SIDE INCOME IDEA: SELLING NICHE PRODUCTS ONLINE

Photo: Saravut Vanset, Pexels

If you want a side income (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?) then starting something online is usually a good idea. It’s low-cost and you can test the waters to see whether anyone wants to buy your products or services. 

But what should you be selling to boost your finances? Which ideas are actually any good? 

That’s what we delve into in this post. We look at some of the most promising and potentially profitable concepts out there so that you know what you’re doing and which direction you should be going in. 

Ergonomic Accessories For Remote Workers

One niche that’s worth looking at right now is ergonomic accessories for remote workers. You’d think that this market would already be filled with brands already (given what’s happened to the labour market over the last five years), but the space is surprisingly open.

Most employees don’t know who makes the best products in this space (because the market remains small as a whole), meaning that new brands can sweep in and clean up. 

What's more, producing original products is actually quite simple. You won’t always have to make a massive investment. A lot of entrepreneurs now simply use 3D printers to create the items they sell and then distribute them as bespoke solutions. 

Personalised Stickers

Another thing you can look into is making personalized stickers. These are handy for all sorts of individuals and businesses, making them a real money-spinner if you get the marketing right. 

All you need to do to start is to pick a niche and then a dropshipping partner. (Unless you want to take care of the logistics).

Then, you start marketing the stickers on TikTok. For example, you could go after digital nomads looking for stickers for their laptops or parents wanting something fun to do with their home-schooled kids. 

You should find that the margins from this activity are pretty high. Most people in the space are making upwards of 50% on each sticker sold. 

Survival Gear

Getting into the survival gear space is also worthwhile. Once you know how to sell ammunition online and the other things that people need in a crisis, you have a captive market. 

Again, there are no brands dominating this space yet, and yet there’s a latent demand. Many people are worried about the future and want to build up their supplies in advance of any issues that may arise. 

Furthermore, survival gear tends to have a significant markup. If you can present products as never letting people down because of the build quality, the majority of people will be willing to pay a premium. 

Handmade Leather Journal Covers

If you’re a bit of an artisan and don’t mind doing some work at home, then you might want to look into the idea of making handmade leather covers for journals.

Again, these can be a lot of fun and something that the majority of consumers are willing to pay a premium for. 

If you get the artisanal phase right and simply invest your time and labour, then you can hit profit margins of up to 90%. Most material inputs are incredibly cheap. 

Niche Spice Blends

You could also look into niche spice blends for various diets. If you can put these together and make them in the right way, you can often make a significant return. 

For example, you could put together spice mixes for people who love making BBQed food. It’s a short-cut that a lot of people are willing to pay a premium for.

The same goes for specific diets, like keto and vegan. Specific spices often go better with these than just the regular mixes from the store. 

Care Kits For Plants

Believe it or not, you can also make a lot of money from care kits for plants.

These days, there are a lot of people who keep plants in their studio apartments instead of pets (due to space and practicality constraints).

However, their emotional attitude towards them is essentially the same. They want to look after and care for them, just as they would a furry animal. 

That’s where these kits come in handy. All you have to add is soil, tools, and guides. If you sell it as a complete package, you’re well on your way to making some nice profits. 

Tiny Home Kitchen Utensils

Finally, you could explore tiny home kitchen utensils. As the name might suggest, these are a little more compact than the standard versions, but just as practical, allowing owners to economise on space.