What if you found out you could go to market this week with your own brand of massage gun, memory foam dog bed, or skin care serum?
One way to make a quick entry into being your own boss is white labeling—selling products manufactured by others, customized with your own designs or branding. Selling white label products is an easy option for those looking to jump on a trend or avoid having to make or manufacture products on their own.
Ahead, discover 13 ideas for popular white label products that you can brand and start selling today.
What are white label products?
White label products are generic products that are mass manufactured then customized for several brands. For example, a manufacturer might produce a generic water bottle and then customize it with a brand’s logo. White label products can be bulk ordered, dropshipped, or printed on demand.
White label products are similar to private label products. Both terms refer to products manufactured and then labeled or branded for a store or brand. Private label products, however, undergo more intensive customization for a specific retailer. They are likely to contain unique ingredients or materials, and may have bespoke packaging. White label products, in contrast, tend to have limited options for customization.
For example, a hair care product sold under Walgreens’ generic brand only at its stores would be classed as a private label product, whereas a phone case sold under several brand names on Amazon is a white label product.
13 white label products to sell online
- Reusable water bottles
- Cosmetics and skin care products
- Phone accessories
- Fitness clothing and accessories
- Pet accessories
- Mugs
- Essential oils
- LED lights and fairy lights
- Tote bags
- Massage guns
- Coffee beans
- Beach towels
- Apparel and fashion accessories
1. Reusable water bottles
Water bottles are blank canvases for any design. If you’re an artist or designer looking to sell merch, this is a low-cost idea that lets you sell a reproduction of your work at an accessible price to your fans. Water bottles can also be white-labeled with a simple logo and used for brand awareness. Say you sell digital fitness content like online yoga classes or virtual personal training: branded water bottles offer a way to diversify into a relevant physical product.
💡 Tip: Consider different materials like stainless steel, glass, and silicone.
2. Cosmetics and skin care products
You might not know it, but many of the cosmetics brands on the market today are made by just a handful of manufacturers. In some cases, they’re the exact same formulation. What sets them apart is the branding, packaging design, and perhaps the range of colors offered.
For example, Kylie Jenner’s brand is produced by Seed Beauty, a private-label company that is also responsible for ColourPop. To make a start in white label cosmetics, focus on one product, like lip balm.
💄 Learn more: How To Start a Makeup Line in 5 Steps
3. Phone accessories
Like stainless steel water bottles, white label phone accessories are inexpensive to produce, widely available, and easily customizable. Phone cases are a great option for designers or artists to showcase work on an affordable accessory, and other accessories like cords or car mounts can be easily rebranded.
📱 Learn more: How to Make and Sell Phone Cases
4. Fitness clothing and accessories
Trends in fitness gear and athletic wear ramped up during the pandemic and changed the way many people work out. Yoga mats, sports socks, leggings, fitness equipment, t-shirts, and water bottles are available through multiple manufacturers and print-on-demand companies.
Ideas include starting an online boutique or clothing line selling your own branded white label products. Fitness influencers can help monetize their personal brands through customized workout merch.
5. Pet accessories
The rise in flexible working arrangements means workers everywhere are replacing colleagues with furry companions. And with more pets comes more demand for pet products.
Get into the booming pet industry by white labeling dog beds, cat toys, and aquarium accessories. This is a great option for pet service businesses that may wish to add branded products to their offering.
🐶 Learn more: Sell Pet Products: Ideas for Your Own Pet Business
6. Mugs
Ceramic mugs emblazoned with memes, travel mugs engraved with your logo, or enamel camping mugs with custom artwork—there are several options for adding white label branding to mugs. And it’s a good time to get into the drinkware space, with more people making coffee and tea at home thanks to flexible working.
☕ Learn more: How to Make and Sell Merch Your Fans Will Love
7. Essential oils
Self-care and wellness trends show no signs of slowing down, making this a profitable industry for newcomers. Essential oils, diffusers, and bath products made with essential oils can all be white-labeled and sold online. Branded essential oils are a great way for wellness influencers to monetize a personal brand or make a foray into ecommerce.
8. LED lights and fairy lights
Fairy lights, LED light-up sneakers, solar-powered camp lights, flashlights, and novelty lights can all be found through white label manufacturers. There are many brands on the market selling subtle variations of the same product, so invest in setting your brand, website, and marketing apart from the rest.
9. Tote bags
In recent years, consumer trends have pointed to increased interest in supporting sustainable practices and businesses. Retail businesses can add branded reusable totes to their offerings and sell them at a low cost (or give them away) to encourage customers to ditch plastic—and increase brand awareness at the same time.
These are great options for graphic designers and artists, too. The large, flat surface is a blank canvas, offering an easy way to monetize your art. White label tote bags are often available through print-on-demand companies, allowing you to get started with a low initial investment.
10. Massage guns
Massage guns are another breakout product idea of recent years after many replaced their wellness rituals with at-home devices. This is an excellent white label product to consider if you are looking to enter this lucrative industry. Sites like Alibaba return multiple results for massage guns that can be customized with your own branding.
11. Coffee beans
Think beyond mugs—why not sell your own branded coffee beans? Some coffee producers will work with other brands to produce custom blends and packaging.
Generally, these partnerships require a sizable investment, but there are inexpensive alternatives that can generate steady passive income. Try your hand at selling custom-branded coffee online with Dripshipper, a white label coffee bean seller app that integrates with your Shopify store.
☕ Learn more: Sell Coffee Online: How to Launch a Café
12. Beach towels
You can start a white label business with a seasonal product like beach towels. These products are always in demand and can be customized in a number of ways. Fitness service businesses like surf schools may consider adding white label branding to towels to sell as merch. Artists can customize the entire design, turning drawings or paintings into usable products.
13. Apparel and fashion accessories
T-shirts, sunglasses, shoes, and more can become white label products to sell. If you run a fashion brand and are looking to upsell or cross-sell with branded accessories, consider adding your logo to white label eyewear. These types of products are often available through print-on-demand companies.
Start selling your own branded products today
The barriers to starting a business diminish with every technological advancement, new automation tool, and new channel where you can find customers. White labeling allows you to start a business today, whether as a side gig using a print-on-demand service, or with a low-effort dropshipping website.
White labeling FAQ
Where should I sell my white label products?
You should sell white label products in your online store. You can sell directly to customers through your website, as well as via social shopping channels and marketplaces. Some white label sellers also distribute their products to other retailers through wholesale channels.
Where can I find white label products?
A popular place to find white label products is Alibaba. But many companies produce a white label version of their products for brands to sell. Some white label providers, including print-on-demand and dropshipping companies, integrate directly with your Shopify store.
How do I start selling white label products?
- Choose a product.
- Find a supplier and determine if you will buy inventory, dropship, or print products on demand.
- Create a brand and branding assets for your business.
- Submit your brand customizations according to your supplier’s specifications.
- Set up a Shopify store and sales channels. If possible, link your supplier directly to your Shopify store.
- Start selling!
Are there any risks to selling white label products?
Work with reputable white label suppliers that produce safe, legal products. Be sure to investigate any legal considerations, as you are not creating products yourself and will have little oversight of the manufacturing process.
There may also be financial risk if you decide to buy a lot of inventory upfront. As your white label products will be customized with your logo or designs, they will be difficult to return. Research any company you decide to work with and request samples before committing.
Be sure that you can personally vouch for the white label products you’re selling. Be ethical and honest with your claims, and transparent with your customers if they have issues.
Feature illustration by Gracia Lam
