The Top 4 Niches and Products to Sell for Christmas in Your Print on Demand and Etsy Shop

Well hey there!

Can you believe it’s almost September already? Crazy, right?! As summer winds down, we’re gearing up for one of my favorite times of the year because September means one thing… we’re officially just ONE MONTH away from Q4! 🎉

September is the final stretch of Q3, and it’s the perfect time to bulk up your shop with listings and get ready because the end of Q3 and all of Q4 is prime time for sales on Etsy. Q4 is when 80% of Etsy shops rake in the majority of their sales. Once October hits, it’s a whole new ballgame. That’s why it’s so important to have your Q4 designs ready to go between August and November so you can start cashing in on Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

In this blog post, I’m diving into the holiday products and niches that really take off during Christmas time—the ones I’ve had personal success with. With shoppers flocking to Etsy for gifts in the coming months, I want to share my favorite niches and products with you so you can be fully prepped and ready to crush it!

So get ready, because I’m spilling all the tea in this post! You’ll get the inside scoop on the exact products and niches to focus on, getting your Etsy shop or POD business in tip-top shape for the months ahead.

Oh, and don’t worry if you’ve found this post after September—you’ve still got plenty of time to crush your Q4 goals! Now, before we dive into all the nitty-gritty details, let me introduce myself!

Hi there! I’m Shay Lynn

If you had told me that a few years ago when I was pregnant that I would be running my own multi 6 figure print on demand buisness, I would have outright laughed in your face! And then would have asked, “What the heck is Print on Demand?”

I’m a proud Mom, Etsy shop owner, Print on Demand business owner, and POD educator. I help women (and Mom’s like myself) start their own Print on Demand businesses and gain financial freedom so they can ditch their 9 to 5 grinds! Check out my course and blog to learn more!

Like I said, I am a 6 figure Etsy seller and proud of it! Check out my sales!👇👇👇👇

It's safe to say, I know a thing or two about Etsy sales 😉 I am so happy and excited to share my knowledge with you in this post. So without further ado, let's get into the meat and potatoes of this thing!

Top 4 Niches and Products for Christmas 2024

#1

1) GIFTS FOR FAMILY MEMBERS

Presents for family members around the holiday season are huge. Don't just stick to the usual gifts for mom or gifts for dad- get creative and expand on these ideas- Think: gifts for boyfriend's mom, gifts for mother in law, gift for dad from daughter, gift for father in law, gift for godparents, gift for step sister, gift for mom of twins, mommy and me gifts. Also try to mix it up by incorporating loved ones' hobbies with their family roles. For example: gardening gift for grandma, fishing gift for grandpa, pickleball gift for mom, Hockey gift for son, etc.

Personalized items like custom name ornaments, personalized stockings, family-themed ornaments, Mr. and Mrs. ornaments, family-themed mugs/drinkware, matching shirts/sweaters, family blankets or photo blankets, personalized picture family puzzles or last name family puzzles, personalized gift wrapping paper, pillows, canvas, candles, family name doormats, garden flags, and indoor decor, and kitchen accessories like personalized cutting boards make perfect gifts for loved ones. Think about incorporating designs that celebrate family bonds and Christmas traditions this holiday season to maximize sales!

Need Christmas Mockups for Products?? I Got You!

Mockups are VITAL to sell holiday goods as a print on demand business owner. If you don’t have any holiday mockups already for your business, check out Boho Babe Mockups! Anna, the founder of Boho Babe Mockups (and a fellow top 1% Etsy seller), and I have partnered up to make incredible AFFORDABLE mockups specifically for Print on Demand Business owners! Check out a couple of examples below. They are truly the chef's kiss of X-mas mockups and will seriously make any design pop! 👇👇👇

GORGEOUS RIGHT?!?! If you are interested and want to snag some seriously discounted mockups, click the link here. It will take you to the Boho Babe Mockups website where you can enter “SHAY20OFF” for 20% off anything in the shop! I recommend her Whole Shop Bundle, you get 4,300+ mockups, including holiday mockups, and new mockups are added every month for just 32$ with the discount code! THAT'S LESS THAN A PENNY PER MOCKUP! It is literally the steal of the century!

#2

2) COWORKER GIFTS

This is hands-down my FAVORITE niche to design and make products for during the holiday season! Gifts for coworkers around the holiday season are underrated but a HUGE money maker. You want to focus on a couple of categories in this niche.

A) A specific occupation role- When creating gifts for this niche, think about focusing on specific roles in the workplace, like gifts for a boss, secretary, or office manager. You can also target specific occupations, such as gifts for social workers, nurses, school counselors, teachers, lawyers, etc. Designing occupation-themed gifts for the holiday season is a fantastic way to boost your sales and cater to a wide audience!

B) Coworker gifts/Office Party gifts: You want to think about gifts that will be given out during holiday office parties or gifts to give your work bestie! I have found in my experience, that the best types of gifts to sell in this niche are more on the funny side then sentimental. Some great ideas that are surefire winners are Gifts for coworker, gifts for work bestie, white elephant gifts, yankee swap gifts, office party gift, gag gifts for him, gag gifts for her, and adult humor gifts (not sexually explicit). Some funny products I have found success with are funny mugs, funny shirts/sweaters/apparel, desk accessories, cutting boards, coasters, pint glasses, wine glasses, tumblers, aprons, bags, socks, underwear (yes, underwear haha), hand towels, candles, journals, and gag gift puzzles and calendars are great for coworker gifts.

Pro Tip: Keep it affordable and fun! For these types of events, there’s often a price limit, so steer clear of high-ticket items in this niche. Focus on lower-priced products that fit within a budget while still delivering plenty of laughs and fun!

C) Going away gifts- Surprisingly, I have found in my experience, that a lot of people retire around this time of year. So it could benefit you to incorporate retirement gifts, promotion gifts, or going away gifts into your shop as well.

#3

3) GIFTS FOR PETS AND PET OWNERS

Pets are beloved members of the family, and pet owners adore spoiling their furry friends—especially during the holidays! I mean people go BANANAS for their pets so of course incorporating pet-themed products into your shop around the holidays can be super beneficial. Get specific when looking for gifts for pets, don't just think "gift for dog" or "cat gifts" Think— French Bull dog gifts, Corgi Dad gifts, Dogs first Christmas, Cat Christmas Stocking, personalized cat ornament, dog Christmas bandana, dog owner matching outfits, or even a dog/cat memorial ornament/product.  

Pet gifts can be a total winner come the holiday season. Some of the best products I have found to sell within this niche are: Pet bandanas, pet collar bandanas, drinkware of any kind (with the pet's name or a picture of the pet on it), dog bowls, leashes, dog collar, pet beds, matching pet owner and pet hoodies, pet owner hats, tote bags,  personalized pet stockings, ornaments, Personalized pet posters, or funny pet portraits. 

#4

4) "OUR FIRST" GIFTS: 

Creating gifts for "our first" experiences is one of the best ways to connect with potential customers by offering them sentimental products that really hit home! In my experience, these milestone moments are super special for families, couples, and new parents. Because of this, you can create heartwarming products that capture the magic of those special firsts and increase your opportunity for increased Christmas sales. 😊

Some examples of "our first" are Baby's first Christmas, Our First Christmas as Mr. and Mrs., Engagement Christmas gift, New home gifts (our first Christmas in our new home or just new home), wedding Christmas gifts, mommy and me matching outfits, New Mom Gifts, Our First anniversary gifts, and gifts like Our first Christmas as a family of 3.

In my experience, sentimental, enduring, and sweet/cute designs do really well in this niche rather than funny. The best products for these types of gifts are ornaments and stockings (personalized does really well), Christmas tree skirts, gift wrapping paper, pillows, cozy blankets, doormats, posters, canvas, aprons, cutting boards, personalized puzzles, family name indoor and outdoor decor, matching outfits, baby onesies, baby bibs, toddler clothes, hoodies, sweaters, shirts, mugs, tumblers, wine glasses, candles, tote bags, and journals. 

Need a little extra help?

Want more Holiday Niche, Design, and Product ideas?

I got you! Check out my Holiday Hustle Playbook! I have methodically and meticulously crafted the course over the past few months just for you guys! This is your ultimate guide to mastering the holiday season. I cover EVERYTHING you need to know to dominate Q4. No stone is left unturned!

Here’s a tiny sneak peek at what’s inside:

• Advanced Shop Prep: Get your shop prepped properly and ready to handle the holiday rush with ease.

• Customer Service Holiday Templates: Streamline your customer interactions with pre-made response templates.

• Design Trends: Stay ahead of the curve by incorporating best-selling holiday design trends for the major 3 holidays- Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

• Product Monthly Timelines: Know exactly how many listings to make and when to launch depending on where you are at with your shop.

• Narrow Holiday Niches: Discover how to incorporate narrow niches into holiday designs so you can set your shop apart from the competition.

• Products and Pricing Strategies: Optimize your product lineup and pricing strategies for maximum profit.

I am beyond committed to helping your business thrive this Q4. After all, Q4 is when I got my first big break and I want the same for you! That’s why I’m sharing all my insider tips and tricks so you can seriously cash in and maximize your sales during Q4.

If you are interested, click the link to sign up for 50% off now… that’s 17$ total!

Conclusion

Phew! I think that covers all the points I wanted to hit. I am so excited for this upcoming Q4 and I hope after reading this post, you are too!

I hope this post helps you on your Print on Demand journey. If you are new to print on demand, curious about selling products online, want to make your first best-seller, and want to learn how to start your Etsy business the right way in 2024, then check out my course The Print On Demand Playbook. I have over 30 videos and 8 hours of Print on Demand video tutorials and information on how to start your very own shop, Keywords/ Etsy SEO, product selection, research validation, design tutorials, content calendars, customer service templates, and so much more! 👇👇👇👇

And as always, please remember to conduct market research and Trademark searches to ensure you are not infringing on anyone’s intellectual property before posting your listings 😊

Take care for now my fellow designers! Talk to you soon!

-Shay Lynn ❤️

*this post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

RELATED:

How to Prep Your POD and Etsy Shop in the Summer/Early Fall to Maximize Q4 Sales

Printify's 2024 Game-Changers: Top 10 Unsaturated Products Set to Dominate the Print on Demand World in 2024 That Don’t Include T-shirts!

How to Start a Print On Demand Business With No Money or Experience: The Free Guide

How to Prep Your POD and Etsy Shop in the Summer/Early Fall to Maximize Q4 Sales

Well hey there fellow designer!

The time has finally come! The end of summer/early fall means one thing and one thing only… IT IS OFFICIALLY Q4 PREP TIME! As a print-on-demand and Etsy business owner, the summer and early fall months are your golden opportunities to prepare for the crazy Q4 sales season. And I know what you're thinking….

Isn’t July, August, and September super early to be thinking about Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas sales?

ABSOLUTELY NOT! This is actually the perfect time of the year to strategize, get your designs and products up, and to start prepping your shop up for success.

Take it from me, prepping during these months can make a significant difference in maximizing your sales during Q4, the most lucrative time of the year for many Etsy sellers.

Did you know?

1) Early September/October has the highest search volume spike out of the entire year on Etsy

2) The month of November has the highest search volume and sales on Etsy out of the entire year!

3) The end of Q3 and all of Q4 are the highest times of the year for potential sales on Etsy

So in this blog, I’ll be covering products and niches that I sell in my shop during this time of year and what you should focus on as well! So buckle up, get a glass a wine (or whatever you’re into 😉), and get ready to jot down these tips, tricks, and strategies so that you can make the most of the upcoming wild Q4 season!

But, before we dive in and get into the meat and potatoes of this post let me introduce myself

Hi there! I’m Shay Lynn

If you had told me that a few years ago when I was pregnant that I would be running my own multi 6 figure print on demand buisness, I would have outright laughed in your face! And then would have asked, “What the heck is Print on Demand?”

I’m a proud Mom, Etsy shop owner, Print on Demand business owner, and POD educator. I help women (and Mom’s like myself) start their own Print on Demand businesses and gain financial freedom so they can ditch their 9 to 5 grinds! Check out my course and blog to learn more!

Now that we have our pleasantries out of the way, let’s dive right in and get into the meat and potatoes of this post!

Top 3 Niches, Subniches and Products to Focus on for Q4

1) HALLOWEEN: I LOVE designing products for Halloween because it is one of the top 10 shopping holidays for all retailers/e-commerce businesses! This is such a fun holiday to make designs for so many different types of individuals because people are looking for all sorts of fun gifts and products to show off their spooky vibes. And don’t just think about Halloween shirts and sweaters, think outside of the box. Some things to help get your creative juices flowing are Halloween tote bags, Matching Couples Halloween outfits/costumes, Matching Family Halloween attire, Halloween pet costumes, Horror/Scary movie gifts, Spooky Season gifts, “my first” Halloween baby gifts, maternity Halloween gifts, Halloween decorations, Death Do Us Part gifts, and Halloween Party gifts. For these designs, be sure to incorporate some fun and/or spooky design trends to really make your designs pop. Some design elements you should consider would be: cute ghost elements, black cats, retro witches, creepy fonts, old English spooky fonts, spiderwebs, bats, witchy aesthetic, moon phases, jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, and spiders.

Outdoor and Indoor Decorations do really well in this category. Some of my personal favorites are doormats, garden flags, yard signs, or die-cut metal signs, candles, blankets, and posters, kitchen towels, and cutting boards. Some other great product ideas for this niche are family/group outfits, pet bandanas, kid costumes hoodies/onesies, adult hoodies, leggings, sweaters, journals, phone cases, wine glasses, pint glasses, tumblers, mugs, and tote bags.

