Currently, I am obsessed with long sleeve midi dresses with pockets. They are so versatile, available in sizes up to 6XL, and HAVE POCKETS. This feature is so important in a dress.
These dresses are designed by me via the Printful website. I opened an Etsy shop, connected it with Printful integration, and started designing items. I chose to focus on bachelorette attire, casual wear, and flattering swimwear. It’s important to me that items are high quality, made to order (no additional waste on our planet), and available also in plus sizes. These amazing dresses and lots of other items as leggings are available in sizes up to 6XL. That is the reason why I chose Printful, not any of the competitors. Items are high quality, the designing process is super easy, and integration with Etsy is seamless.
As an item is designed in Printful, the price is set then it automatically syncs with Etsy shop and saves itself to draft. You can also enable the free shipping option. As you go to drafts you add missing information for a successful listing. Every listing has a 0,20$ fee. It’s as easy as that.
I also have to also highlight the personalization feature in Etsy, which works perfectly with Printful integration. As I design a product that will have the option of custom text, I add a text box on it and write Your text here for clarity. Some customers are unfamiliar with the feature, therefore I don’t use a random name on the item. Your text here is clearer to the customer. I had some issues with it in the past as I put names on the mock-up photos. There are also a lot of fonts available. Some items like satin robes use embroidery for text. With embroidery, there is a digitalization fee that needs to be considered when calculating the final price.
PERSONALIZED OPTION:
PRESET EMBROIDERED FLOWER AND BRIDE TEXT:
As a personalized item is added to drafts in Etsy listings, I enable the personalization feature, so that customers can enter their text. As a personalized item is bought, you simply adjust it with desired text and sent it to Printful for production.
If the items aren’t personalized, the synchronization process is seamless and everything is done automatically. The customer buys an item, you pay for it and it goes into production. As the item is made, it is sent to the customer in your name. All items are made really fast and sent to customers with tracking numbers. As Printful sends out the item, you receive an email, and also on Etsy the purchase is marked as complete. With a tracking number, you and your customer can track the item.
This allows you to start your business with no money, and no inventory. Practically you need a computer, internet access, and your business registered in your country according to your country's laws. As I mentioned before you pay before the item goes into production. At that time you already have the money on Etsy from the sale, so you don’t have to have any money before the first sale. You transfer the money from Etsy to your account. The only cost at the beginning are Etsy listings, which are really affordable.
In the beginning, my advice would be to:
- read the online manual on how to sell on Etsy,
- read articles on the Printful blog,
- check out some Youtube tutorials with step-by-step instructions,
- define your niche,
- analyze customers' needs and wants,
- register a company according to your country's laws,
- open an Etsy shop,
- start selling, and
- make money online.
If now you think how to make designs, Printful has got you. Printful offers clipart, text options, patterns, and preset colors. It’s enough for a start, and you don’t need to worry about the size and quality of the design. Every element inside Printful is optimized for use. The same designs can be easily used on multiple items. Everything in Printful is easy and seamless for basic users. A couple of tries and you are all set.
In case you would like to make designs by yourself, I would recommend Canva. I use it now for years for designing, making social media content, and also for fun. Make sure you make large designs of great quality and save them with transparent backgrounds in PNG. I use a Canva PRO version which allows me to make great designs for my fashion and home décor. I use size 5000x5000px in PNG form with transparent background. As you have a design saved on your computer you just add an item to your shop and drag a design on the item and it loads it. Later you can set the size of the design element, and background color.
One feature I also use frequently is the pattern feature. You can upload a simple clipart, like a flower, use the pattern feature and Printful makes it into a seamless pattern. Patterns can be duplicated along different parts of the garment. It’s truly amazing and quick to use.
For a successful Etsy shop, I would recommend uploading at least 100 items and checking out SEO optimization. It’s not necessary to drive customers to Etsy, but I would advise using social media to drive traffic to your Etsy shop. You can also use Etsy ads. I do everything I possibly can to drive as much traffic to my shops. It takes some time for algorithms to show your listings to customers. Better the SEO, the quicker the results.
I took my leap of faith and opened an Etsy shop with Printful integration. Sound cha-ching as I made a sale brings me joy. Wishing you a lot of sales and success.