Print on demand is a popular ecommerce business model that allows you to sell branded t-shirts, clothing, accessories, iPhone cases, coffee mugs, tumblers, keychains, and really anything without having to own, stock, or store any inventory.
Simply create a design or logo and upload it to a digital store using a print on demand platform.
These POD sites usually sell a variety of products that can be paired with any logo. A customer can choose to purchase a product with the logo that you created.
The design is then placed on the product and the order is processed and shipped. You pay the base price of the actual item and you take the markup as profit.
Two popular print on demand sites are Printful and Gooten. Today, we’ll compare the two and see how they stack up against each other.
What Is Gooten?
Gooten is a popular print on demand service that was established by Breakout Commerce, Inc. in 2012.
It serves as an automated order fulfillment company that allows users to sell custom printed products. Notably, Gooten handles the production, shipping, and delivery.
Gooten claims to have made and sold over four million products to their customers since 2012.
They let you upload a logo, brand, design, or slogan and then have it sold using any of their products, such as t-shirts and tote bags.
How To Get Started
It is quite easy to get started with Gooten. All you have to do is fill up their lead form.
Once you are accepted, you can then proceed to connect your online store built with supported eCommerce platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, Shopify, Etsy, and WooCommerce. Plus, you can integrate Gooten with your custom online store by using an API.
Afterwards, you can start customizing your designs on products as you wish. You can quickly do this by using their mockup generator.
Then add the Gooten products to your online store. After an order is made, Gooten will fulfill it on your behalf, while you are only charged for the product base price.
Product Selection
Gooten claims to have over 150 products in their selection. Your logo can be sold on any one of those.
Their current trending products are t-shirts, throw pillows, blankets, travel bags, tote bags, accessory pouches, laundry bags, and phone cases.
They also sell stuff like greeting cards, tablecloths, mugs, napkins, wall prints, calendars, and dog pillows.
Sample Products
Gooten will give you a 25 percent discount or $25 credit if you purchase $100 worth of sample products. However, they only offer bulk order discounts to sellers who make more than $250,000 a year.
Pricing Structure and Fees
There are no costs involved in starting a Gooten account, and there are no monthly fees either.
Gooten has base prices for their products. For example, tote bags start at $10.80.
You set your own markup on top of that base price. For example, you can sell a $10 product for $15 – a 50 percent markup.
When a customer makes a purchase at your store, they will pay you $15 with their credit card. You then order the product from Gooten and pay them $10, after which the order will be routed to one of Gooten’s global vendors.
Keep in mind that you also have to pay the costs of shipping, so take that into consideration when you add a markup for a product.
Integrations
With Gooten’s Shopify app , you can easily sell customized Gooten products on your online store.
If you are selling on Amazon, you can set up a Shopify store and then have it connected to your Amazon account.
If you are selling on Etsy, you will have to upload your orders on a CSV file. You can do the same if you want to upload and ship custom orders from Gooten.
They also have an API that you can use to set up a Gooten store on other platforms.
You can also add an HTML code to your website to set up a Gooten product widget.
Customer Service
Several Gooten customers described their customer service team as excellent. In fact, you can get quick help by filling their help request form. Additionally, Gooten provides users with several resources such as a blog page, webinars, ebooks, etc. Not to mention, they are active on top social media platforms.
Online Reviews
Gooten has pretty good online reviews. Their Shopify app currently has 4.3 star rating (out of five).
Most people seemed satisfied with the customer service and ease of using the app. However, there were a number of complaints about high shipping fees.
Gooten Pros
- Wide range of products (over 150 products)
- Fast product delivery
- Low error margin or customer complaints
- High customer support and satisfaction rate
- Fast learning curve and onboarding process
- User-friendly dashboard
Gooten Cons
- Limited integrations
What Is Printful?
Printful is another popular print on demand site. It works similar to Gooten, but it is a lot more advanced and has more features.
Printful is one of the giants among print on demand companies that offers diverse custom prints products. Notably, Printful has fulfilment centers in the United States, Latvia, Mexico, Spain, etc.
With Printful, designers can bring their creativity to life on their preferred products ranging from apparels, accessories, drinkware, pet products and more.
Printful helps you design and sell products online with ease. Try it today!
They allow consumers to have their own logos printed on select products. They also let sellers set up a digital store by uploading a design and using Printful’s inventory as a dropshipping source.
Whenever an order is received, Printful receives the order, carries out the product printing and packaging, and then ships the product to the buyer.
How To Get Started With Printful
To get started with Printful, you need to create an account. This process is simple and straightforward as it only requires your email address and name. No credit card details are required to set up an account.
From there, you can proceed to link up your Printful account to your preferred eCommerce platform or online marketplace. Additionally, Printful supports custom integration via its API tool.
Afterwards, you can use its mockup generator tool known as Design Maker to start customizing designs on products. Alternatively, you can also customize design templates using the Design Maker.
