There's an opportunity for entrepreneurs who are creative, resourceful and informed about crafting, DIY and handmade items. If you're interested in creating personalized DIY craft kits, there could be a world of possibilities for you!
By curating and assembling all the necessary materials and instructions for a specific project, packaging them beautifully and selling them as ready to make kits, creative entrepreneurs can earn a significant income.
The industry that sells materials and tools for people to make projects and crafts they can do themselves is known as the “Craft Kits and Projects Market.”
Sewing kits, painting kits, jewelry-making kits, paper craft kits, woodworking kits, and many more are included in this market. These packs commonly accompany every one of the vital materials and guidelines for clients to finish a particular task, making it simpler and more open for individuals to participate in projects that spark their creativity and imaginative processes.
The specialty projects market additionally includes individual supplies, like textures, dots, paint, yarn, and different materials that individuals can use to make their own items without any preparation.
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The market is driven by variables like the craving for imaginative articulation, personalization, and the increasing popularity of Do-It-Yourself culture.
Examples of Kits You Could Make
The market for craft kits and projects is significantly influenced by a growing need to deal with stress, creative self expression, and have a more individualized experience, more and more people are looking for creative outlets.
Social media and online marketplaces have also contributed to the DIY
movement by making it easier for hobbyists to display and sell their work.
This allows customers to enjoy the creative process without the hassle of sourcing materials themselves.
How to Make Kits That People Will Love
A well done kit not only includes quality materials and supplies they include great looking written AND picture instructions. This is something that can make or break your kit.
If customers have a hard time following your instructions, they will be less likely to buy kits from you in the future. So you can include a combination of written, picture and video instructions to make things crystal clear.
Your kits should include the base items needed to make the project. So for example, if your kit is a polymer clay jewelry making kit, you will need several colors of clay and jewelry closures, ear hooks or posts, related wires and decorations included in your base package.
You can add things like charms, beads, and other extras that will make your kits unique, but the base package should include essential elements needed to make the finished base product.
What you include in your kit is really up to you, however, you should include the items your customers will need to get the project completed.
Keep in mind, however that the assumption when buying a kit is that you will have everything needed to build a completed project. If there are things that will need to be purchased extra (including equipment) you should state that in your product literature.
Some ideas could include to make your kits unique include customization options like offering various colors, patterns or themes for the kits. This can make the experience more personal and engaging for your customers setting your side hustle apart from others in the niche.
How to Get Started
As with any other product that you choose to sell on Etsy, niching down is key. Why? Because it helps you target a specific target audience and helps you stay competitive and unique.
Let’s say you do your research, and you find out that “paint by numbers” generates a decent search volume.
Selling a paint by numbers DIY kit is a great way to enter the category, but you can do even better. For instance, list a tropical paint by numbers DIY kit or a children’s paint by numbers DIY kit.
How will this impact your chances of success? It will give you a competitive edge and will make your product attractive to a niche buyer group. Not to mention that the more niche a product is, the higher you can price it and still enjoy a large number of sales.
How to Price Your Kits
When deciding on whether DIY kits are worth your time and effort as a Seller, it’s also key to explore their money-making potential. One way to do this is to see how you can price your product by observing other comparable sellers’ prices. Reference instructions on pricing
By using tools that will give you feedback on what's selling on platforms like Etsy for example, you can see how profitable your products can be.
When setting your price it's important to consider how much it costs you to create your kit. You'll need to total the cost of the elements needed to make your finished product, plus add in the cost packaging, packing materials, the cost shipment etc., as well as the amount you want to put in your pocket, your profit for each sale.
Check your tools using a tool like Sale Samari or EtsyHunt for Etsy and check out the price ranges and determine the average price. On average, DIY kits sell for around $30 on Etsy.
As you can imagine, the more niche the DIY kit, the higher money-making potential you can expect.
For example, some of the products from the category with the highest prices include a fractal vise DIY kit and a “Pray for Ukraine” DIY kit. What this means is that Sellers who manage to take advantage of trending niches from the DIY kit category can expect to enjoy higher returns. So, what can you do to get started?
Who Would Be a Great Fit for This Side Hustle
If you’re someone who scrapbooks, sews, makes jewelry, knits, crochets, does felting projects selling kits would be a great way to add a new product line or supplement an existing business.
If you’re into Cricut projects, you can use your machine to cut basic shapes, designs or unique items like stickers to include in your kits. You can also use your Cricut to cut out entire projects, stencils and labels to include in your kits.
The Cricut (or any cutting machine) can be used to create packaging and labels for your kits as well.
You could make kits for kids, teens and adults, including age appropriate items like scissors, glue sticks, staplers, sticky back tape, colored paper, felt and fabric pieces and more. Other items to include might be small stamps, glitter, yarn, beads, brushes, and markers.
You can source these items from craft stores (check sales and clearance items) online suppliers as well as wholesalers, depending on the items you'll include in your kits.
As you create and sell more products you'll find suppliers that will provide quality products as well as affordable pricing.
Where to Sell Your Kits
Sell your kits at vendor and craft fairs, and on shopping platforms and marketplaces like Etsy, Handmade Amazon, Cratejoy, Zibbet, Folksy, Hyena Cart, ECWID, Facebook marketplace, Artfire and iCraft. You can also sell them (with your other creations and supplies) in your own Shopify or WooCommerce store.
You can also use social media to sell your kits. A great social media strategy includes consistent, daily posting of your projects, behind the scenes insight as well as sales, discounts and freebies.
Create a sales and marketing system that will help you generate leads and build your mailing list to engage with a loyal following that will buy from you again and again and help you with word of mouth and online referrals.