Print-on-demand vs. dropshipping: Which fits your goals?

Reading Time: 9 minutes

Print-on-demand and dropshipping can both match your goals if you want to sell without inventory, although POD is better for unique products and dropshipping is better for trending items.

A great example of this is seasonal products — POD sellers create holiday designs months ahead, while dropshippers quickly source trending decorations when demand spikes.

There’s also nothing stopping you from combining both models. You could sell your original artwork on mugs and t-shirts via POD, while also dropshipping complementary items like coasters and desk accessories to the same customers.

Join us below to discover dropshipping vs. print-on-demand differences and challenges, plus tips for effectively marketing your products.

Print-on-demand vs. dropshipping: Quick look

What is print-on-demand?

Print-on-demand allows you to sell custom products through your storefront without managing inventory or purchasing equipment — items print only when customers order them.

You can create designs or import designs from your suppliers, and when your customers order, your suppliers handle the fulfillment.

Here’s the usual POD workflow:

• Create your design
• Upload it to the POD platform
• List products in your store
• Customer places an order
• Supplier prints that item
• Supplier ships directly to the customer

T-shirts are the POD bestseller, followed by hoodies, mugs, and posters. You can also sell phone cases, tote bags, and even pet bowls with custom designs.

Printful, Printify, and Gelato dominate POD apps for popular ecommerce platforms, such as Shopify. Printful offers premium quality, Printify has the widest product range, and Gelato offers fast global shipping speeds.

Here’s an example of a hoodie sold by Printify with embroidery:

What is dropshipping?

Dropshipping lets you sell products, take orders, and have suppliers ship directly to customers while you pocket the difference between wholesale and retail.

There isn’t a print-on-demand element to this model — you sell uncustomized inventory, unless you partner with a supplier who can supply custom labels and packaging.

Here’s the usual dropshipping process:

• Source products from suppliers
• Add to your store with markup
• Customer orders
• Forward the order to the supplier
• Supplier ships to the customer
• You keep the price difference

Electronics, toys, accessories, and home goods make up most dropshipping catalogs — essentially it can be anything that fits in a box and survives international shipping.

You’ll likely start with AliExpress for product variety, Oberlo for automated imports, and Spocket when you need faster US and EU-based shipping options.

AliExpress has a helpful best-selling page for finding product ideas:

Print-on-demand vs. dropshipping: Detailed comparison

Dropshipping vs. print-on-demand comes down to creative control competing against product variety. One lets you build a brand around original artwork, the other gives you instant access to proven products.

The comparison below breaks down how each model is different. Use it to decide which approach fits your goals and resources.

Product customization

Print-on-demand revolves around customization — you create designs that become products. Upload your photography to canvas prints, turn digital art into apparel collections, or add typography to drinkware and accessories.

You control artwork placement, color schemes, and product selection. Many POD services provide a product builder, such as the Printify one below:

Some POD suppliers also let you include custom neck labels, packaging inserts, and branded mailers to strengthen each customer interaction.

Dropshipping works with existing inventory from supplier catalogs — your products ship as manufactured, matching what dozens of other stores already sell, unless you opt for a custom version.

Basic branding is available if you’re a medium to high-volume seller. Logo stickers, custom poly mailers, or branded inserts require negotiation and minimum order commitments.

Product range

Print-on-demand covers wearables, drinkware, and decorative items. Apparel dominates most stores, but you can also succeed with wall art, accessories, and seasonal items like ornaments.

Dropshipping lets you sell anything consumers buy online. Kitchen gadgets, fitness equipment, pet supplies, beauty tools — pick your market and find suppliers offering those products.

You can test different categories without committing to inventory. Failed experiments cost only time and advertising spend, not warehouse space full of unsold products.

Profit margins

Print-on-demand production costs more because each item gets made individually. Base expenses stay higher, but unique designs let you charge accordingly.

A hoodie with original artwork might cost $25 to produce and sell for $45-$55. Customers accept these prices for designs they can’t buy anywhere else.

Dropshipping profitability depends entirely on your product selection and competition levels. Electronics and accessories face razor-thin margins due to oversaturation.

Niche products or premium items maintain better profit potential. Focus on where customers care about features and quality over finding rock-bottom prices.

Competition level

Print-on-demand stores compete on creativity rather than pricing. Your watercolor florals attract different buyers than someone’s retro gaming designs or motivational quotes.

Bad designs won’t sell at any price. Good designs maintain value because customers buy the art, not just another generic t-shirt.

Dropshipping means battling everyone who sells identical products. Type any popular item from a supplier (such as AliExpress) into Google, and you’ll see multiple stores competing for similar products.

Finding untapped products becomes crucial. Once competitors discover your winners, they’ll list the same items and undercut your prices within weeks.

Ease of starting and initial investment

Print-on-demand needs artwork ready before launch. You might start with five designs or fifty — the number matters less than having something customers want to buy.

Creating designs yourself saves money but requires time and developing skills. Hiring designers speeds things up at $50–$500 per design, depending on complexity.

Meanwhile, dropshipping removes creative barriers, letting you pick products, import them to your store, set prices, and be ready to sell within hours.

The real work for both models happens before and after launch. Finding profitable niches, testing what sells, and building customer trust determine long-term success more than initial setup speed.

Shipping and fulfillment speed

Print-on-demand builds in production delays. Each order triggers printing, drying, quality inspection, and packaging before shipping even starts.

Customers wait one to two weeks domestically, longer for international delivery. Clear communication about custom production helps manage expectations.

