Starting a print on demand (POD) business with Printify and Etsy is one of the most beginner-friendly ways to create an online store. Unlike traditional ecommerce businesses, you don’t need to invest in bulk inventory, manage warehousing, or worry about shipping logistics.
Instead, you focus on designing products, listing them on Etsy, and letting Printify handle the rest - from printing to fulfillment.
I’ve tried POD myself and was selling personalized sweatshirts, hoodies, mugs, and candles using this exact model, and in this post, I’ll walk you through the entire process.
From setting up your store and choosing the right products to optimizing for sales and scaling your business, you’ll get a full breakdown of how to make Printify and Etsy work for you!
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HOW PRINTIFY AND ETSY WORK TOGETHER
Print-on-demand allows you to sell custom-designed products without handling inventory or shipping logistics yourself.
Printify includes a network of print manufactures you can work with and fulfill your orders (it's a good idea to order some samples from different manufactures to be sure you offer the best quality possible + pay attention to the reviews/rating)
Meanwhile, Etsy acts as your online storefront, a marketplace where you can sell your product using massive traffic that Etsy offers.
The process works like this:
You create an Etsy shop, upload your customizable product listings via Printify, and enable personalization options so customers can provide details like names, initials, dates, or special messages.
When a customer places an order, the process isn't fully automated - since personalization is involved, you’ll need to manually edit the order in Printify before it goes to production.
Once an order comes in, you review the personalization details provided by the customer. Then, you go to Printify, adjust the design accordingly (for example, adding the customer's name to a sweatshirt or a custom message on a mug), and manually submit the order for fulfillment.
After you approve and send the order, Printify takes care of the rest—they print the design, package the product, and ship it directly to your customer.
Although this requires some manual work, it's still a streamlined process compared to traditional eCommerce.
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SETTING UP YOUR ETSY SHOP FOR SUCCESS
Starting an Etsy shop is simple, but setting it up for success requires strategy. First, you’ll need to create an account and go through the setup process, which includes choosing a shop name, setting up payment methods, and writing a compelling shop description.
Etsy is a search-based marketplace, meaning customers typically find products by searching for specific keywords. This is why your shop setup needs to be optimized from the beginning. Come up with the main keywords you'd like to rank for and put them in your shop title, description, categories etc.
Branding plays a huge role in how professional and trustworthy your shop appears. Choose a cohesive color scheme, logo, and banner that make your shop look polished. If you’re selling personalized sweatshirts, for example, your shop should have a cozy, modern aesthetic that appeals to the right audience. The more cohesive your brand, the more likely customers are to remember it and return for future purchases.
📌 All our branding kits include Etsy shop branding package that will help your brand your Etsy shop from A to Z (check it out here).
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FINDING THE RIGHT PRODUCTS TO SELL
One of the biggest mistakes new sellers make is trying to sell too many different types of products without a clear focus. Instead of offering everything, it’s best to niche down (and start with a few product types only, and, overtime, expand your offers).
I found that personalized gifts - like custom sweatshirts, hoodies, mugs, and candles - sell particularly well because they appeal to people shopping for birthdays, holidays, and special occasions.
To find bestsellers, research what’s trending on Etsy. For this, go to the home page and start typing your ideas - you will see the suggestions pop up, that's example the items people are searching for the most:
Browse the best-selling categories and take notes of what kind of designs are performing well:
Pay attention to the design, style to figure out what is trending. But also to reviews and customer feedback on listings - what do people love? What complaints do they have? This insight helps you refine your product selection and improve your own listings.
Additionally, Google Trends is a great tool for checking whether certain product types are growing in popularity. If a keyword like "custom name sweatshirt" has an upward trend, it’s a strong indicator that people are searching for this type of product more frequently.
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CREATING APPEALING PRODUCTS THAT SELL
A great product alone isn’t enough; the design itself needs to look beautiful and appealing.
Minimalist and text-based designs are extremely popular, especially on apparel and mugs. Think of simple, elegant fonts, meaningful quotes, and aesthetic typography. People love designs that feel personal and thoughtful, whether it’s a sweatshirt with their birth year, a mug with their pet’s name, or a candle labeled with a heartfelt message.
You can use beautiful fonts and graphics from CreativeFabrica - for a very modest monthly fee they offer lots of products that you can download and use for starting a print on demand business.
You may also want to use Kittl for mockups (previews of your designs) that you are going to upload to your Etsy listing so that customers have a visual representation of the product you are selling.
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UPLOADING PRODUCTS TO PRINTIFY AND ETSY
Once you’ve created your designs, the next step is uploading them to Printify and connecting them to your Etsy store. Printify offers a wide range of customizable products from various print providers, so you’ll want to choose one based on quality, pricing, and shipping time.
When adding a product, you’ll upload your design onto the Printify platform and adjust its placement on the item. The mockup generator helps you visualize how your design will look on the final product. Once everything looks good, you can set your pricing and publish the listing directly to Etsy (but I recommend setting it to drafts so that you can go to Etsy and keep adjusting the description/photos etc).
This is where pricing strategy comes in. You want to make sure your pricing covers your costs while leaving room for profit.
For example, if a sweatshirt costs you $15 to print and ship, and Etsy takes about $2.50 in fees, you should price it somewhere around $39.99 to maintain a healthy profit margin. Many buyers on Etsy are willing to pay premium prices for custom and handmade-looking products, so don’t undervalue your work.
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OPTIMIZING YOUR LISTINGS FOR VISIBILITY
Etsy SEO (search engine optimization) is what determines whether your listings show up in search results. The better optimized your product titles, descriptions, and tags are, the higher your chances of being seen by potential buyers.
Think about what a customer would type into Etsy’s search bar if they were looking for your product. Instead of naming a listing "Custom Hoodie", something like "Personalized Name Sweatshirt - Custom Gift for Her" is more likely to attract clicks because it includes relevant search terms. Make sure you use all the symbols in the title - type as many relevant long-tail keywords as possible.
Your description should be detailed and informative, covering product sizing, material, customization options, and shipping time.
It's also crucial to fill out all 13 tags in your listing with relevant keywords (try to make the match the title), as this helps increase visibility across different search queries.
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MARKETING YOUR ETSY STORE
While Etsy brings organic traffic to your shop, marketing your listings outside of Etsy can significantly boost your sales. One of the most effective ways to do this is through Pinterest marketing. Pinterest acts like a visual search engine, and since Etsy shoppers often use Pinterest for inspiration, posting beautiful pins of your products can drive consistent free traffic to your store.
Are you ready to bring your business to the next level? Get my help with bringing thousands of people from Pinterest to your Etsy store or a website:
Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok are also excellent for showcasing your products. Short-form video content, like behind-the-scenes clips of you designing, packaging, or testing products - performs well because it gives customers a real, authentic connection with your brand.
Additionally, Etsy ads can help give your store a boost, especially in the beginning. Even a small daily budget of $3-5 can increase your product’s visibility and help generate your first sales.
AS A TAKEAWAY:
Starting a print-on-demand business with Printify and Etsy is one of the most effective ways to sell unique, personalized products without the hassle of inventory or shipping. While automation takes care of most of the fulfillment process, the ability to offer customization gives your shop a competitive edge, making your products more valuable and in demand.
Success in this business comes down to choosing the right niche, creating designs that resonate with buyers, and optimizing your Etsy listings for visibility. With consistency, great customer service, and a bit of marketing, you can turn your shop into a profitable source of income
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I hope you liked this post. And, as always, let me know if you have any questions!
Are you ready to bring your business to the next level? Get my help with bringing thousands of people from Pinterest to your website or social media page:
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