ECOMMERCE
How to Start a Print-on-Demand Business? A Low-Risk Way to Sell Custom T-Shirts, Books and More
Whether you’re an artist, writer, designer, or entrepreneur, physical products can be the perfect canvas for monetizing your creativity.
From t-shirts to posters, backpacks to books, you can put your own original spin on everyday products and sell them online. However, if you go the traditional route of buying and holding your own inventory, you may be left with a pile of products that aren’t selling.
Print-on-demand services offer an alternative way to bypass the time, investment, and risk associated with managing inventory, letting you go from creating to selling custom products at a fraction of the cost.
What is “print on demand”? how does it work? And what are the pros and cons for going the POD route?
Print on demand is a process where you work with a supplier to customize white-label products (like baseball hats or tote bags) with your own designs to sell them on a per-order basis under your own brand.
That means you don’t pay for the product until after you’ve actually sold it, so there’s no need to buy in bulk or hold any inventory yourself.
Plus, with print-on-demand services everything after the sale, from printing to shipping, is handled by your supplier. Once you’ve set everything up, it takes only a few clicks to fulfill an order once you’ve made a sale.
You can use print-on-demand services to:
* Test a business idea or new product line for an existing business without the risks that come with buying inventory.
* Monetize an audience you’ve built. Printing on demand is a great option if you’re a YouTuber, cartoonist, or social media influencer who wants to spend your time creating content instead of fulfilling orders.
* Create original products for a niche of customers. For example, apparel for people who are passionate about gaming.
* Easily print one-off items: t-shirts, books, shoes, bags, wall art, phone cases, clocks, laptop skins, mugs, and so much more. You can send these as gifts or keep them for yourself and your team.
The pros and cons of print on demand
Print on demand sites can be used to build a business based on a dropshipping model—where the products and shipping are all handled by a third party. It’s one of the most accessible ways to source products or start an online store, but you should know the perks and limitations before you dive in.
Read more here. (Shopify)
Additional Links:
Print On Demand Vs. AliExpress Dropshipping: Which is More Profitable? (Oberlo)
7 Print-On-Demand Design Mistakes Beginners Make (PRINTFUL)