Digital Products vs Print-on-Demand, startup cost comparison, StartupLenz

Digital Products

Higher net

Templates, presets, courses, printables — sell once, deliver instantly, no inventory.

Gross$2,514

Net profit$1,802

Margin71.7%

Orders/mo80

Refunds$78 3%

Payment fees$75 3%

Marketplace fees$201 8%

Affiliate payout$75 3%

Ad spend$300 12%

Fixed costs$60 2%

launch · 1–3$856

traction · 4–8$2,235

scale · 9–12$4,316

Excellent margins. Your real asset is the email list — you're capturing ~120 new subs/month.

Apparel, posters, accessories — POD providers fulfill, you design and market.

Gross$2,586

Net profit$604

Margin23.3%

Orders/mo60

POD product cost$1,008 39%

POD shipping$330 13%

Refunds$66 3%

Platform fees$75 3%

Ad spend$400 15%

Fixed costs$169 7%

launch · 1–3$17

traction · 4–8$604

scale · 9–12$1,307

Healthy POD margins. Watch for AOV creep and price-tested upsells to push higher.