I still remember a time when most people couldn’t even imagine opening their own online store.

They assumed it would be too expensive and too complicated; the sort of thing you could only really manage if you already happened to be very lucky (with plenty of starting capital).

That used to be true. Now we’ve got print-on-demand companies like Gelato producing and shipping high-quality products on behalf of sellers, and marketplaces like Etsy where you can list and sell your creations with very few upfront costs.

For those with an entrepreneurial mindset, there are really only a few challenges left to deal with, starting with choosing the right products.

After working in this industry for a few years, I can say from experience that you’ll never know for certain exactly which products to list on your Etsy store.

There are too many variables affecting what people want to buy (and when). But a few helpful insights can give you an idea of where to start. 

TL;DR – Selling Gelato Products on Etsy (2026)

Etsy + Gelato = Easy POD setup with low costs and high potential. Etsy buyers love personalised, sentimental, and eco-friendly items—Gelato delivers exactly that.

Why Gelato Works:

• Fast, sustainable shipping
• High-quality, customisable products
• Built-in Personalization Studio for Etsy

Top Products to Sell:

• Wall Art (posters, canvas, aluminium prints)
• Home Goods (calendars, mugs, photo books)
• Apparel (premium tees, hoodies, totes)
• Baby Clothes (bodysuits, blankets)
• Pet Products (custom portraits, mugs, phone cases)
• Office Supplies (planners, prints)
• Gifts (anything personalised sells better)

Quick Tips:

• Start small, don’t over-list
• Always order samples
• Optimise your listings
• Use Gelato’s personalisation tools
• Consider Gelato+ to scale faster

Start with a few categories, personalise everything, and test what sells.

Why Gelato is Actually a Great Choice for Etsy Sellers

Before we get into how you can find the best products to sell on Etsy, and even my suggestions on what I believe is going to be worthwhile this year, I wanted to call out why I’m focusing on “Gelato” products here, rather than just all types of generic POD options.

If you ask me, Gelato is the best POD partner for Etsy sellers for a few reasons. First, it targets the type of audience you’re going to find on Etsy anyway. 

Etsy buyers hunt for a pretty specific mix: luxury gifts, sentimental stuff, art prints, personalized items, and anything they can see is “sustainable”. Gelato gives you all of that. The catalog is basically built around what Etsy shoppers want. 

Everything’s well-made, deliveries are fast and eco-friendly, and there’s a whole range of organic and “green” products to choose from too. Plus, with the Gelato Personalization Studio for Etsy, you can make sure absolutely none of your products are generic. 

Let customers personalize what they buy with names, dates, photos, or graphics, and you can guarantee that your profits will jump way up, pretty much immediately. 

How to Find the Best Gelato Products to Sell on Etsy

We’ll get to my recommendations in a minute, but first, I wanted to give you a little roadmap for doing your own product research (because really, you should be doing this all the time). 

Probably the easiest way to get some ideas without getting confused by tools or tech is to check out what’s happening on Etsy first.

You can usually see trending items in your niche on the site straight away, and when you type terms into the search bar, the automatic suggestions are super helpful. You might search “wall print” and get a bunch of ideas for aluminium prints, or personalized pet portraits. 

Scroll through a few pages and make a note of anything with a “best-seller” tag, or items with lots of positive reviews, that’s usually a good starting point. 

Outside of Etsy, you can check:

• Google trends: For ideas of what people might be searching for right now. 
• Social media: For trending hashtags or large groups of people talking about similar products.
• Competitors: Don’t just copy what they’re selling, but use their catalogs for inspiration on any gaps you might be missing. 

AI tools like ChatGPT can be helpful for summarizing market trends and data too, if you don’t have time to run through a bunch of industry reports. 

Qualifying Your Product Ideas

After you have your short list, spend a little time figuring out if they’re actually worthwhile. You’ll want a closer look at things like:

• Demand: Are people actually buying these products, based on what you can see on Etsy and social media already?
• Profits: How much can you really earn, based on the base cost for Gelato products, Etsy fees, and any additional costs you need to consider. 
• Competition: How many people already offer something similar? If the market is pretty crowded, it’s going to be harder to stand out. 
• Personalization potential: This is going to be your secret weapon for Etsy, so pay extra close attention to anything that can be personalized.
• Seasonality: Are the products you’re thinking about only suitable for certain periods during the year, or can you sell them year-round?

