I get this question at least once a week from buyers. "Is diamond painting still a thing?" Usually they phrase it as a statement—"I feel like everyone moved on to something else."
Here's the honest answer: it depends entirely on who you're selling to.
A party planner who needs a low-stakes group activity will tell you diamond painting is still going strong. A gift shop owner in a tourist town will probably say demand peaked in 2022 and hasn't come back. They're both right. The trend isn't dead—but it's split into three very different markets, and the wrong product for the wrong customer is how you end up with dead stock.
I've been handling wholesale orders in the gifts and crafts space since 2017, and I've personally made (and documented) some expensive mistakes trying to predict what customers want. In Q1 2023 alone, I misjudged demand on two product lines and wrote off roughly $3,200 in unsold inventory. That one stung. So now I maintain our team's seasonal checklist to stop others from repeating my errors.
Let me walk you through the three diamond painting markets I see today, plus how to figure out which one you're actually selling to.
Market A: The Craft Hobbyist (Declining, Not Dead)
Who they are: Individuals buying for personal use. They started during the pandemic, built a stash, and now buy 1-2 kits per year instead of 5-6.If you're selling to this market directly—say, through a general craft retailer—the peak is behind us. Google Trends data through early 2025 shows a gradual decline from the mid-2022 high. That's not doom, but it's not the explosive growth you'd need to justify a full endcap.
What works here:
- Smaller, affordable kits ($8-15) that feel like an impulse buy.
- Licensed IP designs (Disney, Harry Potter) that drive fandom purchases.
- Kits under 12"x12"—the "I'll finish this in a weekend" size.
What doesn't: Large custom portraits, giant 30"x40" canvases, or kits above $30 without a clear occasion hook. Most hobbyists who bought those once aren't buying them again.
Market B: The Event Planner / Activity Coordinator (Growing)
Who they are: Corporate team-building organizers, birthday party planners, retirement home activity directors, libraries, and schools.This is the market most people miss. The question every buyer asks is, "Is diamond painting still popular with individual crafters?" The question they should ask is, "Does diamond painting work as a low-barrier group activity?" Short answer: yes, and it's getting bigger.
A kit that's too small for a hobbyist is perfect for a 45-minute workshop. An organizer needs something with:
- A clear, simple design (no 20-color confetti sections).
- Quick completion time (under 2 hours for most participants).
- No extra tools required (everything in the box).
I've seen event planners order 50-100 identical kits for a single corporate event. That's one order from one customer, and they don't care if the trend peaked three years ago—they care that it works now for their specific use case. The most common mistake? Showing them a product that looks like it belongs in a hobby store, not an activity packet.
Market C: The Small Business Reseller (Steady, If You Know Your SKUs)
Who they are: Etsy shop owners, boutique gift store buyers, and seasonal pop-up vendors who sell finished diamond painting pieces or themed kits as gifts.This market is trickier. They're buying from you (the wholesaler) to sell to an end customer. Their margins are thin, so they're picky. I once won a $4,500 order from a gift store chain that had been burned by a supplier sending misaligned canvas prints—every single piece on a 500-unit order had the print shifted by 2mm. Straight to the credit bin. $3,800 worth, wasted. That's when I learned: aligning the print grid to the canvas edge isn't optional.
What resellers need:
- Consistent quality across large batches. One bad kit ruins a shelf display.
- Packaging that looks gift-ready. Clear wrapping or a branded box.
- Seasonal themes that sell themselves: Christmas nativity sets, Valentine's hearts, Halloween pumpkins.
What they don't need: Generic landscapes that look like every other kit on Amazon. If a reseller can't tell why a customer would choose your diamond painting over a dozen alternatives, they won't buy.
How To Know Which Market You're In
I can't tell you which market is right for you without knowing your customer base. But I can give you a decision framework.
- Who walks through your doors? If it's individual shoppers browsing for themselves, you're likely in Market A (hobbyist). Keep inventory lean, focus on small kits and licensed IP.
- Who calls you asking for bulk pricing? If you're getting requests for 25+ units at a time, you're probably in Market B (event). That's your growth opportunity. Stock kits designed for groups, not individuals.
- Who orders the same thing twice? If a retailer reorders the exact same SKU within 90 days, you've found a product that works (Market C). Double down on that line. If nothing reorders, you're chasing trends, not building shelf staples.
Diamond painting isn't a single trend anymore. It's three different markets, and each one demands a different product strategy. The vendor who tells you "It's still huge!" without knowing your customer? Probably overselling. The vendor who says, "Here's what works for corporate events, and here's why it's different from what works for gift shops"—that's the one I'd trust.
In my first year (2017), I ordered 1,200 units of a trendy holiday craft kit without thinking about who would buy it. It sat in our warehouse for 18 months. I wrote off $4,200. Now I ask three questions before any new product line: What market is this for? Who buys it? Will they buy it again? If I can't answer all three, I don't order.
