As a print on demand business owner and instructor, I get asked A LOT of questions. I absolutely love everything about Print on Demand and could honestly talk about anything and everything in this industry for hours (and with enough wine in my system, I could go on for days haha). However, one of the most common and recurring questions I get asked by individuals curious about POD or from my students of The Print on Demand Playbook is some variation of the following:
“Which platform should I sell on for my print on demand business: Etsy or Shopify?”
“Should I sell on Etsy and Shopify at the same time, or focus on just one?”
“What do you think is the better platform: Etsy or Shopify?”
So today, I wanted to take the time to address this head on for anyone who is new or interested in the print on demand industry because this is such an important question to ask as a business owner. It is hard enough to start your own business in a new field and It can be very tough and daunting to try and decide what platform to sell on when you are first starting out. My goal for this post is to provide clarity for you so you can make an educated decision about what will be best for your business!
I am not sponsored by Etsy or Shopify whatsoever. This is a straightforward post about what I believe you should do when you are first starting out with print on demand. This is the exact method I did and it is also what I tell all of my students to do. I am only speaking from personal experience and want you to understand the pros and cons of each platform before opening your shop.
But before we dive into the bulk of this post, let me introduce myself!
Hey there, I am Shay Lynn! I am a top 1% Etsy Seller, am the proud owner of a multi-six figure Print on Demand & Etsy Business, a six-figure Shopify Business, and creator of the Print on Demand Playbook. In 2023, I did $250,000 in sales running my very own Print on Demand and Etsy business. Check it out 👇👇👇
I feel like I can comfortably say that I definitely know a thing or two about Print on Demand and want to give you the tools to empower you to open your own business as well!
So without further ado, let's get into the nitty gritty and discuss which platform you should choose for your print on demand business.
Shopify VS Etsy: What is right for you?
Shopify and Etsy are both wonderful platforms to choose from in the POD industry. Both are very user-friendly and can effortlessly integrate with whatever Print on Demand Company (Printify, Printful, Teelauch, etc.) you choose. However, they each have their own individual pros and cons.
When you are first starting out, I suggest selecting Etsy as your first platform to sell on. In the beginning stages of operating your business, there will be so many things to learn and do for your business to operate and grow.
You will need time to learn how to create designs, what makes a best-selling product, and how to build inventory. You will also be discovering the intricacy of POD, SEO marketing, how to operate your selling platform (Etsy), how to deal with customers, as well as how to deal with print providers. On top of all of this, you will be creating and listing new designs/products DAILY, honing on what niches work for your shop, and building your brand.
While you are learning all the ins and outs of POD and creating your products, Etsy will automatically promote your items to their 180 million customers on their trusted platform. This will give you time as a business owner to focus on building your store’s products and understanding all the interworkings of print on demand. Once you develop a clear concise brand, have a good-sized email list/customer base, have best-selling products, and most importantly have enough money to run ads, you can then move over to Shopify. Shopify will let you have more control of your shop once you have a more established brand.
The reason I would not recommend starting with Shopify is you have to bring in EVERY customer to your shop. And I mean EVERY SINGLE ONE.
You have to run social media, run ads, and gain traction on your website all by yourself. This can be an uphill battle because you will not be a trusted brand with an established customer base. And to be completely honest, your first designs probably won’t be immediate best sellers either (it's okay mine definitely weren’t great when I was starting). You have to grow as a designer to see what works and what doesn’t. It will take time. Starting with Shopify can be very expensive and extremely time-consuming especially when you add in the fact that you have to create products and understand how POD works.
In addition to this, Shopify does not automatically collect state taxes like Etsy does. You have to calculate all of that into your orders. You would need to hire an accountant because it is very time-consuming and needs to be done properly (unless you have a background in that field).
So when you are first starting out, using Shopify can be a huge headache if you have to do all of that in addition to learning how to make products, design, run customer service, build inventory, establish a brand, AND bring in EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER.
With that being said, once your Etsy shop gets big enough, you do want to have a Shopify account in addition to your Etsy shop or completely transition over to Shopify. This is because although you are selling your products on Etsy, you technically don’t own your shop outright. You are on Etsy’s platform and they have control and the final say over your shop. They decide the rules/fees and they can decide to change them at any time. In addition, Etsy (worst case scenario if you violate trademarks or copyrights) can shut your shop down at any time. This is rare but definitely can happen. So you want to have a Shopify account set up eventually to safeguard your business.
Think of it like this, Etsy is a store where people are already shopping. You are quintessentially renting a shelf for your products/shop in THEIR store. In addition to abiding by their terms, most people will not know your shop name or brand, they will just consider you “Etsy”. This can be hard to build repeat business and gather die-hard fans of your products. With Shopify, you can choose your own domain for your website and establish yourself as your own identity as well as having full control of your shop/business.
This is the exact method that I used to bring in multiple six figures as a print on demand business owner. I currently use both platforms. I bring in way more income from Etsy but my Shopify account generates a good amount of income as well and ensures my business is protected! When I was first starting, I had no idea what I was doing and didn’t have enough money to operate ads on a Shopify account. It wasn’t until I started creating best sellers and generating income on Etsy that I could afford to open my Shopify account.
Conclusion
Well, that’s it! Very short and sweet. I hope this post helps you understand a little more about what selling platform may be right for your business! Etsy and Shopify are both wonderful platforms, but depending on where you are in your print on demand journey, one platform might be a better fit than the other.
If you are new to print on demand, curious about selling products online or want to start your very own Etsy business, check out my course The Print On Demand Playbook. I have over 30 videos and 8 hours of Print on Demand video information on there from how to start your very own shop, Keywords/ Etsy SEO, product selection, research validation, design tutorials, content calendars, customer service templates, and so much more! 👇👇👇👇
Thanks for taking the time to read this! Happy Designing Rockstars 🌟
-Shay Lynn❤️
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