The uniqueness of Etsy as an e-commerce platform is letting a buyer find here rare items that are sometimes handmade or even custom-made. Such stuff is popular because they always make an apt gift and allow their owner to own a one-of-a-kind piece. POD merchandise also meets those needs, so it won’t be hard for POD business owners to launch their projects on this platform. All it takes is to research its sales rules and get the support of a print-on-demand fulfillment company. Make sure your partner doesn’t distribute on the same site.
So, originally Etsy was a place where artists and artisans directly sold their handmade, exceptional quality goods around the world. This strategy was successful and attracted a lot of users, even though the cost of such goods was slightly higher than their industrial analogs. A few years ago, it became possible here to sell goods produced by a third party, but they must also meet Etsy quality and uniqueness standards. The seller must be involved in the design and provide comprehensive information about the products. So today, sellers of original POD products have every right to run their online store here. This guide explained how to sell print on demand on Etsy, introduced the pros, and warned about the cons of the platform.
What Print on Demand products are better sold on Etsy?
For the best sales launch, start with the most popular POD items: T-shirts, mugs, wall paintings, and posters. These items are traditionally in high customer demand. Your print-on-demand provider will have no problem fulfilling these orders. You can also offer other personal items: sweaters, hoodies, caps and scarves, jewelry, accessories, key chains, or pet products.
In addition, you can expand the assortment with different home décor. It is one of the product types that shoppers look for on Etsy. Unique tableware, wall clocks, pillows, other home textiles, and decorative stickers will boost sales. The demand for these items is noticeably high in boho and minimalist styles; in floral, animal, abstract, or watercolor design. Offer your customers a good quality for a reasonable price, and orders are soon to follow.
Advantages and disadvantages of running a store on Etsy
Let’s first talk about the pros that this platform offers. You won’t need any special technical skills or extra costs to open a store – it’s completely free. In addition, you will not pay monthly fees, unlike some other marketplaces. Of course, you will be charged a 5% commission for each transaction and a commission for each added product (20 cents). But the electronic platform administration is also a business, so take it with understanding.
Overall, the trading process is easy enough to understand, even for beginners, as you’ll find some sales tips here. But if you run into difficulties, you can always ask the help desk or refer to the seller handbook for store setup and operation, shipping, and legal and tax support. And with built-in metric algorithms, you can always get data on sales statistics and adjust your business strategy if necessary.
You’ll appreciate its enormous audience – there are over 80 million active buyers on Etsy who want to support artists with purchases and reviews.
Now about the cons. They are everywhere, and you need to be aware of them. In addition to the earlier mentioned commissions, your store’s customization requires some costs. If you’ve added an item and paid a commission but haven’t sold a single copy in 4 months, that item is taken off the market. You will have to pay the commission again to re-post it. You will not be able to hide information about your customers. It will be available to everyone, including your numerous competitors. So to run your store successfully, you will have to announce promotions frequently and use other marketing means.
How to run Print on Demand sales on Etsy
We suggest that you follow this step-by-step instruction written specifically for POD sellers on Etsy:
- Set up your project integration. The most seamless way is to work with a competent partner or platform to set up the integration process or use print-on-demand fulfillment software. You save yourself the hassle of running a store and managing orders on your own this way.
- Register on Etsy, create a profile for yourself and the store. Add as much useful and comprehensive information as possible. The store needs a name and some customization. Add at least 1 item to your assortment so that third-party integration is possible.
- Link your account on your print-on-demand provider’s website to your Etsy store. Open the list of allowed integrations, find your marketplace, and allow access to synchronize orders.
- Add other items and update your listings. Don’t forget to give detailed descriptions of your products – it will help potential customers find exactly what they are looking for and make them happy.
Now, when your store is up and running, don’t rush to leave social media. Continue to maintain your project pages there. You will create additional publicity and support the importance of your brand this way.
Another useful thing to keep in mind is to launch promotional campaigns at the right time. Before the holidays, customers are looking for gifts and ready to spend money. They entirely matched POD items, which include a lot of options for gifts, especially personalized ones: greeting cards, mugs and glasses, clothing, décor, and miscellaneous home goods, etc.
Conclusion
Etsy is a perfect option for a creative print-on-demand project. If you are talented and persistent enough, your POD business will gain popularity and loyal customers. We hope that after reading it, you have got rid of your questions and doubts about launching your business there.