Yes, you can use multiple print-on-demand companies. The advantages are access to multiple suppliers in case of problems with one supplier. The disadvantage is the increase in administrative work required to manage two suppliers.
With so many print-on-demand (POD) companies to choose from, deciding which one to use isn’t easy. Luckily, we’ve written a comprehensive guide to the best print-on-demand companies.
Choosing to work with more than one probably isn’t necessary for startups, but once a company grows, it may be wise to diversify suppliers.
Find Who’s Best at What
While some POD companies can seemingly deliver anything, many are specialized. A newer print-on-demand shop will find it easiest to use a single all-in-one POD company.
An advantage of all-in-one print-on-demand companies is that you get to understand their strengths. Seeing what they do best allows you to stick with what works.
Some of them make awesome t-shirts, but their stickers fade quickly. After figuring out what a company isn’t so great at, it's time to look at other specialized suppliers.
For example, some companies can make stickers on standard printers. Others will have dedicated sticker machinery that produces superior-quality products. It may come at a higher cost, but for long-term customer satisfaction, it might be worth the money.
Bulk orders are another consideration when choosing suppliers. You must balance cost with quality on your best-selling items.
Find a company that specializes in your popular product and try to stick with large orders to get steep discounts on high-quality merchandise.
Disaster Mitigation With Multiple Suppliers
Accidents happen, companies go bankrupt, and supply chains get snarled. Any of these unforeseen events can cause the sudden loss of a single supplier. If this is a company's only supplier, they have a huge problem on their hands.
By spreading work across multiple suppliers, one supplier can pick up the slack if another supplier goes down or is delayed.
A best practice is to have a backup company that is known for quality work across your product range. This way, those who use print-on-demand for eBay don’t have to worry about getting poor seller ratings because a product is on backorder.
Savings on Shipping
Having a supplier that is fantastic at making a particular item isn’t useful if their main printing facility is far from customers. Shipping costs are a huge factor and can sometimes cost more than the products themselves.
By leveraging multiple POD companies, businesses can utilize the ones most conveniently located for their customers.
This saves valuable shipping days, allowing customers to get their products faster. More importantly, it saves money on shipping. The profitability of print-on-demand stores relies on pinching pennies wherever possible.
Putting It All Together
To be clear, managing multiple POD suppliers isn’t always a breeze. It requires careful monitoring, especially when using auto-order features. Prices may creep up at one supplier, and soon enough, the profit margin is gone.
Examining price lists across the spectrum should be done regularly. One supplier may be struggling with costs and raising prices while another may have an overstock of items and is ready to offer steep discounts.
Lastly, managing shipping and receiving is probably the most complex part of using multiple suppliers. Each may use a different shipping company, so tracking numbers must be organized.
It may be necessary to hire staff for this purpose, but so long as the money saved is worth it, staying organized is what keeps a business running.
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