Can You Start a Print-On-Demand Business with No Money?
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Can you start a print-on-demand business with no money? Keep reading to find out (hint: the answer is yes).
If you’ve ever dreamed of launching an online business without draining your bank account on inventory or startup costs, print-on-demand (POD) might feel like the perfect side hustle. But is it really possible to start a print-on-demand business with no money? Spoiler alert: yes, it is—and I’ll show you exactly how.
What Is Print-On-Demand?
In case you’re not yet familiar - Print-on-demand is a business model where you create designs for products—like t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, and plenty more—and partner with a POD provider that prints and ships each item only when someone places an order.
This business model means that you never have to handle inventories or shipping, and you don’t have to purchase inventory upfront. You only pay for products that you’ve already sold. That means you can focus on creativity and actually enjoy building up your business, instead of worrying about selling all the inventory you’ve already paid for.
Print-on-demand products can include apparel items like tees and sweatshirts, drinkware such as mugs and water bottles, home goods items like pillows and blankets, accessories like phone cases or magnets - the list goes on! The beauty of POD is its flexibility: you can experiment with different niches and different products until you find what you enjoy the most (and what’s most profitable) - without very low financial risk.
How to Sell Print-On-Demand on Etsy with Zero Budget
Etsy is one of the best places for a print on demand startup because it comes with a built-in audience of shoppers seeking unique, personalized items. Here’s how to get started for almost nothing:
Create Your Etsy Seller Account
Sign up at Etsy.com and click “Sell on Etsy.”
Pay the one time $15 shop setup fee - this, in addition to a 20¢ per listing charge (which you can work into your sale price) are the only mandatory fees to sell on Etsy.
Set up your shop name (use the brainstorming tips in our free ebook!).
List Your First Product
Use a free design tool like Canva to create your first design on a t-shirt, mug or whatever product you’ve decided to sell.
Upload your design to your POD provider to create your product
Set your listing price, input your SEO title + description—more on pricing strategies below.
Create mockup images for your product.
Publish your listing to Etsy!
Optimize for SEO
In your title, tags, and description include keywords that are specific to your chosen niche (e.g. “nicu nurse mug”) so that people who are looking for your type of product will actually be able to find your listing.
This helps your print on demand Etsy store get discovered without paid ads.
Free & Low-Cost Print-On-Demand Tools
A true print on demand startup doesn’t require expensive software. Here are the best free print on demand tools I used when I started (and plenty that I still use today):
Design & Mockups:
Canva (Free Plan)
The best design software to create your designs and your mockup images. The free plan will limit some of the fonts and graphics you have access to as well as some “premium” functions. However, you can still get by on the free plan if you don’t want to invest in the Pro Plan just yet.
Photopea
SEO & Research:
The Etsy Search Bar
Look for autofill keyword ideas!
ChatGPT
For brainstorming niche terms and writing SEO-optimized titles and tags.
Everbee (Free Plan)
Free plan limits how many keywords you can look up but could still be useful! When you’re ready to invest in a premium SEO tool, Everbee is an excellent option!
eRank (Free Plan)
Similar to Everbee but also will show you when a keyword has peak search volume which can be helpful for knowing when to post a particular item to your shop. Free plan is also a bit limited but can give you some ideas - a great tool to upgrade when you’re ready to invest in superior SEO.
POD Platform:
Printify
My most recommended POD platform - integrates seamlessly with Etsy and offers a wide product catalog. Printify is the main platform that I use for POD. Their premium plan is definitely worth it once you start getting sales - they offer you products for a cheaper price so you can increase your profit margins. You can totally get by on the free plan in the beginning.
Printful
Renowned for quality and easy scaling. I have not personally used Printful yet but I’ve heard great things about it!
Later, when you’re ready, upgrading to paid plans on the best print on demand tools—like EverBee for niche research or Simply Listed for mockup automation—can boost efficiency and revenue.
Zero-Cost Strategies for Your First Listings
You don’t need paid ads to get your first sale. Try these zero-cost tactics:
Leverage Social Media & Pinterest
Pin your listings using the quick save Pinterest browser extension to your Pinterest profile.
Create an Instagram or TikTok page for your shop - share behind-the-scenes design videos or promote new products.
If you don’t already have an established following on social media, this may not bring in a bunch of sales unless you have a post that takes off. But it’s great to start building this up from the beginning - just don’t pour too much time into it. Spend the majority of your time creating listings for your shop.
Ask friends or family members to purchase from your shop and leave reviews!
I know that might sound weird but just getting your first sale out of the way can be SO beneficial! Most people will be hesitant to buy from a shop that has zero sales.
In addition to gaining customer trust, Etsy will show your listings to more people once you’ve made some sales. If they see that the things you post sell, they’ll show them to more people - Etsy wants to make money just like us, so if they see that you’re creating things that sell, they’ll promote you more to potential customers.
When I launched my own Etsy POD shop, I made my first organic sale within two weeks—no paid ads. My first sale was to my mom, the second to my best friend, and then the next day I got my first sale from an actual customer. That initial momentum gave my shop the boost it needed and proved to Etsy that people would buy what I’m selling.
Pro Tip: DO NOT purchase something from your own shop! This is against Etsy’s seller policies and could get your shop shut down.
Common Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them
Some common mistakes to try to avoid with your print on demand startup:
Over-Designing:
Spending days in Canva working on a single design will stall your progress. Trust me, we’ve all been sucked down the design rabbit hole! And it will most likely happen to you to - trying to perfect every little detail of every little thing about your design.
But seriously - don’t overthink your designs. SIMPLE SELLS! Keep your designs simple - start off with just text-based designs to make it easy on yourself and really get your listing process down.
Ignoring SEO:
Without proper titles and tags, your listings get buried. This is because the people who would potentially want what you’re selling aren’t able to find your listings. Spend time researching keywords that are specific to your niche and the product you’re selling.
Underpricing:
Decide on a profit margin that covers your base cost + Etsy fees (6.5% transaction fee + $0.20 listing fee). Use a profit calculator (there’s one included in the Etsy POD Starter Kit) to set your price right. I typically aim to make roughly a 30% profit margin on each item that I sell, but customize this to whatever works best for your business.
Scaling Up When You Have Funds
Once you’ve made your first dollars, got your listing processes down, and have decided that you’re going to stick with POD long-term, reinvest in tools that accelerate growth:
EverBee (Paid)
Deeper SEO insights for your print on demand Etsy store.
eRank
Another awesome SEO tool similar to Everbee
Simply Listed
Automates mockup generation from a template you create once and use over and over again. Such a huge time-saver!
Premium Printify Plan
Unlocks up to 20% discounts on all products, boosting your profit margins.
Investing back into your business is the fastest way to level up from a zero-budget POD startup to a profitable, scalable Etsy POD shop.
So… YES, You Can Start with Almost No Money!
So, can you start a print-on-demand business with no money? Absolutely. With Etsy’s low listing fee, free design tools, and smart SEO, you can launch a print on demand shop today—without breaking the bank. It’s all about leveraging free resources, choosing the right print on demand companies, and keeping your processes as simple as possible.
Your creative, low-risk entrepreneurial journey awaits—let’s make it happen!
Ready to Start?
Grab my free resources to help you begin your profitable Etsy POD journey:
