Storefront Notes

Start your online business · Business basics · 2 min read

44 of the Weirdest Things People Sell Online

By the Storefront Notes Editorial Team · Updated

Short answer

People sell surprisingly odd things online, including novelty gifts like pet rocks and bottled air, collectibles like used movie props, craft supplies like empty toilet rolls and acorns, and services like custom portraits of pets as royalty. Weird products work when they hit a gifting moment, a hobby niche or a joke people want to share.

Browse online marketplaces for long enough and you will find things that make you laugh, then make you wonder how many people buy them. Quite a few, it turns out. Here are 44 categories of strange but real products and what sellers can learn from them.

Novelty and gag gifts

  1. Pet rocks (complete with adoption certificates)
  2. Bottled air from famous places
  3. Potatoes with custom messages mailed anonymously
  4. Glitter "bombs" sent by post
  5. Fake parking tickets for pranks
  6. Inflatable unicorn horns for cats
  7. A "certificate of ownership" for a star or an acre of the moon (not legally meaningful)
  8. Mustache stickers for fingers
  9. Rubber chickens in every size
  10. Socks printed with the recipient's pet's face

Craft and DIY supplies

  1. Empty toilet paper rolls for craft projects
  2. Acorns, pinecones and dried leaves for decorating
  3. Used wine corks
  4. Broken china pieces for mosaics
  5. Sea glass
  6. Old keys
  7. Seashells by the pound

Collectibles and curiosities

  1. Used props and costumes from films
  2. Vintage packaging and tins
  3. Old hotel keys and room signs
  4. Retro video game manuals
  5. Celebrity-signed oddities (authentication matters)
  6. Vintage postcards with handwritten messages
  7. Antique medical and scientific instruments

Personalised oddities

  1. Pet portraits painted as royalty or Renaissance nobles
  2. Custom bobbleheads
  3. Message-in-a-bottle gifts
  4. Personalised fortune cookies
  5. Hand-drawn maps of a couple's first date
  6. Custom-scented candles that smell like a hometown

Food and drink curiosities

  1. Insect snacks like roasted crickets
  2. Extremely hot chili sauces
  3. Bacon-flavoured everything
  4. Breakfast cereal from discontinued lines (as collectibles)

Services and experiences

  1. Professional queue standing
  2. Custom villain voices for voicemail
  3. Personalised poems or songs
  4. Online "rent a friend" chats
  5. Handwritten letters on your behalf

Plain odd

  1. Dirt from famous stadiums
  2. Squirrel-sized furniture for gardens
  3. Unicorn meat (canned novelty, not actually meat)
  4. Ice from glaciers sold as a luxury item
  5. Clouds in a jar (cotton, sold as decor)

Testing a quirky product idea

If a strange product idea makes you laugh, test it cheaply:

  1. Mock it up and post it to friends or a relevant community to gauge reactions.
  2. List a small batch on a marketplace like Etsy or eBay.
  3. Make short videos showing the reaction when someone receives it; novelty products sell through shareable moments.
  4. Time it to a season: gag gifts peak around holidays and office parties.
  5. Keep stock small until demand is proven.

Weird does not mean anything goes. Marketplaces ban many items, including certain animal products, hazardous materials, counterfeit goods and items that infringe trademarks. Food products need to meet safety and labelling rules. Check platform policies and local laws before listing anything unusual.

What sellers can learn

  • Gifting drives novelty. Most of these sell as gifts. Holidays, birthdays and Secret Santa season matter.
  • Shareability is marketing. Funny products spread on social media for free.
  • Low cost, high margin. Many weird products cost pennies to make.
  • Short life cycles. Trends fade. Keep inventory small.

If you want a niche with staying power, read the best things to sell online and how to pick a winning ecommerce product.

Frequently asked questions

Can weird products actually make money?

Some do, usually as gifts or viral novelties. Most have short lifespans, so successful sellers move quickly and keep costs low.

Is it legal to sell anything online?

No. Marketplaces and payment providers restrict many items, and laws vary by country. Check platform policies before listing anything unusual.

Where do people sell weird things?

Etsy, eBay, Amazon Handmade and their own stores are common. Etsy suits handmade and vintage oddities; eBay suits collectibles.

Platform features, prices and policies change. Check the official help pages linked above before you act on a detail that matters to your store.

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