If you are thinking about selling handmade wreaths, it does not take long to discover thousands of other wreath makers already selling online, at craft shows and through social media.
That can lead to an understandable question: Is the wreath market too saturated to start a business?
There is certainly competition. You can find wreath sellers offering everything from inexpensive seasonal designs to elaborate custom wreaths, sports wreaths, floral wreaths, door hangers and personalized creations.
But competition and saturation are not necessarily the same thing.
The better question is not whether other people already sell wreaths.
It is whether you can create a wreath business with a clear customer, recognizable products, profitable pricing and a reason someone would choose to buy from you.
Quick Answer: Is The Wreath Market Too Saturated?
No, the wreath market is not necessarily too saturated to start a business, but it is competitive. New sellers may have a difficult time standing out if they simply make the same wreaths as everyone else and compete primarily on price.
A better approach is to choose a specific niche or customer, develop a recognizable style, understand your costs, create quality products and make it easy for customers to understand what makes your wreaths different.
You do not need everyone who buys wreaths to become your customer.
You need to become the right wreath maker for a particular group of customers.
Table of Contents
What Does A Saturated Wreath Market Really Mean?
A saturated market is one where customers already have many choices.
Wreath making certainly fits that description in some areas.
Search for a Christmas wreath, fall wreath or everyday front-door wreath on a large marketplace and you may see an enormous number of options.
That does not automatically mean customers have every possible option they want.
A broad category can be crowded while smaller niches inside that category still have opportunities.
Consider the difference between selling:
“Handmade wreaths”
and selling:
“Football wreaths in popular team-color combinations for game-day decorating.”
The first puts you in an enormous category.
The second gives a particular customer a much clearer reason to stop and look.
You could narrow the market in many different ways.
For example:
- Sports wreaths
- Team-color wreaths
- School spirit wreaths
- Collegiate-inspired color combinations
- Luxury floral wreaths
- Farmhouse wreaths
- Minimalist wreaths
- Extra-large statement wreaths
- Small apartment-door wreaths
- Personalized wreaths
- Wedding wreaths
- Everyday greenery wreaths
- Patriotic wreaths
- Pet-themed wreaths
- Wreaths for local schools or communities
- Ready-to-ship wreaths
- Custom-made wreaths
You do not have to stay in one niche forever.
But having a clear specialty can make it much easier for customers to understand what your business is known for.
Why Competition Can Actually Be A Good Sign
Seeing other wreath businesses can feel discouraging when you are just starting.
However, competition also tells you something important:
People are buying wreaths.
If nobody sold a particular type of product, that might represent an untapped opportunity.
It could also mean there is very little demand for it.
An existing market gives you information.
You can study:
- What customers appear to like
- Common wreath sizes
- Popular design styles
- Typical price ranges
- Customer reviews
- Frequently asked questions
- Shipping expectations
- Product-photo styles
- Seasonal buying patterns
- Gaps in existing selections
The goal is not to copy another wreath maker.
Use market research to understand what customers already have available and determine where your business can be different or better suited to a particular customer.
You Do Not Have To Compete With Every Wreath Maker
This may be one of the most important things for a new wreath seller to understand.
Your competition is not every person who knows how to make a wreath.
Imagine that one maker specializes in high-end silk floral wreaths costing several hundred dollars.
Another sells whimsical deco mesh wreaths.
Another focuses on inexpensive seasonal door décor.
Another creates personalized baby-shower wreaths.
Another makes football wreaths and school-color designs.
They are all technically selling wreaths.
But they are not necessarily selling to the same customer.
This is why determining who you want to sell to can be more useful than simply asking whether the wreath market is saturated.
Find A Wreath Niche Instead Of Trying To Sell Everything
One of the easiest mistakes for a new wreath business is trying to appeal to everyone.
The seller makes a farmhouse wreath.
Then a football wreath.
Then a Christmas wreath.
Then a wedding wreath.
Then a beach wreath.
Then a Halloween wreath.
Each design may be beautiful, but the overall business can become difficult for customers to understand.
A niche gives you a starting point.
Choose A Customer
Instead of beginning with a product, begin with the person who might buy it.
Ask:
Who am I making this wreath for?
Maybe your customer is:
- A passionate football fan
- A parent decorating for a high school team
- Someone who changes front-door décor every season
- A customer looking for upscale floral décor
- Someone who wants a personalized gift
- A homeowner who loves farmhouse décor
- A customer looking for a large statement piece
- Someone who wants ready-to-ship décor quickly
Once you understand the customer, decisions about colors, styles, pricing, marketing and sales channels become much easier.
