Has anyone had success with one-demand print products
I know that physical products tend not to be the focus on IH, but I have a few print on demand ideas I am considering working on.
From the looks of it I could get a decent markup using one of the several APIs I have found. They manage the printing and shipping, so all I'd need to do is collect the payment and make an API call. In relation to other physical product avenues, this seems relatively low overhead.
I was wondering if anyone here has had any success with something similar or any information/tips for pursuing something like this.
Hey Matt,
I’ve worked on a surprising number of print-on-demand products in the past. The things I would consider when dealing with a third party:
what happens when (not if) they drop the ball? Your customer will come to you for answers - how will you handle that?
what’s stopping someone else offering your product? How are you differentiated?
what happens if the API provider shuts down, shuts you down or jacks up their prices?
I’m sure there’s more...
I used to have a Shopify store that integrated into Printful.com. you upload your designs and every new sale was automatically handled by Printful. The margins are tight with them but that's one option.
I second the tight margins with Printful. They've expanded the heck out of their offerings, but with the margins you need a strong marketing aspect and volume to make it work.
Totally. They're the "we're a quality option but you gotta pay for it" choice.
@indecisive other similar options I've used with better margins are Gooten and TeeLaunch
Thank you for the additional resources. I had mostly been looking at printful so far.
I don't have a ton of experience with this but I would suggest pricing it as if you were using your backup option.
This means if you ever run into any issue with product X with supplier Y, you can move the product A to supplier Z without changing your price.
Your customers will want to know their shirt will cost them the same amount (or less) in six months.
I hope this helps a bit.