Product Selection
Printful has a wide selection of men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel. They also sell things like tote bags, blankets, wall art, hats, and prints.
Sample Products
You can test your custom products with discount and free shipping.
Pricing Structure and Fees
Printful had a couple of pricing plans earlier but very recently, they made the service free for all, that too with additional features.
So Printful is free. You only need to pay for the products, and shipping. Check out the pricing page for the latest on product and shipping costs.
Integrations
Printful is the clear winner when it comes to integrations. While Gooten only has a Shopify app, Printful has set up integrations with many platforms.
For example, Printful can be used with Shopify, Etsy, Woocommerce, Big Commerce, Squarespace, Storenvy, BigCartel, Tictail, Ecwid, Gumroad, Amazon, Weebly, and Inktale. It also integrates with ShipStation, which allows you to work with Prestashop, eBay, and Yahoo.
Printful helps you design and sell products online with ease. Try it today!
They also have an API that you can use for other platforms.
Printful has an Android and iOS app that you can use.
Shipping
Printful has a number of warehouses in the USA and Europe. This allows them to ship quickly to anywhere around the world.
They offer tracking services for some shipping options. According to Printful, more than 97 percent of orders get shipped within five days.
Other Services and Features
Printful has a number of other services that are available to their sellers. Here are some of them:
- Warehousing and fulfillment: If you want to purchase your own products but don’t want to store and handle the orders, Printful will help you. Once your products are approved, you can have the inventory sent to one of their warehouses in the USA or Europe, and they will process and ship all orders for you for a small fee per order.
- Design services: Do you want to make money with print on demand but aren’t a designer? Or do you have a design that you want to improve? Printful has a team of experienced designers to help you out.
- Photo services: It’s a known fact that in ecommerce, having the right product photo makes a crucial difference in whether a product will sell or not. Send your product to Printful and they will produce professional product photos and shoots.
- Branding services: Printful can brand and white label all products that you sell through their platform. For example, they can have your products shipped in a box that has your label on it so that it looks like it came from you.
Tools and Resources
Printful has a number of tools and resources to help you improve your print on demand dropshipping business.
Printful helps you design and sell products online with ease. Try it today!
They have an educational ebook, a profit calculator to help you decide what your markup should be on each product, a setup checklist so that you don’t forget anything, a mockup generator, and more.
Customer Service
You can quickly reach the Printful customer service by filling their contact form, live chat, or email. Additionally, Printful also offers phone support as well as social media support.
In terms of resources, you can rely on their help center, blog page, and marketing guides to run your customized products business.
Online Reviews
Printful currently has a 4.0 stars rating on TrustPilot, while most of the reviews center around their quality products and services.
Printful Pros
- High customer satisfaction rate
- Quality customer support
- User-friendly interface
- Easy integration
- Quality products
Printful Cons
- The base price for some products is on the high side. This reduces the profit margin for designers
- Not all of Printful’s products are shipped everywhere
Printful vs Gooten: Similarities and Differences
Similarities
- No membership signup fees
- Quality product materials
- High customer satisfaction rate
- Wide range of product catalog
- Good customer support
- Multi-channel customer support system
- They both have API for custom integration
Differences
- Printful has wide third-party integrations, unlike Gooten that has limited integrations.
- Unlike Gooten, Printful offers warehousing fulfilment services which is similar to the Amazon FBA.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gooten Quality Good?
Generally speaking, customers are satisfied with the product quality that Gooten delivers. However, this high quality is not for the giving. The reason for this is due to the distributed network of production that Gooten operates.
Is Printful The Best Option?
If you are looking for a POD company to run your custom print on demand business, then Printful is the best option for you.
Beyond this, Printful operates a system whereby most of the products are quite affordable, although the products’ base cost will have to be factored in. Overall, Printful provides you with a seamless experience.
Does Gooten Cost Money?
Setting up Gooten for your online custom prints business does not come at a cost. Once you are able to complete the signup process and link your store URL, you are good to go. You are only required to pay when you fulfill an order.
Is Printful Good For Dropshipping?
Printful is among the best print on demand companies for dropshipping customized products. It allows designers or online entrepreneurs to create custom products and sell them without having to hold any inventory.
Printful helps you design and sell products online with ease. Try it today!
Conclusion – Gooten vs Printful
Gooten and Printful are both similar price-wise. However, Printful has a lot more features, more integrations to make setting up a store easier, services to help you scale your business, great shipping options, phone support, and better reviews.
Using Printful is a great way to set up a print on demand business from home.
Tom loves to write on technology, e-commerce & internet marketing. I started my first e-commerce company in college, designing and selling t-shirts for my campus bar crawl using print-on-demand. Having successfully established multiple 6 & 7-figure e-commerce businesses (in women’s fashion and hiking gear), I think I can share a tip or 2 to help you succeed.