What are the advantages and limitations of print-on-demand for merchandise?

Print-on-demand is a breakthrough because it allows you to offer products without minimum orders, upfront inventory costs, or warehousing. You can sell one-off items that get produced and shipped automatically. However, POD quality is sometimes limited because these companies operate on low margins for one-off production. If you find you have a best-selling item and a demographic that demands higher quality, you may need to supplement POD with individual vendors who can provide better quality for specific products. Start with POD for the automation and low barrier to entry, but be prepared to evolve beyond it for your most popular items.

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Asked by a young artist exploring merchandise options · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2024-10-15