Make and Sell Paper Crafts: Profitable Ideas for a Handmade Business

 

 Introduction

Ever been fascinated with paper? It’s such a simple thing we use every day, yet it’s also one of the most versatile mediums for creativity. From origami and card making to handmade stationery and paper flowers, paper crafts are timeless, accessible, and full of business potential. In fact, starting a paper crafts business is one of the most rewarding ways to turn creativity into income. Whether you’re interested in DIY crafts to sell online, or exploring handmade stationery ideas, this guide will show you the most profitable paper crafts to make and sell.

 

Popular Paper Crafts to Make and Sell

• Scrapbooking
• Paper Flowers
• Card Making
• Découpage
• Papier-Mâché
• Origami
• Paper Cutting
• Quilling
• Paper Making
• Bookbinding
• Paper Model 
• Paper Sculpture

 

Most of us have been introduced to some form of paper crafts as children. They are a favorite choice for beginners because they are simple, affordable, and require very little inventory. Beyond being a hobby, these paper craft ideas also have strong commercial appeal, making them great crafts to sell online.

 

6 Types Of Paper Used In Crafts

 Card Paper for Scrapbooking and Cards

Thinner than cardboard and thicker than regular printing paper, card paper is used for scrapbooking, handmade cards, and boxes. It comes in many variations of colors and patterns. For long-lasting crafts, use acid-free paper.

Corrugated Cardboard for Models and Packaging

Corrugated cardboard is commonly used in packaging but also makes excellent material for DIY projects like dollhouses, paper models, and even functional cardboard furniture. It’s strong, lightweight, recyclable, and cost-effective—perfect for DIY paper crafts to sell.

Italian Crêpe Paper for Paper Flowers

One of the best materials for making realistic paper flowers. Italian crêpe paper produces high-quality, life-like petals, making it a favorite among sellers of profitable paper crafts.

Scrapbook Paper for Creative Journaling

Scrapbooking is a highly popular hobby and business. Specialty scrapbook paper comes in endless designs and textures, making it a versatile base for paper crafts to make and sell.

Découpage Paper for Home Decor Crafts

Découpage transforms ordinary objects into beautiful décor. Thin découpage sheets or cutouts from magazines are commonly used. Découpage is one of the most profitable handmade craft ideas because it creates high-value products from inexpensive materials.

Newspaper for Recycled Paper Crafts

Newspaper is often used in papier-mâché and eco-friendly crafts like bags, mats, and organizers. It’s an excellent choice for sustainable crafts to sell.

10 Best Paper Crafts to Sell for Profit

Paper crafts are commercially viable depending on what you create. Categories like stationary are mostly large-scale businesses and are heavily commercialised. Even then, the smaller and more niche players do exist and thrive. 

For example, I know a few crafters who make and sell some very amazing envelopes. They create fantastic prints and also do seasonal/festive flavours. They are regulars at many local exhibitions and do pretty nicely in terms of sales every time. Their online retail also does very well because:

• It’s a niche craft.
• It’s not bulky or heavy and therefore easy and inexpensive to ship all over the world.
• It’s reasonably priced with a large profit margin.
• It’s not time-consuming to make, can be made in bulk and can easily meet the demand.

The above advantages can apply to most paper crafts as well. So here are just a few categories of best selling paper crafts. 

1. Paper Sculpting / Paper Modelling
2. Scrapbooking
3. Calligraphy
4. Découpage
5. Stationery
6. Paper Making
7. Paper Cutting
8. Printing 
9. Construction 
10. PDF Templates
11. B2B

(1) “Paper Sculpting / Paper Modelling” | An advanced paper craft with distinct appeal

There are some lesser known paper craft that are exceedingly popular with people. Paper sculpting is one such example.

Advanced crafts that produce intricate and stunning results. Popular for wedding décor, miniatures, and home design, making them among the most profitable paper crafts.

 Some examples of paper sculptor are buildings, automobiles, miniatures et cetera.

Paper sculptors are also very popularly used for wedding decoration and home decor. They can make stunning objects to adorn the walls of your home. 

The distinction between paper sculptor and paper modelling is that paper sculptor tends to be bigger in size and also more robust. Paper models on the other hands are usually miniatures of large size objects such as aeroplanes.

(2) “Scrapbooking” | A favourite hobby and high selling craft supply

Before I speak more about scrapbooking as a profitable paper craft I want to reiterate that being in a niche craft is great for business. It’s not necessarily a bad thing if your craft is not a mainstream craft. If less people are doing it that means less competition for you.

Plus, with the advent of online platforms it’s easier than ever before to reach an interested audience nationwide and worldwide.

A niche audience tends to be a very focused one. They are well informed about the product, interested in the niche and ready to buy. Even if the numbers are small, the conversion rate to sales is high. That is the power of working in and targeting a niche.

