There are several paths you can take if you want to gain ground as an Etsy Seller. But perhaps one of the most reliable ones is diversification. Etsy offers a plethora of different categories that you can tap into as a Seller. The platform provides anything from clothes to jewelry and home décor. However, Etsy is different from the rest as its goal is to maintain its reputation as a platform for unique crafts and handmade products. So, say that you’ve already started selling your products and you’re looking for new markets to tap into. One category that could turn out to be extremely profitable and certainly answers all of Etsy’s requirements for uniqueness and handmade goods are DIY kits. But how profitable are they and will it be easy to enter this market? Let’s find out.

What Are DIY Kits?

Those of you who are fond of spending your free time creating and keeping your hands busy with “do it yourself” projects have probably come across DIY kits. They’re designed to provide everything you need in order to create a handmade project from start to finish. A DIY kit usually includes tools, instruments, materials, and instructions on how to use it. For example, an embroidery DIY kit may include things like needles, threads, fabrics, and hoops. A candle-making DIY kit could consist of glass vessels, essential oils, wax, cotton wax, a mason jar, and anything else that could be necessary for the process of creating homemade candles. You can sell a DIY kit for almost anything that you can create at home. There are a myriad of niches that you can take advantage of and tap into. Some examples include clay kits, Kintsugi repair kits, paint by number kits, and more. But how popular are they on Etsy?

Are DIY Kits Popular On Etsy?

DIY kits are mostly something that people interested in crafting and handmade projects would appreciate. And guess what? These are exactly the type of buyers that you are likely to find on Etsy. But we can’t create a bullet-proof strategy by mere assumptions. So, we went into Sale Samurai to check our theory. We ran a basic product search using the keyword “DIY kits” to find out how many Etsy users searched for it on the platform. The result was a search volume of a little over 700. Now, compared to other mass products, like mugs, for example, this is not considered a highly searched for word. Just to point out the contrast, the keyword “mug” has a search volume of more than 26,000. The interesting part is that they’re equally competitive, which is a clear signal that there is money-making potential for DIY kits on Etsy. DIY kits are a perfect gift for seasonal holidays, they can be tailored to children or adults, and are a great activity for amateurs. Based on the selected niche, they can be an all year-round top-seller, generating a steady and consistent income.

The Financial Potential Of DIY 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 Sellers’ prices. By using Sale Samurai, we can see that the cheapest DIY kit on the platform sells for $2.25, which is not great. However, the highest price for a product from this category is $150.00 – a completely different story. On average, DIY kits sell for around $30. 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?

How To Start Selling In The DIY Kit Market On Etsy

Considering that DIY kits are a lucrative, albeit competitive, category to enter as a Seller on Etsy, you must come in prepared. Here are our tested and proven tips:

Choose A Niche

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.

Optimize Your Listings

Another vital tip for entering the DIY kit category as a Seller on Etsy is to make sure your listings are fully optimized and detailed. Etsy gives Sellers the option to add 10 product images and 13 tags to their listings. Take full advantage of this opportunity as it can help you reach more buyers and make your products more visible. Once you’ve created your listings, you can run a listing audit to check for any missing gaps by using Sale Samurai. In addition, provide as much information as possible on the product. Describe all of the things that are included in your kit, talk about any benefits like the types of materials used, the type of people the product is designed for, and more. This will create a sense of trust in viewers who are considering your DIY kit on Etsy and increases your chances of generating sales.

Price Your Products Competitively

Pricing is another key factor that can indicate how successful your products will be. If you’re just entering the DIY kit category on Etsy, it may be tempting to set the price according to a few similar products that you’ve seen on the platform. However, this is not an ideal strategy as it’s not based on research and does not guarantee success. Instead, explore Sale Samurai’s capabilities of providing insights on how your competitor’s products are priced. When entering a new market, it’s advisable to set a price similar to the average in the category. Why? Because pricing your product too low on the price chart could indicate low quality and could trigger a lack of trust in buyers. On the other hand, if you’re brand new in the category, asking too much for your products could be off-putting. Let buyers become familiar with you as a Seller before creating products on the high end of the price chart.

Offer Something Unique

When speaking of gaining a competitive advantage, uniqueness shouldn’t be neglected. After all, offering something that others don’t is the quickest way to gain popularity and attract new buyers. How does this apply to the DIY kit category? Well, let’s say you have decided to sell paint by numbers kits. You’ve analyzed your competition to discover that most Sellers’ kits include paint, a canvas, and brushes. You could truly stand out by including a do-it-yourself frame or hanging kit. Of course, the unique element will be different for every DIY kit niche and it’s up to you to use your creative thinking and flair to add something extra that buyers can’t resist.

In Summary

DIY kits take up their fair share of the crafts market on Etsy. They’re an attractive and popular product that can be targeted at different target groups. They’re also something that you can rely on to generate consistent sales. Just like the majority of Etsy categories, DIY kits are a competitive niche to go into and we highly advise making the first steps with a well-researched, informed, and precise strategy. Sale Samurai offers all of the business insights to help you make the right choices to diversify your Seller portfolio and tap into this new and exciting category.