly bean, and specialized candy store offers sweet treats that you cannot find in a regular candy store. They are wrapped in unique wrapping to give them a distinctive flair. Recently, a company sold over 220,000 such sweet treats to customers on Etsy alone. Now, that's sweet!

4) Party decorations

Party decorations go over big on Etsy. Why? Because people don't want to have to drive to a party store and they enjoy browsing through the hundreds of party items available on this powerhouse supplier's site. Plus, one more time, customers can ask for personalisation. People that are throwing parties are doing for a reason: they want them to be memorable! Personalization help them reaching that goal.

5) Vinyl & heat transfer supplies

Just like the personalized clothing items, plastic, and heat transfer supplies are also a big seller on Etsy. Just like for jewels pieces and beads, this come probably from the fact that Etsy craft sellers buy vinyl and heat transfer supplies in order to realize their own creation and sell them on their stores. The platform is aware of this fact and reacted by launching another marketplace called Etsy studio, made for craft items suppliers.

6) Jewelry articles & findings

One of the current top seller store on Etsy is called BohemianFindings. The store which opened in 2010 have sold not less than 1,084,068 "Unusual charms, buttons, beads and findings". A great example of Etsy success. There is a bit of a paradox here: while there are thousands of jewelry stores on the platform, the top sellers of the jewelry category are actually not creators but supplier, mostly of chain and pendants as well as beads and other items that craft artists will assemble later on for their own shop.

7) Home decor, Art & Collectibles

The home decor category sells thousands of pieces per week. One example is the handmade photo charm pendant (marketed by Share Living) that sold 273,704 pieces to date at $5 each. Think about the amount of profit they made on this item when it only took them around $2 to create it.

8) Unique items

Items that are hard to find in brick-and-mortar stores can become Etsy best sellers. That's because people who deal with arts, crafts and jewelry have come to realize that Etsy is now the go-to site to find these rare or hard-to-find treasure. Another example of a huge seller is the large acrylic top hole teardrop bead that sold for $2.99 per piece. They sold 291,188 of them!

9) Vintage items

Vintage items have a great success on Etsy because they are not easy to find. Because of their scarcity, people are ready to pay the price. Authentics vintages items are usually sold in junk shop and collectors have to travel a lot in order to find them. Etsy vintage category makes the searching process much more easier for them.

10) Hard-to-Find items

Finally, offering anything unique that is hard-to-find can help you to create a steady income for your Etsy business. If you provide access to items that cannot be found elsewhere, you may be rolling in dough soon. It can either be some really hard to find antique items, but don't forget that Etsy is a marketplace for creative people before everything else. This means that you can create whatever rare items you desire since it will be your creation only. Think well about the niche market you could fit in and take the leap!

How to Succeed on Etsy

Well, there you have it! We gave you 7 categories and 10 unique items and ideas that you can start selling right now. If you are not sure about what to sell on Etsy, this post should get you started and get your creative ideas going. It's easy to start an eCommerce store on Etsy, so the best thing to do is to get started. If you don't succeed in one category, try, try, again. There's a whole world of potential customers out there just dying to see what you'll offer.
Sources: https://www.etsy.com/ https://www.bitbond.com/resources/what-sells-best-etsy-top-5/ http://topcraftsellers.com/

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What to Sell on Etsy - Top 10 Best Selling Products and Categories

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This is a guest-post from Mélanie Vaast, who is a writer and project marketing manager at E-Commerce Nation. She has developed a keen interest in e-commerce and web marketing through her various experiences in international business developments. She also enjoys traveling and exploring cultures all over the world.

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Craft Fairs can be a bit hit and miss when it comes to making money. I have done one where I just about covered my £5 table fee and then another one where I made over £200 in one day. But they can be useful for your business in ways other than making money. Here are three benefits of attending a craft fair even if you don't make a lot of money.

Exposing the public to your products and brand

I had a very interesting conversation at one craft fair I attended with a lady who had bought one of my original drawings a couple of years previously. She told me she had seen it at an art show but didn't have the funds at the time to buy it, and was delighted when she saw it again at a different exhibition and purchased it then. This was an eye opener for me and made me realise we are making an impact even when we don't see tangible results straight away. People cannot always purchase from you the first time they see your work but if they really like it, they will remember you and look out for you again, either at another fair or find you online. Having business cards easily accessible on your table is great for future customers to take away with them. Make sure to include your website, blog and social media addresses so they can keep in touch.

Feedback from customers and potential customers

When you sell online you rarely get in depth feedback. If you do its generally in the form of a few lines in a review and while it can be helpful it's not the same as being able to have a face to face conversation. By chatting to the people who look at your table you can find out what they're looking for and if you don't have it, maybe you should? I normally end up with a little list of art subjects that people ask me about at craft fairs to include in my next paintings. Do you spend your whole time answering the same questions? Perhaps you should include the answers in your table signage or literature for people to take away. Sometimes it's as useful to find out why people don't buy as much as why they do. It's also just very nice to have people tell you how talented and clever you are! It is a excellent confidence and enthusiasm boost.

Your local craft business community

It's good to talk, especially when most artists and crafters are self employed and work on their own. It's great to get out and chat to other creative people. Most are very friendly and happy to give advice. You can find out about other events in your area, which ones are worth attending and which ones to avoid! You can pick up useful tips and tricks for displaying your work. I was admiring another stall holder's display boxes at a fair I attended and she kindly gave me the details of where she'd got them from. It's also great to just have a chat. If you do local fairs you will see some of the same faces at the different ones you go to and form good friendships.

Do you attend art or craft fairs? What benefits do you take from the experience?

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Three Benefits of a Craft Fair (even if you don't make much money)

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Craft Fairs can be a bit hit and miss when it comes to making money. I have done one where I just about covered my £5 table fee and then another one where I made over £200 in one day. But they can ...