7 Marketplaces to Start Print-on-demand Without a Website
Struggling to create a website or expand your POD business? Let's take a look at the top 7 marketplaces for print-on-demand without a website. This article covers the most popular sites: Etsy, Merch by Amazon, Redbubble, Teepublic, Zazzle, eBay and Facebook Marketplace. But which one is the best match for you to start? Let's explore these ideas and see how each could help you.
Advantages of Marketplaces for POD Entrepreneurs
Selling POD products on marketplaces is the best solution to start print-on-demand without a website or enlarge your business. Some key advantages of this method include:
- Quick and easy setup: You can quickly set up digital storefronts, and upload designs in a few minutes. Moreover, you don’t need any website-building or coding skills. Your store will be ready to accept orders once you publish a product.
- Easy to catch the latest trends: Browsing or registering newsletter for top-selling items from marketplaces help you to update valuable insights. Then, you can prepare appeal creations to trending demands.
- Available traffic to reach customers: Your products have a chance of discovery without promotion as buyers browse the site organically. Sales can come with just an uploaded listing due to the built-in potential reach of enormous traffic.
- Large POD provider network: Some well-known marketplaces partner with major and reputable print-on-demand companies. They can efficiently handle printing, packaging, and shipping so you can focus on the creative and business aspects.
Best Sites to Sell Print-on-demand Without a Website
This section will suggest you 7 best suggestions for selling print-on-demand without a website. Here you go!
1. Etsy
According to Etsy Press, this global marketplace attracted 96.3 million active buyers and generated annual gross merchandise sales of $13.3 billion. Etsy has a bright future for growth, thanks to its smart and user-friendly features and the market expanding.
This marketplace is ideal for selling unique and custom print-on-demand items not easily found elsewhere. Let’s now learn how to leverage Etsy to connect with buyers around the world.
How Etsy Helps
If you’re looking for a quick way to sell print-on-demand without a website, Etsy is worth it as it is straightforward for beginners. In particular, you need to create a digital shop, upload your mockups, and product details. You can add tags to boost discoverability.
When a customer purchases on Etsy, you are responsible for producing, packing, and shipping. Or you can connect to a POD provider. Some companies, such as Printful, Printify, Gelato, and Gooten, integrate with Etsy, allowing you to fulfill orders automatically.
Pricing
Etsy charges $0.2 for a new product listing. Additionally, for completed sales, it takes 6.5% of the retail price as a transaction fee. On top of that, it also collects payment processing charges to cover the costs of handling payments. While costs are higher than some competitors, the massive potential audience may make it worth it for many sellers.
So, whether Etsy is a good choice to pick? Check the key pros and cons below:
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Best for: Etsy's focus on unique goods makes it well-suited to independent creatives and small businesses selling original print-on-demand designs and products.
💡 You may also like: Ultimate Etsy vs Shopify Print-on-demand Comparison
2. Merch by Amazon
Lanuched in 2015, Merch by Amazon took part in the print-on-demand world with seamless tools for designers. They can upload their designs and sell customized t-shirts, tank tops, hoodies, jean jackets, phonecases, mugs, stickers, etc.
How Merch by Amazon Helps
You just need to upload your designs to Amazon's platform and select products. When your store generates a sale, Amazon automatically produces and ships the finished product using its global fulfillment network. This hands-free process helps you save a lot of time and effort.
Pricing
There are no listing, transaction fee, or others you need to pay. After completing the order, you will receive a certain amount of royalties. Royalties are vary depending on the product, country, and retail price. For new sellers, this policy provides a low-risk way to test the market.
The following table summarizes some key pros and cons of Merch by Amazon.
| Pros | Cons |
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Best for: Merch by Amazon's zero setup fees and automated POD workflow make it a top choice for designers or artists with limited budgets looking for simple entry into print-on-demand sales.
Bonus: If you want more flexibility and control over listings and inventory, consider Amazon Seller Central.
3. Redbubble
Redbubble is also one of the best free print-on-demand sites. It is a global marketplace where independent artists can sell their designs on demand through art prints, stickers, phone cases, and more. It ships over a million products per month to customers in developed markets.
Start any type of your print-on-demand products with Redbubble
💡 You may concern: Best Places to Sell Art Arints Online with Print-on-demand
How Redbubble Helps
Redbubble operates as an online marketplace that connects independent artists and designers with customers. You can upload your original designs and illustrations. The designs are available to purchase on a variety of products like shirts, phone cases, stickers, prints, and more.
When a customer makes a purchase, Redbubble handles the entire production and fulfillment process. So you don’t have to deal with inventory or shipping orders on your own.
Pricing
It is free to create an account and set up your shop on Redbubble. It applies a monthly fee to Standard accounts based on earnings from any sales made. However, if you have Premium and Pro accounts, you will receive free exemptions.
