There are a variety of POD websites online, and the great news is that they are free! Here are some of the most popular ones…
Amazon Merch on Demand (Formerly Merch By Amazon)
This is by far THE most sought after POD membership because of Amazon’s organic traffic. It’s by invitation only (and will likely stay that way for some time.)
Almost any kind of shirt in any given niche will sell here just because Amazon has such a large audience.
The bonus is that the shirts are part of the popular Amazon Prime program. That means members can get their shirt shipped in just 48 hours!
This is my favorite POD site, and I’ve consistently earned 4 figures per month since 2017.
The downside is it’s much harder to get accepted now. I joined in 2016 when it was wide open, so I had a big advantage of being early.
Unfortunately there is no guaranteed way to get into this program. It’s almost a crapshoot. Some believe if you are an active Amazon shopper, you have an advantage but that’s just a rumor.
Zazzle
Zazzle has a variety of products you can add your design to.
You can allow customers to further customize your design by adding text. The customization aspect is what really draws customers to this marketplace.
To me, that’s the biggest advantage Zazzle has over the other sites. The customization feature is very powerful, and if you can find the right niche, you can do well here.
Spreadshirt
Just like Zazzle, Spreadshirt lets people add designs to all kinds of products and not just T-shirts.
They also allow customization, which means people can either buy a shirt with your design, or you can add the single design to their marketplace so customers can add it to various products themselves.
TeePublic
There’s some seriously creative and fun art on TeePublic!
While originally created for fan art and independent artists, you can also find a wider variety of designs on this platform as they continue to reach new audiences.
RedBubble
This is another site that was created for independent artists to showcase their talents.
Browse their marketplace and you will see a variety of abstract and pop culture art. These kinds of designs perform very well in the marketplace.
If you have a lot of artistic talent, this is the place to upload!
Update May 2023: TeePublic and RedBubble (same company) began categorizing accounts in tiers. That means you may have to earn your way to a higher tier so your designs are ranked in search and you get a better commission.
The best approach to both RedBubble and TeePublic is to create a branded or design-themed shop (i.e. watercolor designs) with very high quality work so you increase your chance of landing in the upper tiers.
Forget the “guru” advice that encourages you to upload tons of designs. These sites are on a mission to punish low-quality accounts (since 2023).
I landed in the upper tiers of both sites, and I don’t focus on quantity, just quality.
They review accounts on a periodic basis, so even if you land in the lower tiers, you can still get promoted.
CafePress
This is one of the original POD websites that’s been around for AGES. This was the very first site I uploaded to years ago.
Just like many of the other POD sites, they offer T-shirts, mugs, phone cases, stickers and more.
Designs By Humans
This is one of the less popular POD sites, but nevertheless there are many who make sales here.
Like TeePublic and RedBubble, they tend to sell a lot of artistic, pop culture-related designs.
Sign up for Designs By Humans.
Society6
I must say. This is my least favorite POD site, mainly because their upload process is very cumbersome.
The good news is they sell a lot of different products — probably more than all POD sites. It’s such a shame they haven’t streamlined the upload tool. That turns a lot of people off.
They don’t have the shopper volume that many of the other sites have, but you may find success here if you stick to it.
Test, Test, Test!
You’ll hear all kinds of stories about which POD is best. “Best” is relative because it really depends on the kinds of designs the person uploaded.
You really just have to test them all and see what works for you.
Don’t rely too heavily on people’s opinions. You need your own experience.
I see I can use Printful for POD items to sell on Etsy. Any thoughts of selling on Etsy? Thanks for your help.
Yep. I have some videos on this on my channel. I no longer use this anymore due to Printful’s ship delays and no return policy.
Thanks for the insight. Good to know about those drawbacks regarding Printful. Your website is a great resource. Will check out your video channel as well.
Lisa,
It’s amazing how long I’ve followed you and you have been so consistent. I love the ease and simplicity of your content. You’re quietly the best out here in these virtual streets! I’ve been following you since 2006 and the information you give freely is appreciated. Thank you for being such an awesome example.
I have been on youtube for the last two weeks, you are the best I’ve followed so far. You provide so much value to anyone wanting to learn the craft. So good to see a sister crushing it. Thanks for taking the time to help us newbies.
Fantastic information, a little overwhelming, but I am stoked. Thanks, you give so much valuable information. When will your course be taking on new people?
Hey Lisa, Really helpful information, so thank you so much. One question though, why does the design need to be trademark free? Isn’t that how we protect ourselves from any yahoo copying it and saying it’s their design? My stuff will have a pretty cool anagram for the wine drinking market and I’d hate to see somebody else jump on this hopefully successful bandwagon, take the credit, make the sales, knowing the system better than I do, and make some great cash. How do I protect my interests otherwise? Thanks for all your help. Dug
Hi Douglas,
Sure you can trademark everything, but after creating over 200 designs that can get very expensive. Remember, all original creations are still copyrighted by you and that gives you some protection. I have designs taken down all the time because of copyright infringement. Trademarking every single design would get costly. Now I can see you trademarking select designs that are super unique, but not for every design.
Hello Lisa.If i create for example 1000 design can i upload it on all sites together?For example the same design on Amazon Merch,Redbubble,Teepublic,Sunfrog, etc or i must to create differents designs for each marketplace please????
There are some bulk uploaded out there for multiple sites. Haven’t tried any yet. But google bulk uploads for POD to read up on them.
Hi Loannis! Yeah you can upload similar to all pod sites but remember your design should be unique and trademark free. If you want designs for your pod site then you visit: tee-designs.com
Hi Lisa,
Happy Friday!
What is your feeling about Teespring vs. Sunfrog. We loaded our designs on both and had sample shirts printed. Pretty much same quality. What I wonder is about the ease of working with one or the other. Any wisdom to share???
Hi Harold. I have never done much with either site. I was getting some organic sales on Teespring for a while but haven’t uploaded lately. I had zero success with Sunfrog.