[MUSIC PLAYING] When selecting a print on demand partner, there are a few important things to consider. First, I'm often asked if it is OK to use multiple POD companies. Sometimes, you may want to add products to your store that only a certain company offers and you're forced to begin working with a second print on demand company. My advice is to consider any products that you will want to sell in the future and pick only one POD company to work with in your store.
When you work with two, you run the risk of paying double shipping charges if a customer purchases items from both POD companies in the same order. So do your best to stick with one print on demand partner. Here are the most important factors to research when selecting your new partner. Number one, product selection. Pick a print on demand partner that has a product selection that will allow you to grow with them as your new business grows.
If you know you're going to want to add hats or mugs some time in the future, make sure they offer those products. Number two, pricing. Believe it or not, there are considerable pricing differences among print on demand companies. Do your research on key garments that you want to sell and compare the pricing you find. Profit margin is very important to the success of your business, so you want the cost you're paying for items to be reasonable.
You'll find t-shirts anywhere from $3 all the way up to $20 depending on the quality of t-shirt you want. Number three, shipping cost and time. Again, shipping costs can be drastically different among the print on demand companies. Generally, when selling in the USA, I look for USPS shipping at or around $4 per t-shirt. Additional t-shirts in the same order should cost around $1.
Some pod companies offer different shipping carriers and faster or slower options, but generally, I stick with standard shipping from USPS or UPS. You will also see that some pod companies advertise or state how long it takes them to ship orders once received. Generally, you should look for 48 hour turnaround, which is offered by many, and no longer than three to five business days.
Number four, compare quality. Quality is another important factor when considering your print on demand partner. So how can you find out if the quality is good? One way is to simply read through the reviews in the Shopify app store and see what others are saying. You can also look at the star rating to see where people rank them overall. Another way is that often you can find some reviews on YouTube about the larger print on demand companies.
Lastly, some companies will send you samples at a discount. Email the print on demand company and ask for samples. Personally, I often skip the samples and get to selling as quickly as possible. That's not to say I skimp on quality, but most of these companies are printing and shipping thousands of orders per day, and I can find enough information online about the quality to make an educated decision.
Keep in mind that these are humans printing your t-shirts. So it's expected that with any print on demand company, a small percentage of your orders may have quality issues. Simply email the company if quality issues arise, and most will replace the item at no cost. To recap, make sure you do your research to select the right print on demand partner for your new business.
Follow the guidelines outlined in this lesson, and you'll be very happy with the results.