If you’re using Printful to print and ship your products, it’s essential to know how Printful shipping works. In this blog post, we’ll provide tips for ensuring the successful delivery of your products.
We’ll also cover the different shipping methods available through Printful. So whether you’re just starting with Printful or using us for a while, be sure to read on for some valuable information!
What is Printful Business?
Printful is a print-on-demand and eCommerce fulfilment company. A startup called Printful lets people transform their ideas into brands and products through on-demand printing and fulfilment.
Whether you want to build your own web company or give someone a custom t-shirt, Printful has no minimum order requirements, so you can print as few or as many items as you need. Also, Printful ships worldwide, meaning your products can reach customers anywhere.
How Does Printful Work? (The Fulfillment Process)
Printful integrates with eCommerce platforms like Shopify, Woocommerce, and Etsy. You create a product in your store, Printful receives an order notification, Printful fulfilling the order, and Printful ships the order to your customer.
It’s that simple! No need to worry about print files, product inventory, or shipping. Just focus on selling and leave the print fulfilment to us.
What to Sell in Printful?
There are a lot of print-on-demand products you can sell with Printful. You could print and ship:
- T-shirts
- Hoodies
- Posters
- Canvas prints
- Mugs
- Pillows
If you can print it, chances are they can print it and ship it for you! Now that we’ve gone over the basics of Printful let’s take a closer look at shipping.
How Printful Shipping Works?
As we mentioned before, Printful offers worldwide shipping. They have multiple print facilities in the US, Europe, and Asia. Depending on your location and the print facility closest to your customers, we’ll print and ship your products from there.
This helps keep shipping costs low and delivery times fast. For example, if you’re based in California, but most of your customers are in New York, we’ll print your products in our New York print facility. That way, your customers will receive their orders faster, and you won’t have to pay for cross-country shipping.
If you print with Printful, your products will be stored in our warehouses until an order arrives. Once Printful receives an order from your store, it will print and ship the product to your customer.
You can track the status of every order on the “Orders” page in your Printful account. Also, it can send you an email notification as soon as the order is placed and another one when it’s shipped out.
Printful has warehouses in North America and Europe, which means it can print and ship your products quickly to anywhere in the world.
Shipping Methods
Printful offers several shipping methods, including standard shipping, express shipping, and local pickup.
1. Standard Shipping
Standard shipping is the most economical option and typically takes about four to seven days for delivery in the United States and seven to 14 days for international orders. If you choose standard shipping, your products will be delivered by USPS, FedEx, or UPS.
You can print a shipping label from your Printful account and attach it to the package yourself, or they can do it for you for an additional fee. If you print the label yourself, we’ll deduct the shipping cost from your account balance.
If you want us to print the label for you, we’ll charge your credit card on file for the cost of shipping when we publish the label. You can also prepay for shipping when you place an order through our app or website.
You can use our shipping calculator to estimate how much it will cost to ship your products. Simply enter your product’s weight and dimensions and the shipping destination, and we’ll show you the estimated shipping cost.
Keep in mind that the actual cost of shipping may be different than the estimate because it depends on the package’s final weight and dimensions.
2. Express Shipping
Express shipping is a bit more expensive but delivers your products faster, typically within two to three days in the United States and three to seven days internationally.
If you need your products delivered even faster, Printful also offers overnight shipping in the United States. This option guarantees delivery within one to two days.
Overnight shipping is only available for orders placed before 11:59 pm EST Monday-Thursday. Any orders placed after 11:59 pm EST on Thursday or anytime on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday will ship out the following Monday.
3. Local Pickup
In some cases, you may be able to arrange for local pickup of your order. This can be a great option if you work with a tight deadline.
Printful print and ship your products within two business days after receiving the order if you choose standard shipping. The delivery time will depend on your chosen shipping method and your customer’s location.
You can print with Printful using any significant print-on-demand platforms, including Shopify, Etsy, Amazon, and eBay. You can also print with Printful using your eCommerce website or blog.
Pros and Cons of Using Printful Shipping
There are several things to consider before using Printful shipping for your business.
Some of the pros of using Printful include:
- print on demand so you don’t have to worry about inventory or minimum order requirements
- a wide range of products, including t-shirts, posters, phone cases, and more
- good quality print and materials
- print files are stored so you can print more products at any time
Some of the cons of using Printful include:
- order fulfilment can take a few days, which may not be ideal for customers who need their products quickly
- shipping costs can add up, especially if you’re shipping internationally
- some print files may not print correctly, resulting in a lower quality product
Despite the cons, using Printful for shipping can be an excellent option for businesses of all sizes. If you’re considering using Printful for your business, keep these tips in mind to ensure delivery success.
What to Do?
1. Plan Ahead
If you know you’ll need your products delivered by a specific date, plan and allow extra time in case of delays.
2. Check Shipping Restrictions
Before you print with Printful, check the shipping restrictions to ensure your products can be delivered to your customers.
Some items, like food or liquids, may not be allowed to ship internationally. Others, like lithium batteries, may require special packaging.
3. Choose the Right Shipping Method
You’ll want to choose the correct shipping method depending on your product and your customer’s location.
For example, if you’re selling t-shirts and most of your customers are in the United States, standard shipping will probably suffice. However, you may consider express shipping if you sell posters to your international customers.
4. Get Insured
Printful offers insurance for lost or damaged orders, but getting insured is always a good idea. You can get compensated for the missing or damaged product if something goes wrong with the delivery.
Conclusion
Printful is an excellent option for businesses of all sizes. By keeping these tips in mind, you can ensure delivery success. Go ahead and begin! Don’t give up; remember that it can take weeks to master a recipe.