 Scrapbooking materials and services are always in demand. Professional scrapbookers even offer services for special occasions. Supplies like scrapbook paper are top-selling DIY paper crafts materials.

Skilled scrapbookers are in great demand because they can capture and create a lot of drama, feeling and expression in their work.

They can make memories more special and create expressive storylines. That’s why people love scrapbooking to begin with.

(3) “Calligraphy” On Paper

Calligraphy is also considered a paper craft. Skilled calligraphers are highly in demand and are usually booked with more assignments than they have time for. Calligraphers can sell their services to others as well as sell their own art.

A full-time income estimate for a calligrapher may come as a surprise to you. The Art Career Project estimates that a full-time calligrapher makes $50,000 on an average per annum, excluding the independent earnings from their own art.

It doesn’t take much investment to begin with calligraphy. As a hobby it doesn’t take very long to learn but to master it can take much longer. Expert calligraphers are highly in demand which explains the very healthy annual average income.

These are just some of the fields where the skills of calligrapher are required: greeting cards, graphic design, developing typeface and fonts, publishing, digital design, screen-printing, manuscript design, illustrations, sign-making, teaching and many more.

 Calligraphy is a high-paying niche. From invitations to fonts and digital designs, skilled calligraphers can build a successful paper craft business with both services and physical products.

It’s important to understand that calligraphy is not just about writing and alphabets. Drawing patterns and shapes and designs is also a part of it. It finds its way into body art in form of tattoos.

Calligraphy has existed for centuries. It has been used to create beautiful motifs, images and symbols. Keep in mind that the modern calligrapher needs to increasingly work with the digital media and design software as well.

(4) “Découpage” | Very beautiful and timeless paper craft

Do you découpage is a timeless handmade craft idea. Découpage is the art of sticking paper cut-outs on the surface of objects like boxes, furniture, household objects et cetera

These days découpage is mostly done using sheets and rolls of specially made découpage paper. But you can always use your own creativity and make your own paper cut-outs. You just have to pay attention to the kind of paper you use. It should be thin enough to adhere well and not crinkle up with the adhesive.

Découpage craft is a profitable craft to sell because of its transformational ability that doesn’t cost a lot to make. By turning a simple object into something special, you can create high profit margins. These simple crafts can look stunning after the makeover, which is why people are usually ready to pay a good price for simple objects that have been decoupaged.

(5) “Handmade Stationery” 

Paper making and stationery hours pretty much industrialised.

But there are still many small niche segments for the artisan that are ripe for business opportunity. I have a few artisan friends who run a business making and selling stationery like notebooks and envelopes.

Unique notebooks, envelopes, and planners made with handmade paper are a staple in the handmade stationery business. Lightweight and easy to ship, they’re ideal for selling on Etsy and other online marketplaces.

We just did a standalone article on how to start a small business making and selling handmade stationary. Be sure to read it if you are a stationary buff like me.

If you know how to tap into the online market and access interested buyers, you can sell your crafts all over the world. Stationery is perfect for online selling because it is not bulky and it’s light, which makes it easy and inexpensive to ship.

(6) “Paper Making”

 Handmade paper continues to thrive as a niche craft. Artisans can sell sheets directly or turn them into finished products like coasters, notebooks, or table mats. A strong option for building a profitable craft business.

There are many techniques of paper making and many kinds of paper that you can make. If you intend to dive deep you can experiment with and create a lot of different kinds of interesting papers.

(7) “Paper Flowers” | An evergreen best selling paper craft

 Paper flowers remain evergreen best-sellers. High-quality Italian crêpe paper flowers sell particularly well for weddings, events, and home décor.

Begin with using a high-quality paper for making flowers such as the Italian crêpe paper. Then work on your techniques, learn new methods and practice.

Flowers, as you are aware, come in diverse forms and shapes. So this paper art has endless possibilities with the only limitation being that certain kinds of flowers are not possible to make with paper.

(8) “Paper Cutting” (Paper Lace)

Paper cutting has some really great options and potential for creating high selling crafts. I am looking at a listing on Etsy right now and it’s called “paper lace”.

Paper lace and intricate cut-outs are versatile, popular on Etsy, and can be mechanized for bulk production. A simple yet highly profitable DIY craft to sell online.

Basically, it looks like lace, but made of out paper. The cutouts can be used for other things like decorating scrapbooks, lamp shades, while the plain notes with a lace like border can be used as tags, notes, letters, greetings, and more.

Automation and mechanisation is a desirable thing to have when making handicraft. It means you can make more things in less time, giving you more stuff to sell and make you that much more money.

Another advantage of the ‘paper lace’ craft is that even though it is a low price product, it has a high profit margin.

