How to Start a Print-On-Demand Business on Etsy in 2024: A Quick Guide

What Is Print on Demand?

Print on Demand is a convenient business model that anyone can use to start a business without upfront fees, inventory, or storage space.

Can you sell print-on-demand products on Etsy? Yes, absolutely. With Printify’s print-on-demand services, you can design, create, and sell custom products on Etsy without any worries.

A quick breakdown of how Print on Demand works.

• Step 1: Sign up for an account by filling out the requested information.
• Step 2: Select a product you’d like to sell. You can sell anything – apparel, accessories, stationery, home decor, and even pet products.
• Step 3: Add a design to the product. Typically, you get free design tools after signing up, making the whole process hassle-free.
• Step 4: Select a sales channel, either an eCommerce platform or a marketplace.
• Step 5: Publish products to your store, launch a marketing campaign, and start selling.

After a sale goes through, the print providers take care of the rest – printing, packaging, and shipping the final product directly to the customer.

How to Start Selling With Print on Demand on Etsy?

Starting selling on Etsy is easy. We’ll show you how to set up a print-on-demand Etsy store in a few easy steps.

1. Sign Up for an Etsy Account

First, create an Etsy seller account. If you already have an account, you can use it to set up your Etsy shop.

After you sign in or register, click on the gray circle in the top right corner and choose Sell on Etsy, which will take you to the Sell on Etsy page. Click Get started to begin.

2. Complete Your Etsy Shop Setup

Set up the following sections:

• Shop preferences. Tell Etsy about yourself and your business. Set shop language, country, and currency.
• Name your shop. Come up with and enter your shop name. Aim for 4-20 characters. Strive to create a shop name that’s memorable, conveys what you’ll sell, and reflects your brand’s values. You can change the name later.
• Stock your shop. Add details about your Etsy listing (photos, product description, pricing, shipping information).
  We’ll cover adding print-on-demand products later, so this can just be a draft. It’s only required to activate the shop. Don’t worry about the details. You can edit them later or delete the draft entirely.
• How you’ll get paid. Select your bank location and indicate whether you’re an Individual or a Business.
  Fill out personal information (country of residence, first and last name, date of birth, taxpayer address) and bank information (full name on account, bank name, IBAN, and SWIFT BIC).
• Set up billing. Enter credit card details to pay for your initial Etsy fees. Later, Etsy will primarily deduct fees from your Etsy balance. 
• Your shop security. Set up two-factor authentication. Choose a method: an authenticator app, a text message, or a phone call.

Get a Printify Account

Sign up for an account. It’s 100% free, available everywhere, and easy to set up.

With Printify’s print-on-demand services, you get over 900 high-quality, customizable products you can design and sell on your Etsy shop.

4. Connect Etsy to Printify

In the Printify dashboard, click My new store, and then – Add a new store. Scroll down and click Connect to Etsy.

5. Select and Design POD Products

Now, browse the Printify Catalog, select a product you’d like to sell on your Etsy shop, and click Start designing.

6. Publish Products to Your Etsy Store

After designing a product, click Save product. Then, do the following:

• Select a title image and mockup views to display in your Etsy store.
• If available, choose a title image color. Some items may have only one variant.
• Edit the title.
• Write a description.
• Set or use a suggested price.

When all is ready, click Publish to make the product available to Etsy shoppers worldwide.

7. Edit Product Details on Etsy

You can add or edit the listing’s details by going to the Listings section in the Shop Manager. 

Select a listing you’d like to adjust and add or edit the following:

• Video. Improve your ranking in Etsy search results by adding a video that showcases the product’s best features.
• Categories. Adding specific categories increases your listings’ visibility. They help Etsy shoppers to narrow their search.
• Attributes. Additional information about your product (color, material, height). When people search for products, attributes help them to find exactly what they’re looking for.
• Product tags. Add 13 tags that describe your product. They can be up to 20 characters long. Use relevant keywords, preferably multi-word phrases.