How to Increase Print-on-Demand Profits (2025)

If you want to see how margins stack up, check Print-on-Demand Profit Margins Explained. And when you’re ready to stop guessing, track your real profits with PodVector.

Know All Your Costs (Not Just Production)

Many sellers look only at their product base cost — what Printify or Printful charges for printing and fulfillment — but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. True profitability comes from understanding *all* expenses that eat into your margin.

Here’s what to include when calculating your real cost per order:

• Product base cost (blank item + printing)
• Shipping and fulfillment fees
• Platform fees (Shopify, Etsy, payment processing)
• Refunds and chargebacks
• Marketing and ad spend
• App subscriptions or automation tools
• Design costs or freelance work
• Discounts and promo codes applied

Without factoring these, your “profitable” products might actually be losing money. Track them accurately from the start using automated dashboards or profit-tracking tools to avoid spreadsheet chaos.

Price Smarter

Pricing is one of the most powerful — and often underused — levers for improving POD profit. You can’t control printing or payment fees, but you can control your perceived value and markup.

Smart pricing strategies include:

• Markup based on total cost: Don’t just double the product cost. Add shipping, platform fees, and marketing spend, then apply your target margin (usually 25–50%).
• Use perceived value: Premium pricing works when you pair higher quality visuals, storytelling, and branding. Customers will pay more for perceived exclusivity.
• Psychological pricing: Test price endings like $24.99 or $27.00 to see which converts better while keeping profit intact.
• Dynamic price testing: Run A/B tests — even a $2 increase can lift your net margin significantly without hurting conversion.

Always track conversion rates and profit together. A 10% drop in conversion is fine if each sale brings 20% more profit.

Choose Higher-Margin / Trendy Products

Not all products are created equal. A $25 T-shirt with a $15 base cost leaves little room after fees. But mugs, posters, and small accessories can easily reach 40–60% margins when priced right.

High-margin categories for 2025 include:

• Home decor (canvas prints, wall art, pillows, blankets)
• Drinkware (mugs, tumblers, water bottles)
• Accessories (stickers, phone cases, tote bags)
• Apparel bundles or limited-edition drops

Trends shift quickly, so monitor platforms like Etsy or Redbubble for emerging niches. Personalization (e.g. names, dates, or custom text) continues to command premium pricing across all categories.

Increase Average Order Value (AOV)

A simple way to grow profit without finding new customers is to increase how much each one spends per purchase. This is the essence of AOV optimization.

Strategies include:

• Product bundles: Sell themed sets (e.g. “Coffee Lover Bundle” — mug + tote + sticker).
• Cross-sells & upsells: Suggest related items on product or checkout pages.
• Free shipping threshold: “Spend $50+ and get free shipping” nudges customers to add more.
• Volume discounts: “Buy 2, get 10% off” encourages multi-item orders.
• Post-purchase offers: Tools like OneClickUpsell let you add quick follow-up offers right after checkout.

Each small lift in AOV compounds your profit margins dramatically over time.

Optimize Conversion & Reduce Friction

Most stores lose 95% of visitors before checkout. That means every point of friction — slow load times, unclear pricing, poor imagery — directly drains profit.

To improve conversion:

• Use high-quality mockups and lifestyle images.
• Keep your site fast (<2s load time) and mobile-friendly.
• Highlight reviews, testimonials, and guarantees.
• Clarify shipping times and costs upfront.
• Offer guest checkout to reduce friction.
• Retarget visitors with abandoned cart reminders or discounts.

Focus on your best-selling pages first — optimizing one product that converts better often yields more than adding 10 new listings.

Make Marketing More Efficient

Ad costs are rising, so efficiency matters. Every dollar must generate measurable ROI. Start by tracking your CAC (customer acquisition cost) and break-even ROAS (return on ad spend).

• Double down on top performers: Identify which products or audiences convert best and scale those.
• Use retargeting ads: These reach warm audiences at lower cost.
• Build organic traffic: Blog content, SEO, and Pinterest pins compound over time with zero ad spend.
• Partner with micro-influencers: Smaller creators often deliver better engagement per dollar.
• Refresh ad creatives: Stale ads lose performance quickly. Rotate every 2–3 weeks.

Ultimately, marketing efficiency comes from knowing what drives profitable traffic — not just any traffic.

Scale with Systems & Automation

As orders increase, manual work kills margin. You’ll need to introduce systems early to stay profitable at scale.

Key automation opportunities:

• Order syncing (Shopify ↔ POD provider)
• Ad reporting and profit tracking
• Email campaigns and abandoned cart flows
• Inventory alerts and fulfillment tracking
• Accounting and bookkeeping tools

Automation doesn’t just save time — it prevents costly mistakes like missed shipments, double charges, or overspending on ads. A clean workflow directly translates to higher profitability.

Track & Iterate with Real Profit Data

The most profitable POD sellers in 2025 share one habit: they know their numbers daily. That means tracking profit by product, campaign, and channel — not once a month, but in real time.

To build a sustainable business:

• Track actual profit per order, not just gross sales.
• Compare ad cost vs. profit per product or campaign.
• Cut products that generate sales but lose margin after fees.
• Monitor refund rates and fulfillment delays closely.

This is where tools like PodVector come in. Instead of juggling spreadsheets, it automatically pulls data from Shopify, Printify, Printful, and your ad accounts to show where your profit is coming — and disappearing.

FAQs

What’s a good profit margin for print-on-demand?

For most products, a 20–40% margin after all costs is considered healthy. Premium or personalized products can push higher. Use your total cost (including ads and fees) as the baseline, not just print cost.

Should I raise my prices across the board?

Not immediately. Start by testing small increases on best-sellers. Monitor conversion and refund rates closely. If customers still convert at similar rates, roll out higher pricing storewide.

How do I know if a product is worth scaling?

If a product brings a consistent positive profit margin after ad spend (e.g. 25%+ net profit) and maintains stable conversion, it’s ready to scale. Scale gradually to avoid overextending your ad budget.

What’s the best tool for tracking POD profits?

PodVector automatically combines Shopify, Printify/Printful, and ad data to show your true profit in real time — including shipping, refunds, and marketing spend. It’s ideal for sellers who want to stop guessing and start optimizing.