The Best and Worst Print on Demand Ornaments to Sell on Etsy: And the Niches That Actually Sell Them

Written By Shay Lynn

Well hey there! 🎄

Okay, so fall is officially here, which means we are heading straight into Q4 (October, November, and December) and the biggest holiday shopping season of the year.

And if you've been thinking, Oh, I'll get to my Christmas products later...

Hi. Later is here. 😂 We are officially in it.

Every single year, ornaments are one of those products I come back to for the holiday season. They're like a jack of all trades and one of my little diamond in the rough products!

They're affordable, giftable, easy to personalize, and there are SO many different directions you can take them depending on who you're creating them for.

They're also a product I can make money selling without ever physically making an ornament myself.

If you're thinking, Wait... how does that work? I use something called print on demand. I create the designs, list the products in my Etsy shop, and when someone places an order, my print provider prints it, packages it, and ships it directly to my customer.

I can sell Christmas ornaments without buying inventory upfront or ever making or shipping the actual ornament myself.

Pretty freaking cool, right?

BUT... not all print on demand ornaments are created equal.

Some have shown up at my house and I've thought, Okayyyy. This is SOOOOO GOOD.

And others? Straight to the trash. 😂

So I ordered eight different ornaments from different print providers through Printify and tested them myself. We're talking print quality, colors, photos, regular designs, how they actually feel in person… ALL of it.

I'm going to show you which ones I would sell and which ones I absolutely would not.

But I'm not stopping there. Because after years of selling on Etsy, I can tell you that finding a good product is only part of making this work. You also have to know what to put ON it and WHO you're creating it for.

And this is where people get Christmas products wrong. They hear “Christmas ornament” and immediately think Christmas trees, Santa, snowflakes and “Merry Christmas.”

Nope.

People aren't just shopping for Christmas things.They're shopping for PEOPLE.

Their mom. Their husband. Their kid's teacher. Their dog-obsessed sister. Their best friend who just got engaged. Their parents who just became grandparents.

So we're doing both in this post: the ornaments I would actually sell AND the niches and designs I would put on them.

Okay. Let's get into it. 🎄

Hey there! I’m Shay Lynn

I am a top 1% Etsy Seller, and 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 my first year selling, I did $250,000 in sales running my very own Print on Demand and Etsy business with NO prior experience. I'm now a 7-figure seller, I've helped over 8,000 students launch their own Print on Demand and digital product shops, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE what I do. My whole mission is to help other women achieve financial freedom and find real success with their own Etsy and Print on Demand business ventures. 🥂


Now that we’re all warmed up, it’s time to spill the tea on these ornaments.

I Tested 8 Print on Demand Ornaments: Here's The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

1. Acrylic Idea Factory- Acrylic Ornament with Ribbon

Okay, starting STRONG because I really liked this one.

The print came out crisp and vibrant, and one of my favorite things about this ornament is that you can print on both sides.

That gives you so much more room to play with personalization.

You could put the main design on the front and then use the back for a name, date, year, short message... whatever makes sense for your niche. (SEE EXAMPLE BELOW)

It also arrived with the ribbon already attached, which sounds like such a tiny detail, but I notice those things when I'm looking at a product from the customer's perspective.

It felt sturdy in my hand, the details came through nicely, and overall it just didn't have that cheap feeling that some print on demand products can have.

My only little warning here is to PAY ATTENTION when you're sizing your design in the mockup. I ran into a few minor sizing quirks, so definitely double-check your placement before publishing.

MY VERDICT: 9/10. Absolutely one I would sell.

2. WOYC-Wooden Ornament

This one is really pretty, BUT there is a very specific way I would use it.

If you're creating something rustic, farmhouse-y, outdoorsy, cabin-inspired, traditional... YES.

The wood grain gives it that cozy, slightly handmade-looking feel without you actually having to hand make anything.

It comes in multiple shapes, you can print on both sides, and my regular PNG designs, illustrations, text, graphics… looked BEAUTIFUL on it.

Photos were a different story.

The wood texture softened the photo more than I liked.

So if I were selling this ornament, I would stick with typography and illustrated designs and save my customer-photo products for another ornament.

The ornament isn't bad because I didn't love photographs on it. I just learned what type of design the product is best suited for. And that matters.

MY VERDICT: 8/10. LOVE for illustrations and text. Would skip it for photo personalization.

3. Printed Simply – Ceramic Ornaments (Two-Sided Print)

This one was... fine. 😂 Not every review can be dramatic.

