Ice Makers: Another Portable Kitchen Appliance Everyone’s Been Talking About

Kitchen appliances have become more technologically advanced over the years, especially in the refrigeration department. One of the coolest developments is the shift towards making appliances conveniently portable – portable freezers, compact refrigerators, and now there's a separate unit that makes ice in a matter of minutes. Behold, the ice maker!

There are some households that can get by with just a couple of ice cube trays. Then there are others that require a never-ending supply of it. Ice cube trays, or even the standard automatic ice maker you find in home refrigerators just aren't enough to keep up with the demand. And if you entertain regularly? Well, most party beverages require ice, too. And if you run a food or hospitality-related business, you're going to need an industrial-scale solution.

When I took a look at the Labs, I found ice makers were hot selling products. There are many types of ice makers suitable for all sorts of situations. The market data shows there's demand for this product and people are willing to pay for convenience. As we analyze the results from the lab, let's find out if this popular product is worth stocking for online sellers.

Types of Ice Makers

There are many types of ice makers on the market. Below are the main machine types you could sell.

Countertop: This countertop model is perfect for those who need extra ice without the hassle of installing a built-in ice machine. It has a small bin and can produce about 400lbs of ice per day.
Under-Counter or Built-in: Perfect for basement bars, small bars or cafes that don’t need as much ice. This small ice maker can fit below most 40” high counters. This type produces ice at about 350lbs a day, although higher-capacity units also exist.
Portable: This compact ice maker is great for picnics, camping, and even entertaining. Typically measuring about 15” tall by 12", this type does not require a water line or a drain line. Instead, you can pour water into the unit's reservoir and plug the machine in.
Ice Machine Head: These models usually come in 22”, 30”, and 48” widths. They are designed to be positioned on top of ice machine bins or dispensers, with ice output starting at 250lbs a day.
Air- & Water-Cooled Compressors: Ice makers with air-cooled compressors are cost-effective as they use less water. On the other hand, ice makers with water-cooled compressors use a waterline that circulates through the unit, efficiently removing heat.

Why Sell Ice Makers?
Research is always important before deciding to sell a specific product. Luckily, the Labs tool helps us out by analyzing some vital statistics to determine a product's profitability: success rate, average selling price, and competition. We have 3 examples of popular ice makers from the lab below. Let's see how the data looks!

High Sell Rate

Ideally, you should look for a sell rate of at least 50%, which indicates that a product is moving consistently. In this case, our ice makers have sell rates ranging from 58% to 100%. This is a good sign!

Knowing what the market is looking for will help you succeed in selling ice makers online. In addition to sell rate, the Labs is also a great way to discover types of products and brands that consumers want. In this case, portable, metallic silver ice makers are a good bet. Note that all three are different brands: RCA, Igloo, and Whynter.

High Average Selling Price

The main goal of selling anything is to make a decent profit, right? A 10% markup (minimum) should be your starting point when it comes to profit.

The lab results indicate selling prices for ice makers ranging from $165 to $280. At a 10% profit after wholesale price, selling fees, and any other costs deducted, that's a minimum of $16.50 for just one sale alone.

Just remember that wholesale pricing works in your favor when you buy in bulk. The more units you buy, the less each unit will cost. Of course, you need to have the capital up front! Suppliers usually have a set pricing structure in place, but it won't hurt to try negotiating for a better rate (or even quantity) to drive the wholesale price down.

Low Competition

The Labs indicate low competition for all 3 ice makers. When only a few sellers offer a product online, your listings have a higher chance of being seen. Another advantage to having low-competition products is you can avoid price wars that eat into your profits.

General Demand

One way to drive web traffic to your listings is to use the right keywords, no matter where you sell. With AffiloTools Keyword Research, you have easy access to data on the keywords people are using when searching for ice makers online. Using this tool can also reveal related products that your customers might be interested in.

*Note: The keyword search results will give you a long list, but below are 6 top examples.

"Ice makers" give us a good result of 8,100 monthly searches, which indicate their popularity online. Not only that, but "portable ice maker" shows an even higher search volume of 18,100. "Commercial ice machine" also suggests a potential market with search volume of 2,400.

That's a good sign of what kinds of products you should be looking into. Remember that different products will target different markets – homeowners are likely more interested in portable machines, while business owners will be looking at industrial and commercial options.

When it comes to appliances, brands are important. The lab has already shown that EdgeStar, Luma, and Whynter are popular brands. Now we can add "Hoshizaki ice machine" to the list with a search volume of 2,400.

Tips on Selling Ice Makers

Shipping fees can be daunting when selling bulky products like ice makers. Selling through local sites helps you target nearby customers, then you can personally deliver the product. Make sure to pick a safe place for the handoff – consider meeting the buyer halfway between your two locations. Another tip on delivering ice makers is to offer free shipping as this helps boost your online sales. Set a minimum order threshold for free shipping ("spend $300 and get free shipping!") to entice your customers to buy more.

There are a lot of ways to gain additional sales. By selling related items such as ice buckets, tongs, and other equipment for entertaining (or even other portable appliances), this can entice potential buyers to your listings. Bundling ice makers with these items or offering small (yet useful) freebies such as ice packs can also grab your customers' attention.

Can't get ahead of your competition? Try selling at your own online store. Just make sure to work on driving enough traffic to your site to gain sales. You may also use AffiloTools for free to make sure you use the right keywords when you start listing ice makers (and other products) online, so your products and your site will appear in the first few pages of search engine results.

Over to You!

We have ice maker suppliers that all ship globally and that we have verified as safe and legitimate. You can access them instantly here in our directory.

Let us know if you're selling ice makers online and share your success story with us! Also, please feel free to leave your comments below and let us know if we've missed something.

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Disclaimer: The information published here is strictly for informational purposes. All above product items are only suggestions for possible products which will sell favorably, and should be used as a guide only. At the time of writing, all above products were researched using methods recommend by SaleHoo and found to be potentially profitable for sellers. All sellers are encouraged to conduct their own market and product research.