If you’re a regular reader of our Success Stories, you may have noticed a pattern.
Besides an incredible work ethic, a good percentage of our print-on-demand sellers started by uploading their designs to Etsy.
And that’s no surprise – Etsy is a fantastic platform for POD newcomers and a great place to learn the ropes. However, although the site can be a lucrative place to set up a shop, it’s not the only option.
Today, we’ll offer an alternative route to POD success. We’ve reached out to one of our sellers, Andrew Kasemeyer, who utilized Printify’s eBay integration.
Andrew already runs a profitable eBay store selling cryptocurrency and finance-related apparel.
In this interview, we asked Andrew why the eBay platform offers great potential and whether it’s a lucrative and relatively untapped market for POD merchandise.
Hi Andrew, how did you get into POD?
“Like many people, I discovered Print on Demand during the pandemic.
My wife got a Cricut machine and played around with various designs and techniques. We initially had the idea to start using it to make custom shirts, but quickly figured out there would be no way to scale the business if we were printing and shipping everything ourselves.
After realizing there was no way we could scale business printing items at home, we turned to the internet and discovered Printify. Even before I started a real shop, I could instantly see the potential of Print on Demand.
I figured that even if I didn’t make any money, I could still use POD to create cool designs and make clothing I could wear myself.”
What challenges did you face as a new seller?
“The hardest part is keeping motivated and stopping yourself from quitting.
It takes at least 25 to 50 listings for the algorithm to take notice of your shop, and realistically, that means it takes time to make your first sale.
Once you’ve got over the initial hurdle of selling your first item and you’ve made 20 or 30 sales, things start to get easier, and you look more authentic and legitimate.”
What made you want to sell on eBay?
“I initially started an Etsy shop, but by 2023, after using various SEO tools, I noticed that for many items, eBay listings were ranking far better.
That realization made me consider moving to eBay, and after a great deal of research, I began testing Printify’s integration and opened a store on the platform in August 2023.
After six months or more on eBay, I think things are going pretty well. I’d even say that my sales are ramping up faster than they did on Etsy.
Although I probably made faster progress from already having designs made up, I’d definitely say the audience on eBay is a better fit for the kind of items I sell.”
Was moving your store over to eBay a challenge?
“My biggest concern was that I’d have to recreate everything from scratch, but I needn’t have worried. In the end, I basically copied everything over from my Etsy store and added it straight to eBay.
It was really straightforward to publish everything, and Printify made the process extremely easy.
Of course, you need to make a few tweaks, such as accounting for the different character limits of the listings on each platform, but overall, the process was pretty smooth.”
What contributed to your fast growth on eBay?
“The total volume of traffic on eBay is significantly higher for the niche I sell in. I think it’s important to point out the very different demographics of each platform.
My wife uses Etsy a lot, and for the most part, the shoppers there are women who love craft and homemade items. On the other hand, I’ve heard that eBay is the exact opposite, with a user base of over 60% men.
As you can imagine, that means certain niches and styles work better on each platform. For my niche, which is crypto and finance, eBay seems to be a better fit.”
What are the perks of using Printify to sell on eBay?
“Printify has so many different products in the Catalog. You can find everything from doormats and candles to tech accessories. There are flags, face masks, and everything in between. The only limitation is your imagination.
Most importantly, unlike other providers I’ve worked with, I’ve also noticed that Prinitfy holds its print vendors to very high standards, cutting ties with them if the products are consistently low quality.
This makes it easier for me to sell with fewer issues with Printify, which I think is something to be proud of.”
Has the Printify eBay growth advisory program been helpful?
“Yes, the program is very good. My Printify Product Manager, Katie, and my eBay Growth Adviser, Pierce, contact me monthly to discuss my store and any issues I’m having.
If I have any questions about publishing designs, they’re always happy to help, and I even get advice on how to improve my listings.
Overall, the experience has been very different from other platforms. I’ve learned all about promotional listings and volume pricing, and it’s obvious that you can do a lot more on eBay in terms of advertising your store and items.
On other channels, you basically set a daily budget, but with eBay, you can promote listings at a reduced percentage and much more. There’s certainly a lot more potential, and I haven’t even scratched the surface.