The table below summarizes the pros and cons of Redbubble:
| Pros | Cons |
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Best for: Redbubble's simple setup and hands-off POD process make it a great first step for graphic designers and artists with minimal investment of time or money.
4. Teepublic
Teepublic is an online marketplace and print-on-demand technology provider founded in 2011. Like Redbubble, Teepublic allows you to sell creative works on over 75 different products, esspecially tees, phone cases, and mugs.
Teepublic and Redbubble share the same founders – Adam Schwartz and Josh Abramson. However, most reviews show that the printing quality at Teepublic is generally higher.
How Teepublic Helps
To sell your print-on-demand products on Teepublic, simply create and upload your art to the platform using their free uploader. You can customize your art for their wide range of products.
Once complete, your designs will instantly appear in your store. When customers buy your items, Teepublic handles printing the product using its global network of fulfillment partners and ships it directly to the customer.
Pricing
There are no upfront costs to sell on Teepublic. Whenever customers purchase your creations, you’ll receive 18-22% of the total revenue.
See the pros and cons of Teepublic in the following table:
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Best for: Teepublic is well suited for artists or small businesses who want to sell high-quality products.
5. Zazzle
Zazzle is another popular on-demand marketplace founded in 2002. It allows beginners and new brands to create customized products in bulk or small batches without minimum orders.
How Zazzle Helps
Zazzel provides tools allowing buyers to personalize text, dates, upload photos, etc (depending on the product, there will be different options). It is fast to monetize when selling on this platform:
- Create your Zazzle account and set up your store for free.
- Design, upload art/photos, and add customization options using Zazzle tools.
- Choose a product you want to print your design on..
- Set price, promote products and wait for Zazzle’s fulfillment when orders come.
- Get paid every 2 weeks for past order payments in your account.
Pricing
One of the greatest things about Zazzle is no joining, store setting up, and listing fee. However, Zazzle charges a 30% fee on each sale.
Below is the summary of the pros and cons of selling print-on-demand on Zazzle:
| Pros | Cons |
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Best for: Zazzle provides more product diversity but is better suited to experienced POD.
6. eBay
Founded in 1995, eBay is one of the most popular on-demand e-commerce platforms, with over 182 million active buyers globally. In addition to selling physical inventory, eBay has run Print On Demand fulfillment services since 2015.
How eBay Helps
The eBay POD program allows sellers to create a digital storefront to list POD items. However, it does not have factories to make print-on-demand products. They also don't have their own shipping service like Amazon, but they will partner with shipping companies. Therefore, you need to publish your products (information, mockup) and handle fulfillment yourself or connect with print-on-demand companies.
Pricing
eBay charges vary based on your item category and final price. There are two main fees:
- Listing fee: $0.35 - Only pay if you list over 250 items per month
- Final value fee: $0.3 plus a percentage of the retail price (depending on product type).
Below are some key eBay POD considerations:
| Pros | Cons |
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Best for: Experienced online sellers looking to tap into eBay's massive customer base may find success. It may not be the most intuitive platform for e-commerce or POD entrepreneurs.
7. Facebook Marketplace
Launched in 2016, Facebook Marketplace is a classifieds-style section within the Facebook platform that allows local buying and selling. With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook Marketplace opens up your print-on-demand designs to huge local audiences right in their own cities and towns.
How Facebook Marketplace Helps
This marketplace focuses on local transactions within upto 500 miles but also allows for shipping. Product categories currently include consumer goods, local services, tickets, and vehicles, but Marketplace is expanding categories.
It is necessary to set up a public profile to list items for local pickup or shipment. You can also edit or delete your listings’ details after publishing them. For transactions, you can manage your payment methods using Meta Pay.
Pricing
There are no listing or transaction fees for basic listings. You will bear the cost of shipping expenses.
Here is critical pros and cons to consider:
| Pros | Cons |
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Best for: Those targeting local customers directly through social networks for simple customized products like apparel, home & decor, tech accessories, collectibles & novelties, etc.
So, these are the 7 best marketplaces to sell print on demand without a website. That said, another emerging platform worth considering is TikTok Shop.
Bonus
As a rising star in social commerce, TikTok Shop allows print-on-demand sellers to list products for free. Furthermore, TikTok tailors algorithms towards promoting accounts through creative and engaging videos and live streams.
This strategy aligns well with TikTok's audience, who prefer visual social media formats. While it remains in its early stages, these features show promise for print-on-demand entrepreneurs looking to engage new customers through social media.
In summary, the leading marketplaces to consider for starting print-on-demand without a website are Etsy, Merch by Amazon, Redbubble, Teepublic, Zazzle, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace. Consider your specific product offerings, target audiences, and business goals to pick the best match. Stay on top of the latest print-on-demand trends and industry insights by joining our Teeinblue Global Community now!
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