Biggest Mistakes in Print-on-Demand Selling

Print-on-Demand. Many people see this as a simple business model.

You create designs for things like t-shirts, mugs, or posters. You put these designs in a marketplace or your shop.

And when someone buys your design, a company prints it and sends it to the customer. You don't need to keep any products in your house.

It's an interesting way to start a business without spending a lot of money.

And it can be simple when you avoid making mistakes.

So, let's look at the biggest mistakes people make when they try to sell print-on-demand products.

MISTAKE 1
Not Knowing What Customers Want

The first big mistake is not doing enough research.

You need to know what people want to buy. If you make products that no one wants, you won't sell anything.

This can be very disappointing.

To avoid this mistake, you need to do some homework.

Look at what other people are selling.

See what's popular right now. You can use a free tool called Google Trends to help you.

It shows you what people are searching for online. This can give you good ideas for products to make.

For example, if you see that many people are searching for "cat memes," you might want to make some funny cat t-shirts or mugs.

The key is to make things that people are already looking for.

MISTAKE 2
Using Bad Designs

The second big mistake is using designs that don't look good. Your designs need to catch people's eyes.

They should make people want to buy your products right away.

If your designs are boring or ugly, people won't want to buy them.

This can hurt your business.

People might think all your products are bad, even if you make better ones later.

To avoid this mistake, take time to make good designs.

If you're not good at designing, you can ask someone else to help you.

There are many talented designers who can make great designs for you.

It's worth spending some money on good designs. They will help you sell more products in the long run.

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MISTAKE 3
Choosing the Cheapest Supplier

The third big mistake is picking a supplier just because they're cheap.

A supplier is a company that prints and sends your products to customers. It's tempting to choose the cheapest one to save money. But this can cause big problems.

Cheap suppliers might make products that look bad.

The colors might be wrong, or the print might come off easily.

This will make your customers unhappy. They might ask for their money back or leave bad reviews. This can hurt your business a lot.

To avoid this mistake, always order samples from your supplier before you start selling.

This means you buy one of each product you want to sell.

Check if the quality is good enough.

Make sure the colors look right and the product feels nice. It's better to pay a bit more for a good supplier than to lose customers because of bad products.

MISTAKE 4
Not Having a Backup Plan

The last big mistake is not having a backup plan.

What if your supplier suddenly stops making a product you sell a lot?

This can be a big problem if you don't have another supplier ready.

To avoid this mistake, always have more than one supplier.

Know who else can make your products if your main supplier can't.

This way, if something goes wrong, you can quickly switch to another supplier. Your customers won't even notice the change.

Having a backup plan helps you keep your business running smoothly.

It stops you from losing sales or disappointing customers.

EXTRA TIPS

When starting with a POD business model, you have to be prepared for everything.

And you should always try to…

✔️ Build a brand

✔️ Build a social presence

✔️ Implement effective marketing strategies

✔️ Constantly learn new skills*

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In my opinion, selling print-on-demand products can be a great way to start a business.

But you need to be smart about it.

If you can avoid these mistakes, you'll be off to a good start. You'll have a better chance of making your print-on-demand business successful.

Remember, it's okay to make mistakes along the way.

That's how you learn and get better.

Have a nice day,

Miroslav from The Design Nexus