AngelaLots of people are making money online right now with a ‘Print On Demand’ merchandise business. The model has been around for a while but has really advanced over the last few years and it is now easier than ever to set up.
Therefore you can start earning profits online using this method right now without any special skills or knowledge.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.
What Is Print On Demand?
Print On Demand or “POD” for short, involves advertising customized merchandise for sale but only printing it when a sale is made.
No stock is needed and the whole process can be automated and outsourced to a printing company. As a result you can set up an online print on demand store for free with no upfront or ongoing costs.
Critically you are not manufacturing or posting the items yourself. This is done by the print on demand provider, like Printful for example. It’s your job to create designs and upload it to your chosen store or marketplace.
You also have to create the listing and set the price you want to sell for. When a sale is made it’s automatically ordered with the printing provider and shipped to your customer.
All you need is an internet connection and ideally a laptop, but a phone or tablet will also work.
Check out this video below explaining how POD drop shipping works:
What Types of Merchandise Can I Sell?
There are literally hundreds of different types of customizable POD merchandise to chose from. Most people associate custom merchandise with t-shirts but there is now a massive variety of products. Although t-shirts are still on of the biggest sellers, its also a very saturated marketplace.
So it seems like venturing into more niche products can help you capture more sales with less competition. I have listed some of the available products below.
The most popular custom merchandise to sell are:
- T shirts, Hoodies and Tops
- Bags and Accessories
- Coffee Mugs and Cups
- Prints and Posters
- Mobile Phone Cases
- Stickers
- Cushions and Pillows
- Beach Towels
- Trainers and Shoes
There are loads more items you can add designs to. Some of the more quirky items include:
- Flip Flops
- Aprons
- Bean Bags
- Engraved Jewelry
- Socks
- Swimwear
- Sports Bras
How Can I Make Money With Print On Demand?
There are lots of different ways to start making income with POD, the key is picking the right method for you. The way it works in simple terms is you create a design and upload it to one of the many fulfillment platforms below.
The design could be something as simple as a text phrase with no graphics. Some of the platforms even have graphic design software built into them. Alternatively you can pay a designer on a site like Fiverr to create some designs for you.
Earning Example
Some of these platforms pay a commission or royalty for each sale. Some of them you add a mark up on each item sold, all shipping is handled by them.
Sell One T-Shirt
- Retail Price: $21.99
- Cost of Fulfilment: $14.00
- Profit: $7.99
Different Methods To Make Money
One of the most important things that you need to understand is the different methods listed below. Picking the right platform to start with is very important as it will save you time, money and give you the best chance of success.
If you pick the wrong method then you will likely not sell a single t-shirt. While with the right method you could quickly start earning profits. The three main methods are:
- Set Up Your Own POD eCommerce Website (Hard)
- Create Listings On Global Marketplaces (Moderate)
- Upload Designs To POD Platforms (Easy)
Like all things in life the hardest methods require the most investment but have the highest potential. If you are a beginner then I would suggest you start with easier options 2 or 3. You should only start with option 1 if you have an existing audience or customer base.
How To Start A Print On Demand Store
I am going to run though the main three methods on how to get started below. Hopefully after reading these options you will know the best one for you. Its also worth noting that I am speaking from experience having done all three of the strategies below.
1. Set Up Your Own POD eCommerce Website (Hard)
Question | Answer |
Difficulty: | Hard |
Set Up Cost: | $100 – $200 |
Monthly Cost: | $10 – $50+ |
Passive?: | 50% |
Organic Traffic: | Low |
With this method you set up your own website with a domain name and list all your products for sale. You are directly in control of everything from how your site looks, what payment methods you accept and will own your customer base. The advantages of this are that you can build your own customer base and email list for future marketing. The disadvantages are that you have to find a way to drive customers to your site, usually via Social Media or Paid ads.
Who is this suitable for?
I would not recommend this method for beginners, you will likely lose money and take a while to even break even. This method is more suited to those experienced in eCommerce, existing brands and influencer’s with large social media followings. In addition you will need to take care of all customer service with this method making it less passive.
How to set up my own POD site?
The most popular way to create your own POD site is to link Shopify with a printing provider like Printful or Printify. You can link your Shopify store to one or more printing drop shippers via the App store. This means orders are automatically submitted to the suppliers for fulfilment.
Another popular method would be to create a self hosted wordpress.org website. This can then be linked with popular WordPress eCommerce plugins WooCommerce and BigCommerce. For this method you need a reliable WordPress hosting provider such as Bluehost.
NOTE 31st May 2020 – Shopify are currently offering a 90 day free trail, which is normally only 14 days. Click here to get your 90 day free trial.
