Why I stopped buying from Etsy and started making it myself
Okay, I need to tell you something about Etsy.
A few months ago I was browsing for a cute personalised onesie for my little one and I nearly paid €28 for it. It was adorable, I won’t lie. But something made me pause and look into how it was actually made. That’s when I discovered print on demand — and honestly it changed how I shop and how I think about making money from home.
So what is print on demand?
Print on demand (POD) is simpler than it sounds. A company holds blank products — onesies, mugs, tote bags, wall prints — and when someone places an order, they print a design onto it and ship it directly. No warehouse. No stock. No upfront cost. Think of it like a custom cake shop that already has the cake ready — they just add your name on top.
Here’s the part nobody tells you: a huge number of Etsy shops are doing exactly this. They’re not hand-printing anything in a cottage. They’re using print on demand services and charging you for the convenience of finding them.
How much are you actually overpaying?
Let me show you a real example. A personalised baby onesie on Etsy: around €22–28. The same blank onesie on Printify — the print on demand platform I use: around €7–9. Add one of my Canva templates for €3, customise it yourself in ten minutes, and you’re looking at €10–12 total. For the same product.
That difference adds up fast when you’re buying for a baby shower, a birthday, or just because you want something cute without the guilt.
Option 1: just save money — no shop needed
You don’t need to open a shop. You don’t need to sell anything. You just need a free Printify account and five minutes. Pick a product, upload a design (or grab one of my templates), and order it for yourself at cost price. That’s it. No commitment, no tech skills required.
Option 2: turn it into a little income from home
If you want to take it one step further — and I say this as someone who was made redundant before having my baby and desperately needed flexible income — you can connect Printify to an Etsy shop or your own website, use your designs, set your own price, and earn the difference on every order. No stock to hold. No packaging to sort. Just your design, their printing, your profit.
It’s not a get-rich-quick thing. But for a mama who wants something flexible, creative, and genuinely her own? It’s one of the most accessible options out there.
Why I’m telling you this
When I had my baby I knew I didn’t want to go back to corporate. I wanted to be home, be present, and still contribute. Printify is one of the tools that made that feel possible — and I genuinely believe more mamas should know about it. Not to sell to you, but because I wish someone had told me sooner.
Your next two steps
If any of this sounds interesting, here’s all I’d suggest you do right now. First, create a free Printify account — it costs nothing and you can just look around. Second, if you want a design to start with, browse my template shop — everything is made to be simple, pretty, and easy to customise in Canva.
That’s it. No pressure, no overwhelm. Just two small steps that might change how you shop — or how you earn.
