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Project Zero Inventory: Week 7 - Print on Demand
Month 2 of the Project of the Month
Last week I shared the first product from Project Zero Inventory and promised that this week I would have actual progress on the 3D printed products.
And I do!
Though I still don’t have anything printed…
A Shift in Strategy
Over the last few weeks, my initial hypothesis that 3D printing could be a low-cost way to establish product-market fit has been severely challenged by the logistics of printing my designs on a printer I do not own.
I have been relying on a friend’s printer, but coordinating schedules and getting access to the printer has taken much longer than I expected. This isn’t a major problem while I’m experimenting with prototypes, but extrapolating long term, I started to worry about what would happen if I actually began selling these products.
If someone purchased something from my store, I wouldn’t want them to wait a few weeks while I figured out when and where I could print it. That would be a terrible customer experience, and it certainly wouldn’t be a sustainable way to run a business.
But behold, I found a solution!
The solution was inspired by my recent success publishing kids books through Amazon’s print-on-demand service. It also seems completely obvious in hindsight.
On-Demand 3D Printing
Rather than printing the products myself, I can use an on-demand 3D printing and dropshipping service.
I found several companies that will handle both the manufacturing and shipping logistics. All I need to do is design the product, upload the 3D model, and connect the service to my online store. Then, whenever someone purchases the product, a third-party vendor will print it and ship it directly to the customer.
This is almost exactly the same model I am using for my books. I can create and sell a physical product without purchasing inventory, owning manufacturing equipment, or handling the shipping myself. In fact, it fits the original goal of Project Zero Inventory even better than relying on a friend’s printer.
The only upsetting part is that I wish I had known about this earlier!
There are several vendors that offer this service, but the first one I am trying is called Printie. I uploaded my adjustable measuring spoon design and ordered a single prototype to be shipped to my house. It is currently being made and should arrive next week.
If the prototype looks good, then I can finish setting everything up and add the adjustable measuring spoon to the Shep 4 store!
The Books Are Here!
In the meantime, I received physical copies of the first two kids books I wrote for my son, and they look amazing!
Last week I introduced Dinosaur Affirmations: ROAR!. My latest book is called The Wheels on the Bus: Engineering Version. In this book I show how a bus works under the hood using the classic song “The Wheels on the Bus” as the framework. Check it out!
My son loves it! It is incredibly rewarding to see him enjoying something I created specifically for him. The finished copies also gave me confidence that this print-on-demand model can produce real products that I am proud to share.
The next step is to get other people to purchase some copies, but there is no rush yet. My long-term strategy is to focus on setting up the products first. Once I have enough products available, I will eventually dedicate a future Project of the Month to marketing them.
Moving Forward
This week wasn’t the 3D printing update I originally imagined, but I think finding a sustainable manufacturing and fulfillment process is more important than printing a single prototype myself. If Printie works as advertised, then I will have a repeatable way to sell 3D printed products without owning a printer, maintaining inventory, or shipping orders from my house.
Next week I will hopefully, hopefully, finally have a 3D printed product to show you!
Stay tuned!
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