Not too long ago, I got the bug in me to start an Etsy shop. I was inspired by all the cool, unique, sometimes ordinary things people sell on there.
What I realized as I was researching all the different categories is that there are quite a few things you can sell that are actually free. I couldn’t believe it!
The frugal person in me went berserk brainstorming all the things I could get for free that might sell. But first I wanted to make a list of ACTUAL free things people are selling on Etsy and go from there.
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Items You Can Get or Make for Free and Sell on Etsy
Here are the top three free things people are selling that stood out to me as items I could see myself selling as well. You could base a whole shop around these ideas or just as one of many items you plan on selling.
- Etsy Shop Idea #1: Pine Cones – Tammy Ward of Blissful Silks is the REAL DEAL. With over 1,00 items listed for sale and over 12,000 sales to date, she knows what she’s doing. This is perhaps my favorite listing of all time on Etsy. It’s so obvious I feel kinda silly that I didn’t think of it sooner! :=) I step on pine cones nearly every day of my life, but I never thought of them as money-makers until I saw this listing! If you like nature and would find it fun to gather these up, then this wouldn’t even feel like work to you!
- Etsy Shop Idea #2: Pressed Leaves – Louise from North Carolina has found the perfect Etsy niche. She has a shop called Leaf Decor, and one of the items she sells is pressed leaves. Just take a look at her Sold items, and you’ll see that these pressed leaves really do sell on a regular basis. If you live in an area where beautiful fall leaves are plentiful and you already find walking around gathering leaves to be relaxing, then this Etsy shop idea is made for you!
- Etsy Shop Idea #3: Photos of Hearts or Sayings Drawn in the Sand – This one is pure genius. If you have good photography skills and live near the beach, you come up with endless photos on the themes of love, hearts, marriage, etc to sell. Here’s an example collection of sand art from Lauren Garner of the shop Flash Forward. If you live in a cold climate, I don’t see why you couldn’t do a similar listing using leaves or even snow? Whaddya think?
What Do You Think of These Etsy Shop Ideas?
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Valerie Negron says
This is a very cool and awesome idea! I have always been fascinated with Etsy. Thanks for the awesome links!!!
Jocelyn says
Good ideas! I could try to pull #3 off in my backyard. Since moving to FL I still can’t get used to sand everywhere, should put it to good use!
Leilani says
Hello from SITS comment love! Interesting post. Free money? Nice! I don’t own an etsy shop but I have friends who would appreciate this tip.:)
Lena Gott says
Yes, it’s like finding money on the ground! 🙂
Kristi says
Those are so interesting! I never would have thought of that. I should start looking around etsy to see if there’s anything else I have around here that I didn’t realize I could sell 🙂
Lena Gott says
Apparently a lot of people sell items that could be used to make homemade items. Like pieces of glass, etc. Vintage items count, too. My babysitter got her dad’s permission to dig through his garage and sold a couple things for $100. It’s like eBay for old stuff. 😉
Kristin says
I love these ideas! I actually thought about stomping out a message in the snow the other day as I looked over the bank at the frozen lake. It makes you think – there are probably a lot of awesome things you could get for free and sell! Stopping by from SITS to share some comment love!
Lena Gott says
Yes, all you’d need is a good camera and editing skills, then you’re in business! 🙂
Leila Boukarim says
Wow! I had no idea people were selling stuff like this on Etsy! Pressed leaves for 36 bucks? And 182 reviews? I’m seriously shocked! And here I am racking my brain looking for impossibly creative things to sell online. These are things that never even crossed my mind.
It would be great if you shared your sales experience on Etsy with us. I know I would learn a whole lot!
Thanks for sharing. This was really and eye-opener for me!
Lena Gott says
Thanks, Leila! I haven’t sold anything yet, but I am actively brainstorming ideas. I will start writing about my experience as soon as I sell some items, though! 🙂
LeeAnn G Taylor says
Wow, what an interesting idea! This is definitely not something I would have thought of on my own. I really like the pinecone idea, as they’re readily available. Hmm…this has gotten me thinking!! Thanks 🙂 #SITSBlogging
J. Money says
That is so crazy, and so brilliant, at the same time!! Love it!
Something else you could also sell if you ever find: marbles. I recently found a guy selling some for like $20-$100 a piece! Apparently there’s a whole subset of collectors for them and if you happen to have the good ones people will pay crazy money for them 🙂 (now, how you figure out which is worth more than the next is beyond me – but you can train yourself right?)
I’m gonna be on the hunt for them at yard sales this season… you can usually find cans of them for super cheap!
Lena Gott says
No. Way. My brother used to have a marble collection and now he lives in my parents old house, which I’m sure still has marbles laying all around the attic (his old room). I’m gonna tell him about this!
Mark Ross says
Those are great ideas. I will surely try them out, thanks for sharing those! 🙂
Jan says
Hi, I just stumbled on your blog when I was looking for what I could sell to make money. I have too much stuff and a bit of debt. You have great ideas and are so generous with them. Thank you, as soon as I downsize, I may look into intro to blogging or being a VA.