As a member of the Low Hanging System, you may be worried about making print-on-demand mistakes. Print-on-demand (POD) can be a lucrative business model. But it can also come with challenges and potential pitfalls, some of which can cost you sales.
If you’re wondering, “Why do print-on-demand businesses fail?” The answer is due to making one or more of the print-on-demand mistakes that I talk about in this post.
Below, you’ll find a list of 8 of the most common print-on-demand mistakes that sellers make along with helpful tips to keep your sales going strong.
Let’s take a look…
Creating Overly Complicated Designs
Out of all the print-on-demand mistakes you can make, this is the one I see the most often. This mistake can also do the most damage to your business. The reason for that is that overly complicated designs are much less likely to sell than simple designs.
Simple designs have the most widespread appeal. The more elements you add to a design, the more you complicate it, and the more you risk giving customers a reason not to like your design. I recommend creating simple, text-based designs using an easy-to-read black font. Doing so will help you create best selling print on demand products.
Here’s an example from Amazon:
As you can see, this mug uses only three words and one font in the design, and it’s on the first page of Amazon’s best-seller list for coffee mugs. This is also a great design because you can plug in tons of other niches into the design – for example, “Best lawyer ever” or “Best nephew ever.” If you’d like to see a huge list of all kinds of niches, click here.
Using The Same Titles and Tags
Using the same titles and tags for all products can make them blend in among similar items, reducing visibility. So you must create unique titles and tags for each product you list.
And I would only make ONE design per niche to get started, THEN if you start making sales you can make more in the same niche. And if you’re doing that, that should help you not need to have the same titles anyway.
Doing this will help your products stand out and increase the likelihood of discovery by potential buyers. Following Amazon and Etsy’s guidelines for writing product titles can help optimize your products’ visibility and sales.
Not Pricing Your Products Correctly
When it comes to pricing your products, you need to strike a balance between affordability and profitability. If prices are too high, customers may not be willing to buy the product. But if prices are too low, you may not make a profit.
To avoid this mistake, sellers should research the market and determine what similar products are selling for. They should also consider the cost of production, shipping, and any fees associated with the platform they are using.
Another mistake is not accounting for hidden costs. Print on demand platforms often charge fees for various services, such as listing products or using their design tools. These fees can add up quickly and eat into the seller’s profit margin.
To avoid this mistake, sellers should carefully read the platform’s terms and conditions and factor in all fees when setting prices. It’s also a good idea to periodically review fees and adjust prices as necessary. To help make sure you always price your products correctly, you can use my free Etsy Pricing Calculator.
Violating Trademark and Copyright Laws
As you create new designs for your print-on-demand business, you may include things like quotes or pop culture references. However, in doing so, you run the risk of copyright infringement, which is a good way to get your shops shut down or worse (potential legal action or fines).
So as you create designs, make sure they are original, common use, or that you have obtained the necessary permissions to use the text or images. (Also, please note that I am not a lawyer or financial advisor.)
If you haven’t yet signed up for Trademark Inspector, you might consider signing up for that in order to have another layer of trademark precaution.
Not Providing Adequate Customer Support and Ignoring Feedback
Customer service is super important for print on demand. Customers expect prompt (within 24 hours) and effective support when they have questions or concerns. Failing to provide this can lead to negative reviews, lost customers, and damage to your brand’s reputation.
To avoid the mistake of poor customer service, print on demand businesses should invest in customer support tools and resources. This can include FAQs the scripts for commonly posed questions and concerns.
You find some of the customer service scripts I use by clicking the links below:
- How to handle all your customer service in 10 minutes a day
- 10 Customer service strategies that create repeat customers fast
- Customer service scripts: Use these to handle any problems smoothly
Print on demand businesses should also heed customer feedback. This can include complaints, suggestions, and reviews. Customers want to feel heard and valued. Ignoring their feedback can lead to negative perceptions of your business.
Actively seek out and respond to customer feedback. This can include surveys, social media listening, and responding to reviews. By using customer feedback to improve products and services, businesses can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
I hope you find this post about print-on-demand mistakes useful! If you have any other insights about the truth about print on demand, please leave a comment below. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it with your friends and followers.
And if you’d like to join our ongoing support with our EasyPOD membership, grab your trial right HERE. :)
