UK Print-on-Demand Essentials

Print-on-demand is one of the only ecommerce business opportunities that suits people with all kinds of budgets. People with zero start-up capital can actually start earning quite quickly, and it’s the kind of thing that people with deep pockets would want to make an effort for.

Merch by Amazon is among the most popular methods to make money through print-on-demand, but there’s a whole host of other platforms to create and sell products without spending a penny on inventory. The others allow you to expand beyond apparel to things print-on-demand homeware, greetings cards and more. Below is a list of the print-on-demand tools I use for my ecommerce businesses.

Print-on-Demand Platforms

The print-on-demand platforms are the services that create and fulfil the products. At present, there isn’t a single platform that achieves the perfect mix of product variety, prompt UK dispatches and seamless website integration.

Merch by Amazon; Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk print-on-demand platform: sign up

Inkthreadable; UK-based print-on-demand, clothing and homeware specialist: sign up

Kite: UK-based print-on-demand, clothing, homeware and cards specialist: sign up

Product Research

I made the mistake of thinking I could come up with hundreds of sellable product ideas without any help at all. I might have a constant flow of concepts, but finding ones that people want to buy is a different story. The following help me to focus my search in particular areas.

Jungle Scout: comprehensive Amazon product research suite: sign up

Keywords Everywhere; interactive keyword research tool: sign up

Graphic Design

I’ve been mixing and matching between creating my own graphics and outsourcing for years. When it comes to print-on-demand, the volume you need to supply pretty much demands that you need help. The first one more than covers my needs, and the other is for when I’m inspired to do my own simple idea.

DotYeti; unlimited graphic design service – from $449/month: sign up

Penji; unlimited graphic design service – from $369/month: sign up (use code 48I2SO9VK0669930 for 15% off first month)

Creative Fabrica; design assets: search

Canva; freemium graphic design platform – $12.95/month: sign up

Websites

There’s a misconception that the best print-on-demand sellers just sell via Merch by Amazon. There are so many opportunities to expand your audience if you try to sell away from Amazon (especially if you want to sell something other than clothes). The following is the best around and quickest way to get started.

Shopify; ecommerce website builder and hosting – £29/month: info / sign up

Reporting

Amazon is notorious for being secretive about things that you would expect to come as standard. The following solves the problem of how difficult it is for Merch by Amazon sellers to actually see what they’ve sold.

PrettyMerch; free Merch by Amazon sales tracker and reporting suite: download