Print on demand and dropshipping both let you sell without holding stock, but they build very different businesses. How each works, where the margin comes from, and which one fits what you want to sell.
In this article · 9 sections
Print on demand and dropshipping get lumped together because they share the headline benefit: you sell products without buying stock, and someone else ships them. Underneath, they are different businesses. One sells your designs on products made for each order. The other resells products that already exist, made by someone else, often sold by plenty of other shops too.
If you are deciding between them, the useful question is not which is easier to start. Both are easy to start. It is which one lets you build something buyers cannot get identically somewhere else.
What dropshipping is
In dropshipping you list a supplier's ready-made product in your shop, usually from a large wholesale catalogue. When a buyer orders, you pass the order to the supplier, who ships the product directly to your buyer. You never see the item.
The product is the same one the supplier offers to every other seller. Your job is mostly marketing: finding the product, writing the listing, buying the traffic and handling customer service. The supplier's job is holding the stock and sending the parcel.
What print on demand is
In print on demand you choose a blank product, such as a t-shirt, hoodie, tote or mug, and add your own design. Nothing is printed until a buyer orders. Then the producer prints that one item, packs it and ships it under your brand.
The blank is common, but the finished product is yours. Nobody else can sell your design on that hoodie unless they copy it. If you want the mechanics in detail, we wrote up how print-on-demand fulfilment works, end to end.
The real differences
What you are actually selling
Dropshipping sells a product. Print on demand sells a design, a brand or a personal touch on a product. That changes how you compete. A dropshipped phone stand competes with every other shop listing the same phone stand, mostly on price and ad spend. A print-on-demand hoodie with your club's crest, your band's artwork or a buyer's own name on it has no exact competitor.
Where the margin comes from
In dropshipping, margin is the gap between the supplier's price and what the market will pay for a product that many shops sell. When a product takes off, others list it and the price drifts down.
In print on demand, margin comes from the value of the design and the brand. Buyers pay for the idea, the community or the personalisation, not just the garment. A personalised gift or a piece of fan merch can carry a price that a plain product never could.
Branding and the parcel
Many dropshipping suppliers ship from their own warehouse with their own packaging, invoices or inserts, which makes it hard to build a recognisable brand. Good print-on-demand fulfilment is white label: the buyer receives a parcel from you, with no supplier branding in the box.
Delivery times
Dropshipping times depend entirely on where the supplier's stock sits. Products shipped from overseas warehouses can take weeks to reach a UK buyer and may bring customs charges.
Print on demand adds a short production step, because the item is made after the order, but if production is in the same country as your buyers the total time is usually shorter and more predictable. With allthe, products are printed in the UK, and made-to-order processing is typically three to seven days before delivery. Local versus overseas print on demand covers what changes for buyers.
Quality control
In both models you never touch the item, so sampling matters. With dropshipping you are trusting a supplier you may never speak to. With print on demand you can order a sample of the exact blank and print before you list it, and the same blank and print method are used for every order.
Returns
Dropshipped products are standard items, so returns are usually possible, though sending them back abroad can be awkward. Print-on-demand items made to order, and especially personalised ones, are made uniquely for the buyer. Say clearly in your shop policy that personalised items are made to order. Buyers accept this readily when they are told up front.
Side by side
- Stock: neither model needs it. You pay when an order comes in.
- Product: dropshipping resells existing products; print on demand puts your design on a blank, made per order.
- Competition: dropshipped products are often sold by many shops; your designs are yours.
- Branding: dropshipping varies by supplier; print on demand is usually white label.
- Personalisation: rarely possible with dropshipping; built into print on demand.
- Delivery: dropshipping depends on supplier location; print on demand adds a short production step but can be local.
- Upfront cost: close to zero for both, apart from samples and marketing.
When dropshipping makes sense
Dropshipping suits sellers who are good at spotting trending products and buying traffic, and who are comfortable competing on price and speed. It works best for functional products where the buyer cares about the item itself, not who designed it, and where you can source from a supplier with stock close to your buyers.
When print on demand makes sense
Print on demand suits anyone whose advantage is the design or the audience:
- Creators, artists and bands selling their own artwork or merch.
- Clubs, gyms, schools and breweries selling branded kit to members and fans, see our guides to gym merchandise and sports club merchandise.
- Gift shops selling personalised products, where every order is different by definition.
- New clothing brands that want to test designs before committing to bulk production.
If you are not sure whether a design will sell, print on demand is the cheaper test: a design that does not sell costs you nothing to print.
Can you do both?
Yes, and plenty of shops do. A merch shop might sell printed apparel on demand alongside a few dropshipped accessories. The practical advice is to keep the parts that carry your brand, the designed and personalised products, on print on demand, where you control the design, the quality and the parcel.
Getting started with print on demand
With allthe you can create a free account, choose blanks from the catalogue, add your design and connect a sales channel. Shopify and Etsy connect directly, and you can also sell from your own allthe storefront. There is no subscription and no minimum order. If you sell on Shopify, our Shopify print on demand guide walks through the setup, and for Etsy there is the Etsy print on demand guide.
FAQ
Is print on demand a type of dropshipping?
In a broad sense, yes: in both, a third party ships the order and you hold no stock. The difference is that print-on-demand products are made to order with your design, while dropshipped products already exist.
Which is more profitable?
It depends on the product, not the model. Print on demand usually supports higher margins on designed and personalised products, because there is no identical product to undercut you. Dropshipping margins tend to shrink as more shops list the same item.
Do I need a business to start either?
You can start either as an individual. In the UK, once your trading income passes the £1,000 trading allowance in a tax year you need to register with HMRC as self-employed. See how to start a print on demand business in the UK for the practical steps.
Can I sell personalised products with dropshipping?
Rarely. Personalisation needs each item to be made after the order, which is exactly what print on demand does.