It arrived individually boxed, which I liked because we're talking about something people are very likely buying as a gift.

It also has a nice weight to it.

My biggest issue was the actual print.

The design came out noticeably darker than the file I uploaded, and the overall finish looked a little softer than I wanted. Almost slightly airbrushed instead of really crisp.

Would I panic if a customer received it? No.

Would it be my first choice after testing all eight of these? Also no.

If you do use this provider, I would definitely keep that darker print result in mind when you're preparing your artwork.

MY VERDICT: 7.5/10. Not bad. Just not my favorite.

4. Imagine Your Photos – Ceramic Ornament (Four Shapes)

Now THIS ceramic ornament impressed me more.

Shipping was a little slower and I wasn't blown away by the outer packaging, but once I actually got to the ornament, I liked it.

It felt sturdy and substantial, and most importantly, the detail came through really well.

The string itself is pretty lightweight and doesn't come pre-tied, so that's something I would keep in mind.

But one of the coolest things about this provider is the four different shape options.

You can take a design or niche that's working and test it across different ornament shapes.

Same customer. Same general idea. More options.

MY VERDICT: 9/10. Really solid print quality and I LOVE the shape options.

5. SwiftPOD – Ceramic Decoration Ornament (1 Piece)

THIS was my ceramic winner.

The print came out clean and detailed, and I really liked the matte finish because it made the ornament feel a little more modern and expensive.

But do you know what REALLY got my attention?

Mine showed up in FOUR DAYS. Four!

When you're selling during Q4 and customers are starting to panic-buy Christmas gifts, production and shipping time matter A LOT.

Obviously, shipping times can change, especially during the holiday rush, so I'm never going to promise a customer that their ornament is magically arriving in four days because mine did.

But as part of my test? I noticed it.

Between the print quality, finish and my overall experience with it, this was easily my favorite ceramic option of the bunch.

MY VERDICT: 9/10. My favorite ceramic ornament that I tested.

6. Pic the Gift – Metal Ornament

OHHHHH I liked this one. This is one of those products that I opened and immediately thought:

Okay. This feels like something.

The colors were bright. The print was crisp. It captured detail really well. And it's larger than a lot of the other ornaments I tested, which made it feel more substantial in person.

This didn't feel like a little throwaway tree decoration to me.

It felt more like a keepsake. And THAT changes how I think about the product.

If I'm creating something really sentimental, a baby's first Christmas, a wedding, a new home, a memorial, a family photo, I want the physical product to match the emotional value of the design.

This is also one I would personally look at if I wanted to test a slightly higher selling price because the product itself feels more premium.

MY VERDICT: 9/10. One of my favorites out of everything I tested.

7. Printed Mint – Acrylic Ornament

Welp. We had to get here eventually. 😂

I REALLY wanted to like this one because I've used Printed Mint for other products and have had good experiences with them.

But this particular ornament? No.

The print came out fuzzy and grainy, and once I saw that, the rest didn't really matter to me.

The packaging could be beautiful. The ribbon could be beautiful. It could arrive in a tiny carriage pulled by eight reindeer.

If the actual design looks fuzzy, I'm not selling it.

MY VERDICT: NOT RECOMMENDED. This one was a no for me.

8. Printed Mint – Glass Ornament

And unfortunately... We are ending on another no. 😂

The frustrating thing about this one is that the actual ornament itself felt nice.

It's thick. It's substantial. In theory, I LOVE the idea of a beautiful glass ornament.

But the print? Nooooo.

Mine came out streaky, faded and blurry. I had design elements that didn't come through correctly, and the colors looked washed out.

It was one of those samples where I didn't even have to think about it.

MY VERDICT: NOT RECOMMENDED. Will not be invited back to the Christmas party. 😂

Now...

We've picked the ornament.

What the Heck are we Putting on it?

Now listen, you could take my favorite ornament from this entire list, put a random Christmas design on it, and still make nothing. The product isn't the entire strategy. You also have to think about WHO you're creating it for.

This is where I see people get Christmas products wrong. They think, Christmas is coming, so I need Christmas designs. Not necessarily. You need Christmas GIFTS.

Think about how you actually shop during the holidays. You're not usually thinking, I need something with a Christmas tree on it. You're thinking, I need something for Mom. I still need a teacher gift. What am I getting my husband? My sister just got a puppy.

THOSE are the shopping moments I want you creating for.

So instead of asking, “What Christmas design should I make?” start asking, “Who is my customer shopping for?”

