In this article we are going to share the best marketplaces for you to start monetizing your creativity and earning money online.
Selling online is a promising business. Note that 47% of the worldwide sales were made through marketplace platforms in the last months.
Before starting, take the opportunity to find out what some of the advantages of being a print on demand entrepreneur are:
- Low investment,
- Being your own boss,
- You can sell internationally.
Once you create your designs and have a Print on Demand provider, the next step is to find where to sell your print on demand products.
AMAZON
This is one of the best known ecommerce platforms. Having products for sale on Amazon is like being in the world's window. When someone plans to buy online, 53% start by looking at Amazon, according to an eMarketer study.
To start selling your POD products you have to open a seller account, fill in your details and wait for approval. You can choose between a personal or a professional account. The last one is paid and allows you to sell more products and have access to the Amazon Marketplace service.
They work on a level system. At first you will only be able to place a few items for sale, but after you make the first 10 sales, you will be able to upload more items and so on.
If you wish, you can also choose to have Amazon itself print your POD creations with Merch by Amazon, but according to several specialists, this tool is not that easy to use and has many limitations for those who are just starting out.
EBAY
Just like Amazon, being on Ebay is like going to Rome and taking a photo with the Pope! This is the most popular e-commerce platform for Americans, that's why your products will have a huge exposure there.
Their platform is well optimized and you will be able to sell to any customer from all over the world. The cons are that at the beginning its use is not so intuitive and the commissions are usually high. Depending on the product, they can vary from 15% to 30% of the final price plus a small value for each sale. But if you join the eBay Store you can get some promotions and discounts to upload your products.
It is great how Ebay shows how many products have been sold, so you can spend time doing your own market study and see which items have the most sales in what is considered one of the best marketplaces on the market.
ETSY
It is another American platform that also has offices in several European countries and even in India. You can sell your products to the whole world by having a store with them.
Etsy's catalog is very large: from jewelry to toys, shoes to decoration and a special vintage section of used objects that are more than 20 years old.
Etsy works with a commission system. Signing up is free and then you pay a small fee for each item you put up for sale. That product is available on the platform for 4 months and you also pay them a commission for each sale you make. The value of the commission is usually around 5% of the final price of the item.
This is one of my favourite marketplaces, you can find our online shop there! 😉
SHOPIFY
Shopify is not a marketplace. It’s a platform that helps retailers and marketplaces manage their product marketing information, online stores, ecommerce and multichannel retail information.
It’s a great tool to create and manage your own website and shop, also this website is made in Shopify.
It has an easy-to-use interface even for those who are just starting out in the print on demand business.
In Shopify you can have a 14-day trial and if you decide on them, you pay a fixed value per month plus a percentage for each sale you make. The lowest subscription value (June 2022) is $29 per month for the basic option.
Among other advantages of this platform, you can customize products and sell through social networks.
Now that you know what the best marketplaces are, we also want to share with you the step-by-step guide for opening a virtual store on one of these digital platforms:
- Choose the name (which will later become part of the URL), so you’d better not use symbols or numbers.
- Find a phrase that makes a good summary of what you sell.
- Check what language you want to set up your store in and then choose the localization.
- You have to decide what the payment currency will be or if you want to have more than one to cover audiences from different countries.
- Choose the means of payment (card, Paypal, Apple Pay, etc).
- And the main thing; upload good photos of your products. That is essential for you to be successful with your sales.
* Tip 1: you can put your products on sale in more than one marketplace at the same time. That way you can test which things sell best in each one and bet on different niches.
* Extra tip 2: If you are looking for the best stained glass windows on the internet and want to make yourself known, the best ones are eBay, Etsy and Amazon. Those three platforms together are the ones with the most traffic.
Do you know other marketplaces to recommend? Which? We want to read you in the comments.