10 Low-Cost DIY Product Ideas to Profit from in 2024

DIY-ers have a huge opportunity to sell online. By creating something unique, they’re able to attract customers who are looking for that one-of-a-kind, handmade product — something that you can’t just find on Amazon. But figuring out how you can put these artistic skills to work can be a little bit tricky. How can you offer something unique and special? What are the best DIY products to sell online? We’ve gathered 10 simple, low-cost DIY craft ideas that you can make and sell with minimal startup expenses. Even better: there’s no official training needed and certainly nothing requiring a professional sculptor’s skills.

PRINTABLES

Create downloadable and printable artwork, calendars, or planners that customers can purchase and print at home. This is a great option for digital products that require no physical shipping and can be sold at any time, making it a low-cost DIY product with high profit margins. You can even offer customized options for an extra fee, allowing customers to personalize their prints.

Printable free image from dreamstime

NOTECARDS

If you’re searching for an inexpensive DIY product that appeals to many, notecards could be the way to go. Paper and textiles are budget-friendly, and you don’t need any special skills to make them. Plus, they’re cheap and easy to ship since they’re made of paper. Get creative by trying calligraphy, stamps, dried flowers, or even DIY prints from the internet to craft stunning cards for your store.

Free Printable Notecard from Canva

CANDLES

Candles are DIY crafts that can be sold all year. Since most people won’t splurge on quality candles for themselves, they make great gifts. With birthdays, anniversaries, and many holidays year-round, you’ve always got a reason to keep customers coming back for more. By purchasing bulk wax and scented oils, you can create many different scent combinations in a variety of different sizes and shapes.

Here's a tutorial on making a candle on your own, hope it helps!

KEYCHAINS

Keychains are timeless accessories that remain trendy and serve as a means of self-expression. They have long outlived their practical purpose and have become identity pieces. Dangling initials reflect personalization, animal designs showcase one’s love for animals, and images of tourist attractions indicate a passion for travel. Using materials like leather, canvas, plastic, or cloth, you can create keychains for customers with all kinds of interests and habits. Sell to both men and women, keeping your market large. Bonus: The small size of keychains ensures your materials go a long way.

Free Keychain picture from Pexels

LIP BALMS

Did you know that homemade lip balms only require beeswax, coconut oil, vitamin E, and a microwave? Most balms will take you less than five minutes to create. Watch this video to get started, and feel free to experiment with different colors and containers to make your unique creations.

Tutorial: Lip Balm Tutorial

TOTE BAGS

Did you know that the average person uses about 425 plastic grocery bags a year? As more and more consumers strive to cut down on plastic bag use, tote bags are becoming more important than ever before. From the grocery store to the coffee shop, these versatile catch-alls have a huge market–and they’re extremely inexpensive to make. By offering a unique design or message on your tote bags, you can attract customers and differentiate yourself from competitors. You can use print-on-demand services like Printful. You’ll only need to create a design for your tote, and Printful will take care of sourcing the bags, printing, and shipping orders to customers. Similarly, you can sell other print-on-demand products with your design, such as apparel, accessories, and home decor.

A custom tote bag made from Printful

HANDMADE SOAP

More and more consumers want to incorporate safe, organic cleaning products into their daily lives. Capitalize on this movement by creating and marketing your own made-from-scratch DIY products, like hand soap. With minimal startup investment, you can purchase soap-making materials and start creating unique DIY crafts to sell within this market. Like candles, every host or hostess, sister or uncle appreciates items that make them feel spoiled. With the amazing varieties of scents and dyes available, it’s easy to develop DIY products for specific markets.

Tutorial : How to make handmade soap

HEADBANDS

Headbands are great DIY products to sell online because they’re easy to make and fun to experiment on. Not sure how to make a headband? No problem. There are plenty of tutorials online, and some don’t even require sewing. If you’ve been looking for a no-sweat craft, headbands are a safe and stylish bet.

Tip: To attract sustainable shoppers, make headbands from upcycled materials.

Tutorial : How to make a headband

PHONE CASES

Look around, and you’ll notice that just about everyone has a smartphone or tablet within arm’s reach. Because we carry these expensive pieces of tech with us wherever we go, it makes sense that people are willing to invest in a decent carrying case or accessory to keep it safe. With a willingness to learn a bit of printing and sewing, you can create cases for electronics that are both stylish and useful for a huge market of consumers.

Tutorial : How to make a phone case

CERAMICS

Ceramics may seem like a sophisticated art form, but you can start by making a simple bowl. You will not necessarily need a wheel and expensive equipment for firing your DIY products; consider beginning with just your hands and home oven instead. Again, many consumers interpret this rough look as authentic and interesting compared to the flawless bowls spun perfectly with centrifugal force. By using acrylic paint, glitter, or even nail polish, you can turn your ceramic DIY crafts into a piece of art. It can be really effortless — watch the video to see how.

Create an online store using bareconnect for free and customize it to reflect your brand and showcase your DIY products. You don’t need any coding or design skills — just choose a website template and edit it to add your photos and text.