2) FALL/THANKSGIVING: The Fall and Thanksgiving niche is a wonderful niche to get into in late summer! I suggest starting to get designs up for this niche starting in August to really maximize your sales Sept through early November. To stand out, think creatively and do thorough product research—shoppers are looking for fun unique and diverse gifts for themselves and their loved ones during this time of year.

Here is a list of ideas to get your creative juices flowing and to get you pointed in the right direction:

Fall quotes products/gifts (think happy fall y’all), baby’s first Thanksgiving gift, thanksgiving table decor, fall decor, personalized family Thanksgiving decorations, Gratitude gifts, Thankful gifts, matching family gifts, coffee season gifts, football season gifts, and Friendsgiving gifts.

Personally, I have found success selling the following products in this niche: Hoodies, Sweaters, Group t-shirts (think for Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving), cutting boards, aprons, candles, wine glasses, pint glasses, beer koozies, coaster sets, tumblers, mugs, baby attire, cards, posters, yard signs, doormats (fall sayings or personalized family names).

3) CHRISTMAS:

The mother of all holidays! Christmas during Q4 is a complete whirlwind, and if you're new to the POD industry, you better buckle on up. Christmas is the number one shopping season holiday for e-commerce and retail businesses, and approximately 80% of Etsy sellers see do the bulk of their sales during this time. Believe it or not, people start buying Christmas gifts as early as July! Yes, you read that right, JULY!!!!

Unlike me, these early birds begin their holiday shopping in the summer, however, the peak sales period on Etsy for Christmas is in November and starts to cool off about 10 days into December. However, the Christmas mayhem doesn’t stop 10 days in. You will literally have last-minute shoppers contacting you on Christmas Eve, hoping Santa can magically deliver their gifts overnight by some Christmas miracle (haha)!

There are so many directions you can take for this holiday! Personalized ornaments, Christmas in our first home gifts, baby’s first Christmas, Christmas gifts for pet owners, matching “Christmas morning” outfits, personalized stockings, stocking stuffers, holiday themed home decor (think family names), festive Christmas drinkwear, holiday-themed Christmas gift bags, Christmas kitchen decor, and Christmas party decorations, do really well this time of year!

It truly is the wild wild west out there this time of year! Practically ANY AND ALL POD products will sell! I have had success with the following: ornaments, aprons, kitchen towels, drinkware of all kinds, stockings, doormats, garden flags, candles, metal signs, posters, journals, sweaters, shirts, sweatpants, cutting boards, cards, gift wrapping paper, hats, pet bandanas, pet dog bowls, pet leashes, baby onesies, stockings, tote bags, and weekender bags.

Need a little extra holiday help?

Want more Niche, Design, and Product Ideas for Q4?

I got you covered! Check out my Holiday Hustle Playbook! This guide goes into CRAZY detail on what you should consider designing for in Q4. In this video course, I go over how to prep your shop for the influx of customers in Q4, and holiday listing timelines to let you know when to post to maximize sales. Each season is covered extensively with a deep dive into niches, subniches, product selection, mockups, and sales tactics during Q4! Level up your Etsy store with the most profitable niches and products to design for during the holiday season! Click the link above or the image below to check this out while it’s on sale for only 17$!

Conclusion

Phew! I think I covered everything I wanted to get to in this post! 🎉 Designing and product hunting can be a lot of work and time, but that's exactly why you should be focusing on creating your Q4 products now in the summer. This way, when customers start searching for products/gifts in Q4, you, your business, and your shop will be prepped and ready to go for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas! 🎃🦃🎄 So be sure to start strategizing and prepping to get ahead to make this Q4 the best one yet! 🚀

I hope this post helps you on your Print on Demand journey! If you are completely new to print on demand, curious about selling products online, want to make your first best-seller, and want to learn how to start your Etsy business the right way in 2024, then check out my course The Print On Demand Playbook. I have over 30 videos and 8 hours of Print on Demand video tutorials and information on how to start your very own shop, Keywords/ Etsy SEO, product selection, research validation, design tutorials, content calendars, customer service templates, and so much more! 👇👇👇👇

And remember, always conduct market research and Trademark searches to ensure you are not infringing on anyone’s intellectual property before posting your listings 😊

Take care for now rockstars! Talk to you soon!

-Shay Lynn ❤️

RELATED:

The Top 4 Niches and Products to Sell for Christmas in Your Print on Demand and Etsy Shop

Printify's 2024 Game-Changers: Top 10 Unsaturated Products Set to Dominate the Print on Demand World in 2024 That Don’t Include T-shirts!

Is Etsy the Right Platform To Sell Print on Demand Products On? The Many Pros and Many Cons of Selling On Etsy.

How to Start a Print On Demand Business With No Money or Experience: The Free Guide

The Only 2 Research Tools You Need for a Successful Print on Demand and Etsy Business: Sales Samurai and EverBee

Visibility is the #1 driving force for any print-on-demand and Etsy business. It's the key to getting your products seen and driving sales. You could have the best product for your niche, stunning designs, and breathtaking mockups, but without optimized SEO keywords, NO ONE WILL EVER SEE YOUR LISTING.

In 2024, you can't just throw a design on a shirt, sit back, and expect to rake in thousands of dollars on Etsy. The game has changed, and the competition is fiercer than ever! To have a thriving and successful business, you need powerful research tools to:

1. Validate your product and niche selection.

2. Save time conducting market research.

3. Reveal the EXACT keywords customers are searching for in real time.

4. Identify products and niches with high search volume and low competition.

Research tools give your shop a tactical advantage and an edge over your competition. It allows you to find the best keywords and make educated design and product decisions quickly and efficiently. Which ultimately saves you a ton of time and boosts your chances of sales and success on Etsy’s platform.

So in this blog post, I'm beyond pumped to talk about my 2 personal favorite research tools: Sales Samurai and EverBee. These are HANDS DOWN my desert island research tools. I've tried so many others (I’m looking at you, Erank and Marmalead), but these two are truly all you need to run a successful POD business. They are the absolute chef’s kiss of design tools and are the only 2 tools that I use. If you're a POD and Etsy seller, these tools are an ABSOLUTE MUST! I use them EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I'm comfortable saying that without Sales Samurai and EverBee, I would not have been able to grow my POD and Etsy shop to multi-six figures in my first year!

Check it out 👇👇👇👇

So buckle up, because we're about to do a dive deep into the best Etsy research tools on the market right now: Sales Samurai and EverBee!

Before we dive in and get into the nitty-gritty of this post let me introduce myself!

Hi there! I’m Shay Lynn

If you had told me that a few years ago when I was pregnant that I would be running my own multi 6 figure print on demand buisness, I would have outright laughed in your face! And then would have asked, “What the heck is Print on Demand?”

I’m a proud Mom, Etsy shop owner, Print on Demand business owner, and POD educator. I help women (and Mom’s like myself) start their own Print on Demand businesses and gain financial freedom so they can ditch their 9 to 5 grinds! Check out my course and blog to learn more!

Now that were acquainted, let’s get started! First, let’s look at Sales Samurai…

So What The Heck Is Sales Samurai?

Sales Samurai is an incredibly powerful and user-friendly research tool made just for Etsy sellers! Its main goal you is to help you crack the code of Etsy's algorithm by breaking down market trends and EXACT keywords, so you can make smart decisions about your designs and products. Sales Samurai will literally cut your research time from hours to just minutes! It's a total game-changer that saves you tons of time, letting you focus on creating more products, driving more traffic to your shop, and ultimately, boosting your sales!

Don’t Have Sales Samurai Yet? I got you! Get access to the software here. Enter “Shay20” at checkout for 20% off for life!

What Is So Special About Sales Samurai??

1) It’s a Keyword Ninja:

Yes, it's called Sales Samurai, but to me, it’s my Keyword Ninja! With one simple search, you can instantly uncover the EXACT keywords and tags customers are searching for specific products. It provides the most relevant high-traffic keywords while analyzing search volume, competition, and Google trends. In just SECONDS, you'll know if a product is worth your time to create or if there are too many people competing in the same category!

2) Take a Friendly Peek at the Competition:

Have you ever wondered what makes your competitor’s best selling listings and products do well? Have you ever wondered what SEO keywords make a best selling product tick? Well, Sales Samurai breaks down ANY Etsy listing to give you a huge strategic edge by understanding what your competitors are doing well and what can be improved. Sales Samurai lets you dive deep into your competitors’ listings, revealing their keywords, pricing strategies, and sales performance. You’ll see which keywords are driving best-sellers and which ones are total flops, helping you choose the cream of the crop for your own listings!

3) Calculate Profits and ROI with Ease:

Sales Samurai features a super nifty Calculator tool that shows you exactly how much it costs to make a sale and what your profit will be for each product sold! Cool right?!?! This tool handles all the calculations for listing fees, Etsy fees, transaction fees, and shipping costs, eliminating any guesswork. It does all the work for you, helping you determine the price of your products down to the penny within seconds rather than wasting your time doing it all by hand!

4) Extremely User Friendly:

Not only is this product extremely user-friendly, it comes with simplified and concise tutorials on how to use every feature so you can be a pro on day one! When I was first starting out, I had no idea what I was doing or how to navigate this software program. After watching the tutorials, I was an absolute pro and could easily navigate the entire site within 2 days! 

5) Affordability:

I saved the best for last- This is the most affordable research tool around! It is only 9.99$ a month for UNLIMITED SEARCHES and access to every single one of their features. That’s only .33 cents a day, which is a total steal in the POD and Etsy research tool world!

It gets even better! Right now Sales Samurai is allowing people to start a FREE 3-day trial by clicking the link here. Once you're hooked and addicted to this program (because I know you will be) you can save even more money by using the code “Shay20” at checkout to snag 20% off every month of your subscription! Don’t walk, run to get this program!

Now it’s time to switch gears and start talking about my other favorite Etsy research tool: Everbee

So What In The World Is Everbee??

Everbee is a Chrome extension that provides REAL TIME LIVE data analytics for EVERY LISTING ON ETSY. Yep, you heard me right. This extension goes behind the scenes on every single listing and will tell you every bit of information and data available for every listing including best sellers. From, tags, duration of listing, and conversion rates, to how many sales the product makes daily and monthly, this research tool does it all! It can tell you what the most popular items are in every niche and tell you exactly what keywords are making products fly off the shelf! Awesome right?!?!

Don’t Have Everbee Yet? I got you! Get access to the software here.

OK, BUT WHAT ELSE DOES EVERBEE DO?

1) Real-Time Insights with the EverBee Chrome Extension:

Once you install the Everbee Chrome Extension, you can uncover everything there is to know about any listing on Etsy. With just one click, you can instantly see your competitors' titles, tags, keywords, pricing strategies, performance, conversion rates, duration, monthly revenue, and total sales. It’s the ultimate research tool, offering real-time insights directly on Etsy’s platform. It’s an absolute game changer for understanding what works for each product or niche and how you can make your listings even more successful than a current best seller.

2) Connect and Compare Your Shop:

Connect your shop to EverBee and get a clear view of how your listings stack up on Etsy’s platform! Analyze every keyword customers have used to find your shop or specific listings. With these insights, you can fine-tune your keywords to figure out the best SEO titles, tags, and descriptions to optimize your listings for maximum visibility and appeal.

3) Product Analytics SUPERPOWER tool:

Ever wondered which product is ranking in the highest monthly revenue or leading in sales on any Etsy search page? Ever wanted to know how many sales the top-selling designs/products are making in a specific search page niche? Well, with just a few clicks, EverBee reveals how every best-seller is performing instantaneously in REAL TIME. Deep dive straight into detailed analytics for every top-selling product and get valuable insights on incorporating winning keywords and design trends into your own listings. The product analytics tool that Everbee has is the ultimate way to stay ahead of the game, make your products stand out amongst the competition, and find out what makes a successful product in every niche!

4) Everbee Email- 

The best way to drive sales and traffic to your products is by having one thing and one thing only: an email list. An email list is the #1 tool to attract customers to your platform and drive repeat business. By connecting your Etsy shop to Everbee Email, you'll gain immediate access to all your past customers' email addresses. This enables you to notify them about new product drops, special coupons, and event sales like Black Friday. Everbee puts email blasts on autopilot, making it easy for you to increase your revenue with just a few simple emails!

5) Affordability-

In my opinion, Everbee is the Chef’s kiss of research tools. Don’t get me wrong, I love Sales Samurai, but if I had to pick between the 2, I would have to go with Everbee. It is still very affordable, however, it is slightly pricier than Sales Samurai. Everbee’s Growth Plan gives you unlimited access to everything that Everbee has to provide and runs at 30$ dollars a month. If you buy their annual plan, it is only 19.99$ a month!! So about one dollar a day! However, Everbee is running a special right now where you can get started with your first searches for free so you can get a real feel for how the program works! Click the link here to sign up for your hobby plan so you can get started with your first searches completely free!

Conclusion

Phew! Well, I think that covers all the points I wanted to hit about Sales Samurai and Everbee. Like I said before, visibility is the lifeblood of your print-on-demand and Etsy business. The only way to obtain visibility is by strategically using optimized keywords and conducting customer search research. In order to do this, you will need to invest in a proper research tool to make sure you have some skin in the game. I have tried them all and these 2 by far are the best bang for your buck! It doesn’t matter which software you choose, as long as you’re using something to boost your POD business to success 😉

I hope this post helps you on your Print on Demand journey! If you are new to print on demand, curious about selling products online, want to make your first best-seller, and want to learn how to start your Etsy business the right way in 2024, then check out my course The Print On Demand Playbook. I have over 30 videos and 8 hours of Print on Demand video tutorials and information on how to start your very own shop, Keywords/ Etsy SEO, product selection, research validation, design tutorials, content calendars, customer service templates, and so much more! 👇👇👇👇

And remember, always conduct market research and Trademark searches to ensure you are not infringing on anyone’s intellectual property before posting your listings 😊

Take care for now my fellow designers! Talk to you soon!

