What is Redbubble?
Redbubble is a print-on-demand marketplace that allows artists and photographers to upload their work in order to have it printed on a wide variety of products.
Think of RB as a one-stop-shop for the best of the internet’s artistic creations.
It’s a massive online marketplace where you can find art, clothing, and home decor from over 800,000 independent artists from around the world.
The site launched in 2006 in Melbourne, Australia, and has since grown to become one of the largest places, with over 4,000,000 unique customers making a purchase on the marketplace annually.
Redbubble offers a wide variety of products that are printed and shipped by their partners when they are ordered so you don’t have to stock any inventory or worry about shipping yourself.
How Does Redbubble Work?
In terms of functionality, the entire process is remarkably straightforward. You upload your work, choose your products, tweak designs to fit, set the pricing, and publish your products.
From there, Redbubble then handles pretty much everything else for you. They’ll take care of printing your designs on items like t-shirts, mugs, phone cases, canvases, stickers, and more.
Once an item has been purchased by a customer (and marked as such), Redbubble will produce the product and ship it out themselves as well. If the customer has any issues with their product (such as damages during shipping or an incorrect item being delivered), Redbubble handles those concerns as well.
How Much Do You Make on Redbubble Per Order?
After deducting their fees and production costs, Redbubble has artists making about 20% per sale. They do offer price markup, meaning you can earn more.
To therefore make a decent earning from the platform, you need to make dozens of sales each month, since most items sell for under $30.
Redbubble Payments
This site starts processing payments on the 15th of each month. To receive payments you need to have valid payment details such as PayPal ID or bank details.
Also, RB has a minimum threshold of $20. If you don’t hit this amount, then your payment cycle will be rolled over.
What Can You Sell on RebBubble?
Almost anything can be fulfilled through POD.
Currently, their catalog consists of 66 product types including wall art, clothing and accessories, stationery, pillows, duvets, gifts, bags, laptop skins, mugs, phone cases, and totes.
As with any platform that allows you to make money with your artistic creations, you need to bring your “A-game” when it comes to the quality of the product images you upload.
Your creative skills are key because only the products that are selling well will continue to feature prominently in the marketplace (so if you want long-term success as a seller then you need to work on bringing out your inner Picasso).
Redbubble Pros
When you sell with Redbubble, you don’t need to worry about paying any upfront costs or printing your own inventory. This means that both the overhead and the hassle are greatly reduced for you.
However, perhaps the best part about selling on Redbubble is that they take care of all the little details for you: printing, packaging, and even managing your online store. All you need to worry about is creating great designs that will sell!
Redbubble Cons
While Redbubble is a great way to get your art in front of a large audience, the company does take a huge cut of your sales.
Additionally, the company only allows sellers to tag their artwork and upload it onto their marketplace. Selling products with your art on them is not allowed outside of Redbubble’s offerings.
Redbubble Product Quality: Hits and Misses
Redbubble products are, in general, of high quality. The company prints designs onto a wide range of products, including:
- T-shirts and other apparel
- Stickers
- Posters and wall art
- Phone cases and phone skins
- Bags, pillows, and bedding
- Stationery and greeting cards
The most common complaint we’ve seen from Redbubble customers is that the color accuracy varies between products. Prints often come in high quality while items like mugs, not so much.
If you gonna commit to selling POD, through Redbubble, then it may be crucial to order sample products before investing time and money promoting a listing that would result in lots of refunds, and low ratings,
Redbubble Complaints by Sellers
There are a lot of reasons artists choose one marketplace over another. This is not to say that Redbubble is bad, but simply that it’s not a good fit for everyone. Some sellers have complained about the following:
| Fraudulent claims of copyright infringement may lead to the closure of your shop |
| The pricing model lacks transparency |
| The marketplace is oversaturated |
| The seller app feels outdated |
| Customers have complained of receiving unwarranted email promotions |
| They don’t have a good customer support system |
| Customers have complained of not receiving their items |
Best Redbubble Alternatives
If Redbubble’s model isn’t for you, we have a few other options to consider.
The first is Amazon Merch– they offer an easy way of selling your designs on t-shirts, but it can be hard to get accepted and you need to have the right amount of designs available before applying.
Etsy is another option- you can design clothing, bags, and printables in addition to digital items like clipart and illustrations.
Shopify is a winner if you want to sell your own products directly from your website, but it might work best if you already have an established website with traffic.
Finally, there are some alternative platforms that use the Print on Demand models like Society6, Zazzle or CafePress, or Teespring.
Redbubble Reviews: Our Verdict
Redbubble is a fantastic platform, but there are some downsides to consider. It’s likely a good fit for most artists, but it’s not perfect:
Your profits may be quite low, particularly if you’re selling lower-priced items
The copyright infringement process can be difficult and lengthy, even though they do take the issue seriously
You may have to wait a long time to get paid (which means you might need working capital)
If you decide that Redbubble isn’t right for you, there are many other great platforms available.
A print-on-demand service like Society6 or Printful might be more fitting for your needs. Another option is to sell directly from your own website using a platform like Shopify. They provide an easy-to-use setup to design your own storefront.
Redbubble FAQs
Is Redbubble Legit?
Yes. Redbubble is a legit company with over 800,000 artists selling their creations through the platform, and over 4000,000 unique customers making a purchase through RB every year
How Much Percentage Does Redbubble Take?
As an artist, anything above the base price. If the base price is $25, and you set your markup at 50%, your artist margin will be $12.5 and the retail price will be $37.5. Setting higher markups may make your products more expensive for customers.
Does Redbubble Charge You to Sell?
Unlike sites like Etsy that charge listing fees, Redbubble is totally free to use. You can list tens or even hundreds of products without ever pulling up your credit card. Redbubble makes money only on the items sold.