Remember, you don’t need a huge list of ideas to begin with. Once you’ve got one or two, you can easily build out over time when you learn more about what your customers want. 

The Best Gelato Products to Sell on Etsy

I’m breaking these suggestions down into “themes” rather than random items, because it’s a lot easier, and I don’t want to overwhelm you with too many choices. So, let’s start with the main category that I think is so often overlooked on Gelato. 

Wall Art

Wall art is the closest thing to reliable I’ve found on Etsy. People always seem to need it. They move and realize their walls look a bit sad.

They have a baby and want the nursery to feel special. They get married and suddenly want dates and coordinates on everything. They adopt a pet or lose one and go searching for something that commemorates them. 

Now, plenty of POD companies offer “prints”, but I’ve yet to find one that does it as well as Gelato. You’ve got so many options, from stunning posters, to canvas prints, and aluminium (metal) prints, and they’re available in a huge range of sizes.

Plus, they look fantastic, with bright colors, and stunning details. It helps that Gelato’s design tools warn you if an image isn’t going to scale the way you think. 

If you want an easy way to start, take one design and offer a few size options, then add in the personalization option so your customers can add meaningful dates and other elements. 

Home Goods

This is another fantastic category for Etsy sellers, because Home & Living is consistently one of the most popular parts of the site. Plus, a lot of those products, like mugs and calendars, are pretty cheap to produce, which is great for your profit margins. 

A few specific options worth looking at here:

• Calendars in multiple formats
• Photo books for weddings, babies, pets and family gifts
• Ceramic mugs, especially the ones with a simple shape
• Travel cups and tumblers
• Throw pillows and blankets for people who want cozy decor

A few niches come up again and again. Family photo calendars that get updated every year. Wedding albums buyers create as gifts for parents.

Baby or “first year” photo books. Seasonal mugs for holidays or teachers or coaches. This is the kind of stuff you should be producing if you’re trying to appeal to all of the “gift givers” shopping on Etsy. 

Apparel and Accessories

Apparel is where a lot of new sellers get sucked into a black hole. It feels like the obvious POD category, but Etsy is picky about what works.

Buyers don’t want giant graphic tees that look like you printed them in your garage. They want clean designs, personalization, and unique elements they can’t get off the rack. 

Gelato’s apparel surprised me mostly because it fits the Etsy vibe better than most POD companies. The Gildan 5000 shirts are the reliable option that everyone talks about.

The premium tees feel nicer than you’d expect for the price. Hoodies and sweatshirts are great for colder months, and they hold prints well. The organic t-shirts are also particularly great if you’re trying to grab attention with an eco-conscious vibe. 

A few options to check out: 

• Unisex t-shirts, especially in neutral colors
• Premium tees for cleaner designs
• Hoodies and sweatshirts for winter or gift seasons
• Tote bags with simple graphics
• Tank tops for summer or niche hobbies

The niches inside apparel are endless, but a few always stand out. Hobbies like gardening or climbing. Cute or funny pet owner themes. Wedding party shirts. Personalized apparel for family trips or reunions. Baby announcement tees for parents who want something subtle.

Children and Baby Clothing

Baby clothing on Etsy is its own universe, which is why I didn’t include this in the “apparel” section above. People shop for it with a different kind of tenderness.

It isn’t just “I need a gift.” It’s “I want something that feels special for this tiny person who can’t even sit up yet.” 

Gelato has a beautiful selection of baby and kids clothing, with many of the same categories you’d find in the broader apparel section (like premium and organic). 

The options I’d probably recommend starting with are:

• Baby bodysuits with names or simple illustrations
• Toddler tees that match a parent design
• Kids hoodies for colder months
• Baby blankets with soft patterns or birth details

Definitely make sure you’re using the “Personalization Suite” for this category though. Your customers will always pay more if they can add things to whatever you’re selling, even if it’s just a date of birth, or a baby’s name. 

Pet Accessories and Pet Themed Products

People shopping for pet-related products are pretty similar to those shopping for baby goods. If you look at what sells in this category, it’s basically a love letter to dogs and cats. Some buyers upload a photo before they even read the product description. 

Gelato handles pet themed prints and gifts surprisingly well. The quality matters here because these shoppers aren’t buying trendy items. They’re buying keepsakes.

A framed portrait of their dog needs to feel like it’ll last. A mug with a cat illustration has to feel sturdy. Even simple products like phone cases get treated like little shrines to the animal they adore.