-Shay Lynn ❤️

**this post may contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

RELATED:

Printify's 2024 Game-Changers: Top 10 Unsaturated Products Set to Dominate the Print on Demand World in 2024 That Don’t Include T-shirts!

Is Etsy the Right Platform To Sell Print on Demand Products On? The Many Pros and Many Cons of Selling On Etsy.

How to Start a Print On Demand Business With No Money or Experience: The Free Guide

The Best Print on Demand Products and Niches to Sell for Summer 2024

Hey there fellow designer!

With spring coming to a close, summer is finally here! Typically, in the summer, Print on Demand and Etsy shops will see a bit of a drop in sales at the beginning of summer. Customers are traveling/going on vacation so there will be what we in the Print on Demand Industry call the “summer slowdown”. However, there are so many things that you as a Print on Demand business owner can design for in this season to combat the slow down and drive traffic to your shop!

In this post, I’ll be covering the exact products and niches that I sell in my shop to combat the “summer slowdown” to make $60,000 during the summer months. Check it out 👇👇👇👇

Before we dive in and get into the nitty-gritty of this post let me introduce myself!

Hi there! I’m Shay Lynn

If you had told me that a few years ago when I was pregnant that I would be running my own multi 6 figure print on demand buisness, I would have outright laughed in your face! And then would have asked, “What the heck is Print on Demand?”

I’m a proud Mom, Etsy shop owner, Print on Demand business owner, and POD educator. I help women (and Mom’s like myself) start their own Print on Demand businesses and gain financial freedom so they can ditch their 9 to 5 grinds! Check out my course and blog to learn more!

Now that we have our pleasantries out of the way, let’s dive right in and get into the meat and potatoes of this post!

Top 4 Niches and Products for Summer 2024

1) PATRIOTIC GIFTS: Summertime is all about Americana! With so many family gatherings and outdoor activities taking place, it is super simple to incorporate some patriotic gifts and designs into your shop to help boost your sales this summer! Think about designing products for the following: 4th of July gifts, 4th of July family gifts, patriotic gifts, pro-America, and military gifts! For these designs, be sure to incorporate some of the following graphics: red, white, & blue, stars and stripes, fireworks, and/or American flag features.

Outdoor Decorations absolutely crush in this category. So think doormats, garden flags, yard signs, or die cut metal signs. Some other great product ideas for this niche are family group shirts, family reunion shirts, apparel for kids (think a family get-together for cousins, etc.), hoodies, sweaters, wine glasses, pint glasses, tumblers, mugs, blankets, and towels.

2) WEDDINGS: This is one of the biggest niches to get into for summer! Although weddings can be considered an “evergreen niche” (a niche that sells/happens year-round), there is definitely a spike in wedding product sales in summer due to summer weddings and wedding outings.

People are looking for ALL types of gifts when it comes to the wedding niche. The possibilities here are endless! Here is a list of ideas to get your creative juices flowing and to get you pointed in the right direction:

Gifts for Bride, Gifts for Groom, Mr. and Mrs. gifts, wedding gifts, bachelorette party gifts, bachelor party gifts, bridal party gifts, bridesmaid gifts, maid of honor gifts, best man gifts, wedding invitations, wedding signs, wedding seating arrangement signs, honeymoon gifts, and newlywed gifts.

Personally, I have found success selling the following products in this niche: Hoodies, Sweaters, Group t-shirts (think for a bachelorette party), tote bags, makeup bags, group towels, candles, wine glasses, pint glasses, beer coozies, tumblers, mugs, hats, cards, posters, yard signs, cutting boards, doormats (think Mr. and Mrs. Smith on a doormat).

3) TRAVEL: The sun is shining and people are ready to gear up for their summer vacations! People want to go on an adventure and make incredible memories. Whether it is families, individuals, party groups, or couples, people are ready to let loose and have some serious outdoor fun. This niche is the absolute best to get into this time of year! Think family cruise gifts, family camping gifts, family trip gifts, family reunion gifts, summer camp gifts, Rv gifts, hiking gifts, camping gifts, destination gifts/apparel, beach gifts, summer vacation gifts, lake life, boating gifts, and fishing trip gift.

Some products I love to sell for this niche are matching family apparel, matching outfits, tank tops, shirts, sweaters, hoodies, matching blankets, matching towels, luggage, weekender bags, tote bags, tank tops, and hats, tumblers, mugs, and glassware.

Please note: Do not design any Disney, Harry Potter, or Universal Studios products. I know you will be tempted to do so because a lot of people go there for trips during the summer but these items are HEAVILY trademarked.

In addition, these corporations have lawyers who scour the internet daily looking to remove these items due to trademark infringement. So please for the love of God, DO NOT design for “family Disney trips” etc. Your items will be removed from Etsy and you could potentially have your shop shut down, be banned from the Etsy selling platform, or worse, be sued by one of these corporations. Just don’t do it!

4) BACK TO SCHOOL: Although kids will be out of school for the summer, back to school is a MAJOR niche to start designing for during the summer months. I suggest waiting until July to start posting listings for this niche because customers will start thinking about/buying these products in late July and early August. There are so many awesome products to sell in this niche! You can sell for teachers and students alike! Some things that I suggest you sell are: Teacher appreciation gifts, back to school gifts, teacher apparel, classroom decor, classroom posters, teacher gifts, first day of school gifts, meet the teacher, and school supplies.

Personally, I love this niche! I have found a lot of success with it and these are the following products I suggest you use: backpacks, lunchboxes, pens, pencil case, coasters, printables, stickers, phone cases, tote bags, weekender bags, t-shirts, sweaters, hoodies, mugs, tumblers, wine glasses, journals, posters, wall signs, doormats, and banners.

Need a little extra help?

Want more Niche, Design, and Product ideas?

I got you! Check out my Niche Navigator! This guide is my baby and took me years as a Print on Demand owner to develop! In this guide, there are 30 EVERGREEN & PASSIONATE niches used by the top 1% of Etsy sellers. This guidebook has 30 niches, subniches, SEO, and OVER 1,000 keywords to help you get started! Level up your Etsy store with the most PROFITABLE niches to go into! Click the link or image to check this out while it’s on sale!

Conclusion

Phew! I think that covers all the points I wanted to hit. Do not panic if your sales drop a tiny bit at the start of summer. This is when you will have the opportunity to build out your shop with fun summer related items and to get ready for Fall and Christmas!

I hope this post helps you on your Print on Demand journey! If you are new to print on demand, curious about selling products online, want to make your first best-seller, and want to learn how to start your Etsy business the right way in 2024, then check out my course The Print On Demand Playbook. I have over 30 videos and 8 hours of Print on Demand video tutorials and information on how to start your very own shop, Keywords/ Etsy SEO, product selection, research validation, design tutorials, content calendars, customer service templates, and so much more! 👇👇👇👇

And remember, always conduct market research and Trademark searches to ensure you are not infringing on anyone’s intellectual property before posting your listings 😊

Take care for now my fellow designers! Talk to you soon!

-Shay Lynn ❤️

RELATED:

Printify's 2024 Game-Changers: Top 10 Unsaturated Products Set to Dominate the Print on Demand World in 2024 That Don’t Include T-shirts!

Is Etsy the Right Platform To Sell Print on Demand Products On? The Many Pros and Many Cons of Selling On Etsy.

How to Start a Print On Demand Business With No Money or Experience: The Free Guide

The Top 10 Mistakes that Etsy and Print On Demand Sellers Make and How to Avoid Them in 2024

Hey there!

As a print-on-demand business owner and instructor, I get asked A LOT of questions. I absolutely love everything about Print on Demand and could honestly talk about anything and everything in this industry for hours (and with enough wine in my system, I could go on for days haha).

However, one of the most common and recurring questions I get asked by individuals who are new to Etsy & POD or from my students of The Print on Demand Playbook are typically about how to get more sales or how to drive more traffic.

Etsy is an absolute BEAST of a platform and in order to achieve maximum success for your shop, you need to be able to ensure you are doing everything in your power as a seller to ensure your listings and shop are set up for success!

A lot of sellers have no idea how to do this and make common mistakes that jeopardize their products from ever being seen! They quit right at the beginning of their Etsy and POD journey because they didn't get any traction/sales to their shops.

However, most of the time, it’s because they are making the following 10 mistakes!

So in this post, I am going to be talking about these mistakes, teaching you how to avoid them, and giving you solutions to each one!

So whether you are a beginner or someone who is not getting enough sales/traction to your store, this post is for you!

Before we dive in, let me introduce myself!

Hey there! I’m Shay Lynn

I am a top 1% Etsy Seller, am the proud owner of a multi-six figure Print on Demand & Etsy Business, a six-figure Shopify Business, and creator of the Print on Demand Playbook and The Niche Navigator. In 2023, I did $250,000 in sales running my very own Print on Demand and Etsy business. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE what I do and want to help others achieve financial freedom and find success with their own Print on Demand Business Ventures!

Now that you know a little about me, let’s dive right on into the nitty gritty and talk about the top 10 mistakes and how to fix them!

Top 10 Etsy and POD Common Mistakes

1) NOT DESIGNING IN A NICHE THAT YOU LOVE OR ARE FAMILIAR WITH IN THE BEGINNING

Genuine passion for your niche of choice fuels creativity and innovation. For example, if you are a nurse who is passionate about their job and wants to make products for fellow nurses, you will know what this target audience is looking for, what designs/products could work, their interests, and what to avoid. You automatically have an inside scoop!

Your passion, enthusiasm, and knowledge will shine through your designs which will result in authentic and engaging products that will help you stand out in a crowded market space. It will make your business journey entirely more enjoyable because you will be making products you care about and know about. This will also help you avoid burnout when creating products and help you become a better designer. Once you understand what works and what doesn’t design wise, you can then take your winning designs and apply them to different niches!

2) NOT DOING APPROPRIATE MARKET RESEARCH TO SEE WHAT IS TRENDING IN YOUR NICHE

You can not simply design something and put it on Etsy and think you are going to have massive success. You MUST see what design styles are currently trending in your niche of choice and think of ways to improve upon them. Look at other top-selling shops in your niche of choice and see what styles they are using for their products. For example, if you are making a gift for a nurse, see what the top-selling products are and what fonts, colors, and graphics are being used. Get a good idea of what is currently trending and selling so you can improve upon it!

One way to do this is by using POD research tools. The absolute BEST tools to conduct research are Sales Samurai and Everbee. These are my Desert Island Print on Demand research tools and there is not a single day that I am not using these to make educated decisions on what I need to be doing as a designer! If you haven’t signed up yet click the links to start for free! You can also enter SHAY20 at checkout for Sales Samurai to get 20% off!

3) ONLY STICKING TO ONE DESIGN STYLE WHEN YOU ARE FIRST STARTING OUT

I am a victim of this one! What design style you start with might not be the design style you end up with! When you are first starting out, you should start in a passionate niche to find out what designs work. If you are not making any sales with your design style, it is OK TO TRY NEW THINGS. For example, when I first started, I was making retro/groovy designs on my products and wasn’t finding much success. As I grew and evolved as a designer and seller, my shop grew and evolved as well! I no longer carry ANY retro/groovy products because it did not work for me. I had to try new styles and new ideas until I found my best-sellers.

Need a little extra help? Have No idea what a niche is?

Want more Niche, Design, and Product ideas?

I got you! Check out my Niche Navigator! This guide is my baby and took me years as a Print on Demand owner to develop! In this guide, there are 30 EVERGREEN & PASSIONATE niches used by the top 1% of Etsy sellers. This guidebook has 30 niches, subniches, SEO, and OVER 1,000 keywords to help you get started! Level up your Etsy store with the most PROFITABLE niches to go into! Click the link or image to check this out while it’s on sale!

4) NOT INVESTING IN GOOD MOCKUPS ON DAY 1

If you take anything from this article PLEASE LET IT BE THIS ONE! Great mockups can make your shop seem clean, polished, and professional from day one! Yes, it will cost a little bit of money, however, good mockups legitimize your business and make you look like a seasoned pro even if you are a beginner. Nothing screams “sketchy” or “new seller” than stock photos! Think about it, you are going to be competing with seasoned Etsy veterans with your products. By having great mockups, your products will stand out and help you get sales! TRUST ME ON THIS! You don’t even need to have a lot of them. When starting I suggest having 3 great mockups for every product you would like to sell.

5) NOT COMPLETING YOUR SHOP SETUP

When you open your shop, please please please make sure you complete this in its entirety. You need to create your shop policies, have a banner, a shop title, a logo, a picture of yourself, and a completed about section. Again, when you are starting out, you need to establish that you are a legitimate business. By completing your shop set up, you will make your business stand out and look professional from day one!

6) NOT ADDING CONSISTENT NEW LISTINGS WHEN FIRST STARTING OUT

The only way to be successful on Etsy is by creating listings on a consistent basis. Etsy runs on an algorithm and promotes shops that are consistently adding value to their platform. So by making consistent listings, you not only will have a better opportunity to make more sales, you will also have a better opportunity for Etsy to promote your products organically. This doesn’t mean you should make 10 mediocre listings a day. Quality over quantity! So ask yourself how many pristine listings can I make a week? Whatever your answer is, make sure you then post that number on a consistent daily or weekly basis. (For example, if you answer 7, you can post one listing a day or all 7 once a week)

7) NOT TAKING SEO SERIOUSLY

SEO or “search engine optimization” is how you will drive customers to your products. You need to be focusing on your title, tags, and descriptions. This can literally make or break your product. You could have the best design in the world with incredible mockups, but if your SEO is not on point, your products will never get seen. So please, when listing a product, take your description, title, and tags seriously.

