New: your customers can now see where their package is on a tracking page with your store name.Take a look →
Start free
Audience section · 13 posts

For beginners

What to know before your first sale: what POD is, which platform, your first product, your first sale.

What Custombull offers for this work →

Start here

First reads for Beginners

BeginnersGrowth and multichannel · 8 min readA plan for your first sale in 30 days: a day-by-day POD start

Your first sale usually comes from structure, not luck. We put together a plan that splits the first 30 days into four phases, from shop setup and first listings to pricing and reading the data, with a clear output for each phase.

AI mockups · 5 images
✓Ready-to-sell listing images from your design
BeginnersMarketing · 7 min readWhat is a mockup, and what makes a good product photo?

In POD, the product isn't printed until an order comes in, so its photo is usually a mockup. We explain what a mockup is, when Etsy allows it and how to build a photo set that gets clicks in search results.

Inventory model
S · BlackM · WhiteL · SandXL · Black2XL · NavyS · Sand
  • Unsold colors and sizes in stock
  • Warehouse, equipment and supply costs
  • Packing and shipping are on you
POD with Custombull
Order→Print→Check→Ship
0inventory, warehouse or equipment
  • Each item is printed when an order comes in
  • By partner producers in the US
  • No-questions-asked refund on defective items
BeginnersProducts and printing · 8 min readWhat is print on demand (POD), and how do you start from Turkey?

Print on demand is a production model where a product is printed and shipped only after an order comes in. We explain how it works, the cost items, and how to start selling to the US market from Turkey.

All Beginners posts

By topic

Amazon
EtsyShopifyeBay
BeginnersProducts and printing · 9 min readPrint on demand on Amazon: Merch on Demand or your own Seller Central account?

There are two separate ways to sell POD t-shirts on Amazon: Amazon's own Merch on Demand program, or selling through your own Seller Central account. The difference starts with who controls what.

Shopify
EtsyAmazoneBay
BeginnersProducts and printing · 9 min readSetting up a print on demand store on Shopify: a step-by-step 2026 guide

Opening a Shopify store takes an hour; building a POD store that's ready to sell and earns trust takes doing things in the right order. We walk through the steps, from your domain to the producer connection.

BeginnersProducts and printing · 9 min readSelling t-shirts on Etsy: a 2026 starter guide

You don't need inventory to sell t-shirts on Etsy. Here is how to reach your first sale step by step, with the right producer, the right listings and a clean design process.

Quality checkEvery item, before it ships
✓Print alignment
✓Color accuracy
✓Size and product
✓Stains and stitching
No-questions-asked refund on defective items
BeginnersOrders and shipping · 8 min readPOD quality control checklist: print, color, size, packing

In POD, a defective item means a reprint, extra shipping and a bad review. We put everything you need to check at the print, color, size and packing steps into one list, so you catch problems before the order leaves the shop.

Plans
Free3 stores$0
Bronze5 stores · 100 credits$29.99
Gold10 stores · 400 credits$99.99
✓Your price does not go up as your listing count grows
BeginnersFees and profit · 8 min readShopify plans and costs 2026: what does a POD store cost per month?

Shopify's monthly plan fee is only one line item. We calculate the real monthly cost of a POD store, including payment processing fees, apps, domain and product cost.

BeginnersProducts and printing · 8 min readSelling print on demand apparel on Walmart: pricing, catalog and listings

Apparel on Walmart appeals to a price-focused buyer base. We cover price tiers, barcode and variant planning and listing prep for POD t-shirts. Custombull's Walmart integration is coming soon.

Today's trends
Retro scuba t-shirt
Mountain and moon tank
Sign language heart t-shirt
BeginnersSEO and listings · 9 min readHow to do niche research for POD

"Cats" isn't a niche, it's a category. A niche that sells sits at the intersection of a specific audience, a specific subject and a specific moment. We walk through niche research step by step using Etsy's own tools and public sources.

app.custombull.com
BeginnersProducts and printing · 9 min readPrintify alternatives in 2026: comparing POD companies

The same Gildan 64000 t-shirt is priced anywhere from $6.50 to over $10 depending on the POD company. We compare Printify, Printful, Gelato, CustomCat and Custombull on price, plans and features.

BeginnersProducts and printing · 8 min readGildan 64000 or Bella+Canvas 3001? Choosing a t-shirt for POD

Two t-shirt models widely used in POD mean two different strategies. We compare the Gildan 64000 and the Bella+Canvas 3001 on fabric, fit, price and profit.

Etsy
AmazonShopifyeBay
BeginnersGrowth and multichannel · 9 min readEtsy, Amazon, eBay, Shopify: where should you sell POD products?

Every platform has a different fee structure, audience and set of rules. We compare Etsy, Amazon, eBay and Shopify from a POD seller's point of view, and explain which to start with and how to expand.

Other sections

Do you sell on another platform too?

Start free