Print on demand (POD) products offer an affordable way to start a business. They require very little in the way of an up-front investment. Once you’ve got a design for a product, there’s no need to buy raw supplies or inventory. The product is printed only when someone orders and pays for it.
People who are just starting out with print on demand sometimes don’t fully explore the places they can sell these products. Because there are differences in pricing and profits, I’ve pulled together this list of 8 places to sell Print on Demand products and included links and some key information about each.
#1: Etsy
Etsy is usually the first place that comes to mind for people who want to sell handmade goods, but it’s also a terrific place to sell print on demand products. A quick search reveals that there are thousands of shops selling printables there.
What I like about Etsy is that it’s easy to set up a shop. You’ll pay a one-time listing fee of $0.20 for each item in your shop. When you sell a product, you’ll pay a 5% fee on the purchase price (including your shipping fee.)
Etsy offers easy integrations with Instagram, Pinterest, and other sites, which makes it simple to market the items in your shop. You can integrate your Etsy shop with Printify to fulfill orders.
#2: Shopify
Like Etsy, Shopify lets you set up a shop to sell your printables. Their fee structure is quite different from Etsy’s. You’ll pay $29 per month for your shop.
You can use plugins to post your products to Instagram and other sites. Shopify also makes it easy to partner with a professional printer, so your customers can arrange to have their items printed and shipped to them.
#3: Redbubble
Redbubble is one of those sites that I wish more people knew about. It’s a terrific place to create and sell products with the printable patterns you design. They have a huge array of over 70 base products that includes everything from tee-shirts to bedsheets.
One of the things I like most about Redbubble is that artists get to set their own profit margins. You’ll pay the base price for the product plus Redbubble’s fee and any applicable tax. Everything after that is yours to keep. You can sell your products directly on Redbubble and there’s a chance you could be featured on the front page.
#4: Spreadshop
Spreadshop has a lot in common with Redbubble in that it’s a combination marketplace and print on demand fulfillment service. They have dozens of available products including apparel, accessories, and more.
With Spreadshop, you can set up a shop for free and list your products for free. You get to set your own retail price for the product. After you pay Spreadshop for the base price of the product you sell, you get to keep the balance.
With both Redbubble and Spreadshop, you’ll get paid once a month. You can specify how you want to receive payments.
#5: Teepublic
Teepublic is a site where you can upload tee-shirt designs and sell your products. If you’re looking for a hassle-free way to make money on your designs, Teepublic is a good option because of their simplified pricing.
When you sell on Teepublic, you’ll sell your products at a price they specify. For example, a classic tee-shirt is $20 and a classic hoodie is $45. You’ll make $4 for each tee-shirt you sell and $8 for each hoodie. When items go on sale, you’ll earn a reduced margin based on the price.
#6: Zazzle
Zazzle is one of the best-known places to sell print on demand products. They have a huge marketplace and a wide array of products you can sell. You get to choose your own royalty rates, and in most cases they range from a minimum of 75% up to a maximum of 98%.
ZRank is a feature that sets Zazzle apart. When you create a store and list your first products, you will receive a ZRank score between one and 10. The score is an indication of how well you have optimized your store. You can use it as a barometer to test your listings and — if necessary — refine them to attract the most traffic and sales possible.
#7: CafePress
CafePress has the biggest array of products of any site I have mentioned so far, including stuffed animals, clocks, flip flops, and jewelry in addition to the usual products such as tee-shirts and mugs.
You can sell your products directly on CafePress. They set a base price for each product. From there, you can set your royalties. Most CafePress sellers earn between 5% and 10% of the purchase price on each product they sell.
#8: Society6
Finally, let’s talk about Society6, which is a particularly good option if you have an interest in selling art prints.
For typical print on demand products such as tee-shirts or pillowcases, you will earn a flat 10% royalty for each product you sell. They have a huge array of apparel, home decor, and tech products to choose from.
The real difference with Society6 — and the reason I recommend it if you’re selling art prints of any kind — is that they allow artists to set an additional markup on their prices. You’ll get to keep everything above and beyond the base price plus 10%, which makes Society6 a good place to sell fine art prints.
Another thing that sets Society6 apart is that you can sign up for their affiliate program. If you then market your artwork on your website or social media, you can earn an additional percentage as an affiliate.
Conclusion
As you can see, you have a lot of choices when you sell print on demand products. The option you choose will depend on which products you want to sell, how much time you want to spend thinking about prices, and where you think your products will fit in.
Looking for help to get your print on demand business off the ground? Click here to learn how to work with me to grow your business.
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