8) NOT DOING TRADEMARK SEARCHES/ COPYING OTHER PEOPLES LISTINGS

This is a one-way ticket to having your shop shut down. After you conduct market research, and before you start designing, you MUST conduct a trademark search to ensure you do not infringe on registered intellectual property. Businesses with registered trademarks can file IP infringement cases on Etsy. You can then have your listings removed or worse, be sued by these businesses. Etsy then can either give you a warning or COMPLETELY SHUT YOUR SHOP DOWN. The same goes for other seller’s listings. You can not copy their work at all. That would be copyright infringement and again, can land you in a world or hurt. So please, keep yourself and your business safe by conducting a trademark search.

10) NOT CREATING A SENSE OF URGENCY

One way to easily gain more sales is by creating a sense of urgency for your products. Big retailers do this to drive sales and you can too for your small POD and Etsy business. It is very simple and you can do this one of two ways. 1) Run a daily sale on all your products. (Be sure to factor in the discount into your total costs) or 2) Create a coupon code with a valid time period! This makes customers feel like they will miss out on a sale, creates a sense of urgency, and will be better persuaded to make a purchase!

Conclusion:

Navigating a new POD and Etsy business can be tough. I get it. It took me 3 months of poking around in the dark and making mistake after mistake before I got my first bestseller. I made every mistake in the book. It can be truly frustrating and downright infuriating at times! That is why I made this post today. To help individuals not fall into the pitfalls and mistakes that I made in the beginning of my POD and Etsy business journey.

I truly hope you found this information helpful!

If you are totally new to Print on Demand and would like to know how to start your business step by step, how to create products, conduct market research, and how to list products the right way on Etsy, then check out my course The Print on Demand Playbook! It’s got 8 hours and over 30 videos of POD content to help you start your business from scratch, help you create winning POD products, Content Calendars, Font Guides, and so much more! Click the link or the image below to take a peek!

Take care for now my fellow designers! Talk to you soon!

-Shay Lynn ❤️

RELATED:

Printify's 2024 Game-Changers: Top 10 Unsaturated Products Set to Dominate the Print on Demand World in 2024 That Don’t Include T-shirts!

Is Etsy the Right Platform To Sell Print on Demand Products On? The Many Pros and Many Cons of Selling On Etsy.

How to Start a Print On Demand Business With No Money or Experience: The Free Guide

**this post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

Print on Demand Trend Alert: Design Inspiration and Etsy Trends for Spring/Summer 2024

Well Hey there!

As a print-on-demand business owner and instructor, I get asked A LOT of questions. I absolutely love everything about Print on Demand and could honestly talk about anything and everything in this industry for hours (and with enough wine in my system, I could go on for days haha).

However, one of the most common and recurring questions I get asked by individuals who are new to POD or from my students of The Print on Demand Playbook is typically about what to design and what design styles are currently trending. Sometimes choosing what to create every day/month/season or not knowing where to start can be the most difficult part about Print on Demand!

So in this post, I wanted to take the time to break down some current trending designs and styles that I suggest you focus on in May and the upcoming summer season to achieve maximum success!

Personally, Q2 (April, May, and June) is my JAM as a Print on Demand business owner. I do 6 figure sales in these months alone. And May is ALWAYS my best month! Check it out 👇👇👇👇

I can comfortably say I feel like I know a thing or two about what designs and trends are successful around this time of year 😊 So before we dive on in and break down what I suggest you focus on, let me introduce myself!

Hey there! I’m Shay Lynn

I am a top 1% Etsy Seller, am the proud owner of a multi-six figure Print on Demand & Etsy Business, a six-figure Shopify Business, and creator of the Print on Demand Playbook and The Niche Navigator. In 2023, I did $250,000 in sales running my very own Print on Demand and Etsy business. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE what I do and want to help others achieve financial freedom and find success with their own Print on Demand Business Ventures!

So now that you know who I am and what I am all about, let’s get into the nitty-gritty and talk about trending niches, designs, and styles for May and the next few months to come!

May 2024 Design, Niche, and Product Trends

1) THE GREAT OUTDOORS: The sun is starting to shine so people are gearing up for their favorite outdoor activities. This is the best time of year to start making gifts/products for outdoor activities. Think about products for the following: Camping, Hiking, Beach, Lake Life, Golfing, Surfing, Summer, Bird Watching, Cruises, RV, Boating, Pickleball, Tennis, Soccer, Raquettball, Marathons, and Running. 

And don't forget, it's not just sports that people are starting to gear up for. Summer Bachelorette Parties, Summer Weddings, and Family Vacations are some great group outdoor activities this time of year as well! And the best part about these group activities is that people typically will order more than one product for the group 😉

Products that I have found to be successful in these categories are Towels, Personalized Towels (think for a group outing i.e family cruise or bachelorette), blankets, wine glasses, bags (tote, weekender, makeup), candles, phone cases, hats, mugs, sweaters, tanks, hoodies, garden flags, wall art, sportswear (leggings, shorts, sports bras), and backpacks. Family Group Shirts or other types of attire do very well this time of year too.

The Best Print on Demand Companies (in my personal opinion) for these products are Printify and Printful. If you haven’t signed up for any of these, click the links to sign up for free!

2) FATHER’S DAY:  Although Mother's Day is in the month of May, design-wise, this ship has sailed. It's a little late in the game to focus on Mother's Day gifts if you are starting to design in May (you want your products to be made at least a month out before a major holiday). So that means it's Dad's time to shine!  Father's Day is just as big as Mother's Day and can bring in some great opportunities for you as a POD owner.

Think outside the box! Don't just think "Father's Day Gifts" get creative with it! Think, Father in Law Gifts, Fishing Gifts for Dad, Golfing Gifts, Hiking Gifts For Him, Dad Joke Gifts, Gag Gifts For Dad, Funny Dad Gifts, RV Camping Gifts, Gifts For Boat Owners, Gifts for Grandpa, Dad with Daughters, First Time Dad, First Father's Day, and Auto Racing Gifts. When doing market research keep in mind there are different variations for the words "Dad" and "Grandpa" (think Pop Pop). Also, I have found that funny gifts work a little better than sentimental ones for this holiday.

This niche is in my wheelhouse and I have found immense success with the following products: Die Cut Metal Signs (for advanced designers), doormats, cutting boards, pint glasses, beer koozies, Hoodies, Sweaters, Hats, Socks, Blankets, Pillows, towels, clipboards, coasters, underwear (think gag gift), thermos, mugs, aprons, posters/wall art, yard signs, and garden signs.

Be sure to conduct market research as a Print on Demand Owner! The absolute BEST tools to conduct this research on what’s trending and your competition are Sales Samurai and Everbee. These are my Desert Island Print on Demand research tools and there is not a single day that I am not using these to make educated decisions on what I need to be doing as a designer! If you haven’t signed up yet click the links to start for free! You can also enter SHAY20 at checkout for Sales Samurai to get 20% off!

Need a little extra help?

Want more Niche, Design, and Product ideas?

I got you! Check out my Niche Navigator! This guide is my baby and took me years as a Print on Demand owner to develop! In this guide, there are 30 EVERGREEN & PASSIONATE niches used by the top 1% of Etsy sellers. This guidebook has 30 niches, subniches, SEO, and OVER 1,000 keywords to help you get started! Level up your Etsy store with the most PROFITABLE niches to go into! Click the link or image to check this out while it’s on sale!

Now that we have covered what you should be focusing on Design Wise, let’s shift gears and talk about what Styles are trending and what sells really well this time of the year!

2024 Trending Design Styles: What's Hot Right Now

The following design styles are suggestions to help you apply certain aesthetics to your products. For example, if you have a Print on Demand shop that focuses on gifts for teachers, you could apply the following trending design aesthetics to your products!

1) GOTHIC WESTERN: This trend (thanks to Queen Bae) is not going anywhere for awhile! Think Vampire Cowboys in the South kind of vibes. Design Wise, you want to incorporate a nice blend of dark colors with Western/Victorian Fonts. Graphics-wise you can incorporate into your designs are horses, lassos, cow skulls, bones, cowboys, cowboy boots, spiderwebs, and wagons. If you are still scratching your head a little bit on what this style is, that's ok! Head over to Canva or Kittl and type "gothic cowboy" into the elements or templates section to get some inspiration.

2) TOMATO GIRL:  This design aesthetic is all about pops of color and whimsical styles mixed with farm/food life. Time to add some veggies, food, botanical, or rustic farm elements to your designs! Let your creativity run wild by incorporating veggies, fruits, plants, flowers, farm animals, and sea animals (jellyfish are really in right now)! The key is to have nice pops of vibrant colors with a clean background. Also, fun sun designs do really well too this time of year.

3) RETRO VIBES: This design style screams vintage 70s beach vibes. Right now 70s-inspired weddings and 70s beachy vibes are having a moment on Etsy. Try incorporating retro, vintage, wavy, and groovy fonts into your designs. Graphics-wise you want to focus on geometric shapes, abstract patterns, or graphics that induce nostalgia (ex. old cassettes or records).

4) COQUETTE STYLE: This trending design aesthetic is all about flirty, playfulness, and femininity. Think fancy flirty meets 2024. It's a nice blend of romantic, fun, and sass! Design-wise you should focus on pops of pink, mint, and cursive-based fonts. You can also incorporate lace, bows, and pearl elements into these designs! And again, if you have no idea what I am talking about, head over to Canva and type "Coquette" into the elements section to get a feel for this aesthetic. 

5) CLEAN/COOL GIRL AESTHETIC: This trending design is all about minimalism, and elegance, with a soft feminine touch. Less is definitely more for this trending design. You want to incorporate clean lines, shapes, and have this be not cluttered whatsoever. Simple elegant font pairings is what this is all about. Script, Cursive, and San Serif Font combinations scream “cool girl”. Muted and soft palettes are also a must for this aesthetic. These colors could include soft baby blues/pinks, lavender, greens, whites, beige/tan, and black. Self-care, gratitude, and motivation are what this style is all about!

6) COASTAL GRANDMA: This design style is all about coastal charm, vintage accents, and seaside vibes, with a subtle hint of grandmotherly warmth. You want to be sure to include nautical elements such as anchors, boats, lighthouses, seashells, and sea creatures like starfish and jellyfish. Colors that you could use while designing would be costal blues, sandy beiges, and soft creamy whites, and tiny pops of red. Some grandmotherly elements you could include could be gardening tools, vintage teacups, and quilt-like patterns.

Conclusion:

I hope this helps you get your creative juices flowing for May and the months to come! Like I said before, one of the hardest parts about starting or having a POD business is choosing what to design. It can be so daunting and feel super overwhelming at times so I truly hope this helps point you in the right direction. If you are totally new to Print on Demand and would like to know how to start your business step by step, how to create products, conduct market research, and how to list products the right way on Etsy, then check out my course The Print on Demand Playbook! It’s got 8 hours and over 30 videos of POD content to help you start your business from scratch, help you create winning POD products, Content Calendars, Font Guides, and so much more! Click the link or the image below to take a peek!

And remember, always conduct market research and Trademark searches to ensure you are not infringing on anyone’s intellectual property before posting your listings 😊

Take care for now my fellow designers! Talk to you soon!

-Shay Lynn ❤️

RELATED:

Printify's 2024 Game-Changers: Top 10 Unsaturated Products Set to Dominate the Print on Demand World in 2024 That Don’t Include T-shirts!

Is Etsy the Right Platform To Sell Print on Demand Products On? The Many Pros and Many Cons of Selling On Etsy.

How to Start a Print On Demand Business With No Money or Experience: The Free Guide

**this post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my links, at no cost to you.

What Niches To Get Into With Print on Demand & Etsy: The Top 3 Profitable Print on Demand Niches and the 3 Niches to Sidestep"

Hello there fellow entrepreneur!

As a print on demand business owner and instructor, I get asked A LOT of questions. I absolutely love everything about Print on Demand and could honestly talk about anything and everything in this industry for hours (and with enough wine in my system, I could go on for days haha).

However, one of the most common and recurring questions I get asked by individuals who are new to POD or from my students of The Print on Demand Playbook is typically about niches. So in this post, I wanted to take the time to break down the Top 3 Niches you should get into with Print on Demand and the 3 Niches you should ABSOLUTELY avoid in order to boost your Etsy sales and achieve success!

In the crazy and exciting world of Print on Demand, Etsy is an awesome platform for POD owners to showcase their unique products/designs to a global audience of 180 million customers! There are MILLIONS of sellers on Etsy and as you begin to navigate the platform, you will start to notice a pattern. The same sellers constantly DOMINATE that coveted first landing page! You will constantly see their products pop up the first time and time again. These sellers have seemed to “crack the code” on how to get their products seen and purchased by THOUSANDS of customers.

So the real question is, what sets these sellers apart? How are they achieving that coveted “Top 1% Etsy Seller” status?

The answer is simple: their niches.

Among the millions of sellers on Etsy, the top 1% of sellers who are making well over six figures aren’t selling in tons of different categories, they are typically dominating in ONE niche of choice! When I first started my POD journey, I was making this common mistake. I had no focus and was making tons of products in A LOT of different niches and could not make any sales to save my life! It wasn’t until I really started focusing in on a SPECIFIC niche that I started making sales.

