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Not only are you about to get a CustomCat review, but I am going to give you insider tips to how you can actually create viral products using this app. Read on to get my tips & tricks.

If you're looking for unbiased CustomCat reviews that give you the true lowdown on how the company operates you need to make sure that the author has experience with the platform or app you're about to use.

Most reviews are copy & paste templates that share little insight other than the obvious of what you can find out by a quick browse of the companies website.

In this case, Suhail and I have used CustomCat extensively over the years and can provide insight that is not given to you by all the generic reviews available elsewhere.

I don't share this to be critical, I share this so you know what you're about to get. This is a review from our own personal experience as merchants using CustomCat as a supplier.

CustomCat Review: After making $10,000,000 online with POD this is what we’ve learned about CustomCat

Of all the CustomCat Reviews this one pulls on our experience after selling more than $10,000,000 online with Print on Demand products. Some of that figure has been using CustomCat products.

What I can tell you, is that with any review when looking at a Print on Demand company to fulfill for you there are several things that you need to take into consideration. First and foremost, quality, followed very closely by price and of course shipping times.

What you’re about to learn about CustomCat, other than you should have been using them 20 years ago, is that they are one of the best in the industry. In saying that, like any supplier, you need to order your own samples before fully committing to full-blown scaling.

I mention 20 years as that's how long they have been printing on demand, and with that experience, they have learned a thing or two about how to create an amazing product…but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows… but we’ll get into that.

What you’re about to learn about this print on demand heavyweight;

• • What is CustomCat?
  • CustomCat Quality
  • The Sharp CustomCat Pricing
    • CustomCat Shipping Prices
  • CustomCat vs Printful Comparison
  • The CustomCat Product List
    • Viral Product Finder
  • CustomCat Etsy Integration
  • The Pros & Cons of CustomCat
  • Tips & Tricks

What is CustomCat?

CustomCat is one of the most experienced print on demand companies available oin the Shopify app store and has been involved in the industry for over 20 years.

Their product range is second to none (and made for internet marketers), their shipping times are incredibly quick, they have three types of decoration and of course the best pricing by far in the industry.

CustomCat gives you everything you need to start a killer print-on-demand store. Tons of different apparel options, heaps of homewares, and other accessories. They’ll stock out your store and be your one-stop-shop.

My good mate Chris Blair is a massive advocate of CustomCat and has sold thousands upon thousands of their distressed trucker caps. That isn't the only viral product in there. I know several sellers that have had massive success selling the color-changing and black mugs.

I need to reiterate here that their mugs are the cheapest in the industry and fulfilled extremely quickly.

When I say they have everything, I don’t just mean the products. They offer the mockups you need for your product pages and advertising, they integrate with Shopify, woocommerce & Etsy, and so much more.

They make selling everywhere online so much easier and with their open API, you can create connections with so many other platforms. That in itself is a key to making sure you make the most money possible on your viral campaigns. You need to launch your product on every platform, and every product possible to keep those pesky copycats at bay.

CustomCat Quality

The quality of products within their company are as good as you'd expect from any others. A lot of the products are similar, if not the same as other platforms. This means the quality of the final product is down to the care taken in decorating the item.

Comparing in that regard is a much better way of determining how good a particular company is. Let me assure you, the CustomCat quality stands up to any comparison. They aren't without fault though, CustomCat still makes mistakes. All platforms do.

In this case, like any company, if a product is delivered subpar, i.e. bad ink, wrong item, damaged, lost or broken CustomCat will replace it free of charge. Just submit a photo of the item (if you can) through the dashboard and they'll issue a replacement immediately.

Seeing as this is a CustomCat review and as a merchant myself, I need to be honest, the one thing they could improve is their mockups. They need a bit of work to get on the same level as some of the other platforms. In the meantime, we do have a PlaceIt account so we can easily update those mockups.

It is rather inconvenient though when you're trying to launch a lot of products and you're getting slowed down by ordinary creatives.

A final note on quality is that over 50,000+ merchants trust CC to deliver the products in a timely manner. Merchants' reputations in every case are on the line and CustomCat takes that responsibility incredibly seriously. We have never had a problem with them.

The Sharp CustomCat Pricing

The CustomCat pricing is absolutely ridiculous and a lot of times no other platform comes even close to the ballpark these guys play in. The standout products in terms of pricing for me (prices as of March 2021);

• • The G500 5.3 oz. T-Shirt @ $7.00
  • 11 oz. White Mug @ $3.75
  • Cozy Plush
    • 30×40 Fleece Blanket @ $14.00 
    • 50×60 Fleece Blanket @ $24.00
    • 60×80 Fleece Blanket @ $33.00

CustomCat Shipping Prices

The prices vary considerably depending on the item that you're selling. Based on the items above, this is their pricing. For a full list download it here.

Despite the variation, the cost still remains extremely cheap allowing you a great margin on many of these products. For instance, with blankets, you could easily mark them up 100-150% and charge shipping on top. You'd definitely be doing that for the apparel as well.

Shipping prices for the products listed above;

• G500 (Lightweight item) = $4.99
• 11 oz. White Mug (Light Drinkware) = $4.99
• Cozy Plus Blankets;
  • 30×40 (Lightweight) = $4.99
  • 50×60 (Heavyweight) = $7.99
  • 60×80 (Heavyweight) = $7.99

CustomCat vs Printful Comparison

As far as CustomCat vs Printful is concerned there is no comparison when it comes to pricing and if you want an in-depth Printful review read it here. Weirdly, as an internet marketer, Printful feels a bit too “put together” for my liking. They are a very serious, very corporate company and very clean. That is not to say CustomCat is not a serious company but CustomCat feels like a better choice for me.

