If you’re particularly good with your hands and feel like you could use some cash, why not turn something you love into an alternative source of income or even a primary one? There are a variety of items you can create to sell in order to make money on the side. Unless you’re doing something really new or innovative, there are already established markets for different kinds of crafts, which means it will be easy to sell your creations in existing marketplaces especially online.
Crafts you make yourself undoubtedly take some time and effort, but if you need cash quickly, you can look at your basement or storage spaces to find things you can trade for cash; you can even sell your clothes online.
If you plan to make this a full-time gig, understand that creating and selling stuff are not the only ways you can make money. You can take surveys, monetize blogging, and more. If you are looking to find ideas on what you can create to sell, read below for ideas.
Bake Goodies
If you’re an aspiring baker who can make mean loaves of bread or bake different varieties of cookies, then why not use these acquired skills to bake homemade goodies on a made-to-order basis? Obviously, you have baking skills because you enjoy doing it, so why not keep doing it and make money in the process? Your service will make it more convenient for other people who aren’t as skilled in the kitchen as you are.
After all, no one ever says no to a freshly baked batch of cookies or an artfully crafted cake. You can advertise your goods online or head to the local farmer’s market, where people can actually see and or even taste test your baked goodies.
Make Paper Crafts
Did you know that you can make a lot of money by folding pieces of paper or cutting them up? Yes, paper crafts are lucrative, and some artists have even made outstanding masterpieces using only paper and about hundreds of hours of labor and effort. You can do it too by going for simpler but beautiful projects.
If you want to sell them, you definitely can, but you need stronger or even special paper. Regular paper is fine for practice, but if you want to get serious with your paper crafts business, you’ll need some creativity and stronger paper that won’t crease at the lightest touch or be ruined with a few drops of water. There are many paper-craft tutorials you can find online, so pick what you like best, practice, and make it your own.
Create Photos for Stock Photography
Apparently, stock-photo companies pay people for interesting, relevant, or recent photographs. If you’re in the hobby of photography and you already have ample equipment for the love of it, this is perfect for you.
Simply take some photos you think are interesting, and upload them to stock-photography sites. The money you will be making off your photos may not be instantaneous, but it is a good source of passive income.
Make Music
If you’re an accomplished instrumentalist or blessed with a beautiful voice, you can easily market either of these as an artist. If you’re not pursuing that kind of career, you can monetize your talents by creating original music like EDM and upload it on popular streaming sites that pay money for numbers of views or streams. Even if you’re a beginner, there are plenty of great resources available online to start learning how to make your own EDM music.
On that topic, you can also start a career as an online content creator that you can do as a hobby or to pass time and make some extra cash on the side.
Make Bath Products
Most people love some good pampering, but not everyone can afford it all the time. This is why there’s a market for affordable bath products that make them feel luxurious.
Want a bubble bath? Here’s a bath bomb. Want organic shampoo? Here’s an all-natural shampoo made with real flowers.
The good thing about making bath products is that is something people all have in common and, therefore, have firsthand knowledge of what people may want, in what capacity and option. There are so many ways you can go about this, and the good news is that there are huge markets for different bath products, especially soap and bath bombs.
Bath products are especially lucrative when they are made by hand and in limited quantities. Another thing to note is that they are easy to make, so you can make a few batches to test and conduct your own research on what works and what doesn’t. People are always looking for the next new thing, so this is a chance to make something unique.
Sew Clothes, Trinkets, Accessories
If you know how to sew and your hobby is making clothes, you can sell your creations for extra cash. This will be a lot easier to get into if you already own a sewing machine. Depending on what you’re into, you can offer made-to-order costumes, children’s dresses, doll clothes, and more.
If you’re not into clothing, you can sew different accessories and trinkets like blankets, coin pouches, and even bags. Embroidery is really big in the sewing hobby, and most people embroider cute characters and tiny details.
Another prospect you can pursue with your sewing hobby is making something for pets. People who are very attached to their pets tend to pamper their furry little friends by buying them clothes, hats, and even shoes. Find something you have a passion for, and get paid for it.
Painted Goods
If you’ve always had talent and an eye for color when handling a brush, then selling painted goods is a good way of earning extra cash. You can go old-school and paint portraits of people and/or characters they like, but you can also explore other ways.
Hand-painted decorative dishes are big in the scene right now, so you can paint dishes, glasses, vases, and even mason jars. The reason people like to buy them especially if they can be personalized is that they make perfect gifts for the special people in their life.
Craft Jewelry
Handmade jewelry is one of the most popular items on e-commerce websites and even in bazaars and marketplaces. For one thing, it’s cheaper than jewelry made of precious metals and stones.
Another reason is that each piece is unique or can be custom-made. It is a good way to showcase your creativity and push the boundaries of the material you’re using with homemade jewelry.
How Much Can You Earn?
It actually depends on how much value you put in your creations. If you’re unsure, look around online to get an idea of how much handmade crafts sell for. If you’re still trying to find your footing and unsure of what type of crafts you want to create, it is recommended to get craft supplies in bulk because they’re cheaper.
Are you a crafter or a DIY hobbyist? What are the things you make and sell to make extra cash? Share them below.
