What Is Print On Demand
Simply, Print On Demand is when you sell your own custom designs on varieties of products like (clothes, shoes, bags, phone cases, etc.) The suppliers (print providers) print your designs on the products and ship them to your customers directly when they purchase from your online store. More like drop-shipping.
How Does Print On Demand Work and How Can You Get Started
With Print-On-Demand, order processing is mostly automated. When a customer places an order, all you need to do is click a button to send the customer product details and order to your suppliers.
You don’t need to buy inventory upfront and you only pay once a customer places an order in your store, hence the name “Print On Demand“.
The designs are being provided as a mock-up on your print-providers dashboard, where you upload your designs on a mockup (blank canvas) of your products, after which you can push the items to your online store, when someone visits your store, sees the products and likes them, they can order and pay for them. The image below is an example of one of my Print On Demand products.
These items were provided as blanks by the print providers, I then went ahead to design the Isi Agu pattern, applied them to the mock-up given, and pushed them to my store.
Take, for instance, the Isi Agu designed high-top sneakers above, the print providers charge $32USD to print my design and ship it to my buyers on my behalf when I publish it on my store, I sell it for $59.00USD, keeping a profit of $27.00USD that is roughly ₦9,865 Nigerian Naira. Here’s a screenshot of a few items I sell in my store.
How Can You Get Started With Print-On-Demand
This is the most important part you’ve been waiting for I guess, and sorry for all the long talk above, I just need to make sure you understand the concept by using real-life examples, as it can be confusing for beginners.
But then, if you still do not understand anything, the comment section is there for you to ask questions in areas where you are not cleared on. Okay, so how do you get started: There is some questions you might need answers to before starting your own Print-On-Demand business.
- How can I choose/find a print provider?
- What kind of designs should I make?
- Which platform can I use for my Print-On-Demand online store?
How Can I choose/Find a Print Provider
To answer the first question… You don’t need to meet the print providers or know them physically or even communicate with them over the phone to use their services, except you need to contact their support online regarding an order you placed or something. There’s an online platform that connects various print providers with different mockup products, these print providers can be located in the U.S, U.K, China, etc.
If you click on the image above, it will take you to the Online Platform I told you about known as Printify. When you are sign-up with them, you will be provided with a dashboard where you can see various blank mockup products to upload your designs to, connect and push to your online store, set your pricing and profit margins, etc.
What Kind of Designs Should I Make?
Now, this particular part seems to be the hardest part of this business because not everyone is a graphic designer or has that advanced technical background, but guess what, this is not an issue at all.
You don’t need to be a graphic design guru to create your own custom-designed t-shirts, mugs, shoes, etc. you just need to know how to click the mouse, as simple as that. There are a lot of free online graphic design tools to use in creating stunning graphics in which you can sell your designs, and if done right, people will definitely love to buy them.
Which Platform Can I Use For My Print-On-Demand Online Store?
There are varieties of options to choose from, and a lot of eCommerce platforms out there are literally begging for people to sell items on their platforms. example Amazon, Etsy, BigCommerce, etc.
You can sign up with them as a seller, and start selling your merch on their platform. Most people who want to own their business fully can create their own online store with shopping cart CMS systems like Woocommerce, Magento, Prestashop, etc. This option usually is the best because
- You own your platform
- No monthly/yearly fees or commissions from sales you make, thereby eating a tiny bit into your profits.
- You can customize and brand your online store as you want, with your own logo, etc.
If you want this service, you can CONTACT me by leaving a comment in the comment section of this post down below this page. Note: When you signup with Printify. On your dashboard, you can see the list of online stores and shopping carts you can connect your store. That will help you decide which platform you can use for your Print On Demand business.
That’s it for now, I hope you learned something. DROP A COMMENT BELOW if you have questions or need more clarification on certain things about POD.
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20 comments
I really wish to start the business, however I want a variation to this business model where I demand for the branded products and then I sell directly to customers. How do I go about it
Hi Idesukhe, I have outlined the steps to follow in this blog article. You can sell on Etsy or on your own website. I can help you setup on your website if you need help in that area.
Am interested in this, I want to do printing on t-shirt, hoddies and sweaters
Hi Franklin, It’s possible, but there are different ways to approach it. You can do it locally, or internationally.
hi, thanks for this, i only have one question. does printify deliver to nigeria and what is the delivery timeline if so?
Yes, they do deliver to Nigeria and any other country in the world. The delivery timeline for countries outside the USA and Canada is usually between 10-21 Days. It depends though.
If I sell my product on Etsy please how do I get paid. Will it be paid into my personal bank account or by other mode of payment.
You can only get paid via Stripe or PayPal…
I really want to do it but I’m not sure if it’s possible for teenagers to do
Hi Bella, yes it is very possible for teenagers to start and own a Print on Demand business… If you need help with how to get started, you can contact me via the contact page on this website here: https://kennethben.com/contact
You can only get paid through PayPal and strpe? Then what’s the point?
What other payment option would you prefer on the platform?
I don’t seem to be able to set up Etsy as a Nigerian. It requires US origin/person.
I don’t think etsy is free
I think you have to pay to list items
Yes, Etsy has a free account option, but it’s not totally free, even though you can sign up as a member to sell on Etsy for free, you get to pay 0.20 cents per listing for a duration of 4 months, after you have exhausted your free listings
Hi, thanks for this article. Can you recommend PoD sites for Nigerians in Nigeria? I want something that will be easier for Nigerians to order without worrying about shipping fees or delays. Thanks.
Hello Tana, Though the sites I mentioned in this article deliver to Nigeria, “Shipping delays and fees” which is a major as you mentioned might get in the way… Unfortunately, there are no eCommerce sites in Nigeria that integrate with these platforms.
I appreciate your article so much. I’ve a question, this is as regarding to Printful being one of the POD. How really is their structure in terms of payment methods(for sellers)? Do they deliver products to Nigeria? And how effective is their intergration with weebly which one of their option for an online store?
Hello Jerimiah, thanks for your comment.
Printful supports PayPal, so it will be easy to pay for your customer items. Yes they deliver to Nigeria and I have not integrated Printul to Weebly as it is not a recommended option for me, due to certain platform restrictions and subscriptions that are not beginner friendly. But they do integrate well with Weebly.