Should I have everything figured out (printer, shipping, costs) before I list a new product like multi-panel art?

No—use the ‘shoot first and ask questions later’ method. List the product in your store first and see if anyone actually orders it before spending days or weeks sorting out printers, costs, and logistics. If no one orders, you’ve only spent a couple of hours instead of a month of back-and-forth. If someone does order, you have validation that it works, plus you have the customer’s money and their goodwill. Contact them, explain you’re testing a new product, and work together to fulfill it—most customers will appreciate being part of the process. Then formalize your production process. This saves enormous amounts of time and prevents you from investing heavily in something that might not sell.

---

Asked by an artist wondering about production logistics for a new product · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2017-05-11