If you’re looking to start a side hustle or build a full-time business from home, an Etsy shop could be the perfect option for you! The space for creative commerce and collaboration is the perfect way to try out your new idea or put your crafting skills to work. Whether you’re looking to pursue your artistic dream or earn some extra cash, check out these top Etsy sellers and their advice on how to be successful!
Beadboat1
From finished jewelry like Natural Rutiled Jade Bracelets or a Gold Cowrie Necklace to jewelry-making supplies like clasps and chains, Beadboat1 is a jewelry maker and buyer’s dream. Jewelry is one of the best-selling items on Etsy, and Beadboat1 has capitalized on this. Based in Texas and opened in 2014 with the goal of keeping all your beading needs in one place, Beatboat1 has more than 7,000 jewelry and stone products listed. There’s a pretty good chance they have what you need! Customers also gush about Beadboat1’s products arriving exactly as pictured and made from quality materials even with fast shipping times. Beadboat1’s gemstone bracelets, gold hoop earrings, and many other products are great inspirations for mastering the jewelry market!
Boygirlparty
From enamel pins in the shape of corgis and hedgehogs to animal-themed journals and illustrated books, Boygirlparty is overflowing with imaginative creations. The shop’s original artwork is created by Susie Ghahremani, who designs useful and creative gifts for every occasion like a Best Friend Gift for Long Distance or a GROWTH Journal with Prompts. Her work leaves customers writing passionate, positive reviews about her lovely, fun artwork and timely order arrivals. Boygirlparty is also considered a star seller on Etsy because of customer satisfaction, quick replies to questions, and a long history of 5-star reviews! Ghahremani has had the Etsy shop since the platform’s start in 2005 and says most of her success comes from providing one-of-a-kind goods and allowing time for her following to build.
“My shop has always been based on my original art, which is something people can’t find anywhere else,” Ghahremani said. “I think that is the key to a successful Etsy shop—not to follow trends, but to express something creative that is also authentic to who you are as a person and not a copy of anything that’s already out there.”
CaitlynMinimalist
High-end jewelry with meaning and a minimalist twist is the work and life’s dream of CaitlynMinimalist owner, Kate Kim. Jewelry creations including the Minimalist Birthstone Ring and the Personalized Name Necklace have garnered this Etsy shop over 203,000 reviews and a 5-star rating. Kim’s customers are at the heart of everything she creates. She focuses on crafting accessible, relatable, and affordable staple pieces. Story and design are also important characteristics of the shop’s brand, and Kim’s desire is for everyone to take a sentimental piece of their life with them wherever they go. All of the shop’s pieces use sterling silver chains, bands, or posts as the base of Kim’s jewelry, which gives each item a simple, mature feel.
From the Page
Do you love handcrafted candles and reading? If you do, head over to From the Page, an Etsy store selling novel-inspired soy candles and soy wax melts. When owner Callie Meaney began making candles, she wanted to find a way to add even more meaning to them. That’s when she realized combining her two passions could create a successful business and new Etsy bestsellers. Game of Thrones lovers can now snuggle up with a Dragon’s Breath scented candle, and Harry Potter fans can fill their rooms with the smell of Bubbling Potions. If you can’t pick just one, order a Sample Pack of your four favorite scents. Additionally, soy wax candles tend to burn cleaner than paraffin wax candles, meaning From the Page’s products are more environmentally friendly than many regular store-bought options! Meaney has an established following of book-lovers for her natural candles and encourages new shops not to get discouraged.
“I didn’t sell anything for a month or two, and even then just a few candles a week,” Meaney said. “Use social media to your advantage, reach out to people, and make sure your product looks the best it can. I think photography and finding the right audience have been the most important things for growing my shop.”
Ink Pug
People love pugs, and Ink Pug has found a way to capitalize on this extreme passion for pups. Cards featuring saucy and sweet pugs are the shop’s top seller, but original prints—including one of a pug fishing for donuts—stickers, and magnets & pins are also for sale. Lauren and Gareth, the shop’s owners and masterminds, chose pugs as their main art source because their expressive, elastic, emotional, and bizarre bodies and faces make for comic, exceptional pieces when brought to life! They sell whimsical, one-of-a-kind products like Pug Poetry that are as unique as the pug themselves. Ink Pug is a great example of a shop finding a niche in the Etsy market and gaining success by not taking themselves too seriously. Their popularity in the e-commerce world is still growing since their founding in 2013.
HirtsGardens
Houseplants brighten up a space and bring a little green into your living area and popular Etsy plant shop HirtsGardens is the perfect place to buy plants online! One of Ohio’s oldest horticulture establishments, HirtsGardens moved online in order to reach a larger plant-buying audience. They help “make your favorite color green” by selling everything from Cacti & Succulents (like the Pink Earth Star Plant) to Herbs, Bonsais, and Bulbs (like the Charlotte’s Web Thailand Money Plant). Customers report shipped plants arrive healthy and in good condition with plenty of time to re-pot! With hard-to-find perennials and unusual houseplants taking up a considerable amount of their inventory, HirtsGardens is a great representation of an Etsy store selling unique products to a particular customer base!