Your dropshipping inventory sits in warehouses and links up with your store via your supplier’s API. It means your supplier can process orders and ship them according to your customer’s preference (the same day or the next business day in many cases).

Delivery availability depends on the supplier’s location. US warehouses reach customers within a week, whereas overseas suppliers can take several weeks, despite their fast processing times.

Branding opportunities

Print-on-demand weaves branding throughout the experience. Consistent design styles across products help customers recognize your work instantly.

Every product and package becomes a branding moment. Custom labels can replace generic tags, inserts can share your story, and branded packaging creates excitement before customers even see their purchase.

Additionally, some POD suppliers, such as Printful, provide custom-branded tracking pages, letting you upload your logo and contact information for a cohesive customer experience:

Dropshipping also keeps branding mostly digital. Your website, emails, and social presence carry the entire brand experience since products arrive in standard packaging.

Service quality becomes your unique selling point. Quick responses to questions, smooth return processes, and timely follow-ups with email and SMS marketing create positive associations that generic products can’t provide.

Exceptions apply for luxury and high-ticket dropshipping items, which will require branding (and a supplier to accommodate it) to justify the premium pricing.

In summary, print-on-demand vs. dropshipping both let you sell without inventory, although only print-on-demand enables you to sell custom-printed items.

Pros and cons of print-on-demand

Your designs are products that only you can sell, eliminating direct competition. Customers who connect with your artwork will pay your prices rather than shop around for cheaper alternatives.

Pros

• Exclusive designs prevent price wars since nobody else sells your artwork
• Building a following happens naturally when people love your creative work
• Pay only after sales occur, eliminating inventory risk
• Change designs anytime based on sales data and customer feedback

Cons

• Individual printing costs more than bulk manufacturing by a significant margin
• Delivery takes longer because production starts after purchase, not before
• You can’t branch into non-printable categories, no matter how much demand exists
• Must create appealing designs that resonate with your target audience

Pros and cons of dropshipping

Established product catalogs mean you can launch a store today and start selling tomorrow. Pick from electronics, home goods, fitness gear — whatever market looks promising right now.

Pros

• Product catalogs from suppliers give you thousands of items to sell immediately
• Fast shipping keeps customers happy since items already exist in warehouses
• Wholesale pricing on everything allows for competitive retail prices
• Test many product types without committing to inventory

Cons

• Every store sells the same products, creating ruthless price competition
• Creating memorable experiences becomes nearly impossible without customization
• Supplier issues cascade directly to your customer relationships
• Same products everywhere make differentiation extremely challenging

Comparison table

Here’s a quick comparison table covering the pros and cons of POD and dropshipping:

Marketing your POD or dropshipping store

Your marketing strategy will differ for print-on-demand vs. dropshipping, although you will require a balance of customer acquisition and retention tactics for both to maximize revenue and profits. Here are the most effective marketing approaches:

Social media marketing

Your print-on-demand designs can easily become engaging content. That sketching video you recorded last week? Post it. The photo a customer sent of them wearing your “Cats Against Monday” shirt? Share it immediately to build a following.

Dropshippers face more of a challenge. Why should anyone follow your page when fifty other stores sell the same yoga mat? You can achieve success by becoming a trusted expert — test products yourself, film honest reviews, and answer questions your competitors ignore.

SEO and content marketing

Search engine optimization takes time but costs nothing once established. POD stores have natural advantages here since every design creates unique content opportunities.

Write about what inspired that mushroom illustration series. Explain why you chose those Pantone colors. Create gift guides that happen to feature your products.

SEO for dropshipping stores faces a big risk of duplicate content penalties. Everyone sells the same items with manufacturer descriptions. Stand out by going deeper — compare competing brands, test durability, measure actual dimensions versus listed specs.

Become the trusted resource for honest information and create detailed product pages that provide richer information than competitors.

Email marketing

Email will be your highest-converting and most profitable marketing channel because you own the customer relationship. Plus, there are no algorithm changes that can tank your reach overnight, nor any competitors outbidding you for visibility.

Automation drives the bulk of email revenue — abandoned cart sequences alone can generate 30–40% of your email sales. According to Omnisend’s data, automated emails generated 37% of sales from just 2% of email volume in 2024.

Your best customers shouldn’t get the same emails as one-time buyers. Send VIP early access to loyal shoppers, win-back offers to dormant accounts, and product recommendations based on past purchases.

Omnisend provides pre-built email automations and segments that help you target customers with personalized messages that sell. You can also add SMS and push notification flows to your sequences to cover more touchpoints.

Paid advertising

POD advertising targets customer obsessions. Dog owners will pay premium prices for the perfect pug design. Nurses share medical humor with coworkers. Gardeners want that clever plant pun on a mug. Find these micro-audiences, and your designs sell themselves.

Dropshipping plays an entirely different game — speed over everything. Spot trending products early, test with $50 budgets, scale what works within 48 hours. The window for profit closes fast as competitors discover winning products and undercut prices.

Starting your business journey

Both models eliminate in-house inventory requirements, but they reward different skills.

POD profits come from designs that resonate — your success depends on creating artwork people want to wear, display, or gift.

Dropshipping rewards speed and market awareness. Find trending products early, test them with small budgets, then scale aggressively before competitors flood in and destroy margins.

Consider what drives you. Creating unique products and building a loyal following takes time, but generates higher margins and repeat customers. Racing to find the next winning product delivers quick wins but requires constant vigilance and adaptation.

Print-on-demand vs. dropshipping FAQs