Most Popular Items on Etsy in 2023

Etsy is an online artisan marketplace where shoppers from around the world can find unique gifts, personalized items, and even vintage pieces. Thousands of sellers are on Etsy right now, too, and some of these top sellers are rumored to make upwards of $500,000 in transactions annually just by selling items they love to create by hand. 

As with any online marketplace or shop, there are specific types of items that shoppers seem to like more than all the others. However, it isn’t always easy for Etsy sellers to figure out what these best-sellers are, and the Etsy selling trends vary year by year. Some Etsy trend experts have predicted which items will sell the best in 2023 though, and sellers can use this information to make decisions on what new items should be added to their Etsy store next.

Best-Selling Items on Etsy in 2023

Personalized and Handmade Jewelry

Jewelry has always been a best-selling item on Etsy, and it’s no wonder why. Etsy is the top online marketplace for personalized items, and jewelry is a top item globally to be personalized. Well over 12 million jewelry listings are currently on Etsy, but there are plenty of sub-categories that can help sellers wanting to join the Etsy jewelry marketplace stay visible. 

In 2023, it is predicted that jewelry pieces that can be customized with things like names, monogram letters, and phrases will be some of the best sellers on Etsy. Jewelry that can be customized for a special event, such as a bachelorette party, as gifts with a personalized card attached will also be quite popular. 

Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, body jewelry, and other fashion accessories are the best selling pieces under the jewelry category on Etsy. Sellers looking to break into this broader category can do fairly easily since the materials needed to make jewelry are always readily available, and the shipping costs for jewelry items are extremely low due to the size and weight of most pieces. 

Customizable Clothing

Just as jewelry can be used as an item of self-expression, clothing can be worn for self-expression. Tee shirt shops have always been some of Etsy’s most successful shops because they usually give customers a chance to customize a shirt’s design, which can then be given as a gift or worn as a group to a special occasion. T-shirts are not the only customizable clothing pieces on Etsy though; baby onesies, face masks, pet supplies, and socks are other popular items. 

Some Etsy clothing sellers create their products completely by hand while others submit their designs to be printed on items to a production partner. Anyone who is interested in getting into this customizable market on Etsy should look at production partner options before deciding to commit to this business model. 

Sewing and Crochet Patterns

Another projected big-seller for 2023 on Etsy is sewing, knitting, and crochet patterns, specifically digital patterns that can be printed by customers. Specifically, patterns tailored to beginners that are available as PDF files will sell best. 

The sub-categories of popular sewing patterns include patterns for women, bags, and pets. The top knitting and crochet patterns are those made for stuffed animals, bags, and tops or sweaters. Sellers who want to break into this market can do so if they have a wide knowledge of sewing, knitting, or crocheting and can create easy-to-follow patterns with graphic design software.   

Crafts & Supplies

Do-it-yourself (DIY) projects are expected to be big in 2023 since many people have been staying home more and going out less. Crafting supplies and crafting kits are a great solution for shoppers who are looking for an easy way to try out a new hobby at home during the next year. 

Although the craft and supplies category on Etsy can include anything from stamps to basic picture frames, some of the best sellers in this category right now include things like yarn, customizable jewelry charms, beads, and embroidery patches. As mentioned above, crafting kits are also trending since these kits organize multiple craft supplies in one package for shoppers to quickly pick out. 

The craft kits that are predicted to grow in popularity in 2023 include kits based on soap making, no-sew pillow or blanket making, and candle making. Many other DIY kits may become popular, though also so long as they utilize attractive packaging with clear labels that catch the eyes of shoppers. 

Digital Downloads

Digital artwork is on the rise in Etsy trends because it usually provides customers with a low-cost, printable option for displaying art in the home. Specifically, digital art on Etsy is defined as any type of artwork that can be downloaded and printed after purchase, and no shipping is typically involved unless requested by the buyer. 

Graphic designers can create plenty of digital art options for shoppers looking around on Etsy, and the type of art they create can vary from minimalistic phrases or sayings to abstract artwork. However, some of the best-selling digital art prints are customizable, and some Etsy shops have found success in offering cartoon-stylized family portraits and party decor. Other shops have found that digital prints that are customized with a shopper’s name sell well too. 

Again, there are no shipping costs usually involved with selling digital downloads, but sellers who want to get into the digital art category should have a working knowledge of graphic design and have access to advanced graphic design software. 

Printables

While digital art and sewing, knitting, and crochet patterns are all types of printables available on Etsy, there are other printable products that are worth giving attention to. For one, journal and planner page printables are a current best-seller. Other types of printables that are popular on the Etsy marketplace include resume templates, paper craft templates, and wedding stationery templates. Canva

Again, those with a background or understanding of graphic design do best with the creation and selling of attractive printables. However, many Etsy sellers have learned about basic graphic design themselves and use free digital platforms, like Canva, to create printables and document templates. 

