Gelato Review: How To Sell Custom Products Without Inventory
If gelato review sell custom is on your radar, this short guide cuts through the noise. Here is what is worth knowing, and how to put it to work today.
Key Takeaways
- Welcome to my Gelato Review!
- Are you thinking about starting a print-on-demand business and wondering if Gelato is the right platform to use?
- Gelato is a print-on-demand company where you can create and sell custom products like T-shirts, wall art, mugs, cards, calendars, photo boo...
Welcome to my Gelato Review! Are you thinking about starting a print-on-demand business and wondering if Gelato is the right platform to use?
Gelato is a print-on-demand company where you can create and sell custom products like T-shirts, wall art, mugs, cards, calendars, photo books, and more without keeping inventory in your home.
Whether you want to make extra money with a side hustle or start a full-time online business, print-on-demand can be a way to start selling products online.
You can connect Gelato with popular e-commerce platforms, like Etsy and Shopify, which makes it easier to start selling products without having to print or ship them yourself.
Gelato also has a global production network, which means your products may be made closer to your customer when possible. This can be helpful if you want to sell to shoppers in different countries.
In this Gelato review, I’ll explain what Gelato is, how it works, what you can sell, how much it costs, whether Gelato is worth it, and more.
You can learn more about Gelato by clicking here. Gelato is currently offering 30% off your first order if you place it within two days of signing up, which can be a nice way to test the platform and order a sample product for less.
Gelato Review
Quick Gelato Review summary: Yes, Gelato is a real print-on-demand company, and is a good option if you want to sell custom products online without buying inventory upfront. Gelato lets you sellers create products like wall art, apparel, cards, calendars, photo books, mugs, and gifts, then lets you with printing and shipping through its production network.
Below is my full Gelato review.
Gelato’s homepageWhat is Gelato?
Gelato is a print-on-demand platform that lets you create custom products and sell them online.
With Gelato, you can make products like T-shirts, posters, canvases, mugs, photo books, greeting cards, calendars, and more. You upload your design, place it on a product, and then sell that product in your online store.
When a customer buys from you, Gelato does the work of printing and shipping the order.
This means you don’t have to keep inventory, purchase a printer, pack boxes, or stand in line at the post office.
For example, let’s say you want to sell a poster with a travel quote on it. You can upload the design to Gelato, add it to a poster, connect Gelato to your Etsy shop, and list it for sale. When someone buys the poster, Gelato will print and ship it for you.
This is why print-on-demand is so popular. You can start a product-based business without having to purchase hundreds of products first.
Gelato is used by online sellers, artists, photographers, bloggers, creators, and small business owners who want to sell products without handling fulfillment themselves.
One thing that makes Gelato different is its focus on making and printing the products around the world - Gelato has production partners in numerous countries, so products may be printed closer to your customer when possible. This can help with delivery times and may make it easier to sell to shoppers around the world.
Wondering what other people think of Gelato? Gelato has a 4.8 out of 5-star rating on Shopify and a 4.4 out of 5-star rating on Trustpilot.
Here’s what it looks like when you create a custom shirt on Gelato. You can choose the color of the shirt, the size, the design, and more.What is print-on-demand?
Print-on-demand, also called POD, is a way to sell products that are only made after a customer places an order.
So, instead of buying 200 shirts ahead of time and hoping they sell, you create the shirt design first. Then, when someone buys the shirt, the print-on-demand company prints it and ships it.
This can be a good business model for beginners because you don’t need a lot of money to start.
Here’s how print-on-demand typically works:
- You create a design.
- You place the design on a product.
- You list the product in your online store.
- A customer buys it.
- The POD company (like Gelato) prints and ships it.
- You keep the profit after costs.
Numerous people purchase print-on-demand products all the time and may not even realize it. A funny T-shirt from Etsy, a custom mug, a canvas print, a phone case with a design, or a personalized card may all be made through print-on-demand.
I personally purchase print-on-demand all the time because I like how custom the products can be. For example, I can find a card that is specifically for pre-k teachers or a shirt with fruit trees on it for my husband (he loves tropical fruit trees!).
I also like that POD can make it easier for creative people to start selling online. You don’t need a warehouse or a big budget, which means you can start with a few ideas and test them.
But, print-on-demand is still a business. You still need to create products people want, write good listings, cost your items correctly, and get people to your online store.
