How to Start a Print-on-Demand Store on Etsy with Gelato

[00:00] Have you ever wanted to sell your own products  without ever touching inventory? This poster,   these shirts, I made them with just a  few clicks. They're printed, packed,   and shipped automatically. In this video, I  partnered with Gelato to walk you through how to  

[00:18] launch your own print-on-demand store using Etsy.  From setup all the way to your first product,   there are no monthly fees, no stacks of merch in  your closet, just you, your creativity, and maybe  

[00:32] some cookies on the side. Let's dive in. So why  Etsy and why Gelato? Let's start with Etsy. It's   one of the easiest ways to start selling online,  especially for print-on-demand. There's no monthly  

[00:45] subscription. It already has millions of active  buyers. And best of all, people come to Etsy   looking for unique, creative products, like custom  posters, t-shirts, mugs, you name it. That makes  

[00:58] it beginner-friendly and also discovery-friendly,  even if you don't have a big following.  Now, Gelato handles the other side of the  equation, production and shipping. You upload  

[01:10] your design, choose the product, like this poster  right here, and Gelato prints it and ships it to   your customer automatically. They print locally  in over 30 countries, which means faster delivery  

[01:22] times and lower emissions. Plus, you don't have  to touch inventory or deal with packaging. It's   as hands-off as it gets. Together, Etsy and  Gelato let you turn your creativity into real  

[01:35] products that people around the world can buy. And  you don't have to worry about logistics. So, if   you're an entrepreneur looking for a low-risk way  to start selling physical products, this is one  

[01:47] of the easiest ways to do it. Now, let's start by  setting up your Etsy shop. First off, head to the   following address and on this website, let's click  on the button that says, "Get Started." On this   page, you can either set up a new account or you  could sign in with an existing account. I don't  

[02:02] have an account yet. I'll go ahead and continue  with Google. Etsy will now walk us through a few   quick steps to get started, including choosing a  shop name, setting up payments, and also paying a   one-time $29 setup fee. Down at the very bottom,  let's go ahead and click on "Let's Do This." On  

[02:19] this page, select an option and then down below,  click on "Next." On this screen, Etsy lets you   choose topics you'd like help with, like branding,  getting discovered in search, or packing and   shipping. You could select as many of these as you  want, or you could simply skip it if you'd rather  

[02:34] explore on your own. Down at the very bottom, I’ll  click on "Skip This Question." That way we could   keep setting up the shop. Right in the center,  let's click on "Start Your Shop." On this screen,   you'll choose your shop's language, the country,  and the currency. These help Etsy display your  

[02:49] listings correctly and handle things like pricing  and taxes. I'm good with all of these defaults.   Once these are all set, down below, let's  click on "Save and Continue" to move on. Next,   you'll choose a name for your shop. Right down  below, you'll see some of the requirements. Now,  

[03:04] keep in mind that you can always change this  later, so don't overthink it. Just pick something   that reflects your brand or what you're planning  on selling. Right over here, I'll type in my name,   the Kevin Cookie Company. Look at that, it's  available. Down below, let's click on "Save  

[03:18] and Continue." Here's where you fill in basic  details about your product. And first off, we need   to specify the category. I'm planning on selling  posters for the Kevin Cookie Company, so right up   on top, I'll type in "poster." Then I see various  categories. I think "Wall Decor" is the closest  

[03:35] match. I'll select this. Next, you need to specify  what type of item it is. I'm selling a poster,   which is a physical item, so I'll make sure that  this is selected. Then, let's scroll down. Next,   we need to specify who is making this product. I  made the design, but Gelato is producing it. So  

[03:52] over here, I'll select another company or person.  For the next question, this is a finished product,   and then let's go to this drop-down. When  did you make it? This will be made to order,   so when someone places an order, that's when  Gelato will actually make it and then ship it  

[04:07] out to the customer. So right up on top, I'll  select "Made to order." Finally, we need to add   Gelato as our production partner. That way, Etsy  knows who's handling the fulfillment. Let's click   on "Add production partners." At the very top,  let's start by entering in the production partner  

[04:21] name. I'm using Gelato, so I'll type that in. And  right down below, let's turn on this option to   show the name to buyers. That way, we keep things  transparent. In the description field, you can   type in something simple like this. "Gelato prints  and ships my product on demand." For the location,  

