Starting a print-on-demand business is an attractive option due to its relatively low startup costs and minimal risks compared to traditional retail models.
However, the actual cost can vary depending on several factors, including the scale of your business, product offerings, and the platforms you choose.
So, how much does it cost to start a print-on-demand business in reality, and what factors do you need to take into account?
Let’s find out!
The 7 Main Costs of Starting a POD Business
Before we dig any deeper into the, it’s important to understand that all the figures we list are rough estimates to help you get an idea of potential costs.
1. Initial Setup Costs
✨ Business Registration
Depending on your location, registering your business can cost anywhere from $50 to several hundred dollars. This may include obtaining permits, licenses, or trademarks.
✨ Website Creation
If you choose to create your own eCommerce website, costs can range from $100 to $500.
It depends on whether you use a platform like Shopify, where monthly fees start around $32, or WordPress with hosting.
✨ Domain Name
Securing a custom domain name is also something to consider.
Most domain hosting companies charge annual fees ranging from less than $10 to hundreds of thousands.
Some hosts also provide services like email and website hosting, which will also add to the price.
2. Design Costs
Creating unique designs is crucial in POD due to their impact on customer responses, brand identity, and market differentiation.
Emotional responses influence up to 95% of purchasing decisions.
Captivating and creative designs, especially mockups, can tap into these emotions, making customers more likely to engage with your product and buy it.
Thus, investing time and resources into developing high-quality, unique designs is essential for long-term success.
Popular design software includes Canva, Adobe Photoshop, Placeit, Vexels, and others.
Some have Freemium Plans, but these usually have limited features or access to them.
The prices can start at as little as around $7 per month to a few hundred.
If you want a more detailed description of the best mockup sites, you don’t want to miss our blog, 10 Best Mockup Sites To Use For Your Products.
💡 ProTip:
Dynamic Mockups is a mockup generator that enables you to create mockups in bulk and save precious time.
Thus, you can upload multiple designs and color combinations, and we will automatically create all variations of mockups.
In addition, our latest AI mockup feature allows for even more customization so you can create scenes that resonate with your target audience.
And most importantly, you can easily switch up your scenes without changing your original designs.
Therefore, you can test different looks to see what gets the most engagement to find what sells best -without losing your original work
3. Print-on-Demand Providers’ Fees
Some POD platforms like Printful, Printify, or Zazzle don’t charge upfront fees but take a percentage of each sale you make or have base product costs.
Furthermore, pay attention to suppliers with low product prices but high shipping costs, which can affect your profit margins.
4. Production Costs
Shipping and fulfillment also play an important part in overall costs.
You should check whether a provider covers the whole POD process from production to shipping or only individual aspects.
Sometimes, it may be better to opt for a more expensive solution that offers everything under one roof than to combine multiple solutions.
Again, costs can range from a few dollars to around $100 per month, depending on the provider.
Another important aspect is ensuring your POD supplier integrates with the eCommerce platform you use.
💡 ProTip:
Did you know you can integrate Dynamic Mockups with your stack for extra functionality using powerful integrations with WooCommerce, Etsy, Zapier, WordPress, Make, Adobe, etc?
5. Sample Product Costs
If you are about to sell products, you should know about their quality beforehand to see if they meet your expectations and standards.
That is why it is good to request samples before committing to a supplier.
Some POD suppliers offer free samples as part of their subscription plan, while others charge separately.
With Printful, you can use the sample order program, which offers a 20% discount on samples, while Printseekers offers free samples.
6. eCommerce Platforms Costs
When it comes to selling platforms, you should distinguish 2 major types: eCommerce platforms and Marketplaces.
You can start selling on platforms like Etsy or TeeSpring for free, which allows you to generate income without any upfront investment.
Conversely, if you opt for an eCommerce platform like Shopify, you’ll pay monthly fees starting at $32.
7. Marketing Expenses
Allocate a budget for initial marketing efforts, such as social media advertising, Google Ads, or influencer collaborations.
In addition, setting up paid advertising campaigns, such as Facebook ads, may require a budget of around $5 per day.
For example, you can try social media automation tools like Hootsuite or Buffer that allow you to schedule and post your social media content in advance.
For retargeting ads, you can use Facebook Pixel or Google AdWords to automatically show ads to users who have previously visited your website.
💡 ProTip:
You can speed up advertising with Dynamic Mockups by creating bulk designs for multiple platforms.
Thus, you can use the visuals to advertise your products on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Google Ads, etc.
To Sum Up: How Much Does it Cost to Start a Print on Demand Business in Reality?
The total cost to start a POD business can vary significantly based on your approach:
- Free Option: Starting on a marketplace with no initial investment.
- Basic Setup: If you create your own store using Shopify and include essential costs (domain, basic marketing, etc.), expect to spend around $43 initially, plus ongoing monthly fees.
- Full Setup: A more comprehensive approach, including design costs and sample products, could lead to total startup expenses ranging from $100 to over $1,000, depending on your choices and scale of operations.
Overall, the POD business model offers flexibility and scalability with relatively low financial barriers.
You can effectively launch your POD businesses without significant upfront costs by leveraging free resources and strategically investing in essential areas like marketing and design.
Why Start With Dynamic Mockups?
Dynamic Mockups is a robust online mockup generator that goes beyond mockup creation and provides tools to elevate your online presence.
So, what’s in store for you?
🔥 Bulk creation enabling you to create multiple designs and color variations in no time — 10 seconds for 100 Mockup variations, to be more precise.
🔥 Advanced customizing options backed up by WooCommerce and Etsy integrations with Shopify integration coming soon.
🔥 Photoshop mockup customization to reflect your brand — Just upload them to our platform, and we will create a mockup automatically, thanks to our API.
🔥 Centralised design library to easily find your designs and apply uploaded designs to new mockups.
🔥 An ever-growing library with mockups, including T-shirts, Hoodies, Wall art, Pillows, Blankets, Tote Bags, Phone Cases, etc.
🔥 AI Mockups that enable you to use an AI text prompt to automatically create a new scene or a background, perfectly placed behind the subject.
You can freely change the colors of the product and adjust the size and position of your artwork.
And so much more.
Join Dynamic Mockups for free and start your POD business in a high-quality and cost-effective way.
Keep Learning:
7 Tips to Start a Print-on-Demand Business with No Money