Choose A Recognizable Style
Your niche can also be based on the way your wreaths look.
Maybe your designs become known for:
- Oversized bows
- Coordinated ribbon patterns
- Bold signs
- Luxurious greenery
- Traditional colors
- Unusual color combinations
- Minimalist designs
- Full deco mesh
- Natural grapevine
- Sports themes
- Team-color combinations
Customers may begin recognizing your work before they even see your business name.
That is much more difficult to achieve when every wreath looks completely unrelated to the one before it.
Do Not Try To Win By Being The Cheapest Wreath Seller
When a market feels crowded, lowering prices can seem like the easiest way to compete.
It is also one of the fastest ways to create an unprofitable wreath business.
Another seller may have:
- Lower material costs
- Different suppliers
- Lower overhead
- Faster production methods
- Different shipping costs
- Older inventory purchased at lower prices
- Different profit expectations
You cannot know whether another seller’s price makes sense for your business.
Your wreath price needs to cover your own materials, labor, overhead, packaging, selling expenses and other applicable costs while still leaving an appropriate profit.
If you are unsure how to calculate that, start with our Wreath Pricing For Profit: 7-Step Formula For Sellers.
Competing on value is usually more sustainable than competing only on price.
Value can come from:
- Better workmanship
- More distinctive designs
- Premium materials
- Better photography
- Accurate descriptions
- Reliable shipping
- Helpful customer service
- Customization
- Unique themes
- Convenient ready-to-ship inventory
- A recognizable specialty
Your goal should not be to make your wreath the cheapest option on the page.
Your goal is to give the right customer a reason to believe it is the right option for them.
Your Wreath Photos Matter More Than You May Think
Customers shopping online cannot touch your wreath.
They cannot see the texture of the ribbon in person.
They cannot walk around it.
They cannot easily judge its actual size.
Your photographs have to do much of that work.
Good wreath photography should help a customer understand:
- Overall design
- Colors
- Size and scale
- Ribbon patterns
- Sign details
- Texture
- Depth
- Construction quality
- How the wreath may look on a door
You do not necessarily need expensive photography equipment.
You do need clear lighting, an uncluttered background and images that accurately represent the wreath.
When two similarly priced wreaths appear beside each other online, presentation can strongly influence which one receives the click.
Make Your Products Easy To Understand
A beautiful wreath can still be difficult to sell if the customer does not know exactly what they are getting.
Product listings should answer basic questions before the customer has to ask.
Include information such as:
- Approximate finished width
- Approximate finished height
- Main materials
- Main colors
- Design theme
- Whether the wreath is ready to ship
- Whether it is made to order
- Processing time
- Customization options
- Display recommendations
- Shipping information
- Care information when appropriate
Avoid assuming customers understand wreath-making terminology.
A customer may not know that a wreath built on an 18″ frame can finish considerably larger once mesh, ribbon, greenery and decorations are added.
Describe the finished product, not simply the wreath-making materials used underneath it.
Start Small And Find Out What Customers Actually Want
Starting a wreath business does not require making 50 wreaths before opening your first sales channel.
In fact, producing a huge amount of inventory before testing your market can create an expensive problem.
Start with a manageable collection.
For example, you might create:
- Three to five designs
- Several variations of one successful style
- A small seasonal collection
- A focused sports collection
- A few ready-to-ship wreaths
- Samples for custom orders
Then pay attention.
Which wreath gets the most attention?
Which one gets saved or shared?
Which gets questions?
Which actually sells?
What price points perform best?
Which color combinations attract customers?
Market feedback can help you decide what to make next.
That is much more useful than buying large quantities of supplies based only on what you personally think will sell.
Build Repeatable Wreath Designs
You do not need every wreath in your business to be a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
Repeatable designs can make a wreath business easier to manage.
Suppose you create a football wreath design that works well.
Instead of starting from scratch every time, you may be able to use the same basic design formula with different:
- Team colors
- Ribbon combinations
- Signs
- Picks
- Ornaments
- Accents
This can make it easier to estimate:
- Material costs
- Production time
- Selling price
- Supply requirements
- Packaging needs
You can still create unique products while developing a system behind them.
That is part of the difference between making wreaths as a hobby and operating a wreath business.
Decide Where You Want To Sell Your Wreaths
You do not have to depend on one marketplace.
Wreath sellers may sell through:
- Etsy
- Their own website
- Local craft shows
- Vendor markets
- Boutiques
- Local pickup
- Custom orders
- Word-of-mouth referrals
Each sales channel has advantages and challenges.