Working with Pierce from eBay and Katie has helped me a lot because they were able to show me things I didn’t even know existed.
I’ve definitely benefited from the information I’ve gained from the eBay Growth Advisor Program.”
How is selling on eBay different from other platforms?
“As a new seller, it’s hard to fathom just how detailed eBay is and how massive the platform has grown.
It’s very robust, and there is a vast amount of payment and customer data at your fingertips if you know how to access and benefit from it.
eBay’s analytics are nearly as detailed and comprehensive as Google’s.
In addition, I was also shown a store newsletter feature, which I’ve only recently started experimenting with. Combine that with learning about coupons, markdown sales, and a bunch of other selling tools.”
Were there any challenges specific to eBay?
“eBay has quite a steep learning curve because it has much more detailed listings.
For example, you have your brand, who your product is steered towards, as well as other item specifics such as sizing.
It took a long time to get my head around the extra details, but I pushed through, and it was definitely worth my time.
In the end, I settled on a strategy of listing my products in batches. I’d list 30 different mugs before moving on to batches of t-shirts and then hoodies.
For each set of products, I’d add all of the required information and any SEO-specific keywords related to my crypto niche.”
Does Printify’s eBay integration offer any specific perks?
“Yes, the Printify and eBay integration is much better than other platforms. It’s certainly quicker, and when orders come in, they arrive in my Printify account much faster.
When I had a couple of issues with missed shipping windows during the early stages of setup, my Prinitfy adviser Katie quickly made a note of the problem and took care of everything really quickly.
Everything has worked well since then, and I’ve had zero issues.”
Have you altered your prices since switching to eBay?
“Overall, I’d say they’ve stayed relatively the same, with a few changes here and there. I’ve slightly increased some of my prices on eBay.
I also run a lot more ads on eBay. Around 80% to 90% of my sales are driven by advertising, and eBay takes a percentage of each one.
Typically, the platform charges around 12% of the final value of each sale. I’ve heard from more experienced sellers that after a time, it’s possible to get those figures down.”
Do you think eBay is a relatively untapped market for POD sellers?
“I’d say so, yes. Many people don’t really consider the platform for selling things like clothing, mugs, or apparel.
However, if you’re prepared to learn how everything works and build your brand, the potential is huge.
It’s also possible to make any niche work if you put in the effort. After all, pretty much everyone shops on eBay and understands how the site works.
One of the best things for me about eBay is that the site offers more benefits than most eCommerce platforms. When you make a sale, you get a much better breakdown of fees, ad spend, and other fee details.
Everything is transparent, which makes it much easier to understand your net profit from the start.”
What does it take to be a successful merchant on eBay?
“You need to have good designs and quality products.
My best advice is to simply stick at it because any limitations from the print-on-demand business model will come from you.
Just try to consistently create great products, and success will come eventually.
I’m doing well on eBay, but I still have a 9-to-5 job. I’m also a father with three children, so most of my work on the online store takes place in the evenings and often on weekends.”
Can you offer any personal tips for POD newcomers?
“It’s vital to keep on top of current trends. I use SEO tools like eRank, Alura, and EverBee to find the best trends and keywords.
However, you don’t necessarily need those to do research.
If you’re online often enough, you’ll begin to see poorly designed items that do have good themes or slogans. I’m not suggesting stealing other people’s work, but being able to spot opportunities to improve on a good idea can be pivotal to your success.
As I mentioned, my niche is crypto and finance. I had a great deal of success back in March 2023 by creating a range of products based on US financial news, such as the string of bank runs that were making news at the time.
Obviously, trends like that tend to die down eventually, but I still did exceptionally well because I kept on top of the news cycle and got my designs published in plenty of time.”
What’s been your most inspiring and joyful experience so far?
“Honestly, I just really enjoy designing the products and getting them out there. I really like making people happy with my designs.
It’s one thing just to upload as many items as possible and maybe just design a simple Bitcoin t-shirt, but creating something successful people love is cool and makes you feel good.
I’m not here to cheat people out of their money – I’ve eaten costs associated with wrong addresses and missed deliveries.
I want my customers to like and tell their friends about what I’m doing. I guess overall, I just want to bring a smile to people’s faces.”
Connect with Andrew on X to learn more about his success journey on eBay.
