Print on demand (POD) lets you sell custom-designed products without stock. You upload designs, list them on items such as T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, phone cases or posters, and a print partner prints, packs and ships each order after it is placed.
It is a form of dropshipping where the design is yours. That gives you something competitors can't copy as easily as a generic gadget, and it suits audiences built around a hobby, a profession, a place or a sense of humor.
- Pros: no inventory, as many designs as you want to test, and products that feel unique.
- Cons: higher unit costs than bulk printing, so thinner margins, plus production time added to shipping.
The design and the niche do the selling. Broad, generic designs compete with everyone; specific designs for a well-defined community give people a reason to buy from you.
Common mistakes: uploading hundreds of designs without testing which themes sell, skipping samples so print quality goes unchecked, and using images, characters or slogans you don't have the rights to. You can study how leading print-on-demand stores present and price their products in Shop Analytics.