Etsy gives sellers access to an established marketplace, but you are competing for attention with many other products.
Craft shows let customers see your wreaths in person, but require inventory, booth preparation and event expenses.
Social media can help you build an audience, but followers do not automatically become customers.
An independent website gives you more control over your business, but you must generate your own traffic.
Many wreath businesses eventually use more than one sales channel.
If Etsy is where you would like to begin, our How To Set Up An Etsy Shop To Sell Wreaths: A Beginner Guide walks through the process from shop setup through listings, pricing and shipping.
Standing Out On Etsy When There Are Already Many Wreath Sellers
Etsy can make the wreath market appear especially saturated because shoppers can compare many products on the same screen.
That makes positioning even more important.
Do not simply ask:
How do I rank above every wreath seller?
Ask:
What would make my ideal customer click my wreath?
That might be:
- A particular sport
- A school-color combination
- A distinctive design
- Excellent photography
- A hard-to-find color scheme
- Personalization
- A unique size
- Fast ready-to-ship availability
- A particular decorating style
Your listing title, photos and description should all reinforce that reason.
If you plan to sell on Etsy, remember to calculate marketplace expenses as part of your pricing rather than treating the listed selling price as profit.
Our How To Price Wreaths On Etsy For Profit guide explains how to think through those costs.
Should You Sell Locally Instead?
Online marketplaces are not the only way to build a wreath business.
Local selling can be an excellent way to test designs and learn what customers respond to.
You might try:
- Craft shows
- Holiday markets
- School events
- Community festivals
- Local Facebook groups where permitted
- Boutique partnerships
- Customer referrals
- Local pickup orders
In-person selling also allows customers to see the size and quality of a wreath firsthand.
If craft shows interest you, our Craft Show Guide For Wreath Sellers brings together our resources on pricing, inventory, booth displays, packing and preparing for an event.
You may eventually discover that one selling method works significantly better for your particular business than another.
Buy Supplies With A Business Mindset
One of the biggest financial risks for a new wreath maker is not necessarily a lack of sales.
It is buying too much inventory.
Ribbon is beautiful.
Signs are fun.
Picks are tempting.
Mesh comes in endless colors.
Before long, your wreath business can have hundreds or thousands of dollars tied up in supplies that have not produced a single sale.
Try to purchase with specific designs or collections in mind.
Before buying supplies, ask:
- What wreath am I planning to make?
- Who is the customer?
- What will the finished wreath cost me?
- What price would I need to charge?
- Do I believe customers in my target market will pay that price?
- Can these supplies be used in more than one design?
Keeping your initial inventory focused gives you more flexibility as you learn.
If you are sourcing materials for a wreath business, you can also browse our Wholesale Wreath Supplies resource for ribbon, wreath signs, deco mesh, picks, frames, ornaments and other supplies without purchasing full cases.
Know The Difference Between Sales And Profit
A busy wreath business is not automatically a profitable wreath business.
A $125 wreath sale sounds wonderful until you subtract:
- Materials
- Labor
- Selling fees
- Payment-processing fees
- Advertising
- Packaging
- Shipping expenses
- Business overhead
The number that matters is not simply what the customer paid.
It is what remains after the costs required to make and sell that wreath.
Track your actual numbers from the beginning.
This will help you identify:
- Which designs are most profitable
- Which materials are too expensive
- Whether your labor estimate is realistic
- Whether shipping is reducing your margin
- Which sales channels perform best
- Which wreaths are worth making again
If you have not yet worked through the financial side of your business, read How To Start A Wreath Making Business: 9 Steps before purchasing a large amount of inventory.
What If Your First Wreaths Do Not Sell?
Do not assume one unsuccessful product means the market is saturated.
There are many possible reasons a wreath does not sell.
The issue could be:
- The design
- The price
- The photographs
- The season
- The sales channel
- The listing title
- The customer you targeted
- Shipping cost
- Limited traffic
- Too little inventory
- A confusing product description
Treat early products as information.
If customers consistently look at a particular design but do not buy it, investigate why.
If one color combination sells repeatedly, consider creating more products for that customer.
If certain wreaths perform well at local events but poorly online, the sales channel may matter.
Successful businesses adjust based on what they learn.
How Do You Know If Your Wreath Business Idea Is Different Enough?
You do not need an idea nobody in the world has ever tried.
You need a clear reason for customers to choose you.
Try completing this sentence:
I make __________ wreaths for __________ customers who want __________.