Popular eCommerce Tools
Popular Printing Providers
- Printful – Integrated with Shopify, Woocommerce or Bigcommerce
- Printify – Integrated with Shopify or Woocommerce
Pros and Cons of a POD eCommerce Website
PROS | CONS |
– Build a customer email list | – Little or no organic traffic |
– Full control of business | – Expensive to set up and run |
– Bigger margin per sale, no fees | – Difficult to drive sales |
– More Print Providers | – Less passive than other methods |
– Asset/Future sale value | – More technical and involved |
2. Create Listings On Global Marketplaces (Moderate)
Question | Answer |
Difficulty: | Moderate |
Set Up Cost: | $0 |
Monthly Cost: | $0 |
Passive?: | 90% |
Organic Traffic: | High |
This is personally my favorite POD method and the one that I have had the most success with. With this strategy you pick a print on demand provider and list your designs on Etsy, eBay or Amazon. This means that you can take advantage of the huge amounts of organic traffic these sites get and make sales straight away.
Who is this suitable for?
This method is suitable for beginners but does require a little more work than method 3. Orders can be fully automated but you may get customer service issues to deal with. However it is easier to target specific niches or keywords. Additionally you can make your items stand out from the crowd with personalized storefronts and listing customization.
How to list items on Etsy, eBay and Amazon?
The first thing you need to do is register with a merchandise printing drop shipper. As far as I am aware the only one that automatically links with all three marketplaces is Printful. Another popular provider that connects with Etsy is Printify. You can check out my other post comparing the two HERE.
If you want a full step by step guide on how to get started with Printful and Etsy check out my other post.
ETSY Print On Demand – Printful Integration
Popular Printing Providers
Pros and Cons of listing on Etsy, eBay or Amazon
PROS | CONS |
– Easier niche & keyword targeting | – Fees of 10-15% per sale |
– High organic traffic & sales | – No ownership of customer |
– No set up costs | – Pay for orders upfront |
– Optional paid ads | – List items one at a time |
– Create a store front, customize listings | – Deal with complaints/returns |
3. Upload Designs To POD Platforms (Easy)
QUESTION | ANSWER |
Difficulty: | Easy |
Set Up Cost: | $0 |
Monthly Cost: | $0 |
Passive?: | 100% |
Organic Traffic: | Medium/High |
So this third strategy to make money with custom Merch is probably the easiest and quickest to implement. Unfortunately this also means its very saturated and competitive. Basically you create a design and upload it to one of the many print on demand platforms. If it sells they pay you a royalty and take care of the rest. You have no contact with the customers making this a source of 100% passive income.
Who is this suitable for?
If you just want to concentrate on creating designs and nothing else then this is a perfect strategy. Due to the large number of designs on these platforms its very much a numbers game. In order to make decent sales you will likely need to upload hundreds or thousands of different designs. However there is nothing stopping you from uploading the same design to all the platforms.
How to list designs on POD platforms?
With most of the platforms listed below you simply register and start to upload designs. There are no in built design generators so you have to use third party software to create designs.
If you are not sure how to make designs then check out my other post showing you how. Beginners T Shirt Design Guide For Merch By Amazon & Redbubble
Popular Print On Demand Marketplaces
- Merch By Amazon – This is their own platform and gets your designs listed on Amazon .com .co.uk and .de. There are only a few products and its very strict on trademarks/copyright.
- Redbubble – Huge POD marketplace, lots of products and you can upload one design to all the products at once. They also have agreements with popular TV shows and films to make fan art.
- Society6 – POD marketplace similar to Redbubble
- Teespring – Popular POD marketplace
- CafePress – Popular POD marketplace
Pros and Cons of listing on POD Platforms
PROS | CONS |
– 100% Passive Income | – Saturated, high competition |
– Don’t pay for orders upfront | – No contact with customers |
– No set up costs or fees | – Very little customization |
– No customer service issues | – Lots of copycats and design thief’s |
– Upload and forget | – Very strict rules on content & TM |
Summary
Hopefully you now have a better understanding of how to make money with print on demand. There are lots of different methods and also providers to work with. Choosing the right method to start with is critical to your likelihood of success.
However the best advice is to JUST START and learn as you go along. Literally head over to Printful now and sign up for free. Use their mock-up generator to create your first simple design and get it listed!!
Free Print On Demand Guide
Find out more by downloading my free print on demand eBook.
Alternatively if you haven’t finished researching and learning just yet, check out my other posts and guides.
This next post covers the easiest way to get started with Etsy for beginners, click HERE to learn how.
Feel free to comment below with any questions about how print on demand works!
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