[04:37] let's type in Oslo, Norway. That's where Gelato's  headquarters is located. Now, let's scroll down   a little bit more, and we have a few different  dropdowns. These will only be shared with Etsy.   First off, why are you working with this partner?  And we have a few different options. Well,  

[04:52] I don't have the technical ability or equipment  to make it entirely by myself. That's the best   match. I’ll select this. Next, what is your role  in the design process? I'm going to design all   of the artwork myself. So right up here, I design  everything myself. Lastly, what is this partner's  

[05:08] role in the production process? And we have a few  different options. They're going to do everything   for me. Gelato will handle the printing, the  packing, and the shipping, so this one is the best   fit. Let's select that. And now that I'm all done,  let's click on "Save." Right up on top, I can see  

[05:22] that I've added Gelato as a production partner.  Down below, let's click on "Done." Now that we've   selected a production partner, let's click on  "Save and continue." Before we can connect Gelato,   Etsy requires that we create at least one listing  to finish setting up the shop. This is just a  

[05:37] placeholder. So, you don't need to spend too much  time perfecting it. Right up on top, we have to   enter in a title. Now this could be any title.  So over here, I'll type something in. You also   have to add an image. So over here, I'll upload  an image. If we scroll down a little bit more,  

[05:53] we also have to type in a description. I'll type  something in. And here we have to specify a price,   a quantity. All these other fields are optional,  so I'll leave them as is. And if we scroll down   all the way, we also have to fill out the shipping  information. Let's click on "Create an option."  

[06:08] And over here, I'll type in my zip code, along  with the processing time. Keep in mind though that   Gelato will override all this information once we  push a product from Gelato over to Etsy. For now,   this is all placeholder content. For the item  weight, type something in. Same with the item  

[06:24] size. And if we go all the way down to the  bottom, here, we also have to choose a return   and exchange policy. I'll go with the default.  At the very bottom, we also have to specify the   renewal options for this listing. Since this is a  placeholder and we're going to remove this later,  

[06:40] let's set it to manual. That way it'll expire  by itself. In the bottom right-hand corner,   let's click on "Save and continue." Nice.  Your first listing is ready. Remember,   this is just a placeholder so we could finish  setting up the shop, but Etsy still gives you  

[06:54] a little celebration. Now, they’ll suggest adding  more listings, which you could totally do later,   especially once we start publishing real  products from Gelato. For now, let's click   on "Do this later" and keep moving forward with  the setup. On this screen, you'll need to provide  

[07:08] Etsy with your billing information. And they'll  charge a one-time setup fee, around $15 to $29,   depending on your location. It's a small cost to  get started, especially since there are no ongoing  

[07:20] monthly fees. Feel free to fill out this form  and then once you're done, in the bottom right,   click on "Continue." Here, you get an offer to  upgrade to Etsy Plus. I'll pass on that. I'll   select this option and then down below, I'll click  on "Continue." To help keep your Etsy shop secure,  

[07:34] Etsy recommends turning on two-factor  authentication or 2FA. It adds an extra   I recommend setting this up. Go ahead and set  this up and then click on "Continue." Once that's  

[07:47] all done, your Etsy shop is now officially live.  Congratulations! Now that your Etsy shop is live,   let's connect it to Gelato. It's free to sign up.  Just head to the link that you see right here at  

[07:59] the bottom of the screen and then log in or create  your account. On the homepage, click on "Get   started for free," and then you can either log  in with an existing account or you could create   a new account. I'll see you on the other side. Now  that you're logged in, we're ready to connect your  

[08:13] Etsy store to Gelato and this is where the magic  happens. Gelato will automatically print, pack,   and ship your products when someone places an  order on your Etsy store. From the main dashboard,  

[08:25] over on the left-hand side, let's click on  "Stores." Here, you'll see all the different   platforms that you can connect to. I'm going to  connect to Etsy for this tutorial, but as you   can see, Gelato also works with Shopify, Amazon,  TikTok, WooCommerce, Wix, and the list goes on and  