And nowwww we can get into some really good niches.

NICHE #1: “Our First” + Milestone Ornaments

If you want somewhere to start with ornaments, I LOVE milestones because we're not just selling someone another decoration for their tree. We're helping them remember something important that happened in their life that year, which gives them a much more emotional reason to buy.

There are so many directions you can take this, but the key is to go beyond the broad idea and make it feel personal. Instead of stopping at “Baby's First Christmas,” for example, could you add the baby's name, birth year and photo? Could a first-home ornament feature a watercolor illustration of the customer's actual house?

A few quick ideas:

  • Baby's First Christmas + name and photo

  • First Christmas Married + wedding date

  • First Christmas in Our New Home + house illustration

  • First Christmas as Grandma + grandbaby's name

DESIGN TIP: Keep these fairly timeless. If someone buys an ornament for their baby's first Christmas, ideally they're still going to want to hang it on their tree 15 years from now.

NICHE #2: Pets + Animals

Oh, pet people. My people. 😂 People LOVE their animals, which makes this such a good gifting category during the holidays. But please don't stop at “Dog Mom Ornament.” That's where everybody's brain goes.

Start narrowing it down by breed, relationship, occasion or even the type of animal. A retro Dachshund ornament for a Dachshund mom is a completely different product from a watercolor Golden Retriever memorial ornament. Same overall pet niche, but two completely different customers and reasons for buying.

A few quick ideas:

  • Dachshund Mom Christmas ornament

  • Dog's First Christmas + pet name

  • Personalized pet memorial ornament

  • Horse, chicken or Highland cow owner gifts

And don't sleep on animals outside of dogs and cats! People who love horses LOVE horses. People who own chickens will absolutely put a chicken on things.

NICHE #3: Family Gifts

Family gifts are HUGE during the holidays because we all have a million freaking people to buy for. Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa are obvious places to start, but those are also really broad niches.

Instead, think about how you can get more specific. Maybe it's the relationship, what that person loves, or even who the gift is coming from. “Gift for Dad” is broad. “Christmas Gift for Dad from Daughter” gives you a much more specific customer to create for.

A few quick ideas:

  • Gardening Grandma ornament

  • Fishing Grandpa ornament

  • Gift for Dad from Daughter

  • First Christmas as Dad from Baby

You can also go beyond the obvious family members. Think mother-in-law, godmother, bonus mom, stepdad, aunt, uncle or even cousin. There are SO many little gifting relationships hiding inside the massive “family gifts” niche.


NICHE #4: Photo Personalization

Photo personalization is another one I would absolutely be paying attention to because personalization doesn't have to mean putting Jessica on something in a cute font.

When the customer gives you their own photo, they're helping create something that literally cannot be identical to everyone else's. Couples, weddings, babies, pets, memorials, new homes, grandparents, there are SO many directions you can take this.

The trick is to still make it feel like a design, not just slap a photo onto an ornament and call it personalized.

A few quick ideas:

  • Wedding photo + names and date

  • Pet photo + name or funny phrase

  • Family photo + year

  • New home photo turned into a watercolor-style keepsake

Add typography. Remove the background. Add a date. Pair the photo with an illustration or a certain aesthetic. Personalization + a specific niche is where this gets really interesting.

So... Are Ornaments Worth Selling?

Abso-freaking-lutely… with the right product and the right niche.

I love ornaments because they're affordable, giftable, easy to personalize, and there are SO many different directions you can take them. But I don't want you creating 75 random Christmas ornaments just because Q4 is coming and hoping something sticks.

Choose a product you actually feel good about selling, figure out WHO you're creating it for, and think about why that person would want to buy it. Then create the design around that customer and that specific buying moment.

The product matters, but the person you're creating it for matters so much more.

Want to Learn How to Build a Print on Demand Business?

If you made it this far and you're thinking, Okay Shay... I want to learn how to actually DO all of this, that's exactly what I teach inside my Print on Demand Playbook.

It's my complete A-to-Z course for building a print on demand business on Etsy. I walk you through everything from setting up your shop and choosing what products to sell to creating designs, making mockups, pricing your products, Etsy SEO, creating listings and so much more.

It's 45+ videos with more than NINE hours of step by step training, and nearly 9,000 students have gone through the Playbook.

So whether you're starting completely from scratch or you've already opened your Etsy shop and you're sitting there thinking, Okay... now what? This is where I would start.

Shay Lynn
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