Creating hundreds of products in multiple categories will not get you the success you are looking for in the e-commerce game. You don’t need to create everything to appease everyone in order to be successful. You just need to create A SPECIFIC thing for SOMEONE SPECIFIC to gain success.

To do that, you must pick and make products in a PASSIONATE NICHE to appeal to potential customers. Think about it. Print on Demand products are not essential goods. People don’t NEED to buy them in order to survive. They aren’t like toothpaste or toilet paper. Print-on-demand products, when designed and made in a passionate niche, are items that people WANT to buy. It is the stuff that people relate to and when they see it, they just HAVE TO HAVE IT!

To create that drive, you must sell in a passionate niche! It truly is that simple.

So before we dive in and explore these passionate niches in a little more detail, let me introduce myself!

Hey there, I am Shay Lynn! I am a top 1% Etsy Seller, am the proud owner of a multi-six figure Print on Demand & Etsy Business, a six-figure Shopify Business, and creator of the Print on Demand Playbook and The Niche Navigator. In 2023, I did $250,000 in sales running my very own Print on Demand and Etsy business. Check it out 👇👇👇

I feel like I can comfortably say that I definitely know a thing or two about Print on Demand and Niches 😉 I want to make sure that you are set up for success and avoid the mistakes I made when first starting out!

So without further ado, let’s get into what the Top 3 Niches that the Top 1% of Etsy Sellers are commonly selling in!

The Top 3 Profitable Niches:

1) WHAT’S TRENDING: This niche is all about what is currently happening that is creating a need to buy. The subniches for this category would be holidays, seasonal items, events, or birthdays (the birthday niche is evergreen so it can sell year-round!). Although these specific subniches can be typically short-lived, they can be EXTREMELY LUCRATIVE.

For example, you can open a shop that JUST sells Christmas goods. Yes, half the year might be a little slow (Christmas season sales start in July if you can believe it!), however, you will have AN EXPLOSION of sales come the holiday season. Most sellers do most of their business and sales during holiday/seasonal events so this could be a wonderful niche to get into! Do not get this confused with pop culture (more to come on this later), the “what’s trending” niche is for products in a specific event or specific time of the year. There are TONS of shops on Etsy that only sell event gifts and products that do very well!

2) HOBBY: These niches are what people are passionate about doing in their spare time. Think gardening, sewing, fishing, heck even bird watching! These people live, eat, and breathe for their hobbies of choice and are happy to spend TONS of money in these niches. They are PASSIONATE about their hobbies and want every product known to mankind! They want the whole world to know what they are all about and want to express themselves with products. If you are looking for ideas on what to sell and what could sell year-round, the hobby niche could be an excellent idea!

3) IDENTIFY: This niche is all about how people see themselves or what they associate themselves with. Some excellent subniche examples in this category would be occupation (think nurse, teacher, etc.), Mom/Dad, or a sports fan. For example, you could open a shop that JUST sells products to teachers. All different types of teachers with a variety of products. There is a massive demand for products in the identifying niche because people have a NEED to express themselves about what they are PASSIONATE about! There are a ton of top sellers that are in this niche category (myself included).

Ok, now that you have a good idea of what niches and potential subniches the Top 1% of Etsy sellers are in, let’s go over what Niches to completely AVOID! The following niches are extreme pitfalls that I see new sellers falling into time and time again so please, do not make these rookie mistakes!

Top 3 Niches to Avoid:

1) POP CULTURE: I would personally avoid this niche like the black plague! What do I mean by pop culture? I mean anything to do with a celebrity, Disney, Universal, Harry Potter, any book series, or movie quotes. I already know what you’re probably thinking. You’re probably thinking “I see TONS of this kind of stuff on Etsy why would I want to avoid this?”

Yes, you will see other sellers selling these types of goods. Heck, you might even see some sellers selling these types of products and those products might even be best sellers. But trust me when I say this, this will land you in a world of hurt. These sellers are selling on borrowed time. This is a surefire way to land in a HEAP of legal trouble. These items are HEAVILY trademarked and copyrighted. These companies and celebrities have TEAMS OF LAWYERS whose jobs are to specifically find these products and have them removed from selling platforms. You could be kicked off of Etsy or worse, sued for trademark, copyright, or intellectual property infringement. So please for the love of God, if you take anything away from this post, DO NOT even think about going near this niche!

2) CREATING YOUR OWN “UNIQUE QUOTES”: Although you might think a certain saying or quote you found on the internet to be funny, these “quotes” typically don’t create best-selling products. I am a victim of this. When I first started, this is exactly what I was creating. I was making products with funny quotes and although people were clicking and viewing my products, they weren’t actually buying them.

That’s because there was no real PASSION or DRIVE behind the sale. Yes, people found it funny to look at but they didn’t really want to spend their hard-earned cash on something that was just kind of funny. I have personally found that customers ultimately don’t identify with this so when designing, keep this in mind.

However, I will say, that the only time you could use a funny quote is if you could potentially tie in a funny quote WITH a passionate niche (like a birthday product with a funny quote).

3) EMOTIONAL: Don’t get this confused with the passionate niche. What I mean by emotional is using items like “a happy face”. Although you might think this is a good idea, a lot of these items, like a happy face, are trademarked. (Yes, the happy face symbol is trademarked). Try to avoid positivity items because a lot of these are trademarked and there is really no passion behind the sale.

Motivational quotes on the other hand could be an excellent alternative because you can tie them into so many other passionate niches! So just keep in mind when you are designing that emotional items are trademarked and not to confuse them with motivation!

Conclusion:

Choosing a niche can make or break your shop. It is probably the most difficult decision you will face when you are first starting your business. Trust me I know. It takes HOURS of market research and a whole lot of ingenuity to figure out what niches to sell in, what is lucrative, and what is an absolute bust! You can’t just make something and hope somebody buys it. As a business owner, you must make calculated moves to figure out where the demand lies and if there is potential for a successful product to be made! That is why I made “The Niche Navigator” 👇👇👇👇

This guidebook is my baby! It took me years of selling POD products to compose this book and is an absolute game changer for anyone struggling to pick a niche. This guidebook has 30 EVERGREEN (sells year round) NICHES, HUNDREDS OF SUBNICHES, SEO, OVER 1,000 KEYWORDS, and all of the BEST SELLING PRODUCTS in each niche! So if you are really struggling to figure out a niche to sell in, what products to sell, or are new to POD and don’t want to spend HUNDREDS of hours doing market research, then this is the guidebook for you! I am running a deal right now where this is only 10$. Yep, just 10$. So if you are interested click the link to get started!

Phew, well I covered all the points I wanted to make. I truly hope this helps point you in the right direction and makes you feel a little more comfortable about what niches to pick!

Happy Designing Rockstars! See you soon,

-Shay Lynn ❤️

Hi there, I’m Shay Lynn!

If you had told me that a few years ago when I was pregnant that I would be running my own multi 6 figure print on demand buisness, I would have outright laughed in your face! And then would have asked, “What the heck is Print on Demand?”

I’m a proud Mom, Etsy shop owner, Print on Demand business owner, and POD educator. I help women (and Mom’s like myself) start their own Print on Demand businesses and gain financial freedom so they can ditch their 9 to 5 grinds! Check out my course and blog to learn more!

RELATED:

Printify's 2024 Game-Changers: Top 10 Unsaturated Products Set to Dominate the Print on Demand World in 2024 That Don’t Include T-shirts!

Is Etsy the Right Platform To Sell Print on Demand Products On? The Many Pros and Many Cons of Selling On Etsy.

How to Start a Print On Demand Business With No Money or Experience: The Free Guide

Etsy Vs Shopify: Which Platform Should You Choose For Your Print on Demand Business?

As a print on demand business owner and instructor, I get asked A LOT of questions. I absolutely love everything about Print on Demand and could honestly talk about anything and everything in this industry for hours (and with enough wine in my system, I could go on for days haha). However, one of the most common and recurring questions I get asked by individuals curious about POD or from my students of The Print on Demand Playbook is some variation of the following:  

 “Which platform should I sell on for my print on demand business: Etsy or Shopify?” 

“Should I sell on Etsy and Shopify at the same time, or focus on just one?” 

“What do you think is the better platform: Etsy or Shopify?”

So today, I wanted to take the time to address this head on for anyone who is new or interested in the print on demand industry because this is such an important question to ask as a business owner. It is hard enough to start your own business in a new field and It can be very tough and daunting to try and decide what platform to sell on when you are first starting out. My goal for this post is to provide clarity for you so you can make an educated decision about what will be best for your business!

I am not sponsored by Etsy or Shopify whatsoever. This is a straightforward post about what I believe you should do when you are first starting out with print on demand. This is the exact method I did and it is also what I tell all of my students to do. I am only speaking from personal experience and want you to understand the pros and cons of each platform before opening your shop.

But before we dive into the bulk of this post, let me introduce myself!

Hey there, I am Shay Lynn! I am a top 1% Etsy Seller, am the proud owner of a multi-six figure Print on Demand & Etsy Business, a six-figure Shopify Business, and creator of the Print on Demand Playbook. In 2023, I did $250,000 in sales running my very own Print on Demand and Etsy business. Check it out 👇👇👇

I feel like I can comfortably say that I definitely know a thing or two about Print on Demand and want to give you the tools to empower you to open your own business as well! 

So without further ado, let's get into the nitty gritty and discuss which platform you should choose for your print on demand business. 

Shopify VS Etsy: What is right for you?

Shopify and Etsy are both wonderful platforms to choose from in the POD industry. Both are very user-friendly and can effortlessly integrate with whatever Print on Demand Company (Printify, Printful, Teelauch, etc.) you choose. However, they each have their own individual pros and cons. 

When you are first starting out, I suggest selecting Etsy as your first platform to sell on. In the beginning stages of operating your business, there will be so many things to learn and do for your business to operate and grow.

You will need time to learn how to create designs, what makes a best-selling product, and how to build inventory. You will also be discovering the intricacy of POD, SEO marketing, how to operate your selling platform (Etsy), how to deal with customers, as well as how to deal with print providers. On top of all of this, you will be creating and listing new designs/products DAILY, honing on what niches work for your shop, and building your brand. 

While you are learning all the ins and outs of POD and creating your products, Etsy will automatically promote your items to their 180 million customers on their trusted platform. This will give you time as a business owner to focus on building your store’s products and understanding all the interworkings of print on demand. Once you develop a clear concise brand, have a good-sized email list/customer base, have best-selling products, and most importantly have enough money to run ads, you can then move over to Shopify. Shopify will let you have more control of your shop once you have a more established brand. 

The reason I would not recommend starting with Shopify is you have to bring in EVERY customer to your shop. And I mean EVERY SINGLE ONE.

You have to run social media, run ads, and gain traction on your website all by yourself. This can be an uphill battle because you will not be a trusted brand with an established customer base. And to be completely honest, your first designs probably won’t be immediate best sellers either (it's okay mine definitely weren’t great when I was starting). You have to grow as a designer to see what works and what doesn’t. It will take time. Starting with Shopify can be very expensive and extremely time-consuming especially when you add in the fact that you have to create products and understand how POD works. 

In addition to this, Shopify does not automatically collect state taxes like Etsy does. You have to calculate all of that into your orders. You would need to hire an accountant because it is very time-consuming and needs to be done properly (unless you have a background in that field).

So when you are first starting out, using Shopify can be a huge headache if you have to do all of that in addition to learning how to make products, design, run customer service, build inventory, establish a brand, AND bring in EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER. 

With that being said, once your Etsy shop gets big enough, you do want to have a Shopify account in addition to your Etsy shop or completely transition over to Shopify. This is because although you are selling your products on Etsy, you technically don’t own your shop outright. You are on Etsy’s platform and they have control and the final say over your shop. They decide the rules/fees and they can decide to change them at any time. In addition, Etsy (worst case scenario if you violate trademarks or copyrights) can shut your shop down at any time. This is rare but definitely can happen. So you want to have a Shopify account set up eventually to safeguard your business. 

Think of it like this, Etsy is a store where people are already shopping. You are quintessentially renting a shelf for your products/shop in THEIR store. In addition to abiding by their terms, most people will not know your shop name or brand, they will just consider you “Etsy”. This can be hard to build repeat business and gather die-hard fans of your products. With Shopify, you can choose your own domain for your website and establish yourself as your own identity as well as having full control of your shop/business.

This is the exact method that I used to bring in multiple six figures as a print on demand business owner. I currently use both platforms. I bring in way more income from Etsy but my Shopify account generates a good amount of income as well and ensures my business is protected! When I was first starting, I had no idea what I was doing and didn’t have enough money to operate ads on a Shopify account. It wasn’t until I started creating best sellers and generating income on Etsy that I could afford to open my Shopify account. 

Conclusion

Well, that’s it! Very short and sweet. I hope this post helps you understand a little more about what selling platform may be right for your business! Etsy and Shopify are both wonderful platforms, but depending on where you are in your print on demand journey, one platform might be a better fit than the other.

If you are new to print on demand, curious about selling products online or want to start your very own Etsy business, check out my course The Print On Demand Playbook. I have over 30 videos and 8 hours of Print on Demand video information on there from how to start your very own shop, Keywords/ Etsy SEO, product selection, research validation, design tutorials, content calendars, customer service templates, and so much more! 👇👇👇👇

Thanks for taking the time to read this! Happy Designing Rockstars 🌟 

-Shay Lynn ❤️

Hi, I’m Shay Lynn!

If you had told me that a few years ago when I was pregnant that I would be running my own multi 6 figure print on demand buisness, I would have outright laughed in your face! And then would have asked, “What the heck is Print on Demand?”