[08:39] on. So even if you decide to branch out beyond  Etsy or maybe you're already selling somewhere   else, you can still use Gelato to handle all of  your print-on-demand fulfillment needs all in one   place. Right up here next to Etsy, let's click on  "Connect." On this screen, we have to authorize  

[08:54] the connection between Gelato and Etsy. Let's go  all the way down to the bottom and I'll click on   "Grant access." And look at that. Our store is  now connected successfully. Right down below,   I can set the billing currency. It's set to  Euro, but let me change that to USD. From now on,  

[09:10] any product you create in Gelato can be published  directly to Etsy, and when a customer places an   order, Gelato handles the rest, the printing, the  packing, and shipping it automatically. If you're  

[09:23] using Shopify, Wix, or maybe another platform,  the process is just as simple. Gelato walks you   through each of the connections step by step. Now  let's create and publish your first product using  

[09:35] Gelato. To do that, let's click on "Publish your  first product." Now it's time to pick the product   you want to sell, and Gelato has a huge catalog of  print-on-demand products. You'll find everything  

[09:47] from t-shirts and hoodies to mugs, tote bags,  calendars, phone cases, and much more. Over on the   left-hand side, you can browse by category. Right  up on top, you could apply various filters to find   exactly what you're looking for. Now for this  example, I'd like to go with wall art. And here,  

[10:03] I have a few different options. I'd like to go  with a poster, and then I could choose the type   of material. I think premium matte paper will work  really well. That'll be perfect for showcasing   something like our Kevin Cookie Company recipe  print. If you're selling apparel, accessories,  

[10:18] or gifts, you'll find plenty of options here  too. Just choose the product that fits your idea,   and then we'll jump into the design step. I'll  click on this. Now that we've selected our   poster product, it's time to design it. This  is the Gelato design editor, and it's super  

[10:32] straightforward. Over on the left-hand side, you  can choose the orientation. Here we have vertical   and also horizontal. And right down below, you  can choose the size. Over on the left-hand side,   we have lots of different options. We could add  in text. You can apply a template. You could  

[10:47] add graphics. Down at the bottom, you can even add  different shapes to your design. But in this case,   I've already got a design ready to go. The Kevin  Cookie Company's official chocolate chip cookie   recipe poster. To import an existing design or  file, right up on top, you can click on files,  

[11:03] and then here you can choose the file.  Alternatively, and what I think is even   easier is you can simply drag and drop your  design directly onto the canvas. So over here,   I'll drag and drop a file from my computer and  release it right there. Once your design loads in,  

[11:17] you can resize it and also reposition it. When  I look at the edges here, it appears that some   of the text is going over the edge. So, let's  try adjusting this. Over here, let's adjust the   size and let's adjust the size over here. Now I  could also click on it and here I could reposition  

[11:32] it wherever I want on the poster. I'll place it  right here in the center. I think that looks good.   Gelato also makes it easy to personalize products  with their personalization studio, and that could  

[11:44] be a huge selling point, especially on Etsy. Now  that the main design is in place, let's add a   personal touch. Over on the left sidebar, let's  click on personalize. Gelato offers a built-in  

[11:56] personalization studio, which lets your customers  customize the product right from Etsy. Up on top,   I also like to automated Etsy personalization.  And that way, any changes the customer makes,   like adding their name are applied directly to the  design, helping me save time. Right down below,  

[12:13] let's add a personalized layer. Here we can choose  what customers can add to this design. I’ll select   text. Now that we've added a personalized text  box to the design, let's make it meaningful   and polished. Over here, we can change the  placeholder text. Currently, it says sample text,  

[12:30] but let's use something more descriptive. Let's  go with your family name. That way, buyers know   exactly how they can customize it. Next, let's set  the character limit. Down below, let's expand text   options. Let's turn on the character count limit.  And currently it's set to 16, but let's increase  

[12:46] that to let's say about 40 characters. That way,  longer names still fit cleanly on the design   without breaking the layout. Let's now go up and  choose a different font. Currently, it's set to   open sans, but let's expand this, and let me try  my luck and see if they have one called cookie.  