Related: What is Canva?

Stickers

Perhaps one of the most surprising best-selling products on Etsy right now are stickers, specifically stickers made to attach to water bottles, walls, cars, and laptops. Handmade stickers are relatively cheap to make, so customers love to buy them for a dollar or less. 

As with many other products on Etsy, stickers open up a door for customization. Stickers sold through this website can be personalized by shoppers with a name, phrase, or even a specific design. Some sticker shops even allow customers to submit their own designs to be printed on high-quality sticker paper. 

While graphic design knowledge is recommended to those who want to make and sell stickers, it isn’t necessary; some artists have found ways to design stickers by hand. Selling stickers is also a great option for those who want to ship out products for a low shipping cost because stickers are very small and can often be shipped in an inexpensive small envelope or package. 

Tips to Open & Maintain a Successful Etsy Shop

While learning what the best-selling products on Etsy are can help you in creating a successful business model, there are other factors that come into play. A lot of beginning Etsy sellers tend to overlook things like branding and writing good product descriptions, so take time for yourself to learn from the mistakes of others. 

Related: How to start an Etsy store

Understand What You Can and Can’t Sell

First off, there are some items that are prohibited from being sold on Etsy, so you should never plan on adding them to your own shop. These items include things like alcohol, drugs, hate-related items, weapons, items that contain nudity, and items that contain human remains. While you should be sure to review the full list of prohibited items on Etsy, know that these items are things that you cannot sell on the Etsy site:

• CBD products
• Live animals
• Hazardous materials
• Recalled items
• Guns
• Items promoting violence

In some cases, Etsy may allow certain items to be sold on its platform on a case-by-case basis. For example, while explicit nudity is not generally allowed, vintage photos that may depict nudity are allowed to be sold on the site. 

Branding Is Everything

Shoppers come to Etsy to buy from small businesses, not big-box stores. This is why Etsy shops that share the details that make their shops and products unique tend to sell better on this site than those that don’t. 

When you are opening a new shop on Etsy, or you are considering revamping your existing shop, be sure to give your shop a unique and easily identifiable brand name that relates to the products you sell. For example, a shop that specializes in custom wreaths may call itself something like “The Wreath Place.” After coming up with a name, be sure to also add a description of your shop or of you as the shop’s owner on your Etsy profile; this will allow customers to connect with you and not just your products. 

Another key part of branding on Etsy is choosing one niche to sell in and sticking to that niche. The best-selling shops on Etsy tend to sell just one or two types of items, and this not only keeps the shops’ items inventory simplified for customers but gives shop owners the space to make specialized items that are unlike any other product already on Etsy. 

Photos Make or Break Your Etsy Shop

Time and time again, Etsy statistics have proven that products with clear, attractive photos sell better than those that do not. Etsy has also posted multiple articles detailing how to take great photos for product listings, and you can follow these simple steps to make your own photos stand out: 

• Photograph listings in natural light, but do not allow the light to outshine your products
• Take multiple photos in different environments and from different angles
• Take photos horizontally, not vertically
• Avoid zooming while taking pictures
• Crop photos as needed to highlight products and not the background
• Add as many photos as possible to your product listing pages since Etsy allows up to ten photos per listing

As of 2022, Etsy has also added a new video listing feature that allows shops to add a five to 15-second video to each product listing. Etsy has also published statistics showing that videos help sell products, so consider adding clear videos that show a 360-degree view to your listings whenever possible. 

Well-Written Product Descriptions Sell Themselves

Photos and videos go a long way in showcasing a product to customers, but product descriptions help tell the story of a product too. Remember, Etsy shoppers like to hear about what makes every shop and its products unique, and you can give the backstory on how you or your shop made certain products in a product description to pique their interest. 

Aside from telling the story of how a product was created, you can give details on what a product is, what it is used for, or how it is used in a description as well. Any way you write your product descriptions, be sure to write with short sentences and paragraphs that are easy to follow. You may also benefit from checking your descriptions’ spelling and grammar with a grammar checker. 

Related: How to set up your Etsy shop policies

Communicate with Customers in a Timely Manner

Last but not least, successful Etsy shops are known to respond to customer messages in a timely fashion, usually within 24-48 hours after a message is received. As with the writing of product descriptions, these shops communicate with customers in easy-to-read sentences and do not confuse shoppers with overly long messages. 

Whenever you have a shopper message you or your shop with questions about an item, be sure to answer the question first. After that, you can add a quick note about the item followed by a thank-you, for example, “This crafting kit is one of my best sellers, and I want to thank you for your interest in it.”