Aliexpress Dropshipping vs Print on Demand

Which is better? Which is more profitable? Which is easier to do?
These are the two most sought after categories in the dropshipping community.

Screenshot from Shopify Account - Image Uploaded

Before you create your Shopify Powered Store, you have to decide first on which category you would fit in.

Print on Demand (POD) is when you sell your own designs or crafts on items like bags, mugs, t-shirts, phone cases, pillows etc.

On the other hand.

AliExpress dropshipping is where you choose tons of products to sell.

They have their differences but they also have a lot in common.

Let's talk about their similarities first:

👍 Dropshipping
👍 No Bulk Inventory
👍 Supplier packages and ship products out directly to your customer
👍 Order Processing is easy. In just a click, you can send the orders to your supplier
👍 Low risk. You only pay the supplier when you have an order.
👍 Requires Customer Service and Marketing Skills

Pros and Cons of POD:

Image source

✔ You sell your own design
✔ You can have your own brand logo
✖ Expensive Shipping Costs
✖ High Product Cost
✖ Limited Product Selection
✖ Need to Have Strong Design Skills

Pros and Cons of AliEx Dropshipping:

Image Source

✔ See Best Sellers and Reviews easier
✔ Tons of products to choose from
✔ Can scale quickly
✔ Low Shipping Costs
✔ Less work
✖ Uncertain Product Quality

Now that I've given you some serious comparison, Which is more Profitable?

In my experience, I'd prefer Print On Demand.

Why?

I feel great whenever I sell something that I know is mine. (My own design)
And since Printful is in the U.S. shipping time is shorten esp. if your market is in the U.S.

Unlike AliExpress which could take 35-60 Days shipping time because it will come from China.

Whichever you choose from AliEx and POD it would all come down with how you deal with your customers.

Great Customer Service means Happy Customers

Happy Customers are potential repeat customers and could also advertise your shop via word of mouth.

I hope I was able to help in my own little way and I'm not sure how to end this.

So let me end with this quote instead

If you're trying to create a company, it's like baking a cake. You have to have all the ingredients in the right proportion proportion.
Elon Musk

In case you missed it, here's the first part of my Dropshipping Series:
Dropshipping Series E-Commerce Overview