The Side Hustler’s List of Niche Ideas For Etsy

Have you ever thought about opening an Etsy shop as a side hustle? Etsy is an amazing platform to kick off and jump-starts your side hustle or full-time gig! With more than 61 million new and reactive shoppers on the platform, you get to build a storefront with folks already there, waiting for you! Plus Etsy guides its store owners through the entire process of setting your store up and listing your items! Etsy is also known for selling unique and one-of-a-kind items. This means Etsy is the perfect platform to test out and launch any niche side ideas you may have!

A niche Etsy shop was my second main side hustle. In 2017 I opened a pet-themed ceramic coffee mug Etsy shop that did surprisingly amazing. I found a local artist in South Carolina to create watercolor drawings of different dog and cat breeds. Then I purchased a large heat pressing machine to then press the digital art onto my mugs. My business coach lead me through understanding Etsy SEO and by my first month’s end, I was showing up on the first and second pages of “pet coffee mugs”.

This little shop gave me a true love for a product-based business and Etsy! About 3 months in I began to see consistent and regular sales on a daily basis. Soon enough, this niche Etsy shop brought me in thousands of dollars. So if I can make money from dog coffee mugs, I know your niche Etsy idea can as well!

Why bring your side hustle to Etsy

Etsy is a great platform to set up shop for a niche side hustle. Since the platform already guides you through the process, there is a small learning curve. Plus you don’t need to worry about creating a website or sales page. Etsy is a platform with hundreds of thousands of visitors each day. So even though your product may be next to a competitor, the sheer exposure can very well pay off.

Etsy is also known for connecting unique items to the perfect buyers. This means it’s great for a niche product shop. Maybe you have an idea that is extremely niche. Heck I had an idea about water-colored Bernese mountain dogs on latte mugs. Dream niche people! But since your idea is for a more targeted audience, perhaps you don’t want to invest time creating a website or sales page at first. Instead, consider Etsy to be your testing platform! And if all goes cha-thing according to plan, keep Etsy around on top of a website you can create!

As a side hustler, utilizing Etsy’s platform is a good way to gain back time throughout your week. It’s also a great way to ease into entrepreneurship. The platform guides you step by step from opening your shop to listing your products. You can track your sales, manage your shipping and receive payouts all through the platform. This can be a great way to begin introducing a CRM or client relationship management to entrepreneurs without having to learn everything all at once.

Creating a niche Etsy shop

Etsy is the perfect place for your niche golden nuggets! When you create a niche business, you create a more unique product that targets a very unique audience. For example, creating a candle company is not a niche business. However creating a southern fragrance-themed candle company is a niche! You can candles that smell like biscuits and gravy, fresh cuts grass, grandma’s house, apple farm, the woods and more!

When you go to create your niche Etsy shop, be sure that your idea is specific. Keep in mind that you will be competing with many other shop owners. Which isn’t a bad thing! I’m a firm believer that there is plenty of moo-la to go around. It’s more about putting the perfect products in front of the right person. That is the result of a true niche success!

Do a little research on your niche inside Etsy. See who common shop owners are and how easy it is to find them. What makes you stand out? What are some areas you can improve in? If you’re at the beginning stages of creating a new side hustle, then my $27 Side Hustler Stater Kit is for you. This kit has 6 workbooks, 84 total pages, that walk you through creating a strategic and profitable side hustle. Use my kit to create a niche Etsy shop the most profitable way!

Below are 15 niche side hustle ideas perfect for an Etsy shop! Explore each idea and see where inspiration strikes! Tweak these ideas to make your own and see how you can begin leveraging your natural talents.

01. novelty coffee mugs

In honor of my past Etsy shop, I had to include novelty coffee mugs on my list! Novelty coffee mugs are great ideas for a niche Etsy shop. Plus there are so many different types of coffee mugs you can create! First, consider what type of coffee mug you want to design. You can create traditional mugs, campfire mugs, latte mugs, travel mugs and the list goes on! Next, decide what theme or concept of mugs you want to create. This is where your niche will stand out.

You can create a niche coffee mug line on Etsy that highlights:

• popular sitcom quotes and characters
• trendy 90’s graphics and references
• boy bands
• astrological signs
• watercolor pets *cough cough*

02. themed shop

With a themed Etsy shop, you allow your specific niche to be the general theme of your shop. For example, if you want to open a Bernese mountain dog-themed Etsy shop – that is a niche idea! Plus you can great multiple products under that theme. For instance, you can create Bernese mountain dog stickers, garden flags, t-shirts, coffee mugs and more!

With a themed Etsy shop, you are declaring yourself an expert in your niche. This gives a reason for buyers to select your shop over your competitors. If you have a novelty obsession or think you can turn a profit over a trendy theme, go for it on Etsy!

03. statement t-shirts

Statement t-shirts are another great niche idea for Etsy. Create a line of t-shirts all within a general concept of theme and create eye-catching, funny or simple inspiring quotes. For example, you can create an Etsy shop with a “chick-flick” theme. In this shop, you can sell t-shirts with funny Mean Girl statements of heartfelt Titanic t-shirts. The possibilities are endless. Statement t-shirts do really well on Etsy plus the equipment is easy to navigate.

04. holiday decor

Holiday decor is a great niche that performs well on Etsy. If you have a favorite holiday and you are decor savvy, see if a decor niche Etsy shop is for you. Your shop can center around one specific holiday or around all of the holidays. You can create a multitude of products and be known as the holiday expert in how others should decorate their home for festivities!

05. digital products

There is a plethora of digital product ideas you can create and sell on Etsy. You can also create niche digital products for your Etsy shop! Consider digital products that are created for a very specific audience. Your digital products can include templates, pricing guides, font types, branding kits, e-books and so on! The list of endless! After you get a good sense of what type of digital product to create, think of how to niche down and make it that much more specific and searchable.

