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Forget Etsy Digital Products! Here Are 7 POD Products With Less Competition

Summary

This video contrasts selling digital products on Etsy with leveraging print-on-demand (POD) products. It emphasizes that while digital products can be profitable, they are often oversaturated, require significant upfront work, and have fewer viable niches. The creator highlights seven POD products with high margins and less competition, such as tumblers, metal signs, blankets, puzzles, jewelry, yard flags, and wood-cutting boards. The video argues for creating a product catalog using POD alongside digital products to better serve niche customers and maximize revenue by offering a variety of items.


Notes

  • Pros of Digital Products:
    • High-profit margins.
    • Minimal fulfillment costs.
    • Suitable for specific niches like planners, social media graphics, real estate templates, and wedding invitations.
  • Cons of Digital Products:
    • Highly saturated niches (e.g., planners, wedding templates).
    • Significant upfront effort to design high-quality products.
    • Limited niche options on Etsy.
  • Print-on-Demand Products:
    • Advantages:
      • More opportunities to expand niches with custom designs.
      • Higher profit margins on unique items.
      • Less competition than digital products.
    • Examples:
      1. Tumblers: Popular in many niches, customizable designs.
      2. Metal Signs: Personalizable and unique for various niches.
      3. Blankets: Custom designs like “Grandma’s Garden” generate high margins.
      4. Puzzles: Novel, gift-worthy items with creative designs.
      5. Jewelry: Print-on-demand services like ShineOn enable custom necklaces.
      6. Yard Flags: Highly customizable and niche-specific.
      7. Wood Cutting Boards: Versatile for niche designs, e.g., floral or hobby-themed.
  • Key Strategy:
    • Use one design across multiple POD products to maximize profit and expand the catalog.
    • Focus on building a variety of products for the same niche customer rather than relying solely on one product type.

3. Analysis of the Content

  • Strengths:
    • Balanced Perspective: The video doesn’t entirely dismiss digital products but provides realistic expectations.
    • Actionable Ideas: Detailed list of POD product ideas with examples and profit margin insights.
    • Customer-Centric Approach: Emphasizes understanding niche audiences and expanding product offerings.
    • Encourages Diversification: Recommends combining digital products with POD items for broader appeal.
  • Weaknesses:
    • Execution Challenges: While the idea of leveraging POD is strong, it requires researching reliable POD suppliers, managing designs, and ensuring quality.
    • Overlooks Marketing: Limited guidance on how to market POD products, drive traffic, or build a brand.
    • Simplistic View of Saturation: Some POD products like tumblers and jewelry also face competition, albeit less than digital products.
  • Overall Rating (1-10): 8/10
    • The content is valuable for beginners exploring Etsy or POD but lacks depth in addressing long-term scaling and traffic generation.

4. Does It Hold Weight?

Yes, the content holds weight, especially for people struggling to stand out in oversaturated digital product markets. The advice to combine POD products with digital offerings and focus on creating a catalog of products for a specific niche is practical and actionable. The examples provided, such as tumblers and blankets, are realistic and demonstrate how sellers can leverage existing demand creatively.


5. Examples Breakdown

Digital Products:

  • Planners, Journals, Templates (e.g., Real Estate or Wedding Templates):
    • Pros: High demand in specific niches; scalable.
    • Cons: Saturated; time-intensive to create; difficult to differentiate.

Print-on-Demand Products:

  • Tumblers:
    • Example: Gardening-themed tumbler with “Do you need all these plants?” design.
    • Why it works: Niche-specific humor appeals to gardeners.
    • Profit Margin: Sells for ~$32.50, costs around $15.
  • Blankets:
    • Example: “Grandma’s Garden” blanket with personalized flowers for grandkids.
    • Why it works: Combines sentimentality with functionality.
    • Profit Margin: Sells for ~$65.59, costs ~$25.
  • Puzzles:
    • Example: Customized puzzles with the same design as a blanket or sign.
    • Why it works: Multipurpose gift idea using one design across formats.
    • Profit Margin: Sells for ~$22.97, costs <$10.
  • Jewelry:
    • Example: Custom necklaces with gardening-themed designs.
    • Why it works: High emotional appeal and gift-worthy.
    • Profit Margin: Depends on materials but typically high with ShineOn.
  • Wood Cutting Boards:
    • Example: Sunflower or gardening-themed engraved cutting boards.
    • Why it works: Unique and functional gift for gardeners.
    • Profit Margin: ~$40 profit per unit.

6. Recommendations for Implementation

For Beginners:

  1. Start with a Niche:
    • Choose a niche with passionate customers (e.g., gardening, weddings, or baby milestones).
    • Test designs that could work across multiple POD products.
  2. Begin with 2-3 Products:
    • Start with versatile, less competitive items like tumblers, puzzles, or blankets.
    • Use free design tools like Canva to create initial designs.
  3. Use Etsy and POD Platforms:
    • Use Printify, Printful, or ShineOn for product creation and fulfillment.
    • Create listings on Etsy with SEO-optimized titles and descriptions.

For Advanced Users:

  1. Combine with Digital Products:
    • Offer a mix of digital and POD products (e.g., bundle printable planners with physical items like tumblers or journals).
  2. Drive Traffic:
    • Use Pinterest or Instagram to market designs and direct traffic to Etsy.
    • Run targeted ads to test product viability.
  3. Expand Product Range:
    • Use successful designs across new POD products to maximize revenue.

Verdict: The content offers practical advice for diversifying product lines and standing out in saturated markets. While it could benefit from deeper marketing guidance, the ideas presented are solid and actionable for both digital and POD product sellers.

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