Reports › Idea report #004 · Print on demand

Selling your designs on print-on-demand marketplaces

T-shirts, stickers and mugs printed and shipped by someone else

Published 2026-10-20 · research as of 2026-10 · free preview + paid full report. No income is guaranteed; figures marked “estimate” are the author's estimates from public data.

The idea

You upload original artwork and slogans; a print-on-demand marketplace puts them on T-shirts, stickers, mugs and posters, handles the storefront, printing, shipping and customer service, and pays you a margin or royalty on each sale. You never hold stock.

Why it works

• Zero inventory risk: products are made only after a customer orders.
• Transparent margins on Redbubble: you set a markup on the base price (default 10%). Redbubble's example: $20 base T-shirt with 20% markup → $4 artist margin.
• Marketplaces bring their own buyers, so one design can sell on dozens of product types without extra work.
• Amazon Merch on Demand pays a royalty from list price minus Amazon's costs, with higher-rate groups since Jun 2026 for creators who drive outside traffic.

First steps

1. Choose evergreen micro-niches you understand (a hobby, profession or pastime) – not trending brands or characters.
2. Make 20 original text- or illustration-based designs in a free tool, sized for the platform's templates.
3. Open a Redbubble shop and apply to Amazon Merch on Demand; upload with specific titles and tags.

Key sources

• Redbubble: how is my payment calculated
• Redbubble: platform fee
• Redbubble: account tiers & fees (2025)

General information only — not investment, tax or legal advice. Platform fees and policies may change after the research date; check the official pages before acting. No affiliate relationship with Redbubble or Amazon.

← All idea reports