[13:02] Look at that. They do. Let's select this. It's  playful and also handwritten, which I think pairs   really well with the bold rounded title font we're  using above. Let's also adjust the font size.   We want it to be legible, but subtle enough not to  overpower the rest of the design. Currently, it's  

[13:17] set to 48, but let's set it to 24. Lastly, let's  drag the text box to the very top of the poster   right up above the header. This gives it a nice  headline placement while keeping the recipe fully  

[13:29] visible down below. And with that personalization  is all set. Now I think this turns a fun kitchen   poster into a thoughtful gift worthy print. In  the top right-hand corner, let's now continue  

[13:41] to mockups. To enable personalization, you'll need  to start a free trial of Gelato's personalization   studio. It's free for 14 days, and after that,  there's a starter plan with no monthly fee,   just a small fee per personalized item sold. Once  enabled, customer edits are automatically applied,  

[13:58] saving you time. Down below, let's click  on get free trial. Right up on top,   I’ll select the starter plan, which is free,  and down below, I'll add my payment information   and then let's click on continue. Let's now  continue to Gelato. In the top right hand corner,  

[14:11] let's now continue to mockups. Let's now pick a  mockup to showcase our product. Right over here,   I could filter by all the free mockups. The first  one looks fine. Let's go with this one. Ooh,   this one's in the kitchen. That's very  fitting, and maybe this one right here,  

[14:26] I'll choose these four. Now in the top right-hand  corner, let's now continue to the details. Here we   need to fill in the product description and right  at the top, we could even use AI to assist us,   but I have something very specific in mind. Right  up here for the title, let me type in personalized  

[14:41] chocolate chip cookie recipe poster. For the  description, I'll type in some text. I think   that looks good. And down below for the settings,  we could type in some tags, maybe kitchen decor.   Let's add one more maybe baking print. I think  that sounds good. I'll add those two for now.  

[14:57] And let's start showing this to store visitors.  We won't offer free shipping. And then down below,   I could also activate the personalization field in  my Etsy listing. I think that sounds like a good   idea, so I'll check this box. Over here, we need  to provide instructions to the buyer. So here I'll  

[15:12] give some information. And down below, we're going  to limit this to 40 characters. All these details   look good, so let's continue to the prices. Now  we're setting the price for our product. Gelato  

[15:24] shows us the product and the shipping costs  and also calculates our estimated profit. I'm   going with a retail price of $12 and 10 cents,  which gives us about a 50% margin. Of course,  

[15:36] you can always come back and adjust this later  if you want a higher margin or maybe you need   to stay competitive. Once you're happy with  your pricing, in the top right-hand corner,   let's continue to review. Lastly, let's click  on publish. And check that out! We have now  

[15:50] successfully published our first product. If you  want to test out your first product, Gelato gives   you 50% off your first order if you purchase  within two days of signing up. It's a great  

[16:02] way to get a sample or if you want to launch fast. Once your product's live, it's always a good idea   to test it and to preview your Etsy store, just to  make sure that everything looks the way that you   want it to. Over on Etsy, I can now confirm that  my product is now live. It's looking beautiful.  

[16:18] Congratulations. Your first print on demand  product is live. Now that your product's live,   let's look at a few extra features that you  can explore. If you want to take things a   step further, Gelato also offers tools to make  your shop feel more polished and professional.  

[16:34] First up, we have branded packaging. Let's  click into this and go to configure. Here,   you can add a branded label or a packaging insert  that ships with every single order, so instead of  

[16:46] just the generic packaging, your customer receives  something that actually feels like it came from   your brand, even though you didn't pack it  yourself. If you want your product listings   to stand out even more, be sure to check out the  mockup studio. This lets you create custom product  

[17:00] photos and lifestyle mockups beyond the default  images. It's worth checking out. And that's it.   Your print on demand store is officially up  and running. If you want to try this yourself,   Gelato is completely free to start and they offer  50% off your first purchase if you place it within  

[17:17] two days of creating your account. It's a great  way to test things out to see your own designs   come to life. And hey, if you want to see how  it all turned out, you can even order your own  

[17:29] Kevin Cookie Company poster right from my Etsy  shop and you can even personalize it. That way,   you'll always have a chocolate chip cookie recipe  on hand and also a sweet reminder that you too can  

[17:43] build your own product line. I've included all  the links down below. Check them out and let me   know what you end up creating. Please consider  subscribing and I'll see you in the next one.