(9) ‘Paper Printing’ for B2B

 Printing stickers, labels, and organizers caters to businesses, especially online sellers. This B2B craft idea has strong demand and recurring customers.

Some sellers seem to be doing really well on Etsy by supplying printing stickers, labels and organisers specially made for other Etsy sellers.

(10) PDF Templates and DIY Kits 

 Selling digital paper craft templates is one of the best passive-income opportunities. These digital paper crafts sell repeatedly without shipping costs.

This is not just limited to paper crafts but also to sewing, woodworking etc. What the artisan sells is not the actual craft itself but very precise instruction on how to make the craft yourself. 

I am a big fan of selling digital products. 

PDF templates are an amazing product to sell because it’s like selling one craft limitless number of times. There are no shipping costs involved and it can be downloaded instantly. Every time that a template sells, it’s pure profit for no extra work. 

Follow good business acumen..

Remember that any craft or art business also needs the business aspect to be taken care of. There are many posts on this blog that help with topics like creating a brand, targeting a niche buyer, launching online ad campaigns etc. 

Best Practices to Grow Your Paper Craft Business Online

At the end of the day, you have to know how to market, promote and sell your wares. If you don’t know how to do it it will not matter how good your craft is. These are some steps that I will outline in brief to help you sell your paper crafts .

• Build a Brand Identity for Your Paper Crafts
• Specialize in a Profitable Niche (like handmade stationery or paper flowers)
• Use Online Advertising (Google, Facebook, Instagram Ads)
• Sell on Etsy, Amazon Handmade, and Shopify
• Research Market Trends and Keep Innovating

Build a brand

Think of any good brand and think what they are synonymous with. A good brand is known to do a certain thing well. They have an identity and theme that they want to be known for. You have to do the same.

Give your paper crafts an identity. Be known for making a craft or a collection of crafts. Ideally if you make multiple craft they should belong to the same family. Even if they are loosely connected. For example, you can get specific and make only miniature models for automobiles and aeroplanes. Or you can cast your net wide and build a brand around everything to do with people craft.

You will create your brand name as well as the promotional messages to reflect what you do. Branding is important because it tells potential buyers a lot of things about you as an artisan as well as your craft.

A good brand image says that you are a professional. It’s speaks of quality and expertise in your craft, builds confidence and increases the perceived value of the craft in the buyers mind.

Think about this in terms of any brand you like and you will realise that these very same things apply to you as well .

Specialise and work in a niche.

It makes sense to have a speciality for many reasons. Once you discover a profitable niche it’s easier to target an interested audience. It goes a long way in creating a great brand image. The end result is that you will find it easier to work and sell more crafts.

Discovering a niche makes it possible to harness your creativity and developing new ideas more effectively. It helps you make targeted efforts at selling your craft which results in a higher conversion to sales as well as better selling prices.

Learn about online advertising

Online presence has become a very powerful medium. It’s not like the way it was 10 years back when most businesses thought of having a website as an afterthought.

Today, you don’t need a website to have an online presence. You can advertise and promote yourself through paid advertisements on social media websites as well as search engines.

Learning how to do this effectively is a bit of a learning curve. Facebook and Google ads make it very simple to get your first advertisement online. It is very simple to choose the automate option and let the system take care of everything.

However, the better way to do this is to learn yourself what works. Learn how to write a good ad copy, which demographics to target and everything else that makes for a good advertisement. You can find a lot of information online written by experts in the field on how to adapt good practices when it comes to advertising on Facebook, Instagram and Google ads.

Once you learn all this, you can literally apply the same principles on every other online advertising platform.

Sell online

Selling online can mean that people can actually buy your paper crafts online, or it can mean that you promote your business online. We highly recommend selling online because you open your business up to the entire nation and even the entire world.

This is enormous and so powerful. Not many people might buy your craft from outside your country because the shipping costs and customs often add prohibitive costs to the selling price.

However, selling paper crafts is advantageous since they are mostly light and non-bulky and therefore inexpensive to ship. If you explore an online marketplace like it’s Etsy you will find that people buy crafts like paintings, knits, scarves and other lightweight items from all over the world.

Research, experiment, repeat.

Do your fair share of market research. It is the key to success and not very difficult, specially if you are selling online. To begin with, open a free account with Google ads and use their keyword research tool to get an insight into what people are searching for online. Visit popular craft selling sites and see what craft are popular.

Paper may seem simple, but it holds endless opportunities for creativity and business. By choosing the right niche and mastering a few profitable paper crafts, you can start a small business that’s both fulfilling and financially rewarding.

Whether it’s selling handmade stationery online, crafting paper flowers, or creating DIY digital templates, your paper craft journey can open doors to global customers who love unique, handmade creations.

Discover ways of being unique. That is important. You do not have to reinvent everything every time. But make the craft your own. Keep experimenting and keep creating. Good luck!