8 Best Websites Like CafePress - Make Money Selling POD Products Online!

If you want to make money selling print-on-demand (pod) products online, you actually have more options than ever before.

There are so many capsule marketplaces or companies that allow you to create and sell capsule products from your own online store.

Reading: Similar to cafe press

and, one of the oldest and most well-known companies in the world of print-on-demand is cafepress.

cafepress started in 1999 and allows you to upload your designs to hundreds of products that you can sell.

however, there are many other companies like cafepress, and chances are you can make more money with some cafepress alternatives and expand your capsule business.

so today, I’m covering the best sites like cafepress that you can use to take your capsule business to the next level.

best sites like cafepress

Some cafepress competitors are mass marketplaces where you can sell your designs to an existing audience.

In contrast, some of the best websites, like cafepress, are actual capsule companies that allow you to make money online by selling products on your own website or blog.

When choosing the right pod vendor for you, first decide if you prefer to sell at a marketplace or your own independent store.

Next, think about artist margins and how many products you want to be able to upload your designs to.

once you know what’s most important to you, you can choose the right cafepress alternative to supercharge your hustle.

1. sell

If you want to run your own eCommerce store and be in control, one of the best cafepress alternatives out there is sellfy.

The advantage of selling with sellfy instead of cafepress is that you have more control over your online store and your brand.

sellfy is a standalone ecommerce platform and also allows you to upload designs to pod products like:

clothing
bags
cups
phone cases
posters
stickers

this is a smaller pod catalog than cafepress, but sellfy also allows you to sell digital products, physical products and charge for subscriptions.

using sellfy is also very intuitive and you can open a store in about 5 minutes. I played around with the pod editor and the store design tool and found them both very easy to use.

in addition, there is a free plan that covers up to 10 products, and other sellfy plans start at just $29 per month.

You also don’t pay any transaction fees, so I think artist margins are some of the highest when selling on sellfy.

I’ve also used and tested sellfy as an alternative to cafepress, and the drag and drop store builder is very easy to use. In general, I think this is the best option if you want to run your own store instead of selling through a marketplace.

pros: No transaction fees, higher margins, and full control over your capsule business.
Cons: You have to attract buyers.
Best For: People who want to run their own business and brand online.
more information: start your own store on sellfy in just 5 minutes!

2. red bubble

redbubble is one of the most popular sites like cafepress, and this australian based company started in 2006.

with over 700,000 artists on the platform and millions of monthly visitors, redbubble also gives cafepress a run for its money in terms of size.

as an artist, opening your own red bubble shop is free.

from there, you can upload your capsule designs to products like:

clothing
accessories
artwork
hats
cups
phone cases
pillows
socks
stationary
stickers

redbubble’s design tool is pretty simple, and once you upload a design, you choose the products you want to sell on your storefront.

redbubble’s default artist margin is 20%, but you can adjust it to be higher or lower based on your preferences and competition with other sellers.

for payments, redbubble pays artists on the 15th of every month, as long as you have $20 or more in your balance.

Overall, redbubble is one of the more popular alternatives to cafepress and it certainly has a more modern design and is easier to use.

pros: Mass market online and variety of products.
Cons: Very competitive for new sellers.
Best For: Capsule sellers who want to maximize exposure.
more info: start selling on redbubble.
further reading: how to make money on redbubble: the ultimate guide.

3. print + etsy

if you want more control over building your brand, selling printify products through etsy is better than cafepress.

printify is a capsule company that allows you to upload your designs to dozens of different products, such as cafepress.

unlike cafepress, however, printify allows you to embed your pod products into your own website or marketplaces like etsy.

this is actually what i experimented with for one of my side jobs in college where i tried to make meme money selling funny mugs.

the great thing about printify is that you have more control over where you are selling from.

for example, etsy is just a sales channel, but nothing prevents you from also launching a shopify store and selling your capsule merchandise there as well.

in terms of printify products, options include:

clothes (fairly varied)
artwork
bags
products for home and living
mouse pads
phone cases
stickers
towels

printify is also free if you have up to five stores, and you can set your own margins wherever you sell to earn a profit per sale.

pros: Gives you control over where you sell and can generate higher margins.
Cons: You have to grow your audience if you sell on your own shop and not on a place like etsy.
Best For: Serious pod sellers who want more creativity and brand control.
more information: start earning money with printify!

4. zazzle

zazzle is another popular website like cafepress where you can sell capsule products to a market of millions of monthly buyers.

if you prefer sites like redbubble because you sell on a marketplace, zazzle is definitely for you.

creating a zazzle store is free and you can upload your designs to products like:

work of art
business cards
clothing
masks
notebooks
phone cases
stationary
stickers
Handbags

You can also set your margin and zazzle also allows you to earn money as a zazzle affiliate or manufacturing partner.

