Searches for “how to start an Etsy shop” have surged 36,750% this year, but experts are urging aspiring sellers to run the numbers before spending a dime on supplies.
As Americans look to turn their hobbies into extra holiday cash, one piece of advice keeps surfacing: calculate how much money each order will actually leave you for the time it takes to make it.
A Surge in Searches
New analysis from personalization brand Resparked, using data from Glimpse, found that US searches for “how to start an Etsy shop” have jumped 36,750% year over year, reaching an estimated 343,000 monthly searches.
Interest in crafting for profit is climbing across the board: “crafts to sell” is up 121%, and “Christmas crafts to sell” has risen 108%, pointing to growing interest in selling homemade goods ahead of the holidays.
But turning a personalized ornament, mug, or sweatshirt into a profitable product isn’t as simple as pricing it above the cost of materials.
Santiago Roa, founder of Resparked, explains: “A craft can be popular and still leave you with very little money for the time you spend making it. If you’re thinking about selling this Christmas, make one finished product and time the entire process. Include the messages about personalization, the making, the packing, and getting it ready to ship. Those are all part of the job.”
The Calculation To Run Before Opening Your Shop
Before buying supplies, Resparked recommends working through this formula:
Selling price − materials − packaging − selling and payment fees − shipping costs you absorb = amount left before labor, overhead, and tax.
Divide that number by the total working time the order requires, and you get a rough hourly rate.
For example, a $20 item with $12 in those direct costs leaves $8 before labor, overhead, and tax. If the order takes 40 minutes to complete, that works out to about $12 an hour. If it takes a full hour, it drops to $8.
The company notes this is an illustrative example, not an earnings forecast. Its purpose is to show that time spent on messages, personalization details, and packing matters just as much as time spent producing the item.
Roa adds, “Getting an order feels like progress, but the selling price isn’t what you’ve earned. A product that looks profitable when you count only the blank item and the decoration can look very different once you count everything else.”
Search Trends Point to a Growing Side-Hustle Boom
Resparked’s analysis found rising interest across a range of related searches:
| Search term | Estimated monthly US searches | Year-over-year change |
| How to start an Etsy shop | 343,000 | +36,750% |
| Etsy side hustle ideas | 63,000 | +20% |
| Crafts to sell | 28,000 | +121% |
| Things to make and sell | 20,000 | +41% |
| Items to make and sell | 12,000 | +51% |
| Cricut business | 12,000 | +158% |
| Christmas crafts to sell | 3,000 | +108% |
Gift-related searches are climbing too: “personalized gifts” rose 113% to an estimated 291,000 monthly searches, while “personalized Christmas gifts” increased 139% to 15,000.
Resparked notes that these figures reflect search interest only. These are not confirmed shop openings, purchases, or actual earnings.
Four Checks Before Launching a Christmas Craft Side Hustle
- Test whether people will pay your price
Make a small batch of samples before buying materials in bulk, and set a price that covers both costs and time. Then test whether customers are actually willing to pay it. Compliments and social media likes don’t confirm real demand. - Set limits on personalization
Names, dates, photos, font choices, and revision requests can eat up more time than expected. Establish a clear set of options and a process for customers to confirm details before production starts, and factor that time into your calculation. - Test the product and its packaging
Make sure the finished item holds up as described and can survive shipping. A damaged ornament or gift can mean a replacement, more materials, and another shipping cost. Expenses that can quickly eat into what’s left from the original sale. - Calculate how many orders you can actually complete
Time the full process for a single order, then figure out how many you can realistically handle alongside your existing responsibilities. Set order limits and holiday cutoffs that leave room for production and shipping. A flood of orders only helps if you can fulfill them all.
Roa concludes, “You don’t need to launch with twenty different products. Start with something you can make consistently, price properly and deliver reliably. A small number of orders can tell you a lot: whether customers will pay your price, how long the work really takes and whether you enjoy doing it to a deadline. That’s useful information before you spend more.”
Methodology: Resparked analyzed estimated US Google search volumes and year-over-year changes using Glimpse in September 2026. The analysis covered searches including “how to start an Etsy shop,” “Etsy side hustle ideas,” “crafts to sell,” “things to make and sell,” “items to make and sell,” “Cricut business,” “Christmas crafts to sell,” “personalized gifts,” and “personalized Christmas gifts.” Search volumes are estimates and do not represent unique individuals, confirmed business launches, purchases, or earnings. The pricing example given is illustrative and does not represent typical or guaranteed seller earnings.
Read More:
- 16 Shockingly Extreme Frugal Habits That Actually Save Serious Money
- 6 Common Purchases Frugal People Refuse to Pay For (And You Don’t Need To Either)
- 20 Old-Fashioned Frugal Boomer Living Tips That You Should Still Be Doing Today