I’m a proud Mom, Etsy shop owner, Print on Demand business owner, and POD educator. I help women (and Mom’s like myself) start their own Print on Demand businesses and gain financial freedom so they can ditch their 9 to 5 grinds! Check out my course and blog to learn more!

RELATED:

The Best Print on Demand Products and Niches to Sell for in Spring/Early Summer 2024

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Printify's 2024 Game-Changers: Top 10 Unsaturated Products Set to Dominate the Print on Demand World in 2024 That Don’t Include T-shirts!

The Best Print on Demand Products and Niches to Sell for in Spring/Early Summer 2024

Well Hello there my fellow creative entrepreneurs! 

Now that the slow sales of January are long gone, it is time that we kick into high gear for the exciting months that are upon us!  As we head into April, I want you to be prepared and geared up for the next few months because this is my absolute favorite time of the year to sell POD products (besides Christmas)!

I am referring to Q2 (second quarter) and that includes the months of April, May, and June. I LOVE this season! I call it “2nd Christmas” or “The Holiday Trinity Goldmine” because this is when you can make some MAJOR sales in your Etsy (or selling platform of your choice) shop. I bring in six-figure sales in April, May, and June alone check it out 👇👇👇👇

So in this post, I am going to spill all the tea and tell you EXACTLY what you need to be designing for and what trends to be on the lookout for as we head into this exciting time of year!

Before we dive in let me introduce myself!

Hey there, I am Shay Lynn! I am a top 1% Etsy Seller, am the proud owner of a multi-six figure Print on Demand and Etsy Business, and creator of the Print on Demand Playbook. In 2023, I did $250,000 in sales running my very own Print on Demand and Etsy business. Check it out 👇👇👇

I definitely know a thing or 2 about Print on Demand and Etsy Sales and Products 😉 and want to help you grow your own business!

So, without further ado, let’s dive on in and break down what you need to be focusing on in the next couple of months.

THE “HOLIDAY TRINITY GOLDMINE OF Q2” AND WHAT YOU NEED TO BE DESIGNING FOR: 

1. MOTHER’S DAY: Alrighty Mother’s Day (or Gifts for Mom) is one of the biggest niches to get into in Spring/Early Summer! For this holiday you want to make sure you are getting ALL of your designs up at least a month before so if you haven’t started do so now.… like right now 😉

Heartwarming messages, personalized gifts, and floral designs do really well in this category so keep that in mind when designing. And don’t forget, people are searching for all types of gifts! Some things that might help you get your creative gears spinning could be: 

Gifts for Grandma, Gifts for Dog Moms, Plant Lady Gifts, Mother In Law Gifts, First Mother’s Day Gifts. Think outside the box! Products that I have found to be successful that aren’t shirts/sweaters are: pillows, blankets, wine glasses, bags (makeup, weekender, and tote), candles, phone cases, hats, mugs, baby onsies, matching sets for mom and baby.

2. FATHER’S DAY: This is seriously Dad’s time to shine! Again don’t just think “Father’s Day Gifts” when you are looking for ideas and products, think outside the box and ask yourself what do Dads like?

Fishing gifts, RV camping, hiking gifts, Golfing gifts, Dad joke gag gifts, first-time dad gifts, and racing/auto gifts do really well this time of year! And don’t forget about Grandpa/Pop Pop too!

In my experience, I have found that funny products work better than heartwarming products for these types of gifts. I have found success with the following products: Die cut metal signs (I only suggest more advanced sellers/designers get into this), doormats, pint glasses, shirts/hoodies (hoodies bring in more money than a shirt), hats, blankets, clipboards, coasters, underwear, thermos, aprons, posters, and yard signs.

3. GRADUATION SEASON: Although this niche has a distinct season (people start buying products now in April for May/June Graduations), the graduation niche is also what we in the Print on Demand Business call an “Evergreen” niche. If you are new to Print on Demand or haven’t taken The Print on Demand Playbook course, an “Evergreen” niche means that it can sell year-round as opposed to a specific season or holiday.

So although there is one distinct graduation season, people graduate from colleges, programs, trade schools, and all sorts of things ALL THE TIME!! Don’t just think college and high school graduations are the only things you can make products for. Think police academy, fire academy, military graduation, grad gifts for doctors or nurses, grad gifts for lawyers, ANY type of occupation, grad school, Master’s degree, etc.

The possibilities are absolutely ENDLESS!! The best part is, no matter what your style is, you can design for this!! Masculine, feminine, retro, cute, it doesn’t matter! People are looking for ALL types of gifts in all types of styles! Products that I suggest for this are: Drinkware of all kinds, posters, yard signs, garden flags, banners, notebooks, bags, candles, shirts, sweaters, hoodies, hats, group shirts (or any type of group products) do really well too!

Now that we’ve covered the 3 major holidays to design for in the next couple of months, let me share with you what types of styles/designs are starting to trend this time of year, will be trending, and have sold in the past:

-COTTAGE CORE: Get ready to cozy up to the charm of cottage living! Think floral fantasies, whimsical wonders, mushrooms, frogs, and all things cozy and quaint. If you need some inspiration, think boho meets countryside magic. If you are still a little confused, that is totally ok! Jump onto Canva or Kittl, open up a fresh design, and look in the elements section. You can also hit templates and search “Cottage Core” All sorts of fun stuff will pop on up. These designs do really well during Q2.

-FUN FRUITS AND SUNSHINE: Time to add some fun fruits to your designs! Let your creativity run wild with watermelons, lemons, cherries, strawberries, and any fun and vibrant fruits you can think of! Also, fun sun designs do well as we move into summer! I have sold simple products with just fruits or products that say “Farm Fresh Strawberries” in the past and have made some decent sales with these very simple designs!

-THE GREAT OUTDOORS: As the weather starts to get better and better, people are itching to get outside! Products with Mountains, Rivers, Hiking Trails, RVs, and Boats do really well as we move into Summer.

Conclusion

Phew! I think that covers all the points I wanted to hit. I hope this helps you on your Print on Demand journey! If you are new to print on demand, curious about selling products online, or want to start your very own Etsy business, check out my course The Print On Demand Playbook. I have over 30 videos and 8 hours of Print on Demand video information on there from how to start your very own shop, Keywords/ Etsy SEO, product selection, research validation, design tutorials, content calendars, customer service templates, and so much more! 👇👇👇👇

Happy Designing during Q2 Rock Stars! Talk to you soon,

-Shay Lynn 🌈✨

Hi I’m Shay Lynn!

If you had told me that a few years ago when I was pregnant that I would be running my own multi 6 figure print on demand buisness, I would have outright laughed in your face! And then would have asked, “What the heck is Print on Demand?”

I’m a proud Mom, Etsy shop owner, Print on Demand business owner, and POD educator. I help women (and Mom’s like myself) start their own Print on Demand businesses and gain financial freedom so they can ditch their 9 to 5 grinds! Check out my course and blog to learn more!

RELATED:

How to Start a Print On Demand Business With No Money or Experience: The Free Guide

Printify's 2024 Game-Changers: Top 10 Unsaturated Products Set to Dominate the Print on Demand World in 2024 That Don’t Include T-shirts!

Is Etsy the Right Platform To Sell Print on Demand Products On? The Many Pros and Many Cons of Selling On Etsy.

Is Etsy the Right Platform To Sell Print on Demand Products On? The Many Pros and Many Cons of Selling On Etsy.

So before we get into the nitty-gritty of this post, I want to start off by saying there are MANY PROS and MANY CONS to selling on Etsy!

If you ask my students of The Print on Demand Playbook they will confirm that I could talk about this for hours and (if I have enough rosé in my system) maybe even days haha! So before we dive into the main content, I want to make sure you know that I can’t possibly cover ALL the pros and ALL the cons in one article. Because the fact is, there are A LOT of things Etsy gets right AND A TON of things that are SUPER annoying and in my opinion are done wrong. And if you disagree with some of these that is totally fine!! I am just giving my perspective from my experience selling Print on Demand Products on Etsy so that you can make educated decisions on whether Etsy is the right platform for you! 

Before we dive in let me introduce myself! Hey there, I am Shay Lynn! I am a top 1% Etsy Seller, am the proud owner of a multi-six figure Print on Demand and Etsy Business, and creator of the Print on Demand Playbook. In 2023, I did $250,000 in sales running my very own Print on Demand business. Check it out 👇👇👇

I definitely know a thing or two about Print on Demand and Etsy 😉

So, before we start, I just want to preface that this article isn’t meant to sway you one way or another. I think Etsy is fantastic platform for so many reasons and can work wonders for some but maybe not for all. At the end of the post, I want you be able to work out what’s best for YOU – whether it’s Etsy or another selling platform!

My job as an educator is to keep you completely informed. Where you sell doesn’t matter to me, not even one bit! What matters to me is that you make sales and have a successful online business! For some that business plan includes Etsy, for others, you may need to look into a different platform (Shopify, Squarespace, Wix). There is no right or wrong. What matters is that you get started and decide on what you should do as a business owner.

Ok so now that we got that out of the way, let’s get into it!

The Pros Of Selling On Etsy:

 1. ETSY HAS AN ESTABLISHED AUDIENCE WITH MILLIONS OF VISITORS

Etsy is a BEAST of an E-commerce platform. It has a huge established audience and in my opinion, is its best and most attractive quality! According to Etsy’s own website, there are “180 million visitors a year on Etsy.” As a starting business owner, this is amazing and can be a complete game changer for gaining traction in your shop!!!

Instead of you starting your business off by creating products and having to bring customers to your website, Etsy eliminates the need for you to do all the leg work of getting customers to your shop! Your products are being put in front of a LOT of potential customers daily who are on Etsy already looking to make a purchase!! This factor alone helped me because when I was first learning Print on Demand, I really struggled to learn how to design. If I had to design while simultaneously running ad campaigns for my business and trying to get people to see my products, I honestly don’t think I would be as successful as I am today. So that’s clearly a very significant advantage that you need to consider when first starting out. 

2.  SET UP AND MAINTAINCE

This one may be tied for first because it’s kind of a multi-answer (so I broke it up into sections) but it is RIDICULOUSLY EASY to set up and maintain an Etsy storefront.

A) USER FRIENDLY SETUP

Even if you are not a tech aficionado or can barely use a laptop, I guarantee you can set up an Etsy shop. There are only a few steps and Etsy walks you through the process step by step. You can set up your shop in less than an hour. 

Now of course this doesn’t mean you don’t have to put in the work once your shop is set up! You still have to integrate your Print on Demand providers, create designs, make mockups, and write Product Descriptions with a fine-tuned SEO strategy! But in terms of setting up your shop, it really is super simple. I have used multiple selling platforms and this is hands down the easiest. Learning how to set up, code, and launch your own website is like learning rocket science compared to setting up an Etsy storefront!

B) EASE OF MAINTENANCE.

Etsy maintains and updates your storefront for you (when there are updates to the platform) You don’t have to set reminders to update this or fix that to your website each week or for your business to run successfully.

 C) YOU DON’T NEED TO LEARN ANY TECH SKILLS 

If you can turn on a laptop and are capable of making online purchases, YOU MOST CERTAINLY ARE CAPABLE OF STARTING THIS BUSINESS STRUCTURE. When I was first starting out I had NO IDEA what I was doing and within 3 months I got my first best seller and made $10,000 in one month. Etsy makes it THAT EASY.

3. ETSY IS A TRUSTED PLATFORM 

When you start your own website, and a social media ad campaign to drive customers to your site, you have to gain the trust of potential buyers. Your future customers don’t know if you’re an upstanding business owner or some shady fly-by-the-night website owner — so it takes time to prove yourself to your target audience. If you start by selling on Etsy, you immediately have that trust from potential customers, because Etsy is a trusted brand and website. Individuals who use Etsy know they will be taken care of if they purchase products on the website. They know if there is an issue with the Shop, Store Manager, or Product they receive they will get a refund and be taken care of.

4. ETSY’S PAYMENT SYSTEM 

The fourth pro I want to talk about is the fact that Etsy has an established payment system. It collects sales tax STATE BY STATE! This saves you a lot of headaches because you don’t have to worry about setting up payment processing systems and figuring out how to use them, process credit card payments, or how to sort taxes from each state! It is all done for you! Trust me, other selling platforms do not have this and you may have to hire an accountant to sort this out for you come tax season! With Etsy, this is made super simple to track and process which helps me out during tax season!

5. PRINT ON DEMAND INTEGRATION

This one is not 100% Etsy but on the Print Providers as well but, I wanted to include this. Integrating any type of Print on Demand Provider to you Etsy shop is so easy that you can do it seamlessly within minutes. Once you are done designing and need to publish your listing to your Etsy shop, it takes just a minute or two for your finished product to show up on Etsy! I absolutely love how streamlined and easy the integration, setup, and publishing features are when using Etsy.

 Ok ok ok….

Now that you know the good stuff, let’s get into some of the bad stuff. This is what you all have been waiting for. I am going to spill the tea here on the ugly side of Etsy. So without further ado, let’s get into it:

The Cons Of Selling On Etsy:

1) LACK OF CONTROL

This in my opinion is the biggest problem with selling on Etsy. If you decide to open up your shop with Etsy you have to realize you technically don’t own 100% of your business. Yes, it is your shop, and yes it’s your designs, however, you are quintessentially renting a space to sell your products in Etsy’s marketplace. At the end of the day, you are an Etsy shop, it is not your own website, you don’t make the rules and you don’t get any kind of say in those rules. 

You don’t make the terms and conditions.

You have to pay WHATEVER FEES they require in order to do business on their platform. 

AND 

Worst Case Scenario- Etsy has the power and capability to shut your shop down without any notice at ANY TIME because again, your storefront is technically not 100% your own business.

