Whehter or not to open your own store, outside the walls of CafePress, Zazzle, or other PODs that provide storefronts, is a decision we all must face one day. There are pro's and con's, of course. Let's start with the con's so I can get to the reasons why I feel most MOD'sters (that's you!) should have their own external store.
The reasons some people stay away from their own external store are time (plan on 5-25 hours/week to set up and manage an external store) and money (the better external storefronts aren't cheap - plan on about $150/month.)
But let's get to the Pro's -- the reasons why an external store is a good idea. First, you can set your own prices. Some PODs put a cap on the amount you can charge for a product within their storefront system, and you may (rightly) feel that your design on the product is worth more. An extreme example - GCU (Greeting Card Universe.) Your commission on a card sold through GCU can be as low as $0.38. Yikes! Sell the same card on your own site for about $4.50, have GCU drop-ship it to your customer, and your profit will be closer to $3.00.
Second, you can do your own marketing. Hoping that the POD will feature your product above all others is all well and good, but don't hold your breath. Instead, if you have your own external store, you can submit your product feed to Google (for free!), using your own keywords. If you're a control freak like me, this is the way to go.
In my next posting, we'll talk about your external store options.
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