Overall, it’s an incredibly flexible capsule market and their monthly traffic is often higher than cafepress, so there are more monthly buyers.

pros: large audience and wide range of products.
Cons: Margins can be low like cafepress.
Best For: Print-on-demand vendors who want to tap into a large market.
learn more: start selling on zazzle.
further reading: best sites like zazzle.

5. society6

Like cafepress, society6 is another popular capsule marketplace where artists can earn money by uploading their designs to various products.

selling on society6 is free, and you can add your designs to products like:

artwork and posters
clothing
furniture
home decoration
office supplies
stickers

society6 also gets a few million visitors a month, so even though it’s not as big as redbubble or zazzle, it still has a decent volume of sales.

Your margins can be lower than many sites like cafepress, which is a disadvantage.

This is because society6 pays artists 10% royalties on many product categories, so you can only set your prices for artwork and canvas.

but, society6 is still a good cafepress alternative, and there’s nothing wrong with publishing your designs in multiple marketplaces to maximize exposure.

society6 also pays you monthly in paypal cash, and it takes around 30 days for transactions to clear and be deposited into your account.

pros: decent and popular range of products for artwork and prints.
Cons: Lower margins on many non-art products.
Great For: Anyone looking to sell art prints, canvases, and stickers.
learn more: start selling at society6.
further reading: best sites like society6.

6. teespring (spring)

if you have a large following on social media, teespring is one of the best cafepress alternatives you can try.

teespring, now rebranded as spring, allows you to sell a variety of capsule products through your own store or through social media.

That’s right: builders can integrate their spring products on platforms like:

facebook
instagram
twitch.tv
youtube

Also, the variety of products is not bad in spring and you can sell more than 180 physical or digital products to your fans.

custom spring storefronts are pretty stylish too, and overall this is a better option than cafepress if you want to leverage your social media following.

selling in the spring is also free and you set your own margins.

pros: Integrates with social media channels so you can tap into your following.
Cons: Not so beginner-friendly for first time capsule sellers.
best for: Anyone with a large following on social media.
more information: more information about spring.
further reading: best sites like teespring.

7. amazon merchandise

if you want to make money with amazon, selling your print-on-demand designs through merch by amazon might be the right choice.

You do have to apply for access to join merch by amazon, but the obvious advantage of this program is that you’re selling your products on amazon’s huge marketplace.

You can set your own price list and merch by amazon products are also eligible for preferential so you have a competitive advantage when it comes to shipping compared to cafepress.

in terms of what you can sell, merch by amazon products include:

clothing
phone cases
sockets
Handbags

this is less selection than cafepress, and the amazon merchandise really shines for apparel.

However, if you join the program, you can take advantage of Amazon’s existing traffic and prime shipping, which are two great advantages.

pros: You can take advantage of Amazon’s existing brand reputation and products are eligible for priority shipping.
Cons: You have to request approval to join.
Best For: Experienced capsule sellers looking to expand into amazon.
learn more: apply to join merch by amazon.

8. teepublic

teepublic is a slightly more premium print-on-demand marketplace that specializes in clothing.

and unlike most websites like cafepress, teepublic sets the same prices for a large number of products.

this helps limit price competition between sellers, and since products are a bit more expensive on teepublic, you typically make a few dollars per sale, which is more than most pod sites.

teepublic also has a catalog of about 70 products and gets a few million monthly visitors, so it’s a healthy market with a decent sized audience.

ultimately, if you want to make more money per sale, I’d try teepublic instead of cafepress, especially if you’re selling clothes!

pros: higher margins per sale and high quality products.
Cons: You have no control over most of your prices.
best for: Print-on-demand vendors who specialize in apparel.
learn more: start making money with teepublic.

tips for choosing a cafepress alternative

As mentioned, there are many options for capsules, which can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to sell them.

but choosing the right site that’s similar to cafepress doesn’t have to be rocket science.

here are some tips to help you with the decision-making process:

consider control: If you want more creative control over your website, options like printify or sellfy are the best cafepress alternatives. Conversely, if you only want to upload your designs to one marketplace, you can try redbubble, zazzle, or any combination of marketplace websites.
Niche Down: If you’re having a hard time getting sales on cafepress, you can always try narrowing down your niche if your designs are all over the place. many successful capsule sellers operate multiple stores, with each store focusing on a specific theme or design niche.
diversification is good: there are many sites similar to cafepress, so why not take advantage of this fact? You can post your designs on multiple platforms to see where you get the most sales.

Personally, I’ve spent the most time experimenting with printify and sellfy, but then again, you can always try various options to see what works best for your business. .

final thoughts

I hope this list of sites like cafepress helps you speed up your print-on-demand business and ultimately make you more money each month.

pod is great because it eventually allows you to earn passive income, and the income ceiling is incredibly high.

just remember that many successful pod sellers upload dozens or hundreds of designs before generating any significant revenue, so don’t be discouraged if your first few designs don’t catch on right away.

good luck in your capsule sales efforts!

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