06. unique candle line

A unique candle line is great for a niche Etsy shop because there are so many different ways to approach the candle game! You can create candles known for their shape or aesthetic. Perhaps you can create a niche candle shop that is known for its gold vases. You can easily turn that into a niche product shop.

You can also create a niche line of fragrances. Like my example above for a Southern fragrance line. You may also consider fragrance lines like nostalgia, smoothies or places! If creating a candle company sounds like it would light your fire, explore The Wooden Wick Co and get a free fragrance with your first order! The Wooden Wick Co is a haven for aesthetically pleasing equipment for makers.

07. retro jewlery & accessories

Retro jewelry and accessories are very in right now! Use your jewelry-making ability to create fun retro-inspired pieces for your niche Etsy shop. You can also sell accessories which could include hair ties, headbands, pins, hair clips and more! Trends like retro and vintage perform really well on Etsy. So if you like the trend but lack the jewelry-making ability or desire, perhaps explore other ways to create a niche retro Etsy shop!

08. trendy garden flags

Be a part of the movement to bring garden flags back in style by opening a niche garden flag Etsy shop. Create garden flags for all occasions, holidays and events. You can even create garden flags with funny sayings, trendy references and custom flags. Garden flags are fun for homeowners to buy. Plus consumers will typically purchase more than one at a time. You can purchase blank garden flags in bulk like this and research various embroidery setups to get you started! This embroidery machine is one of the most bought and highest rated on Amazon and is great for beginners!

09. Embroidery or cross stitch shop

If you’re good with a needle or have a desire to learn, explore opening a niche embroidery or cross-stitch Etsy shop. Your products can all be within a specific niche like pets, family, sassy sayings or funky images. Embroidery and cross stitch are wildly popular sections inside Etsy. To see how you can start your, niche down and be the perfect shop owner for the right embroidery buyer.

10. home decor & painting guides

If you’re looking to explore a new kind of niche Etsy shop, consider opening a home decor digital guide storefront. You can sell digital guides for homeowners that walk them through how to place furniture inside their homes and what colors to paint their walls. You can create bundles that work for different interior esthetics and provide tips and tricks along the way. Plus you can collaborate with appropriate affiliate companies and earn additional income by including those links inside your bundles.

11. project in a box

Projects in a box are another fun idea for creating a niche Etsy shop. Do you have a hobby that you excel at? Is there a way you can turn that hobby into a DIY project in a box? For example, if you are a wonderful watercolor painter. What if you create a product that included a blank canvas that is slightly outlined, paint samples, paintbrushes and directions for creating a watercolor masterpiece? Plus your directions don’t even need to be physical. They could simply disclose a link to a pre-recorded webinar of yours guiding someone through painting a specific image.

You can create a project in a box for a lot of different scenarios. If this interests you, think about how you could create your product line. I personally love this idea so much because it has such a high level of personal touch and customer service.

12. never-die plants

Consider creating a line of never die plants for your niche Etsy shop. With never die plants, you actually create stuffed or sown plants that are glued down into a planter for a real look and feel. This product is can be comical but also really useful! And hey, the plants never die! These are perfect for smaller gifts and additions to desks and shelves for the office.

13. funny front door mats

Front door mats are very popular on Etsy and perform well. Consider creating a line of funny, sassy, heartfelt and custom front door mats for your niche Etsy shop. Plus, these are always very fun to take photos of for your storefront! There are great YouTube tutorials on how to paint your front door mats using a stencil. You can also purchase blank door mats like this on Amazon to get started.

14. Gift box

Gift boxes can be another great niche Etsy idea! Shop owners who create gift boxes will typically create them for a specific niche or target audience. This could be friendship boxes, birthday boxes, self-care boxes, baby boxes, pet boxes and more! The list can go on and on. It’s important to note that the items within your boxes will be made by you. Think of a group of items you can create yourself, how to bundle them together and create them for a specific purpose and audience.

15. pottery & ceramics

The list Etsy shop idea on my list for a niche business is pottery and ceramics. Since there are truly so many things you can do with pottery, it’s a great product to create and sell for a niche business. There are a lot of shops on Etsy that sell smaller pottery pieces that do very well. Keep in mind you do need to sell a $50 product over and over again to earn significant revenue. It’s about creating the best product and getting it in front of the right audience. Consider creating pottery and ceramic pieces like ring dishes, sponge holders, plates, bowls, planters and more!

How To Get Started With Your Etsy Shop Today

If you have a niche side hustle idea, consider taking it to Etsy! Etsy is a great place to start your side hustle, test out various niche ideas and begin building an audience! Selling on Etsy allows you to ease into e-commerce and is a more streamlined approach for side hustlers starting off. Keep in mind that you can also sell your products outside of Etsy at the same time.

To get started with your niche Etsy shop, begin by getting crystal clear on what you want to sell. Run the idea by family and friends and get very clear on who you’re selling to. To assist you even further, download my $27 Side Hustler Starter Kit. This 6 workbook bundle will guide you through discovering your ideal customer as well as help you build out your side hustle strategically with pricing, product creation, branding and more!

After you solidify what it is you wish to create, begin creating a few items! Get as close to perfection as you can with your product creation process. Research how to purchase your raw materials for as low as possible without sacrificing quality and what your workflow will be. Once you have The Who, The What and The How, you’re ready to set up shop! Etsy does a wonderful job walking shop owners through creating their storefront from listing to selling.

Let your niche flag fly with your Etsy shop! And send me an email inviting me to take a look at your store. I would love to see what you’re working on! One of the best things about Etsy is they truly make it fun to sell! Enjoy the process, don’t be afraid to get more creative and start seeing your Etsy cha-ching roll in!