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If you are looking for ways to sell your art online then print on demand is one option where you can easily add your designs to products and start selling them online.
The best part about getting started with print on demand is that there is minimal start up costs. You don’t have to invest in a bunch of inventory to get started because a product isn’t made until it is ordered.
In this review we look at the print on demand company Kin Custom. Hopefully we can help you decide if they are the right fit for you and your brand.
What is Kin Custom?
Kin Custom is an online platform where you can sell print on demand products. They offer a variety of products including men and women’s apparel, shoes and even home goods. All you have to do is create your shop, select the product and upload your designs.
Is Kin Custom free?
Yes, Kin Custom offers a free account where you can get started with no upfront costs. This is nice because you can set up your own store with Kin Custom and start selling your designs with no initial fees.
How does it work?
With Kin Custom you have the option to sell your designs directly within their own online marketplace or you can integrate with a third party platform.
In this guide we will look at each of these selling options.
1. Creating your own Kin Custom store
With Kin Custom you have the option to sell directly on their online marketplace.
1. Create your free Kin Custom account – to get started all you have to do is sign up with Kin Custom.
2. Access the Creator Studio – Once you login Kin Custom will give you the option to go to the Creator Studio or browse their online marketplace.
3. Create your first product – In the Designs tab you can upload your artwork to start creating your first product. Check out Kin Custom’s artwork guidelines to get the right sizing for your design.
4. Set up your Kin Custom shop – Once inside the Creator Studio you can start setting up your Kin Custom shop by selection Shop from the left hand menu. Here you can add your first product to your shop.
5. Order a sample of your product to test out your design – Once you have finished creating a product you can order a sample. From the left hand menu go to Created Merch and click on Order Sample.
2. Kin Custom Integrations
Kin Custom also gives you the option to integrate with a number of different third party platforms.
Shopify – you can connect your Shopify store using the Kin Custom Shopify app. Check out this guide on how to get started with the Kin Custom Shopify app.
Etsy – With etsy you can set up a store for free and the only cost is the minimal listing free which is $0.20 per listing. Learn more about how to connect your Etsy store to Kin Custom.
WooCommerce – you can use your own WordPress website and integrate with Kin Custom using API keys. Check out this tutorial on how to integrate Kin Custom with Woocommerce.
Kin Custom also integrates with Squarespace, BigCommerce, and BigCartel.
One drawback with Kin Custom is the orders are not automatically imported from your third party platform into Kin Custom.
For example, if a customer makes a purchase on Etsy you have to go and manually import the order from Etsy into Kin Custom.
In the case of Shopify the orders will automatically be imported into Kin Custom, but you have to go in and approve the order and make the payment to Kin Custom before the order will be fulfilled.
This is not an ideal scenario if you want to try and automate as much of the sales process and order fulfillment as possible. Printful is a good alternative that automatically syncs with Etsy and receives the order data without having to manually import the order.
3. Selling Products Wholesale
Kin Custom also gives you the option to sell products wholesale from the Kin Custom Premier shop. What this means is you can connect any of the available products to your third party store. You can sell product designs that are available in the Kin Custom Premier shop that you did not create yourself. Learn more about selling wholesale with Kin Custom.
Pros
There are a number of good reasons why you should choose Kin Custom as your print on demand provider.
Here are some of our favorite Kin Custom features:
1. Large all over print product selection – Kin Custom mostly offers all over print products. All over print products give you the most creative control with your designs.
All over print products are made using a process called sublimation where the design is first printed on the base material and then cut and sewn together.
Kin Custom does offer DTG printing options as well.
Check out Kin Custom’s full product selection here.
2. Host your Shop on Kin Custom’s marketplace for free – Being able to host your own store on Kin Custom is a great feature for artists who are looking to get started with print on demand.
This is especially nice if you already have a large social media following and you want a way to monetize your audience. Kin Custom makes it easy to create a free shop so you don’t have to spend money on hosting costs for another platform like Shopify or WooCommerce.
3. Unique product selection – Kin Custom features some products that you don’t normally find with most print on demand providers.
Here is a list of some of Kin Custom’s unique products you should check out:
4. Custom Branding Sets – Kin Custom gives you the option for an additional 1.99 per product to add a custom branding set. When you add a custom branding set your logo will be added to the packaging of your product.
For example if you were to sell a shirt a tag with your printed logo would be attached to the shirt. The individual packaging that your shirt comes in would have your printed logo and the packing slip would have your logo printed as well.
This is a nice feature because it helps with branding your product.
Cons
1. Kin Custom does not provide individual product templates that you can download – Having a downloadable product template is helpful because it gives you guides to work with when creating your design. Using a template does not ensure exact placement, but it is nice to have a template as a guide.
This is a nice feature that Printful and Printify offer.
2. No automatic product syncing for fulfillment with third party platforms – When it comes to Ecommerce the more you can automate the better. You want your online business to continue to work for you when you are away on vacation.
Kin Custom requires some type of manual step to finish the order fulfillment when integrating with a third party platform. This is not a problem when you make a sale directly on your Kin Custom store, but if you want to use any third party platform this is a huge downside.
If this is a must have feature then consider using Printful as your print on demand provider. They offer automatic order synching and fulfillment without you having to manually import an order or approve payment.
Kin Custom alternatives
If you are still unsure if Kin Custom is right for you consider these other print on demand providers.
Kin Custom Product Reviews
Check out our full Kin Custom’s product review of their one piece swimsuit for women.
Kin Custom Review Recap & Recommendations
Kin Custom offers a great selection of trendy print on demand products to showcase your designs that your customers will love!
Kin Custom is a great option if you want to sell directly from your Kin Custom shop, but when it comes to connecting with third party platforms there are some better print on demand provider options that offer automatic order syncing and fulfillment.
With all print on demand providers the number one recommendation we make is to make sure you order a sample of your design. This way you can ensure that the print is correct and that you are selling a quality product.
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