Mignon and Mignon
If you’re planning a wedding, Etsy is a haven for everything you can imagine for your special day. But despite the prominence of wedding shops and independently-sold bridal party accessories, Mignon and Mignon has found a way to gain authority while selling Etsy bridesmaid gifts. This shop is one of the most successful bridal shops on Etsy with items like Personalized Bracelets, Constellation Earrings, and Crescent Moon Necklaces. The delicate jewelry is handmade by a team of people who want to help brides and their wedding parties feel special. The shop even has a second branch known as Mignonsupply, where customers can purchase rose gold chains, blank bars for stamping, and jewelry pendants to create their own jewelry creations! Mignon and Mignon owner Dohee Lee says one of her tips for selling on Etsy is for new shop owners to work hard and learn from any early failures.
“Do something that you believe in and provide a product that you can stand behind,” Lee said. “If you do these things you are sure to find people out there who also believe in what you do.”
Milk & Honey
Thoughtful gifts are some of the most common products sold on Etsy, but what happens when you’re tired of sending the same birthday card each year? Say it with a custom cutting board from Milk & Honey! Cutting boards might not be the standard definition of an Etsy bestseller, or even the first place you think to write sweet messages and funny jokes, but this Etsy shop has had major success in the premium, engraved cutting board and personalized gifts market. Commemorate a wedding, anniversary, or new home with a specialized engraved board like a New Home Gift or a Monogrammed Board. This husband-and-wife-owned Etsy store is a classic example of taking a simple, low-cost idea and adding a custom, quality touch to give customers a little bit of daily luxury. With continued sales since 2011, it looks like Milk & Honey will continue creating personalized gifts for the foreseeable future.
ModParty
Weddings are carefully planned and anticipated with gifts, decorations, and the overall design being a big part of the celebration. ModParty is an Etsy business dedicated to bridesmaid’s gifts, wedding decorations, and favors to make your special day perfect. The bride can ask her babes to stand by her side on her special day with bridesmaid proposal gifts like a Personalized Bridesmaid Gift Box or a Rose Gold Tumbler with embossed names. Or the bride’s wedding party can pamper themselves while they prepare for the ceremony with bridal party gifts like Ruffled Bridesmaid Robes and Bridesmaid Slippers! Owner Hina Kahn and her team of designers, assistants, and shippers have taken a small, homegrown business and turned ModParty into a thriving online bridal store with great customer communication and quality products.
Planner Kate
Planning out your day-to-day schedule may not be everyone’s forte, but jotting down appointments, goals, and deadlines in a planner is sometimes the best method for keeping yourself on track. Planner Kate is a creative Etsy store focused on designing and selling stickers, washi tape, and checklists for planner-lovers everywhere. Products like Holiday Planner Stickers, Weekly Planning Kits, and Doodle Icons for appointments can help planners create cute, organized schedules for themselves! Kate Antesberger, the shop’s owner, opened her Etsy shop in 2014, sharing her personal planner designs with the world and advises new shop owners to prepare for the ups and downs that come with store ownership.
Prettygrafik Design
When it comes to crafting, convenience is key. Although there are countless Etsy shops in this category, Prettygrafik Design was created in 2012 from the sheer desire to spread more art in the world. Owners Sarah O’leary and Gabriel Laliberte attribute part of their success to finding a niche in the children’s and whimsical illustrations market. Mermaid clip art, holiday-themed clip art like Reindeer Clip Art, Dinosaur Digital Paper, and stamps like the Solar System Digital Stamp can all be found on their shop as digital downloads. The variety of products they offer, creating an open dialogue with customers, and heeding advice from others in the design community are all factors that have helped PrettyGrafik become one of the most popular Etsy shops. And O’Leary says sometimes inspiration can come from frustration, and it’s occasionally necessary to lean into that to create a product for your Etsy store.
“We listen to our customers—whether it is price point, sales, or themes they want to see—and concentrate on great customer support,” O’leary said. “We have built our brand to be a recognizable destination for high-quality graphics and have a wonderful fanbase due to a very active social media presence.”
Rogue Retro
Are you into fashion, thrifted outfits, and elevating your wardrobe with unique pieces? If so, Etsy shops selling vintage clothing are quite successful! RogueRetro Vintage is consistently a top-selling vintage shop, whose success comes down to the variety of clothing they offer at varying price points. ’80s throwbacks like “Windsurfing” t-shirts to Vintage Black Polyester Pant Suits and Vintage Tom McAn blue suede shoes are some of their offerings. While classic pieces continue to grow in popularity, vintage shops like RogueRetro Vintage fill an open market on Etsy. The passion for vintage clothing and diligence in customer service owner Amanda carries also helps this shop stand out. No matter how big RogueRetro Vintage gets, the shop is dedicated to providing small business conveniences like responding quickly to customer questions.
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