The products that tend to resonate are:

• Pet portrait wall art in poster, framed or canvas form
• Mugs with pet names or simple illustrations
• Phone cases that feature breed silhouettes
• Apparel that leans into “dog mom” or “cat dad” style humor

Again, the personalization option will work wonders here. Also, if you’re using Gelato+, it’s worth looking at the “instant collections” feature, for ideas of how you can create entire bundles of products focused on pet lovers. 

Office Supplies and Desk Friendly Products

Home office supplies (and office supplies in general), have started grabbing a lot more attention on Etsy and similar channels since the pandemic. Everyone wants a way to make their workplace feel more like “them”, and Etsy gives them the unique goods they need to do that. 

Gelato gives you plenty of great options to pick from here, whether you’re selling to small business owners, freelancers, or everyday people. 

You can create custom business cards, flyers, and brochures, letter heads, roll-ups, and more for entrepreneurial people. Alternatively, you can stick to simple things like wall art for the home office, calendars, and stationary sets. 

Honestly, most of these items make for great bundle pieces. You could create a “home office” package that comes with a journal, a mug, and a small print, and instantly ramp up your profit margins.

Gelato’s magic mockups even make it easy to create product images that show what these (hopefully personalized) products are going to look like around a desk. 

Personalized Gifts

Yes, we’ve covered a lot of “personalization” ideas already, but honestly, custom products are the heart and soul of Etsy. People come to Etsy when they want something that feels like it was made for one specific person. They want a date on it. A name. A photo. Something that marks a moment.

Gelato’s catalog works beautifully here because so many of their products accept customization without any weird workarounds.

Posters, framed prints, calendars, photo books, mugs, baby clothes. If a buyer can add a name or a message to it, it’s probably going to get more attention than its non-personalized version.

The products that usually shine are:

• Framed prints with names or coordinates
• Photo books for weddings, anniversaries and new babies
• Calendars built from family photos
• Mugs with simple personalized text
• Event apparel for families or friend groups
• Baby items with names or birth details
• Eco-friendly tote bags with custom images
• Custom hats, phone cases, and other accessories

If you’re looking for your first reliable seller, start here. Personalized gifts build trust fast, and Gelato’s quality usually holds up on the orders where people really care about the final result. 

Final Tips Before You Go All In

I’ve made enough mistakes with POD to fill a decent-sized notebook, so here’s the short version of what I wish someone had spelled out for me before now:

• Order samples: Gelato’s product quality is genuinely great, but it’s still worth ordering samples so you know exactly what you’re selling. You’ll write better product descriptions that way, be able to answer common questions customers have, and have more authentic photos. 
• Don’t list too much too fast: A lot of high-performing Etsy stores only have a handful of products. You don’t need a huge list. Start with what you think works for your audience, then build out as you learn more about the things that actually sell. 
• Get listing optimization right: Choose a descriptive, clear title for every item, write a benefits-focused description, pack the listing full of great photos and mock-ups, and always pay attention to your reviews (they’re essential on Etsy). 
• Use the personalization studio: I know I mentioned this before, but adding the Personalization Studio to Etsy really is the best way to boost your margins. As soon as you let customers choose what goes on their t-shirts and prints, your profits start to go up. 
• Consider Gelato+: When your business starts scaling, really think seriously about Gelato+. The extra features like magic mock-ups and Instant Collections are incredibly useful. The Pricing Navigator can help with your planning, and the massive discounts can keep your margins solid.

Also, be patient. Most sellers quit before their first decent month.

If you stay curious, keep improving your listings and check your analytics once in a while, you’ll eventually catch a wave. The trick is to give yourself enough time to reach that point.

Choose the Gelato Products Primed to Sell on Etsy

Choosing the first set of Gelato products you’re going to sell on Etsy can be nerve-wracking. No matter how much research you do, you can never know for sure if something’s going to be a success. Fortunately, with Gelato, you can go into the process knowing a few important things:

• You can test out new ideas without any upfront costs
• Anything you do order from Gelato is going to be high-quality, eco-friendly, and probably delivered quickly to your customers.
• You’ll be able to add personalization options as an extra, which always makes any “generic” product ten times better. 

Gelato makes building an amazing collection on Etsy surprisingly simple. All you need to do is pick a few categories, and put them to the test. You’ll know what works best for your brand soon enough.