You are playing by Etsy’s game/rules and you have to follow along in order for your shop to get any kind of recognition. I think this is the biggest issue that a lot of new Etsy sellers don’t realize. So please, if you are new to Etsy, read the Etsy Seller Handbook Guide METICULOUSLY to make sure you are following their rules completely!

1. BRANDING ISSUES

When you are selling on Etsy it is hard to have established branding. As an e-commerce business owner, it is vital to have repeat and loyal customers in order to be successful. However, when you sell your products on Etsy, this can be particularly challenging. 

Let me throw out a scenario for you. Someone buys a funny gift, let’s say a Birthday gift for this example, from your Etsy shop. When the person opens the gift they’ll probably say something like, “Oh my god this is awesome! Where did you get it?” 

The person who bought the birthday gift will probably respond by saying “I got it on Etsy” not “I got it on Etsy from this shop called blah blah blah”

People don’t remember your shop name, they think you are Etsy. I have had COUNTLESS customers think that I work for Etsy or that my shop falls under some kind of Etsy- Employee scenario. Because of this, it is hard to get repeat business, brand recognition, referrals, or become an established and successful e-commerce business when using Etsy.

2. INCREASED COMPETITION

For as many customers on Etsy, there are just as many of sellers on Etsy. 

It is almost downright impossible for you to just slap up a product and get immediate sales because there are a lot of people competing on this platform making very similar items.

These days, most of the popular niches are SUPER SATURATED, and there’s competition – A LOT OF competition – in almost every niche. This is something that you really got to keep in mind because it can be really hard to stand out in a sea of competition on Etsy’s platform when you are first starting out.

3. “EASY WORK” EXPECTATIONS PITFALL

When I tell people I run an Etsy shop, 9 times out of 10 they will say something like this-

”Oh that’s cute! Is this like your side hustle while you raise your son?” or

“Oh my (fill in obscure relative) makes jewelry on there” or my personal favorite

“Do you make any money doing that?” 

I can not tell you how many people think “running an Etsy shop” is just a cute little easy job.

WRONG! It is hard work. It takes SERIOUS dedication. And you have to work hard every day for a while to create success. AND I MEAN EVERY DAY. It is the most challenging AND most rewarding job I have ever had and I work my (pardon my French) a$$ off to make it successful. 

There are A LOT of people out there peddling information that paints this picture that this business “runs itself” and that could not be further from the truth. Sure my work week is about 10 hours a week now, but when I was first starting off, I was doing this every free minute I got. I did this while my 4 month old son slept or kept me up in the middle of the night while I was feeding him. I didn’t watch my favorite shows. I stopped using a lot of social media. I rarely went out. I hunkered down to figure this out for MONTHS. Please, if you take anything from this, please do NOT listen to these “gurus” telling you this is easy.

I assure you it is not.

There are so many new sellers who open an Etsy shop and think that all they need to do is list some the products, like t-shirts and some coffee mugs with funny sayings and will make half a million dollars in 3 months because they saw someone on Tiktok/Instagram/Facebook doing it.

This is so COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY FALSE.

There is work, a lot of hard work involved in running a successful shop. It is one thing to just create a product. It is a WHOLE OTHER BEAST to create a successful and profitable product that will make you money.

You have to do MAJOR market research, validate your products, and comb through your competition to see what works and what doesn’t. You have to find niches that aren’t tapped out yet and create about 100 products to start seeing results. You have to utilize Etsy SEO and understand it like a science to make sure your products can land on the first landing page so you can be seen.

So again please, if you take anything from this post, know that this is not a get rich quick scheme but will take some serious dedication on your end to be successful.

4. AND LASTLY, FEES FEES AND MORE FEES!!!

Well, I saved the best or should I say the worst, for last. Etsy has listing fees, relisting fees, shipping fees, transaction fees, pattern fees, advertising fees, international fees… they even have special fees for selling multiple products in one sale! This isn’t even all of them- I’m just painting a picture for you so you can see what I mean!

When you look at them all separately they seem small. Like a listing fee is only .20 cents, the transaction fee is like 7% (6.5 to be exact) of your order, etc. But it adds up like crazy over time!

In 2023, I sold (a little over) $250,000 in revenue and I had to pay about $29,000 in fees.

Let me repeat that, I PAID DARN NEAR 30K in just Etsy Fees to run my business on Etsy’s platform! That is over 10%!!!

I’m not saying the fees are unreasonable. I pay these fees to use the Etsy platform – but it does come at a cost so you need to keep that in mind. 

I HIGHLY recommend calculating what your fees would be for your products to see how much of your profit margin your fees would take up. You want to definitely make sure to do this BEFORE you start making your products because you don’t want to make a sale and not make any money due to Etsy Fees.

Conclusion:

PHEW, well, I think I covered the major points I wanted to hit!

Again, this is not meant to scare you, deter you, or even sway you. This post is meant to keep you completely informed and help you decide what to do as a business owner. I use Etsy’s platform because of the convenience it provides me and my business. No, I do not like forking over 30K worth of fees, but in my mind, that is the price I pay to access Etsy customers and to not have to deal with collecting state sales tax and so much more!

If you think Etsy is the right program for you and are ready to start your own Print on Demand Business, check out my course The Print On Demand Playbook. I have over 8 hours of Print on Demand video information on there from how to start your very own shop, Etsy SEO, product selection, research validation, design tutorials, content calendars, customer service templates, and so much more! 👇👇👇👇

Thanks for reading! See you later alligator ❤️

RELATED:

How to Start a Print On Demand Business With No Money or Experience: The Free Guide

Printify's 2024 Game-Changers: Top 10 Unsaturated Products Set to Dominate the Print on Demand World in 2024 That Don’t Include T-shirts!

How to Start a Print On Demand Business With No Money or Experience: The Free Guide

Oh hey there dreamers and aspiring entrepreneurs!

Have you ever imagined owning your own online store? Do you constantly daydream about running your own business? Do you wish you could finally figure out how to make money online but have no clue where or how to get started? If you want to run your own successful business in 2024 and are short on cash/ have no idea where to begin, a Print on Demand Business might be the best option for you!

In this post, I’ll be doing a deep dive into the world of Print on Demand and how to start with no money. I’ll break down how to pick the perfect products and suppliers, what tools to use to make your own designs, how to make your very own creations (even if you’ve NEVER designed anything before), and how to conduct market research! So hold onto something because I'm about to show you how to kickstart your Print on Demand journey without spending a single penny!

I am about to spill all the tea on this business model so get your pen, paper, notes laptops, or whatever you need to get to get all this information down!!

But before we begin and get into the nitty gritty, let me introduce myself! Hey there I’m Shay Lynn! I am a top 1% Etsy Seller, am the proud owner of a multi-six figure Print on Demand and Etsy Business, and creator of the Print on Demand Playbook (click the link to check out my playbook). In 2023, I did $250,000 in sales running my very own Print on Demand business. Check it out 👇👇👇

It took me months of trail and (mostly) error to accomplish this in 2023 but I can confidently say I know a thing or two about Print on Demand 😉

So without further ado, let’s get started!

This post is all about how to start a print on demand business when you have no money!

So what in the world in Print on Demand any how??

Print on Demand, or POD for short, is a business model where you as a business owner partner with a print provider that handles all the production and shipping of your products for you. All you need to do is set up an online store, create your designs, integrate your print provider to your shop, upload said designs, and when someone places an order for a product with your design, the printing company takes care of everything for you!

The concept is insanely simple: you create designs (they don’t even need to be complicated! Some of my best sellers are just plain fonts) for different products like t-shirts, sweaters, tote bags, hoodies, or mugs, and when a customer places an order, the product is printed and shipped directly to them! How easy is that?!

This means you don’t ever have to worry about upfront costs, inventory (or running out of inventory) or large overhead costs. It’s a great option for creative entrepreneurs who want to turn their designs into profitable products without breaking the bank. You also don’t spend a dime until someone purchases a product so to set this all up doesn’t cost ANYTHING to start!

By utilizing popular platforms like Etsy and Shopify, you can easily set up your own online store within hours! These platforms provide a storefront for your products, built in payment processing options, and the ability to sell an unlimited number of products. Plus, they are trusted platforms that millions of people are visiting everyday!

Why Choose Print On Demand Over Other Business Models in 2024??

Well, let break it down for you. According to Emarketer Insider Intelligence, “e-commerce retail sales will reach an estimated $6.91 trillion in 2024, up 9.5% from total e-commerce retail sales in 2023 ($6.31 trillion). Projections indicate that value will increase to $8.03 trillion in 2027.”

The e-commerce market is RAPIDLY expanding and has no intentions of slowing down. Personally for me, I definitely want a piece of that 7 TRILLION (with a “t” not a billion with a “b” or million with a “m”) repeat 7 TRILLION dollar pie!

Unlike traditional business models, Print On Demand requires NO upfront inventory costs. You only have to pay for the product once a sale has been made! This means you don’t need to worry about storing or managing stock, and you only pay for the products when a customer makes a purchase.

 It’s an incredibly low-risk way to start your own business while testing out different designs and products to see what works and what doesn’t without having to invest THOUSANDS of dollars to get started. 

With the rise of e-commerce platforms like Shopify and Etsy, it’s easier than ever to start your own print on demand business! These are trusted platforms that are extremely user-friendly and have millions of people already searching for items!

And the ABSOLUTE best part about having a POD Business is that you don’t have to worry about making, packaging, or shipping ANY INVENTORY because the print on demand service provider handles EVERYTHING (including refunds for damaged goods). This means that all you really have to focus on is creating fun awesome designs that appeals to your target audience.

It’s a win win win if you ask me!

This Sounds To Good To Be True. Are there any Disadvantages??

I am not going to paint this crazy picture of all rainbows, butterflies, and unicorns for you about Print on Demand. Just like with any business, there are going to be hangups. Luckily with Print on Demand there aren’t too many but I did want to share them with you so you can really understand the business concept.

1) One major drawback is the lack of control over the fulfillment process. Because you are putting all of your trust into a Print Provider to fulfill you orders, you are on their time, inventory, and printing protocols. Because of this sometimes you may have less say in the quality and timing of your products because you rely on a third party service to fulfill you orders.

2) You definitely are paying a little bit more for your products because you are paying for them to be print, packaged, and shipped. This does result in slightly lower profit margins compared to other business models.

3) And Finally, competition is growing in the print-on-demand industry. To really make it it will take you CONSISTENLY making new items weekly. So if you don’t really have the drive this could be really difficult for you to get started because this DEFINITELY is not a get-rich-quick scheme.

This portion of the post is not meant to scare you or be a downer. I just want you to know upfront the pros and cons of running a POD Business so you can make your best-educated decision on if this is right for you 😊

Now let’s get down to business…

How to Start a POD Business When You Have No Money!

Step One: Pick your Niche

Picking the right niches is crucial and critical if you are starting a POD business without any money.

Niches are specific markets/customers that you can target with your products. If you are starting with no money you really need to hone in on your specific audience and learn what they like to buy. By focusing on niches that have high demand and low competition, you increase your chances of success!

So think about your target audience or group you are trying to make a product for and ask youself “what will this particular person or group of people gravitate to and want to buy?” Once you have an idea of what niche you want to get into and what products could be successful you have to do market research to see if there is truly a demand for these products!

Free Research Tools:

In order to run a successful POD business you must validate your products to confirm that there is in fact a demand and that your product isn’t currently over-saturated in the niche marketplace of your choosing. To do this, POD business owners use these powerful tools to see what direction they should take in order to minimize wasted time, effort, and money!

SALES SAMURAI- This tool is hands down the best to work with! If I had to pick just one research tool to use for the rest of my life, this would be the one! This tool does it all. It does deep-dive research into what is currently trending, niches to get into, and how to track your competition! It also provides keywords, google trends, and a pricing calculator! You get a free 3-day trial and 20% off using code SHAY20 to test out Sales Samurai to see if it’s the right fit for you before making a purchase!

EVERBEE- This tool is AMAZING. It is a chrome extension that allows you (in real time) to track everything about a product to see if it is successful and if there is a demand! Again, there is a free trial so you can test it out and play around with you to see if you like it before buying it but I will say from experience, this was a total game changer for my business so I highly recommend getting this!

I do a deep dive in my course The Print On Demand Playbook on how to use these tools to your advantage and exactly how to find unsaturated products to sell!

Step 2: Designing Products

Once you have chosen your niche and have researched what products you want to sell, it is time for the fun part! It’s time to start designing!!!!

This is my favorite part about running a Print on Demand Business! Every day I get to be super creative and come up with my unique designs to sell to the world. Nothing beats the feeling of creating your own design, putting it out in the world, and having it turn into a best seller!

There are 2 design programs that I use and are completely free to sign up!

1) Canva- This is the ultimate tool for creators of all levels! Whether you're a newbie or a seasoned pro, Canva's got your back with its intuitive interface and vast array of templates, fonts, and images. With just a few clicks, you can whip up stunning designs for your print on demand products that are sure to turn heads and make you some money!

And here's the cherry on top: Canva offers a free plan, giving you access to tons of features without spending a dime!

2) Kittl- Kittl is a completely revolutionary design software program that elevates your designs to the next level! Kittl is beyond user-friendly and has an extensive range of features, ranging from Mockup creation to AI design! Its templates are on a whole other playing field and the fonts offered are unmatched by any design software program on the current market (including Canva). I use this for seasonal designs because their pre-built templates are absolutely stunning!

And the best part: Totally free to sign up! Click the link to sign up and get started for FREE!