The battle of pricing, CustomCat vs Printful hands-down goes to the cat. Printful's cheapest men's shirt is $12.47 (unless they're having a sale) for a similar Gildan product. In the table below I compared a few products between the pair, gave you our RRP, and what the estimated profit would be based on current pricing.

As you can see, in this one table there is only one product that is cheaper on Printful than it is on CustomCat. The only problem is that the blanket on Printful is only available in 50×60″ whereas there are multiple sizes and styles available on CustomCat.

Winner = CustomCat

The CustomCat Product List

There are so many products available on CustomCat that it'd be near on impossible to share them all below. On top of that, they're adding new products into their lineup all the time.

The staples in any internet marketer's inventory is the G500. It is the bare-bones basement product that just continues to sell. Your customers know this product and often seek it out as their go-to piece of apparel. It is not for street fashion, it is for those guys willing to wear a phrase on their chest that speaks deeply about them as a person.

Very few, if any CustomCat reviews could share with you that insight, at least not from a personal level from experience. Below is a list of their main products and will give you an insight into the kinds of products you'll be able to offer in your store.

As a guiding voice, our stores probably have 6 main products on them and some may have up to 10. It is rare to see a store with every single product available (in saying that, I've never seen one in 10 years of e-commerce).

Viral Product Finder

So here is where I can provide some pretty cool insight into the products that I recommend you test. Part of finding viral products is knowing which have been done to death and which are new or innovative enough to make someone stop mid scroll, read the phrase, and click “SHOP NOW”.

If you're starting in Print on Demand then choosing a product to focus on can be extremely debilitating. Given that there are so many available (products) it is no wonder people stop in their tracks before they even get going. There are a number of products on CustomCat that I would mark as having potential for virality.

Try the following if you're looking for a leg up on the competition;

• An oldie but a goldie – Color-changing mugs. The suspense is enough to get anyone stopping.
• Facemasks – Obviously given the current state of affairs in the world, build on the trend with cheeky phrases for your niche.
• Distressed trucker cap

CustomCat Etsy Integration

This is one of my favorite features. Etsy sales are nice, and I suggest you get yourself set up with a consistent launch strategy to make the most of the semi-passive sales that you can get from there.

Our metal manufacturer, unfortunately, doesn't have integration so our VA has to continually place orders manually in our Shopify store. The beauty of this automation is it is taken care of as the orders come in.

If you want a helping hand in getting started on Etsy, I have recently put together a list of 500 Low Competition Etsy Keywords for Print on Demand. The list has the products people are searching for, the products they want, and in some cases even the title of the product they want.

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Just like creating a product for your Shopify store in the CustomCat app, you create the product in your “Etsy store” within their app. Easy done, auto-published, and auto-ordered when those sales come in.

Pros

• CusctomCat has been in the POD industry for over 20 years
• Production takes place in their own facility
• They have 3 decoration methods (DTG, sublimation, embroidery)
• The top-selling products include mugs, apparel, canvas prints, & blankets (GET ON IT).
• Most products are produced in 1-3 business days
• Over 300 products are available!
• White label shipping available (no packing slips, and customizable address labels)
• International shipping excluding a handful of countries
• A trifecta of shipping methods available (Economy, Ground, 2nd Day). Add your margin to these shipping rates for added cream.
• This is amazing. Integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, CommerceHQ, & BigCommerce. Not having to double handle orders on Etsy is a godsend.
• Blow it up with the personalization feature! Available for Shopify & WooCommerce
• Their Etsy Integration! Automate your Etsy order placement & payment within their app!

Cons

• I don't like their app interface at all(personal preference).
• There is a subscription cost for Shopify users. It's quickly offset when you start scaling!

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Tips & Tricks

• When selling the Print on Demand Mugs think of ways you can sell more than one at a time. This is a little secret we've used that has seen up to 15 of the same item ordered in one transaction. Instead of creating a design like, “I drink coffee because punching people is frowned upon.”Do something like “This is No Way This Is Vodka – Brown's Family Reunion – Covid 2021 – Puerta Backyarda.” or do a series “Brown's Family Reunion, I'm the crazy one”, “Brown's Family Reunion, I'm the sober one”, “Brown's Family Reunion, I'm the drunk one” etc. Just quietly, this works for apparel too.
• Use the personalizer. I absolutely love this feature and is another key reason why CustomCat is amazing. On the example above, personalize “Vodka” & “Brown”. This gives the product a greater emotional pull and increases the chances of creating a viral product.

Conclusion

CustomCat has been a trusted partner of ours since 2017 and remains one of the go-to apps. Which margins being razor-thin on so many products online it is super important to make as much on every product possible.

When selling on Facebook, particularly as you start to scale, the CPA generally always increases. This means the more margin you have in a product the more you can spend to acquire that customer.

The user interface aside (it really isn't that bad once you get used to it) the company as a whole does a great job. The ease of integration with Etsy (with or without a Shopify store), the pricing, the range of products, and the shipping times, everything points towards you HAVING to use CustomCat as your Print on Demand partner.

What has been your experience with them? Do you have anything to add to the article? Please comment below!