I’ve written a lot about Etsy over the past few years…

This has surprised a number of readers – and myself, if I’m honest!

Because If you’ve been interested in e-commerce based income opportunities for as long as I have (and that’s a LONG time) you’ll know that most strategies were focussed on eBay and Amazon.

Etsy was, for a long time, the domain of crafters and artists, famed for handmade jewellery and folksy home accessories.

It wasn’t something I – or many others – recommended to the majority of people who weren’t already artisans.

But things have shifted radically…

Firstly, Etsy became a hub for digital products, ranging from planners, guides and printable artworks for everyday people to branding printables, design templates and organisers for small businesses and solo entrepreneurs.

These products could be created once, relatively quickly, and sold over and over again, with no stock, shipping or order processing required, creating a passive income for sellers.

This is why sales of downloadable products have increased year on year.

Secondly, the rise of user-friend Print-on-Demand services made it easy for people to turn their ideas into physical items like mugs, t-shirts, coasters and phone-cases… then have them manufactured and shipped to customers without lifting another finger.

You can plug in a POD service like Printful or Printify directly into Etsy, so that orders go directly to them.

Finally, along came AI and – suddenly – people could get help with every aspect of creating products, from brainstorming ideas to writing text to making images to design mock-ups.

This has totally changed the game…

Now you can set up an eCommerce business through Etsy without needing your own website… without skills in writing and design…. and without handling any products.

With physical print on demand products, you don’t even need to stump up investment for stock. In most cases, the only outlay you need is a subscription to ChatGPT Plus and a design tool like Canva.

I’m not saying that Etsy is the only platform in town…

But it’s certainly one of the easiest, fastest ways to test out an eCommerce idea without a lot of risk or experience.

What’s NEW on Etsy

Recently, Etsy has upped its game, creating eCommerce tools that are more akin to what you’d expect from Amazon or Shopify.

For instance, this year they introduced Marketplace Insights.

It uses Etsy’s own search data to show you what buyers are looking for in real time. This includes the number of searches, how often they happen, and how much competition there is for each search.

It also helps you spot short-term and seasonal spikes like “Halloween baubles” or “Football World Cup” so that you can capitalise on them before they peak.

So this is a great way to spot hot trends, seek out new product ideas and verify whether they’re worth pursuing.

You can see a full Etsy page all about it here: Etsy Marketplace Insights

Etsy has also rolled out a redesigned Shop Manager dashboard, where you can see listing performances, conversion stats, and get automated ‘listing quality’ feedback.

They also offer new AI-powered photo tools that allow you to improve your product images without needing third-party software.

On top of that, they’ve improved their ad targeting so that sellers are more able to hone in on their niche audiences.

If you’re interested in selling on Etsy, then here are some trends to look out for.

What’s Trending Right Now

I did some digging and found an excellent list of the hottest rising search trends from last month, with their percentage rise.

• Halloween Shirt (+13,523%)
• Shirt (+158%)
• Mugs Cups (+3,465%)
• Halloween (+515%)
• Moss Wall Art (+15,046%)
• STL (+399%)
• Flasks (+18,585%)
• Sweatshirt (+620%)
• Ornament (+639%)
• Phone Case (+165%)
• Christmas (+584%)
• Pandora Charms (+8,379%)
• Wall Art (+154%)
• Digital Products (+154%)
• Poster (+135%)
• Halloween Sweatshirt (+821%)
• Invitations (+5,342%)
• Halloween Phone Case (+740%)
• Crochet (+313%)
• Furniture (+834%)
• Home Decor (+431%)
• Colouring Book (+206%)

A lot of these are broad or seasonal trends, but they’re a good place to start drilling for a niche – ie. Start with one of these terms then as Chat GPT to suggest subcategories of products and also different niche audiences.

Most of these are categories that you can tap into, either through the digital download route or the print-on-demand route.

For example, phone cases, wall art, sweatshirts, and quirky items for Christmas and Halloween could all be made via Print-on-Demand.

While wall art, invitations, posters and colouring books can be made as digital files that people can download and print themselves.

In particular, I noticed a couple of things you could focus on.

‘Mugs Cups’ had a +3,465% increase in searches last month.

These are things I’ve recommended before as ideal print-on-demand products, because there are so many ways to customise a mug with slogans, jokes and images… and so many target audiences you could focus on.

…Professionals and traders in specific fields, like teaching, plumbing, accountancy and recruitment.

…Hobbyists who are into gardening, knitting, gaming or hiking,

…Sports fans obsessed with football, rugby, cycling or swimming.

…Culture fans of movie, music and literary genres…

Then you’ve got the gift market for Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Christmas.

I also noticed a big rise in searches for ‘sweatshirts’.

While many people tend to focus on POD t-shirts, this is probably a better bet for winter 2025-2026, as the weather gets cold and nights draw in.

Phone cases are also selling well. Again, this is something you can easily get made by a print-on-demand service, and there are unlimited niches and designs to consider.

But there was something else that caught my eye.

An Unusual Wall Art Trend

Wall art is always popular, and something you can create as a digital item OR get made physically via a print-on-demand service.

However, I’d not realised that ‘Moss Wall Art’ was such a big thing (a 15,046% jump in searches in August).

It taps into a trend for “Biophilic design”, which is where you bring nature into the design of home décor items.

Online shoppers are increasingly seeking out eco-friendly materials that retain some of that raw, rugged, natural look.

For example, coasters, shelves, and picture frames made from wood slabs with their bark edges intact…

In the case of ‘Moss Wall Art’, it could be something you create yourself without needing a lot of skill.

You can buy preserved moss online (from Etsy, Amazon, or specialise craft suppliers).

Then simply take a rectangle piece of wooden board, and stick the moss into it, using a hot glue gun or strong craft glue.

Try and mix different types, textures and colours to create an abstract design. You can glue in some twigs, bark or small stones too.

Once filled, you can hang it as you would a picture – or even fit it into a wooden frame.

Anyway, if you’re bored and looking for something easy to try, that could be monetised on Etsy, then this is an option.

The only downside is that you’d need to post this to customers yourself!

However, if you want to stick to the easiest strategy, digital products are the things to go for.

Here’s what’s been selling well this year…

Trending Digital Products

If you go to this Etsy page, you’ll see the Top Trending Digital Items.

You’ll get a list of products like this…

In this example you can see:

• A printable colouring book of cute ocean animals
• A wedding planner
• An all-in-one digital planner bundle
• Guides to Etsy digital product ideas
• Printables for an online shop
• A Budget Planner
• Streetwear designs

So planners and printables for personal and business use are still really hot sellers.

One strong trend is in ‘wellness’, for which you could create habit trackers, emotional journals, affirmation decks, meditation scripts and sleep trackers.

Of course, the competition for planners is high, which means it’s important to find a niche. For example, here’s a bestselling bundle of tools and templates for women going through the menopause:

It’s worth considering some of the following:

AI Prompt Packs – Sellers are packaging “prompt packs” for content creation, marketing, productivity, or niche industries.

Budget Productivity Spreadsheets – These include Excel and Google Sheets templates for tracking expenses, meal planning, or project management.

Template kits – you can package templates for people operating in a specific field, for example, AirBnB owners, restaurant owners or online coaches – like this example.

As always, you can research, plan and create the materials using AI, so there’s no need to worry about lacking skills and experience.

The key is to follow the trends (using the new Market Insights tool) and act quickly before everyone else piles in!

If you’ve had some success on Etsy – or you’re struggling to make sales – please do let me know about your experiences!