Step 3: Choosing a Print Provider

You’ve done your niche research, validated your ideas, and have designed your product! Now it is time to bring your designs to life by uploading your artwork to your products using your chosen Print Provider!

When your first starting out, choosing the right print provider for your products is crucial. You want to ensure that you are producing quality products so your customers will be more inclined to leave 5 star reviews!

You want to look for suppliers that have a wide range of products to choose from, so you can offer your customers a variety of options in your shop. It’s also important to consider the supplier’s production times, customer service, pricing, shipping options, and quality. You want to make sure your supplier can fulfill orders promptly, provide support if any issues come up, and make sure that you as a business owner are taken care of.

You’ll also want to choose a POD print provider that integrates seamlessly with your chosen selling platform. The two selling platforms I suggest are Etsy or Shopify.

The following are the print providers that I use in my shop and are what I recommend to beginners. Oh and they are all COMPLETELY FREE to sign up!

1) Printify- This tool is the king of print providers. Their inventory, shipping times, and quality are out of this world. They not only have a diverse amount of products to choose from but an award winning customer support staff that truly cares about your business and are happy to help all hours of the day! For my own print on demand shop, I would say I use Printify 40% of the time for most of my products!

2) Printful- this tool is one of the leading print on demand suppliers in the industry, and an excellent choice for beginners. They offer a wide range of products, including clothing, accessories, and home decor items (I especially love their hats)

3) Teelaunch- This print provider is small but mighty! I specifically use them for kind of a “miscellaneous” product category. They have products from Jewlery to unique displays that other print providers don’t offer. The quality of products is superb and the interface to track your orders is extremely easy to use. If you are looking to start with some really unique products that could help you break free from your competition, I would definitely start here!

Step 4: Choose a Platform to Sell Your Products

There are a few things to consider when you are choosing the right platform to sell your print on demand products on.

First, it’s important to explore popular marketplaces like Amazon, Ebay, Etsy, or Walmart, as they offer a wide reach and potential customer base. These are trusted platforms that have people already searching for products on so you don’t have to run ads or do the footwork to get traction in your shop.

It's essential to thoroughly look into all of the features, fees, and audience reach of each platform before making your decision, making sure it aligns seamlessly with your business objectives and goals. And most importantly you need to select a platform that integrates smoothly with your chosen print on demand supplier because this will streamline your business operations significantly. When you first start out, I would only focus on selling on one platform to start. It will prevent you from stretching yourself too thin and allowing you to focus your efforts effectively. Personally, I would recommend starting with Etsy. Once your shop gets enough traction and you have a big audience, you can then move your business over to your own e-commerce website like Shopify.

Frequently asked Print on Demand Questions that beginners typically have:

Is it truly possible to start a POD business without spending a dime?

ABSOLUTELY! When I was first starting I used every free trial period and free program I could get my hands on. I only upgraded once I started making sales.

So yes, it is possible to start a print on demand business with no money! I’ll be honest, you have to be very business savvy and make educated decisions but this is very possible. By utilizing free platforms and tools, such as Printful, Printify and Etsy, you can easily start your business on a serious no-frills spending budget. Don’t forget you can also leverage social media and content marketing to promote your products without spending a dime on advertising.

Is a print on demand business model right for you?

Deciding if a print on demand business model fits your needs hinges on several factors that depend on your business goals and financial circumstances. Here's what to consider:

1. Your Budget: With limited funds for inventory or production equipment, a print on demand model offers a budget-friendly solution. You pay only for items when ordered, eliminating upfront investment needs.

2. Versatility: Print on demand lets you offer a whole diverse product range without managing inventory, allowing for experimentation and flexibility with different designs and products without committing to large quantities.

3. Time: Once your POD business is up and running you can work less that 20 hours a week and it will run itself. I currently work on average 15 hours a week (5 hours when it’s slow and 30 hours around Christmas). Launching a print on demand venture demands time and dedication, especially in designing and marketing products. However, once your store is up and running smoothly, it can free up more time to focus on business growth.

4. Creativity: If you love creativity and design as much as I do, a print on demand business offers the perfect outlet for artistic expression. You get to make art and money at the same time!

In Conclusion:

Starting a POD business with no money may sound hard and challenging, but the truth is, it is definitely doable! By using the free resources and platforms in this post, you can start selling your own unique designs without any upfront costs! 

The great thing about Print On Demand is that success your POD business’ success is not solely dependent on financial investment, but rather on creativity, determination, perseverance, and CONSISTENCY. It is one of the only business models on the planet where a lack of funds can’t hold you back! So if you have the drive and are ready to commit, you can most CERTAINLY start a POD Business with no money.

As stated earlier, I teach a course on exactly how to do this. This guide provides all the necessary tools you will need to start however, if you are more of a visual learner (like myself) I have over 8 hours of course videos and live tutorials showing you step by step how to set up your own shop, validate a product, make a design, and list your products, and how to run your POD business to make 6 figures!

If you liked this post, save it for later so you can come back to it any time you want!

This post was all about how to start a print on demand business with no money: The Free guide

**This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy through one of our links, I may earn affiliate commissions at no extra cost to you.

RELATED: Printify’s 2024 Game Changers: Top 10 Unsaturated Products Set to Dominate The Print on Demand World in 2024!

Printify's 2024 Game-Changers: Top 10 Unsaturated Products Set to Dominate the Print on Demand World in 2024 That Don’t Include T-shirts!

In the world of Print on Demand, the difference between having a storefront and having a successful storefront lies in innovation and staying ahead of the curve. Using a trusted and reliable print provider like Printify, you can easily pick quality products that aren’t completely saturated (cough cough… t-shirts). By doing this, you as a shop owner will have a way better chance of having your products stand out/be seen, rank higher in any search algorithm (Google, Etsy, etc.), and have a great shot at making a best seller. 

It is almost downright IMPOSSIBLE to create a successful product/storefront if you are solely focusing on t-shirts in 2024. Trust me I have been there, I’ve lived this firsthand, and I know the struggle! It is REAL and I don’t want you to face this! With so many new individuals starting print-on-demand businesses, selling platforms like Etsy and Shopify are being overrun with people who are focusing on making one type of product: t-shirts. Because of this, new sellers get frustrated and think “There’s no money to be made here” and quit doing Print on Demand because they never make any sales let alone any money.

But in 2024, you have to be able to stand out in a sea of new sellers in order to be successful and make money. The only way to do this is to NOT pick products that everyone else is doing, but instead, choose unique unsaturated products that are still being searched for and have crazy demand. Once you do this, you can easily separate yourself from the pack, stand out, and make some real sales!!! So what are these magical products that I speak of??? Well, let me tell you the top 10 products on Printify that are going to be absolute game-changers in 2024.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let me introduce myself! Hey there I’m Shay Lynn! I am a top 1% Etsy seller, am the proud owner of a multi-six figure Print on Demand and Etsy Business, and creator of the Print on Demand Playbook (click the link to check out the playbook). In 2023, I did $250,000 in sales with Print on Demand using Printify as my main print provider. Check it out👇👇👇!

Now that you’ve seen my sales, I’ll share a little fun secret with you… I DO NOT SELL T-SHIRTS in my store!!! Shocker I know!!!! The reason I am telling you this is that 

1. I want you to see that you can ABSOLUTELY run a successful storefront without solely focusing on t-shirts and…

2. I want you to know I made the mistake of trying to sell t-shirts when I first started and I could not make consistent sales to save my life because t-shirts are SO SATURATED. It wasn’t until I switched to unsaturated products that I finally found myself making consistent sales and raking in profits!

I want to save you countless hours and point you in the right direction for 2024 by sharing the unsaturated high demand products I sell with you!

So without further ado, let me spill the tea and tell you the EXACT Printify Products that I sell/will be selling in 2024. So go and get a pen and paper or open your notes or whatever you got to do and write these Prinitify Products down!

Wait…You don’t have Printify as your print provider yet??? No worries! I got you! sign up for free today by clicking the Printify link here or anywhere throughout this post! Printify has completely changed my Print on Demand game so do yourself a favor and RUN to get on it today!!!!

TOP 10 Printify Products To Sell In 2024

1. Garden/house banner: There has been a steady increase of garden banners trending on Etsy and Shopify. It’s definitely a vibe! There are so many niches and fun personalizations that you could do with this! From seasonal designs to personalized family names, the possibilities are literally endless and this is completely unsaturated. This is something that is definitely going to be huge in 2024 so do NOT miss out. 

2. Bookmarks: Trust me! I know this sounds a little out there but bookmarks are a small item that packs a serious punch. If you are in the reading niche or thinking about getting into it, this is a product you can not sleep on. Personalized bookmarks can bring in THOUSANDS of dollars in sales! This one from Printify is durable and you can make countless designs to fit any type of book lover’s dreams!

3. Tech Accessories: phonecases, chargers, computer accessories. In my experience, phone cases and chargers can be real money makers. For instance, if you are in the hobby niche, you can design these with whatever hobby someone is into and if the hobby is really unsaturated and you are selling an unsaturated product like phonecases/chargers, you’ll be sitting on a goldmine!!!! This particular phone case from Printify is one that I currently sell in my shop.

4. Tote Bags: Weekender bags: Look Tote bags are cool and all but honestly, they are on the small side, wear down pretty quickly, and are getting a little saturated. However, these Weekender bags from Printify are FREAKING AMAZING. I personally sell these in my shop and have a best seller using this EXACT product! Do not walk RUN to put this in your shop because you can design for this in any niche!

5. Pet accessories: sweaters/hoodies: People go BANANAS for their pets ALL YEAR ROUND (evergreen). It’s kind of a double whammy. After all, you can sell for a pet niche AND sell for any other niche because you can make whatever design you want on here. I am telling you no matter what niche you're in, you can design this for any type of person because if they have a dog or cat, they will buy these sweaters, hoodies, and bandanas. For example, you could make a design for a “gift for nurse” and say “My mama is a nurse” on the product. Not only are you hitting the nurse niche, but the pet niche as well! These sell like hot cakes so don’t walk, RUN to put these in your shop.

6. Print all over Socks: If you are in the gag gift/white elephant or men’s gifts niche and are not selling socks, you are missing out. These ones from Printify can have an all over print so you can make hilarious personalized items (like a repeated pattern of someone’s head) or an “adult” themed gag gift, or even “gamer” printed. It doesn’t have to be funny but I have found in my experience, when selling socks, funny tends to work! I have made 10,000$ alone selling this exact pair.

7. Wall calendars: I LOVE WALL calendars. This one by Printify is great and can fit in any niche because you can pick whatever design you want for each month!!! If you are in the Hobby niche, you can put so many different designs for each hobby and these sell like crazy, especially in a Hobby that doesn’t have a lot of people making products besides t-shirts.

8. Puzzles: Ok, hands down this is truly a diamond in the rough. BARELY ANYONE is selling these and the craziest part is these make AMAZING personalized gifts (especially for couples). They are super easy to design for and print with perfect quality, these ones from Printify rock!

9. Blankets: I’m going to let you in on a little secret, Blankets are going to be as big as t-shirts in the next couple of years! However, you want to get in on it now in 2024 before the masses get their hands on these because these are going to be HUGE! The amount of designs you can make with this product are endless and you can literally sell this in any niche. Seasonal, personalized, it doesn’t matter these suckers sell like wildfire! These ones from Printify in particular are super easy to design for and print with great quality.

10. Bucket hats: Ok bucket hats are not going ANYWHERE in 2024, and surprisingly, no one is selling these! These bucket hats are great if you are in the pop culture, wedding, or really any niche because you can really do so much with these. I will say from experience to definitely keep your designs simple on this! Simple is always better in my book but ESPECIALLY hats. This bucket hat from Printify is really good quality!

BONUS***** Thought I would throw in a little something extra for you!

Doormats: The possibilities on this are ENDLESS. Again, you can design for seasonal holidays, personalized family gifts, personalized business gifts, or even the hobby niche! These from Printify are really good quality and the mockups they come preset with are pretty good too!

I hope this post on the top 10 Print on Demand Products from Printify for 2024 helps you in your Print on Demand Journey! Printify is the chef’s kiss of Print on Demand print providers so if you haven’t signed up click the link here to sign up now!

When I was first starting out on my Print on Demand journey, I tried to sell the same exact products that everyone else was selling (t-shirts, sweaters, mugs) and I really struggled to make any sales! I almost wanted to throw in the towel and just go back to my 9 to 5 grind. It wasn’t until I started selling unsaturated products like the ones above that really helped me grow my shop, get best sellers, and help me make a full-time income. Now I get to travel and live my dream life by running a Print on Demand e-commerce business! 

If you want to learn more about Print on Demand, particularly the way I discovered how to actually make sales and what the winning formulas are to creating best sellers check out my online course The Print on Demand Playbook!

I have over 8 hours of course content and break down EVERYTHING you would ever want to know about print on demand and how to achieve success with this business model!

Talk to you soon

-Shay Lynn ❤️

Hey there! I’m Shay Lynn

If you had told me that a few years ago when I was pregnant that I would be running my own multi 6 figure print on demand buisness, I would have outright laughed in your face! And then would have asked, “What the heck is Print on Demand?”

I’m a proud Mom, Etsy shop owner, Print on Demand business owner, and POD educator. I help women (and Mom’s like myself) start their own Print on Demand businesses and gain financial freedom so they can ditch their 9 to 5 grinds! Check out my course and blog to learn more!

RELATED:

The Best Print on Demand Products and Niches to Sell for in Spring/Early Summer 2024

How to Start a Print On Demand Business With No Money or Experience: The Free Guide

Etsy Vs Shopify: Which Platform Should You Choose For Your Print on Demand Business?

*this post may contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.