Social media is always flooded with posts about the next “quick and easy” way to get rich. This time, it’s selling print-on-demand stuff on Etsy. And you know what? I think it’s a scam.
But I like to approach things with logic and reason. And I want to check if my business instinct is right.
Also, I’m always looking for ways to help women build their financial independence, and I never give advice I haven’t tested myself. So, let’s see—will Etsy print-on-demand make it onto my yay or nay list?
I decided to run an independent, honest experiment to test it:
Etsy Print-on-Demand: Scam or Not? The Experiment
Here’s how this experiment will go. I’m going to try to build a successful print-on-demand shop on Etsy. I’ll use my business knowledge to find a product that actually has the potential to sell, and I’ll do everything I can to set it up for success.
I’m not going to half-ass it. I’ll put my heart and soul into this and see if it works—no bias, no shortcuts. However, I’m going to choose a low-design option on purpose. Because if you need to be a talented artist to sell, well, that’s not an “easy” way to make money.
I’ll also document every single step along the way. Not just what I do, but why I do it. I want you to understand my reasoning behind each decision.
And what’s also extremely important – I’m going to share all the hard details with you: how much time I spent, how much money I invested, how much I actually made (if anything), and the exact timeline of it all.
I want to be 100% transparent because maybe you’ll spot flaws in my approach. Maybe there’s something I’ll do wrong that you’d handle differently. I want you to learn from my mistakes.
I think it’s really important to mention—this experiment is not sponsored or affiliated with any platform. This is a completely independent review. I’m doing this mostly to satisfy my own curiosity. Also, it just sounds like fun.
To give this experiment some clear parameters, I’m setting a realistic budget of $100. I want to see if people on a low budget can actually make this work—because they’re the ones who need these kinds of solutions the most. It’s easy to get richer when you’re already rich.
And since this whole thing is sold as a quick way to make money, I’m also going to give it a strict deadline. After setting up my store, I’ll observe the results for exactly three months. Once the three months are up, the experiment will be complete.
And finally, let’s set some expectations. What does it actually mean for this to work? I’m setting the bar extremely low here—if the shop makes any profit at all, I’ll agree that it’s not a scam. But if I lose money or make nothing? Well, you know what that means.
The reason I’m keeping the bar so low is that I believe these kinds of shops can be easily scaled. If I have 10 products and make just $1 a month, in theory, I could add 100 times more products and make $100 a month. It takes time, sure, but the idea is that once it’s set up, it could keep selling for years. Of course, that is just my assumption, and I may be wrong.
Alright, I think we have it all. I have to admit I’m quite excited.
Etsy POD: Can it make money? The Experiment Summary
Here’s a quick summary of the experiment:
- Goal: Test if starting a print-on-demand shop on Etsy is a legitimate way to make money or just another scam.
- Approach:
- Set up a shop using real business strategies.
- Choose a product with actual sales potential.
- Put in real effort into making it work.
- Budget: $100 (to see if a low-budget approach can work).
- Time frame: 3 months (since it’s marketed as a “quick” way to make money).
- Transparency:
- Document every step, including what I do and why I do it.
- Track time spent, money invested, money earned (if any), and exact timeline.
- Expectations:
- If the shop makes any profit, it’s not a scam.
- If I lose money or make nothing, it’s a fail.
- Assuming the shop can be scaled (more products = more profit), but open to being proven wrong.
- Independence: This experiment is not sponsored or affiliated with any platform.
- Start date: February 8, 2025
Etsy Print-on-Demand: Start as a complete beginner
Okay, so I wanted to start this experiment as a total beginner—just like any of you would. I don’t think it would be fair or transparent if I came in with a tested plan.
I wanted to see exactly what someone with no experience would face. What are the actual challenges? Is it really as “quick and easy” as social media claims? Or are there any hidden costs and barriers that no one talks about?
So, before diving in, I didn’t research anything. I wanted a fresh start, like anyone clicking on those “make money fast” TikToks. Let’s see where this takes me.
Etsy POD: My assumptions
So here’s what I think this will look like—I’m excited to see which of my assumptions will be completely wrong.
I believe I can set up my Etsy shop for free. Once that’s done, I’ll need to add products. I assume I can design them using Canva or some other easy-to-use design tool. From what I know about Etsy, there are tons of product options—t-shirts, mugs, posters, key chains, and more. I’ve actually never even used Etsy as a customer myself.
I’m guessing the process of adding products is simple and free. Probably just uploading pictures, writing a description, and setting a price. I don’t expect to need any technical knowledge there.
Finally, since this is print-on-demand, I assume I won’t have to pay for anything upfront. I’m guessing Etsy works kind of like Amazon—when a customer buys a product, Etsy handles the production and shipping. The whole beauty of a print-on-demand solution is no inventory, no storage, and no risk – so I hope that’s how it works on Etsy too.
What might be different from Amazon is customer service. I’ll probably have to handle that myself—answering customer questions, dealing with issues, and maybe even handling returns.
To be honest, this is my biggest question mark. Usually, with print-on-demand, returns aren’t allowed because the product is custom-made. But in this case, the designs aren’t personalized by the customer, so they should have the right to return it like any other product.
I have no idea how Etsy handles this. If customers can return products and get a full refund, that could be a huge risk for me. I could end up losing a lot of money. Definitely something to keep an eye on.
Etsy probably takes a commission on every sale I make. Between their fees, the cost of production, and shipping, I’m guessing I’ll be left with maybe 10% of the price the customer actually pays. That means if I sell something for $20, I might only keep $2. This is exactly why I’ve always preferred selling digital products. When you have a bigger profit margin, everything just gets so much easier. If I’m only making $2 per sale, I have zero marketing budget left, and every customer return sets me back big time.
The thing I’m most skeptical about, though, is demand. I feel like Etsy is an insanely saturated market. For every keyword you search, you probably get hundreds of AI-generated designs that all look the same. So my biggest fear is that the customers simply won’t be able to find my shop. I really hope I’ll be positively surprised there.
Alright, I think we’ve covered everything. It’s time to start the experiment.
I’ll post the link to the next update here as soon as it’s ready. In the meantime, let me know in the comments—what do you think the results will be?
Love,
The Business B.
