Everything You Need to Know About Starting a Print on Demand Dropshipping Business
Are you interested in starting your own print on demand dropshipping business? If so, you're in luck! In this article, we'll cover everything you need to know to get started. From what print on demand is to where you can sell your products, we'll cover it all. So, let's dive in!
What is Print on Demand?
Print on demand is a fulfillment business model where products are only produced or printed when an order is placed. This is similar to dropshipping, but instead of a supplier shipping out the item directly, the item is produced or printed on. With print on demand, you have access to a wide variety of products, including t-shirts, mugs, cups, tumblers, and certain office supplies. The amount of products you have access to customize is endless. You create a design for a particular product, upload it to your print on demand supplier's website, and then list that same item on your website or whatever marketplace you're selling on. Whenever a customer places an order, that order is rerouted to your printer or supplier, who then produces the product and ships it out to your customer.
Where Can You Sell Your Print on Demand Products?
You can sell your print on demand products practically anywhere, but the top marketplaces are Etsy, eBay, and Shopify. You can also sell on Amazon, but they have their own prints on demand service called Merch by Amazon. If you want to do prints on demand with Amazon, you'll have to go with their program. By far, the best places to sell your prints on demand items are Etsy and eBay.
Niching Down
When it comes to prints on demand, it's important to niche down. Not just with your overall designs, but with products as well. Choose a design niche, such as dogs, and then go with different types of dog bowls, dog t-shirts, dog cups, and dog mouse pads. Just make sure that everything makes sense together.
Designing for Print on Demand
When designing for print on demand, it's important to keep in mind that you need a PNG file. The file you download has to be a PNG. Do not download it as a JPEG. The reason for this is because a PNG allows for transparency in the design itself. One thing we don't want is a white background because if we upload the white background to one of our products, then the white background is going to be printed as well, and that's going to look absolutely horrendous. You are going to need high-quality artwork to have good products.
Pricing Your Products
You're going to have to price your product competitively if you want to make sales. The good thing is that's not that hard to do. Autods has some pretty good prices on their different products, and people are typically selling these products for a decent markup. T-shirts are typically going to run about $25 to $30, tumblers are typically going to run about the same, and hoodies are typically going to sell for about $60.
Marketing Your Products
One way to start getting in front of the eyes of new customers is by running different ads. If you're selling on your own store, then your best bet is going to be Tik Tok ads, Facebook ads, organic marketing, and things like content creation. If you're on Etsy, you don't need to run ads, but you can. Etsy does have Etsy ads where you can set a budget of maybe $1 or $2, maybe even $10 to $15 a day. What this does is it'll just help you get in front of the eyes of new customers and put you at the top of the listings.
Scaling Your Business
One way to scale your business is by simply adding more products. Another way is to open up new stores in different niches with different products and see what works best for you.
Pros and Cons of Print on Demand
Pros:
- Low startup costs
- No inventory needed
- Wide variety of products to choose from
- Easy to test new products
- No minimum order quantities
Cons:
- Lower profit margins compared to traditional manufacturing
- Limited control over the production process
- Quality control issues can arise
- Shipping times can be longer
Highlights
- Print on demand is a fulfillment business model where products are only produced or printed when an order is placed.
- You can sell your print on demand products practically anywhere, but the top marketplaces are Etsy, eBay, and Shopify.
- Niching down is important when it comes to prints on demand. Choose a design niche and then go with different types of products that make sense together.
- When designing for print on demand, make sure you have a PNG file with transparency in the design.
- Autods has some pretty good prices on their different products, and people are typically selling these products for a decent markup.
- One way to start getting in front of the eyes of new customers is by running different ads.
- One way to scale your business is by simply adding more products or opening up new stores in different niches with different products.
FAQ
Q: What is print on demand?
A: Print on demand is a fulfillment business model where products are only produced or printed when an order is placed.
Q: Where can you sell your print on demand products?
A: You can sell your print on demand products practically anywhere, but the top marketplaces are Etsy, eBay, and Shopify.
Q: What is niching down?
A: Niching down is choosing a design niche, such as dogs, and then going with different types of products that make sense together.
Q: What file type do you need for print on demand?
A: You need a PNG file with transparency in the design.
Q: How do you price your print on demand products?
A: You're going to have to price your product competitively if you want to make sales. Autods has some pretty good prices on their different products, and people are typically selling these products for a decent markup.
Q: How do you market your print on demand products?
A: One way to start getting in front of the eyes of new customers is by running different ads. If you're on Etsy, you don't need to run ads, but you can. Etsy does have Etsy ads where you can set a budget of maybe $1 or $2, maybe even $10 to $15 a day.
Q: How do you scale your print on demand business?
A: One way to scale your business is by simply adding more products or opening up new stores in different niches with different products.
