The idea of your first print on demand sale. Versus what you actually keep. They’re not the same number, and the gap between them is the part a lot of beginners skip.
Before you get excited about your first order, let’s talk about print on demand pricing: how much you’re keeping, and what happens after someone buys. I’m not promising you a number. I’m showing you how to find yours. After five years of print on demand and building shops for clients, this is the five-step check I’d run on every product before it goes live.
Transparency note: Gelato is my print on demand partner, and the Gelato link in this post is my partner link.
The short version
Here are the five steps, in the order I’d do them:
- Know your costs.
- Price with profit in mind.
- Understand what happens when someone buys.
- Dodge the common beginner mistakes.
- Know where to look when something goes wrong.
1. Know Your Print on Demand Costs
You can’t price a product until you know what it costs you. That means more than the product itself. Add up the product cost, the shipping, the marketplace fees, the transaction fees, and anything else that comes out of each sale.
Do this now:
- Open one product in your Gelato account and write down the product cost and the shipping cost you see for your region.
- Find your shop’s fee breakdown and write down the marketplace fees and the transaction fees.
- Add any other cost you pay on a sale. If you’re not sure whether something counts, add it. It’s better to see a cost than to be surprised by it.
2. Price With Profit in Mind
Now the math. Your selling price minus your costs is what you keep. It’s a simple subtraction, and it’s one of the most useful ones you’ll do before launch.
Do this now:
- Fill in the table below for one product, using real numbers from your Gelato account and your shop’s fee breakdown.
- Look at the last line. Are you happy with what’s left?
- If it’s tiny, change your price, or choose a different product, before you launch. Not after.
- To see your profit margin, divide what’s left by your selling price, then multiply by 100 to get a percent.
| Line | Your number |
|---|---|
| Selling price | [your selling price] |
| Minus the product cost | |
| Minus shipping | [shipping] |
| Minus marketplace and transaction fees | [fees] |
| What’s left (what you keep) | [profit] |
| Profit margin | [what’s left divided by selling price, times 100] |
3. Understand What Happens When Someone Buys
Your first order shouldn’t be the first time you see how this works. When someone buys, the order moves from your shop into Gelato’s fulfillment process. Knowing where to look before it happens takes the panic out of it.
Do this now:
- Find where orders show up in your Gelato account.
- Check your payment settings in Gelato, so you know how an order gets paid for.
- Walk through it once on paper: a customer buys, the order lands in your shop, it moves to Gelato, and Gelato fulfills it.
4. Dodge the Common Beginner Mistakes
Most first-order problems are small ones that could have been caught early. These are the five I’d check for, and a quick way to catch each one.
| The mistake | The quick check |
|---|---|
| Artwork in the wrong place | Check the placement preview before you publish. |
| The wrong variant | Compare each size and color option in your listing to your product setup. |
| A personalization typo | Make your personalization instructions clear, and ask buyers to double check the spelling before they order. |
| Pricing too low | Run the cost math from step two before you set a price. |
| Promising shipping you can’t control | Share estimates and your order-by date, and never guarantee an arrival date. |
Do this now:
- Open one draft or live listing and go down the table, one row at a time.
- Fix anything that doesn’t pass, starting with the price.
5. Know Where to Look When Something Goes Wrong
Something will go sideways eventually. A confused buyer. A typo you missed. It’s much easier to handle when you already know where to look.
Do this now:
- Find where your order status shows, and bookmark it.
- Know where your product details live, so you can double check exactly what was ordered.
- Find Gelato’s support options now, before you need them.
Your before-you-launch pricing checklist
- I know my product cost and shipping.
- I know my marketplace and transaction fees.
- I filled in the profit table with real numbers.
- I’m happy with what’s left, or I changed my price.
- I know where my orders, payment settings and support options live.
Frequently asked questions
How do I price a print on demand product?
Add up your costs: the product, the shipping, the marketplace fees and the transaction fees. Subtract that from your selling price. What’s left is what you keep, so set a price where that number works for you.
What is profit margin in print on demand?
It’s the share of your selling price that you keep. Divide what’s left after costs by your selling price, then multiply by 100 to get a percent.
What happens after someone buys my print on demand product?
The order moves from your shop into your fulfillment partner’s process. With Gelato, you can check your order and payment settings in your account, so it’s worth finding them before your first order arrives.
Where do I look if something goes wrong with an order?
Start with the order status and your product details, then use your supplier’s support options. Find all three before your first order so you’re not searching in a hurry.
Your next step
Pick one product and fill in the table in step two. It’s a small job, and it’s one of the most useful ones you can do before launch.
If you’re ready to build a POD shop with a fulfillment partner, explore Gelato here.
And if you want the bigger picture, from your first idea to your first listings, grab my $7 POD Launch Blueprint.
Once your pricing works, read my posts on fixing your holiday Etsy listing and listing 30 holiday products before Black Friday.
Bookmark this post for the day your first order comes in.
Sara
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