Saturday, April 11, 2020

What is Print on Demand (POD)?

In a previous article, I wrote about dropshipping, its pros, and its cons(more about its cons though) and mentioned that Print on Demand(POD) was basically dropshipping, but without its biggest con.

What is Print on Demand(POD)

Print on Demand, or POD is pretty self-explanatory. Send in a design, and the company would print it for you on the spot. The question then is, what makes it so similar to dropshipping? 

Dropshipping is where you, the dropshipper, connects the supplier to the customer by doing your own advertising. You don't need to own your own product, you don't need to manufacture the product and you don't need to ship the product. Everything is done by the supplier. I've already covered the pros and cons of dropshipping here. POD is pretty much the same thing, except the shipping times are shorter, much shorter and you will have to create your own product.
print on demand


I hear you asking, if I have to create a design, isn't that more work than just dropshipping? Well, my answer to that is, if you're not willing to put in work, how are you gonna become a millionaire?

My previous article spoke about how dropshipping's biggest downfall was its shipping times. POD eliminates that issue almost entirely. Compared to the 20-30 day shipping times of dropshipping, POD platforms can usually ship your products to your customers within 7-14 days. On top of that, their products are usually of higher quality.


How to start a POD store

Now, let's get on to how you can start a POD store of your own!

Decide on a platform

Like other online business models, there are POD platforms which help you set up your website and fulfill orders from your customers. Here is a list of the most reputable and well-known ones. 

Prices for each platform varies slightly and different platforms tend to specialize on different things. For example, Teespring specializes in T-Shirts, while Printify and Printul focus on more miscellaneous products like posters and coffee mugs. Don't get me wrong, all platforms are able to print a variety of products, it's just that some platforms do it cheaper and better than others. You may also need a website to help you create an online storefront, for that I would recommend Shopify.

Come up with a design

After you're done signing up for a website, you'll need to come up with a design. If you're horrible at designing like me, you could think of funny quotes or sentences. Once you've grown your business, you could hire a designer to come up with more colorful ideas. 
print on demand

Diversify!

Once you've found a design that sells, try placing the same design on different products. For example, if it worked on a T-Shirt, try it out on a mug, or hoodie, or beanie. It's important to make sure that the design works first though!



If you're hesitating, don't! Get started ASAP and stop wasting precious time. Most of these platforms offer a free trial during which you can figure out what works and what doesn't. 

If I missed out anything please do let me know through email st 'jingrui.wu.2002@gmail.com'.

If you found this article helpful, feel free to check out my other ones and give me a follow. Thanks!

1 comment:

  1. Thank You, for your wonderful blog post. That's a great blog post, with lots of motivation. Just what we do need to hear. I really enjoyed reading it!

    ReplyDelete