Selling Print-on-Demand on Etsy: An Interview With Emily Odio-Sutton

Today I have an interview with Emily Odio-Sutton about selling print-on-demand gifts on Etsy. If you’ve been curious about this but aren’t sure what the work or costs look like, her answers below should give you a clearer picture.

I asked Emily about her early months, what helped her sales grow, and what beginners need to know before getting started.

She also teaches print-on-demand through The Gift Lab.

Below is the interview with Emily. I hope it inspires you to start something new!

How did you first get started with print-on-demand on Etsy, and what did your early months look like before you began gaining real traction?

Emily: At the time, I was a full time working mom of two very young kids, and I was wanting more flexibility…mostly more time with my kids. My daughter was going to be starting kindergarten the following year, and my goal was to be able to pick her up at the bus stop each day without worrying about Zoom meetings.

I stumbled across a video about print on demand, & what got me was that I didn’t need inventory or a big budget to try it. I had previously tried selling products on Amazon, and I quickly realized I didn’t want my house to turn into a warehouse…so POD sounded like a perfect fit!

Those early months were not glamorous by any means! It was many hours spent in the evenings after my girls went to bed trying to learn this side hustle.

Between learning design to figuring out what Etsy buyers are looking for, it wasn’t an overnight success by any means. I spent way too long on every single listing, & I checked my stats about a million times a day.

But then, I clearly remember getting my very first organic sale while at a kid’s birthday party, and I was hooked! It was proof that this could really work.

You recently passed $1 million in lifetime Etsy sales. What were the biggest turning points that helped you grow from a beginner shop into a seven-figure business?

Emily: I would say it really wasn’t one big moment, but more so a few shifts that kept building momentum on one another!

The biggest one was going all in on giftable products. One day, I decided to try listing a candle because I saw that candles seemed like an undersaturated area for POD sellers.

That night, that same candle sold…the same day! That was one big a-ha moment for me, because it made me realize that Etsy buyers are coming to the site for gifts.

And from that moment on, I focused on gifts and my sales continued to grow because of that.

The other big shift was checking demand before I designed anything. I stopped making things & hoping.

And when something did sell, I made variations of it instead of running off to chase a brand new idea. Just showing up & listing consistently did more for my shop than any one “perfect” design ever did!

For someone considering POD because it sounds passive, what work actually happens behind the scenes after the design is created? What takes the most time in your business today?

Emily: I love this question, because POD is low risk… but it’s definitely not passive, at least not at first! But I would also argue that that goes for any side hustle or business.

Once the design is done, you still have to make mockups, write titles & tags that people will actually search for, & get the listing up. Then there are the orders, the customer messages, the personalization questions, & any customer service concerns.

These days most of my time goes into researching & designing for new listings plus managing orders/customer service. The shop does take less hands-on time than it used to, but that’s because I put in the work to build systems first.

I am so glad I took that time early on to invest in learning about POD and building up my business, because now I can enjoy the work I put into it earlier!

If you’d like to see what Emily teaches, you can read more about The Gift Lab here. Below, she goes into the costs and what those first months can look like.

What expenses and profit margins should beginners realistically expect once production costs, Etsy fees, software, advertising, refunds, and other costs are factored in?

Emily: One of my favorite things about print on demand is how little it takes to get started! And as a busy mom who didn’t have a big budget when I started this, it was something that was a major positive for print on demand.

You don’t have to buy inventory, rent a space, or put a bunch of money down upfront. You only pay for a product when someone orders it, so you’re not stuck with boxes of shirts in your garage!

There are a few costs to plan for though: each sale covers the product & printing, shipping, & Etsy’s fees for listings, transactions, & payment processing. For tools, you can really plan to spend $50 or less per month (Canva, a research tool) to get started.

And it’s always smart to set aside for taxes.

And I always tell my students to price for a profit! Aiming for at least a 30% profit margin will give you some cushion!

What I love most is how your shop can really build on itself over time. Your listings keep working for you, your best sellers can bring in orders again & again, & every new product adds to that.

That’s how a shop that started with less than $50 can grow into something so much bigger than you ever pictured!

Anna’s note: The $50 monthly figure above is Emily’s estimate for tools, and 30% is the margin she suggests aiming for. Be sure to work out your own costs, including ads and refunds, before setting prices.

Etsy may also charge a shop set-up fee, and listing fees can apply even when an item doesn’t sell. You can review Etsy’s current fees here.

If someone started a POD Etsy shop today with no audience and no prior experience, what would you consider realistic expectations for the first 6 to 12 months?

Emily: The best part is you really don’t need an audience or any experience to start, and that was a BIG draw for me to POD. Etsy already has millions of shoppers searching for gifts every day, so you get to create products where people are already showing up without needing to drive your own traffic.

The first few months are all about learning, & that’s exciting. You start to see which products get clicks, which ideas people respond to, & what your buyers really want.

Your first sale is such a fun moment, & it proves your idea can work!

By the 6 to 12 month mark, if you’ve been listing consistently, you will know so much more than when you first began. You’ll have a much clearer picture of what sells in your shop, & you may have a few listings bringing in orders on a regular basis.

A busy season like Q4 can be really eye opening too… it shows you just how much is possible. We just had a member of the Gift Lab Community hit her first six-figures in a year, so it truly is possible!

What beginner mistakes do you see most often, and who do you think print-on-demand is a genuinely good fit for or a poor fit for?

Emily: The good news is that most beginner mistakes are really easy to fix once you know what to look for. I made almost all of them myself.

The biggest one is making designs you personally love without checking if people are actually buying them. It’s so natural to start there, but when you flip it & look at what shoppers are already searching for first, everything gets easier.

Another one I see a lot is going too broad, like “funny shirts.” Getting specific helps so much.

A gift for a nurse who just graduated is way easier to sell than a general nurse shirt. I also see people trying 10 niches at once, when picking just one & going deep would get them results faster.

And some people spend weeks perfecting a logo before they have a single listing up…when really, getting your first products out there is what teaches you the most.

The other thing I always tell beginners is to give it time. So many people are closer than they think when they stop.

The ones who keep going are usually the ones who end up surprised by what’s possible.

As for who it’s a great fit for… honestly, so many people. It’s perfect if you want to start something without spending a lot of money upfront.

It’s great if you’re creative but not a “designer,” because I wasn’t either. And it works really well if you only have small pockets of time, like in between school pickups & making dinner.

If you like the idea of making gifts that people give to someone they love, & you’re willing to learn as you go, you’ll probably really enjoy it.

It might not be the best fit if you’re hoping for fast money in your first month, or you want something that runs completely on its own from day one. It does take a little patience in the beginning.

But if you’re willing to stay consistent & learn from what your shop shows you, it can grow into something so much bigger than you expected. I’m living proof of that.

In Conclusion

Thanks to Emily for sharing how she got started and what goes into running her shop. I hope her answers help you decide whether this is something you’d like to try.

If you’d like to learn more about her training, you can read about The Gift Lab here!

Good luck to you!

Photo by Piotr Wojnowski