How to start dropshipping or print-on-demand

How to Start Dropshipping or Print-on-Demand Complete Detailed Guide
Introduction: Dropshipping vs. Print-on-Demand

Well, before proceeding, you have to know what the difference is:

e Dropshipping

You sell the goods of suppliers without inventory – AliExpress, CJ Dropshipping, etc.

Ordered by someone → supplier ships it directly to the customer.

Pros:

No cost of inventory

Huge variety of products

Easy to start

Cons:

Slower shipping, if the supplier is far away

Quality Control Issues

High competition

???? Print on Demand

You sell tailored items-manufactured to order-T-shirts, mugs, hoodies, and posters-printed only after the order was placed.

Pros:

Branded products unique

Higher profit margin than normal dropshipping

Less competition

Cons:

You need good designs.

Limited amount of POD suppliers

Refunds are delicate, since the products are custom-made.

Magellan STEP 1: Select a Business Model

Both models can work – choose according to your skills:
Skill/Preference Dropshipping POD
Want the products tested as soon as possible? ✔️ ❌
Want to build a brand❌✔️
No design skills ✔️ ❌ (unless using AI)

Higher long-term profitability Moderate High

Choosing a Niche is the most important step.

A niche will aid in targeting a particular audience for selling rather than selling everything.

Examples of profitable niches:

Dropshipping Niches

Home organizing tools

Pet products

Accessories for physical fitness

Beauty gadgets

Accessories for phones

Accessories for cars

Travel gadgets

???? POD Niches

Motivational Quotes T-Shirts

Anime hoodies

Tees based on zodiac signs.

Gym & bodybuilding shirts

Pet lovers’ designs

Couple wear

Occupational niches – nurses, teachers, engineers

How to Choose the Best Niche:

Look for communities of passion

Choose evergreen niches.

Check Facebook/Google Trends

Avoid generic niches – too much competition.

????️ STEP 3: Choosing the Right Platform

???? Best for Beginners: Shopify

Easy to use, loads of apps, best for scaling.

Second best choices:

WooCommerce (WordPress) – cheaper but technical

Etsy (best for POD)

Amazon-very competitive but very huge market

???? STEP 4: Dropshipping or POD Suppliers

Dropshipping Suppliers

AliExpress

CJ Dropshipping

Zendrop

Spocket

DSers

???? Always check:

Delivery time

Order processing time

Rating of the supplier

Product reviews

return policy

Print-on-Demand Suppliers

Printify has the most significant variety.

Printful-high quality

Gelato (global shipping)

Teespring (Marketplace + fulfillment)

Design or Sourcing of Designs (For POD) ???? – STEP 5

Design Creation Tools

Canva

Photoshop

Illustrator

Midjourney / DALL·E / AI tools

Freepik Edited by downloadabletemplates.com

What makes for good POD designs?

Simple

Bold text

Easy to print

Trendy plus niche-focused

????️ STEP 6: Build Your Online Store

Main pages you need:

Home page

Product pages

About Us

Shipping policy

Refund policy

Optimize for Sales:

High-quality photos
Clear product descriptions
Trust badges

Customer reviews

Simple checkout

???? STEP 7: Set Pricing and Profit Margins
Dropshipping
Typical profit: 20–40%

Example:

Product cost = ₹ 400

Your Selling Price = ₹ 799

Profit = ₹399

POD

Typical Profit: 30–60%

Example T-shirt:

Production cost = ₹700

Selling Price = ₹1,499

Profit = ₹799

???? STEP 8: Start Marketing

Marketing is at the heart of dropshipping or POD.

1️⃣ Facebook & Instagram Ads

Best for scaling.

You can target audiences on a niche basis.

Tips:

Video Ads

UGC-style ads (real-looking clips)

Test 3–5 creatives

TikTok / Reels Organic Marketing ???? 2.

Currently most effective free method.

Tools:

CapCut templates

Trendy sound + viral hooks

Pinterest – Excellent for POD

Especially great for:

Posters

Wall artwork

T-shirt designs

???? 4. Etsy Marketplace SEO

If selling POD on Etsy, use

Keyword-rich titles

Attractive thumbnails

Seasonal designs

???? 5. Google Ads Advanced

For high-intent buyers in search of your products.

????️ STEP 9: Order Fulfillment

Dropshipping:

This means that the order automatically goes to your supplier, who then ships it.

POD:

Design + order coming from printing partner → prints → ships.

???? STEP 10: Customer Service

You are required to provide :

Fast responses

Tracking updates

Refund processing

Replacement of defective items

This builds long-term reputation.

???? STEP 11: Analyze & Scale

What to analyze:

Top-selling products

Ad performance

Store conversion rate

Customer feedback

Scaling Methods:

Increase ad budget
Add upsells
Expand into new countries
Add similar products
Retargeting ads
⚠️ REAL Challenges You Must Know

Shipping delays
Especially from suppliers in China.
Refunds & complaints

Occurs with low-quality suppliers.

Advertising expenses

Can get expensive if not optimized.

Competition

Millions are dropshipping, and it all starts with niche selection.

???? Pro Tips to Succeed Faster

✔ Choose a niche with passion-based audience

✔ Unique designs – not general designs

Always order a test sample

✔ Add product reviews from supplier or write custom

✔ Use fast shipping suppliers: CJ, USA/EU warehouses

✔ Keep 30%+ profit margin
✔ Build your email list
How Much Money You Need to Start

Dropshipping Shopify plan: ₹2,000/month Domain: ₹700/year Apps: ₹ 0 – 1,000/month Ads: ₹5,000–₹10,000 to test Total to start: ₹7,000 – ₹15,000. Print-on-Demand Similar costs No ad cost if selling via Etsy/Pinterest No inventory risk Conclusion ???? Dropshipping and print-on-demand are low-risk, high-potential online businesses; however, success involves: ✔ Research Good products/designs ✔ Great marketing Patience + consistency You are capable of building a profitable online store within a period of 1–3 months if you do it step by step. give me this humanized language point wise point