For example:
I make sports wreaths for football fans who want game-day décor in their favorite colors.
Or:
I make elegant grapevine wreaths for homeowners who want understated seasonal front-door décor.
Or:
I make personalized wreaths for customers looking for unique housewarming and wedding gifts.
If you can easily explain what you make, who it is for and why that customer would care, you are developing a much stronger business position.
If the answer is simply:
“I make all kinds of wreaths for anyone who wants one,”
you may have more work to do before investing heavily in inventory.
Is It Too Late To Start A Wreath Business?
No.
But starting today may require a different strategy than simply opening an online shop, listing a few generic wreaths and waiting for customers to arrive.
Customers have choices.
That means new sellers need to be thoughtful about:
- What they sell
- Who they sell to
- How their products look
- How they price
- Where they sell
- How they photograph products
- How they communicate value
- How they control costs
Those are business challenges — not proof that a new business cannot succeed.
There will always be established sellers who started before you.
The goal is not to catch up to every one of them.
The goal is to begin building your own customer base.
Should You Start A Wreath Business?
A wreath business may be worth testing if you:
- Enjoy making wreaths consistently
- Are willing to learn the business side
- Understand that sales are not guaranteed
- Can calculate your costs before pricing
- Are willing to photograph and market your work
- Can identify a potential customer or niche
- Are comfortable starting small
- Are willing to change designs based on customer response
- Can avoid overspending on inventory
- Are prepared to treat your time as a business cost
You do not need to have every answer before you begin.
You also do not need to turn your hobby into a full-time business immediately.
You can begin with a small collection, test the market and decide whether you enjoy not only making wreaths, but also the work involved in selling wreaths.
Those are two different things.
Final Thoughts: Is The Wreath Market Too Saturated?
The wreath market is competitive.
That should influence how you start your business — but it does not have to stop you from starting one.
There may be thousands of wreaths available for sale, but customers are not necessarily looking for just a wreath.
They may be looking for:
their team colors.
their decorating style.
their favorite season.
their price range.
their perfect gift.
their front door.
Your opportunity is not to create something that appeals to every one of those customers.
It is to understand the customer you want to serve and build products that make that person stop and say:
“That is exactly what I was looking for.”
Start small.
Choose a direction.
Know your numbers.
Pay attention to what customers respond to.
Improve as you learn.
A competitive market does not mean there is no room for another wreath business.
It means you need a reason for customers to make room for yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Wreath Market Too Saturated?
The wreath market is competitive, but that does not necessarily mean it is too saturated for new sellers. Instead of trying to appeal to every wreath buyer, focus on a specific customer, niche, style or product specialty that gives shoppers a clear reason to choose your business.
Can You Still Make Money Selling Wreaths?
A wreath business can generate profit when products are priced high enough to cover materials, labor, overhead, selling expenses and other costs. Profitability varies considerably by product, pricing, sales channel and business expenses, so sellers should calculate their own costs rather than relying on another wreath maker’s prices.
What Type Of Wreaths Sell Best?
There is no single type of wreath that will sell best for every business. Seasonal designs, everyday wreaths, sports wreaths, personalized wreaths, grapevine wreaths, floral designs and deco mesh wreaths can appeal to different customers. Testing a focused group of products can help you learn what works for your particular audience.
How Can A New Wreath Business Stand Out?
A new wreath business can stand out by choosing a specific niche, developing a recognizable design style, taking strong product photographs, providing clear product information, offering good customer service and pricing products appropriately instead of trying to compete only by being cheaper.
Should I Sell Wreaths On Etsy?
Etsy can be one option for reaching customers who already shop for handmade and creative products, but it also has significant competition. Some wreath makers also sell through craft shows, social media, local orders, boutiques or their own websites. The best sales channel depends on your products, customers, expenses and business goals.
How Many Wreaths Should I Make Before Starting A Business?
There is no required amount of inventory. Starting with a small, focused collection can help you test styles, prices and customer demand before investing heavily in supplies. You can expand the products that perform well as you learn more about your customers.
Do I Need A Niche To Sell Wreaths?
A niche is not required, but it can make a new wreath business easier to understand and market. Specializing in a particular customer, style, sport, occasion or type of wreath can help distinguish your products from broad categories with many competing sellers.
Where Can I Learn More About Starting A Wreath Business?
Start with our How To Start A Wreath Making Business: 9 Steps guide. You can also visit the Wreath Maker Resource Center for additional guides covering wreath making, pricing, Etsy, craft shows, product photography and selling handmade wreaths.