How Gelato works
Gelato makes it simple to start selling custom products online without handling inventory or shipping.
Here’s how Gelato works:
- Sign up for a Gelato account. You can create an account and look through the products that are available.
- Pick the product you want to sell. This could be a T-shirt, poster, canvas, mug, card, calendar, photo book, or another item.
- Upload your design. You can use your own artwork, photos, text-based designs, or designs that you create with other tools.
- Connect your store. Gelato can connect with e-commerce sites such as Etsy, Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, and more.
- List your product for sale. Once your product is ready, you can add it to your online store.
- A customer places an order. When someone buys from your store, the order can go to Gelato.
- Gelato prints and ships the item. Gelato handles fulfillment, and you don’t have to ship the order yourself.
One thing I think is key for beginners to understand is that Gelato is the fulfillment partner, but you are still running the business.
That means you choose the products, make the designs, set your prices, write your product descriptions, and help your shoppers if they have questions.
Gelato can make the printing and shipping side easier, but it does not mean sales will happen automatically.
Here are examples of some of the items you can make and sell through Gelato.What can you sell through Gelato?
With Gelato, you can sell numerous different custom products.
Popular products include T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, posters, canvases, framed prints, mugs, greeting cards, calendars, photo books, stationery, and other gifts.
I think this is one of the fun parts of print-on-demand, because you can take one idea and turn it into different products.
For example, if you create a cute hiking design or quote, you could put it on:
- A T-shirt
- A sweatshirt
- A poster
- A mug
- A tote bag
- A calendar
I recommend thinking about what your customer would want to purchase. If you are selling to moms, maybe mugs, shirts, and calendars make sense. If you are selling to people decorating their homes, posters and canvases may be better. If you are selling to photographers, photo books and wall art could be a good fit.
You can also create products for holidays, birthdays, weddings, teachers, pet owners, travelers, small business owners, and numerous other groups.
The more specific you can be, the better. This is because being specific lets you the right people find your products.
For example, “funny dog mom mug” is much clearer than “cute mug.” “Colorado mountain wall art” is much clearer than “nature poster.”
How is the quality of Gelato’s products?
With any print-on-demand company, product quality is key.
Your customer is buying from your store, so even though Gelato prints and ships the product, your customer will still see it as your product.
This is why I always recommend ordering samples before you sell a lot of something.
A sample order can help you see:
- What the product looks like in person
- How the colors print
- How the packaging looks
- How long shipping takes
- Whether you feel good selling it
- What the customer experience may be like
This is especially key for products like apparel and wall art. A T-shirt may look one way on a mockup but feel different in person. A poster may look excellent online, but you may want to check the paper quality and colors before selling it.
Ordering samples and test products can also help you write better product descriptions. For example, if you order a sweatshirt and it feels soft, you can mention that in your listing.
I know samples cost money, but I think they are worth it if you want to build a real shop and not just throw products online.
How much does Gelato cost?
Gelato is free to sign up for, which is nice if you are just starting out.
There are no huge upfront inventory costs because products are made after someone orders. This is one of the main reasons people like print-on-demand.
But that does not mean everything is free.
When a customer places an order, you will pay for the product and shipping. Your customer pays you through your online store, and then Gelato charges you for fulfillment.
For example, if you sell a poster in your Etsy shop, the customer pays you through Etsy. Then, Gelato charges you for the cost of printing and shipping the poster.
You keep what is left after product costs, shipping, marketplace fees, payment processing fees, taxes, ads, and any other expenses.
Gelato also has paid plans that may include extra features or discounts. If you are brand new, you may want to start with the free plan first and test things out. Then, if you start making regular sales, you can decide whether a paid plan makes sense.
Here are some costs to think about when starting a Gelato business:
- Product cost
- Shipping cost
- Etsy or Shopify fees
- Payment processing fees
- Design tools
- Sample orders
- Ads, if you choose to use them
- Taxes
- Your time
I recommend looking at the
Final Thoughts
The bottom line: a little research on gelato review sell custom goes a long way. Compare your options, watch for seasonal offers, and never pay full price when a better deal is one click away.
Originally published at makingsenseofcents.com.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner
Our editorial team researches and verifies every money-saving guide before publishing. Editorial policy · About us