Print on Demand and Dropshipping

To explain the differences and show why printing on demand is the business model of the moment, let us define the key terms of this article.

Definition of Dropshipping

With this business model, you do not need to hold your own inventory. Instead, you work with several suppliers who ship their products directly to your customers. As a retailer, you pass the orders on to an external company that delivers the stored goods to your customers.

Definition of Print on Demand

With this e-commerce model, the producer manufactures the goods only after the customer's order has been received. The customer chooses a design and specifies the other product properties. As the retailer, you forward the data to the producer, who carries out the order and sends the goods to the customer. With this business model you also do not need your own warehouse. The key difference from dropshipping is that the suppliers only manufacture the products once the respective orders have come in.