Have you heard the term print on demand and wondered what is it and how can I make money from it? Have you ever purchased a mug, T-shirt, stickers, or artwork from a shop on Etsy, Zazzle, or Shopify? Chances are the shop owner was using print on demand or POD as most individuals refer to it.
If you’re thinking about starting a print-on-demand business, there are a few things you should know. In this article, we’ll give you a quick introduction to print on demand, how to create and source simple designs to create amazing products as well as show you how you can take your store from zero to hundreds if not thousands of dollars monthly.
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You can literally start a print on demand shop for $.20 cents and this article will show you how.
What Is Print On Demand?
Print on demand (POD) is a type of eCommerce where businesses (that being you) can sell custom products without having to invest in inventory. This business model is perfect for entrepreneurs, stay-at-home moms, and those looking for a side hustle who want to start a business with little upfront investment.
Your products are printed only when they are ordered. You pay for the product when the order is placed. The POD manufacturer prints the item(s) from their facility and ships the item out for you. Your profit is the difference between the wholesale & shipping price vs. the retail price (minus the fees that a platform such as Etsy or Shopify may charge).
I used Print On Demand when I started my brand 1619. You can launch your own brand, and create and sell your own custom designs on your T-shirts, mugs, books, shower curtains, pillows, artwork and so much more. There are thousands of items that PODs will allow you to print on.
Having a print on demand store has changed the lives of quite a few side hustlers.
What Do You Need To Get Started With Print-On-Demand?
You only need a few items to get started. You need a computer, laptop, Ipad, or tablet. You could do some of it with your phone, but I don’t recommend it. Access to the internet, A POD company such as Printful, Printify, Teelaunch, Lulu Xpress. You need an Etsy account, a free Canva acct, and a bank account. You also need $.20 cents. The $.20 cents is the cost of listing an item on Etsy.
To simplify the process, we will use Printful and Etsy. Printful has a US-based print facility in Charlotte, NC as well as printing hubs worldwide. Thus if a client is in the UK and places an order, his order will be shipped from the UK. Once you have your Printful account set up, you can connect your Printful account to your Etsy, Shopify, Wix, WooCommerce, Amazon, and eBay stores.
Printful offers a free account. You only pay for items when someone places an order for an item. They do have an option for a premium account which starts at $29 a month. I use the free account. I suggest that you start with the free account.
How Does Print-On-Demand Work?
The short version is that you need to create some designs in Canva or another design tool of your choice. You can also purchase designs that give you commercial rights and POD rights such as Creative Fabrica, Creative Market, and more. You are then going to take the design you created in Canva and upload it to your printful account. Then you will take that design and place it on an item that you want to sell such as a t-shirt or mug.
Printful has videos to walk you through the entire process. Once you create your product, save the mockups, and insert the prices, you will then publish this product to your Etsy store. It’s magical, it only takes a few minutes. Then you will log into your Etsy store and make some final tweaks and hit the publish button.
People can now purchase your item on your Etsy store.
Print On Demand Process
- Customer orders a product, ie. a mug, t-shirt, pillow, etc from your store.
- They pay for the item on Etsy. The money they just paid is in your Etsy Account (it is going to sit there for a day or two)
- A notification is sent to Printful. Printful is going to start working to process this order. If you have automated orders selected then you don’t have to do anything. If you have manual approval set up, you will need to monitor your orders and go into the system and manually approve the order.
- Printful is now going to charge you the cost of the item plus the shipping charge. You either need to have a credit card on file or you can put money in your Printful account.
- Printful will now create the product and ship it to your customer.
- In a day or two, Etsy will deposit the money -minus Etsy Fees into your account. You pocket the difference.
What Are The Benefits Of Print On Demand?
POD has a low entry point to get started. You do not have to have any inventory. You don’t have to ship any products. You never have to touch a product. Print on demand can be a great way to save money on inventory and shipping costs. It can also be a great way to test out new products without having to invest a lot of money upfront.
Can You Make Money With Print On Demand?
Yes, of course, you can make money with print on demand. However, this is not a cakewalk. You will need to put forth some effort and do your research as well. You wouldn’t run out and start fixing cars if you have never read a book on cars. Just check out Etsy and you will see thousands of people that have sold thousands of items on Etsy. I’ve made over $3,000 thus far on Etsy and I’m in the process of opening up several more storefronts on Etsy. Just remember that every store on Etsy started with one sold item!
How Much Money Can You Make With Print On Demand (POD)?
The sky is the limit when it comes to making money with POD services. It comes down to finding your niche, the products you sell, your audience, and your marketing. I always suggest that you research other storefronts in your niche and see what they are selling. Often times when you log into Etsy, you will see in red, 5 people have this item in their cart. This is a good indicator of a popular item. In addition, if you are on the main page of Etsy, do a simple search and watch what auto-populates. Etsy is telling you what is popular as well as keywords that you should use in your descriptions.
Let’s break down a few numbers if you will. If you sell one item per day with a profit margin of $6 – $10 per day, then you have earned $180 to $300 per month in what is considered passive income. You created it one time and it continues to earn you money. The reality is there are individuals on Etsy that earn six figures from their Print on Demand Storefronts.
One of my best-selling items is a simple ball cap with 1619 on it.
Resources
What Are The Best Print On Demand Sites
Best Graphic And Design Sites
Final Thoughts
I took you through the basic ins and outs of how to make money using print on demand. Print on demand is probably my top recommendation that I provide when someone tells me that they need to earn money quickly. It can be a great way to make money. It can save you money on inventory and shipping costs, and it can be a great way to test out new products.
Take the time to research the ins and outs of print on demand. Printful has a ton of articles and YouTube is your friend.
