Is Print On Demand Actually Free Business Model

[Nomad]

The beauty of print-on-demand is that most platforms allow you to start for free, enabling you to upload the same design across various stores. You do not have to limit yourself to just one platform like Redbubble, Amazon Merch, Teespring, Zazzle, etc. you can explore multiple avenues. However, the main question is is it actually a free business model? Can you actually make money selling print on demand products without having to spend any money. Just because you can start for free, does it also mean you will make money without spending money?

 

[Grant]

Well that's just in terms of inventory and your merch. You still need to promote said merch and find an audience for it, otherwise you'll just have a store with no one buying anything. You still need to promote around the site, which in turn will still cost you some money to do. So I will say no, it's not a free business model. But it's close to one.

 

[linux.poet]

It’s not. You have pay a heavy cut of your revenue to the POD printers, which is more than if you had gone to your local print shop and paid for a print run.

POD is good if you’re still exploring your markets as an author or publisher, because you can test the market with a book and a promotional channel without throwing money after a possible flop. But once the market has proven itself you’ll want to invest in offset printing and bulk order the print runs. Usually offset printers require bulk orders of 1,000 minimum, and in the U.S. about $10,000 to $13,000 is required to start doing that. A smaller paperback may be far less, and I saw a website for Chinese printing that I want to try to save money. In the long run offset printing still beats POD on profits and quality, so if you’re serious about publishing and getting money out of it, offset printing is the way to go once your book market has proven its worth.