Art of Where, Printful, and Gooten – how they compare.
Since February of this year I’ve tried my hand at the world of drop shipping and print on demand (aka POD). This kind of platform to sell items is fun and really cost nothing to use until you factor in advertising and the cost of using certain platforms like Shopify or Etsy to sell the products you are creating.
Art of Where-
I started creating on AOW after reading an article about VIDA (Read last paragraph for more info on VIDA). AOW is very easy to use and is integrated with Etsy, Big Cartel, Shopify and WooCommerce.
Basically, you upload an image, place it on the product you want to create and AOW will generate what the product will look like. The only down side is that there is no library to keep your files. I solved that problem by simply keeping all my photos for that site in a folder on my desk top.
I have ordered items from AOW and have not been disappointed. The colors are true and orders take about a week to 2 weeks to process. Not bad for something custom made.
Pricing varies with items, but as an example a make-up bag has the suggested retail price of $25.00, Wholesale (with the minimum purchase of 6) would be $14.00 each, and Drop shipping would cost $18.00 each.
Printful
Printful uses the same principle as AOW. The generator is similar, but it is a little slower, and you are more limited to editing once your image has been uploaded, so make sure the file is how you want it to be before you upload it. For example, you cannot rotate a design to fit, and as with all these sites, make sure your file is large enough and DPI is at least 300.
Pricing is comparable to AOW, but Printfuls items ship from the USA and AOW from Canada, which can add time and expense to your shipping and bottom line depending where you are.
Gooten
The only product that I’ve created and ordered on Gooten is the blank greeting card. I’ve tried to create them on AOW and have not been successful, and you can’t beat Gooten’s price for their cards. Gooten is a different type of POD than AOW and Prinful in that their products are made not in one shop but in different shops that specialize in what ever item is being made. This item is made in Rochester, NY.
On the upside, the colors are great, my artwork looked great, but…
On the downside, I tried to put a border around one of my designs, it looked even and I got an email from someone who was working on my order about the border, to which I replied, “please make the border even all around”
Got the cards about 1 1/2 weeks later. Borders are completely uneven! OK, I give them kudos for the professional look of the card (other than the borders) and I design another card without the borders. Also my information about the artwork and my Etsy website is to be printed on the back of this greeting card.
Wait for this next order to come in and look at the back of the card to see if my info is there…No info. This maybe my fault since the file may not have been big enough.
Maybe the third time is a charm.
A Word About VIDA
VIDA contacted me because I had artwork on my Facebook page, or it could have been LinkedIn, I’m not really sure. The email I received invited me to create products on their site and that I would be paid if they sell. I still do have items on their site, but the commission is only about 10% and once an item sells, Vita owns your design! Vida does not give royalties. I just use abstract computer designs on that site, not my original work.
To sum it all up…
See which one works best for you and your needs. Some sites work better than others for different products. Being an artist, designer or illustrator has never been easier with tools like these to get you ideas and products out there!
If you would like to see the items I’ve designed using AOW, Printful and Gooten, please visit http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChinaCatCrafts
Click the links below to learn more about each site.
and this list goes on.
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