I run a small book shop from my kitchen table. It’s not fancy. It’s coffee, my laptop, and a cat that sits on the keyboard like it owns the place. I wanted to sell books without stacking boxes in my hallway. So I tested drop ship book tools. I used them with real orders. Some days were smooth. Some days…not so much.
Let me explain what I did, and what I’d tell a friend.
I’ve tried a handful of different product niches over the years—from candles to auto parts—and each has its own set of curveballs.
My setup, in plain terms
- Store: Shopify (I also tested a basic WooCommerce site)
- Goal: sell my own books and a few bargain titles
- Tools I used: Lulu Direct, BookVault, IngramSpark (Direct Orders), and Book Depot’s Ship to Consumer
If you're curious how these print-on-demand suppliers stack up feature-for-feature, here's a comprehensive comparison of print-on-demand book suppliers that breaks down costs, quality, and hidden gotchas.
If you’re still hunting for a plug-and-play storefront that handles digital and physical book sales in one place, you might peek at CandyPress — it’s a niche platform built specifically for indie publishers.
Each one felt a bit different. Like four cashiers with four moods.
Lulu Direct + Shopify — my starter win
I used Lulu Direct for my self-published spiral cookbook, “Weeknight Pots & Pans.” I set it up with the Lulu app in Shopify. You can skim an in-depth review of Lulu Direct's integration with Shopify for a closer look at the setup flow, user hiccups, and real-world speed tests.
It took a Saturday, two coffees, and one small tantrum over SKU codes.
Real example:
- Print cost: $6.42 per copy (80 pages, color, coil)
- Sale price: $18.99
- Average U.S. shipping paid by buyer: $4.79
- Print time: usually 3–5 business days; faster in fall than in winter
- Orders fulfilled: 63 in two months
- Issues: 2 misprints (one cut off a header; one had a light streak)
Lulu replaced both misprints in 48 hours. No drama. The boxes came plain, which I liked. The packing slip showed my store name. My customers thought I shipped it myself. One wrote, “Smells like fresh ink and soup.” Honestly, same.
What I liked:
- Easy app. The product sync felt clear.
- Spiral bound looked neat and lay flat on the counter.
- Customer support replied the same day. Not robotic.
What bugged me:
- Canada shipping was slow near the holidays.
- Real-time shipping rates were a little off for Alaska.
- The color print ran a shade dark on one batch. Not awful. But I noticed.
Would I use it again? Yes, for my own books. It felt simple once it was set.
BookVault + Shopify — best for those bright picture books
I made a 32-page kids book with bold art called “Nora and the Night Bus.” I used BookVault for the gloss cover and the heavy paper. The colors popped more than Lulu on this title. The Shopify app felt solid too.
Real example:
- Print cost: $3.78 per copy (32 pages, color, gloss cover)
- Sale price: $12.99
- U.K. orders: 2–4 business days to print; U.S. orders: 4–7 days
- Orders fulfilled in November: 27 (holiday gift push)
- Issues: 1 order with pages bound upside down; reprint sent free
Small note: my first run used matte. It dulled the purples. I switched to gloss and it fixed it. The switch took five minutes. You know what? That felt like a tiny win.
What I liked:
- Color quality on gloss. Punchy and clean.
- White-label packing slip. My branding, not theirs.
- Solid rate cards. Fewer surprise fees.
What bugged me:
- U.S. shipping times varied during peak weeks.
- The app threw one sync error on variants. I had to re-map the SKU.
Would I use it again? Yes, for color books and U.K. buyers. It shines there.
IngramSpark (Direct Orders) — the grown-up choice, but fussy
I used IngramSpark for a hardcover art book. Think thick pages, full bleed, moody photos. I did not use their full retail distribution for this test. I used Direct Orders to ship single copies to my own customers.
Real example:
- Print cost: $12.84 per copy (hardcover, 96 pages, premium color)
- Sale price: $34.99
- Print time: 3–5 business days; shipping varied a lot
- Orders: 18 in one month (preorders rolled in)
- Setup fee: none for the title, but I paid for one file revision later
- Workflow: I pushed orders with a CSV export from Shopify, then placed them in IngramSpark. A bit manual.
The book looked beautiful. Corners stayed sharp. The jacket wrapped tight. But the process felt…touchy. One week was fast; the next was slow. Support help was good but not instant.
What I liked:
- Hardcover quality. It felt like a real gallery book.
- Global print network. My buyer in Germany got it within 8 days.
- Good for bigger runs, too.
What bugged me:
- The manual order flow took time. Not hands-off.
- Shipping timelines swung during peak season.
- Revision fees add up if you tweak files often.
Would I use it again? Yes, for premium books and global buyers. But I plan for buffer days and fewer edits.
Book Depot Ship to Consumer — bargain books, thin margins
I wanted a back-to-school sale with cheap kids workbooks and a few cookbooks. Book Depot sells remainders. Good prices. I used their Ship to Consumer program for direct orders.
Real example:
- Cost per book: $2–$5 for many titles
- Sale price: $7.99–$12.99
- Orders: 41 in three weeks
- Out-of-stock cancellations: 3 (fast-moving bargains disappear)
- Branding: none; plain packing; no custom slip
- Average net profit per book after shipping: about $2.10
It worked for deals. But stock moved fast. I had two cases where a customer bought a book, and 10 minutes later it went out of stock. I emailed, refunded, and added a small discount code as an apology. People were kind about it, but it still stings.
That mini-fiasco reminded me of the straight-up rip-offs I’d hit in the past; I once documented the worst of them so you don’t have to repeat my mistakes.
What I liked:
- Low prices. Easy impulse buys.
- Fast pick-and-pack on weekdays.
What bugged me:
- Stock volatility. You must keep your listings fresh.
- No branded unboxing. Feels like a warehouse, not a “shop.”
- Data feed needed more babysitting than I hoped.
Would I use it again? Yes, for sales events. Not for core brand stuff.
Small surprises I didn’t expect
- Proofs save headaches. I skipped one proof to save time. Then I found a typo on page one. Page one! I fixed it and paid the revision. Lesson learned.
- Shipping copy matters. I added a line on the product page: “Printed on demand. Ships in 3–5 business days.” Support emails dropped by half.
For my spicier romance zine, I also tested giving readers a real-time place to gush about characters and snag discount codes on launch night. I set up a free private chat room through Free Chat Now — it takes seconds to create, needs no installation, and doubles as a zero-cost way to gauge engagement before you invest in a full-blown help-desk or community platform.
- Paper choice changes mood. Gloss felt bright and cheerful. Matte felt calm but can mute color. Pick based on the book.
- Holiday chaos is real. I padded my ship times by 3 days in December. Most folks were fine with it.
- Want to see what happens when you list products you’ve never touched? My blind drop-shipping experiment pulls no punches.
Quick advice by goal
- Selling your own book and want it simple: Lulu Direct or BookVault
- Need strong color and U.K. reach: BookVault
- Want premium hardcovers and global options: IngramSpark Direct Orders
- Want bargain books for flash sales: Book Depot S2C
- Craving a green angle? I ran an organic-only drop-shipping store and spilled the real tea.