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 POD marketplaces or companies that let you create and sell POD products from your own online store.
And, one of the oldest and most well-known companies in the print on demand world is CafePress.
CafePress began in 1999 and lets you upload your designs to hundreds of products you can sell.
However, there are lots of other companies like CafePress, and you can likely make more money with some CafePress alternatives and expand your POD business.
So today, I'm covering the best sites like CafePress you can use to take your POD business to the next level!
The Best Sites Like CafePress
Some CafePress competitors are massive marketplaces where you can sell your designs to an existing audience.
In contrast, some of the best websites like CafePress are actual POD companies that let you make money online by selling products on your own website or blog.
When picking the right POD provider for you, first decide if you prefer selling on a marketplace or your own standalone 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 for you, you can choose the right alternative to CafePress to power your side hustle.
1. Sellfy
If you want to run your own ecommerce store and have control, one of the best CafePress alternative out there is Sellfy.
The advantage to selling with Sellfy instead of CafePress is that you have more control over your online store and brand.
Sellfy is a standalone ecommerce platform, and it also lets you upload designs to POD products like:
- Apparel
- Bags
- Mugs
- Phone cases
- Posters
- Stickers
This is a smaller POD catalogue than CafePress, but Sellfy also lets you sell digital products, physical products, and charge for subscriptions.
Using Sellfy is also very intuitive, and you can launch a store in about 5 minutes. I played around with the POD editor and store design tool and found both to be very user-friendly.
Plus, there's a free plan that covers up to 10 products, and other Sellfy plans start at just $29 per month.
You don't pay transaction fees either, so I think artist margins are some of the highest when you sell on Sellfy.
I've also used and tested Sellfy myself as an alternative to CafePress, and the drag-and-drop store builder is very easy to use. Overall, 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 complete control over your POD business.
- Cons: You have to attract buyers.
- Best For: People who want to run their own online business and brand.
- Learn More: Start your own store on Sellfy in just 5 minutes!
2. Redbubble
Redbubble is one of the most popular sites like CafePress, and this Australian-based company began 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 Redbubble shop is free.
From there, you can upload your POD designs to products like:
- Apparel
- Accessories
- Artwork
- Hats
- Mugs
- Phone cases
- Pillows
- Socks
- Stationary
- Stickers
The Redbubble design tool is pretty simple, and once you upload a design, you pick the products you want to sell on your storefront.
Redbubble's default artist margin is 20% but you can tweak this to be higher or lower depending 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 most popular alternatives to CafePress, and it certainly has a more modern design and is easier to use.
- Pros: Massive online marketplace and product variety.
- Cons: Very competitive for new sellers.
- Best For: POD sellers who want to maximize exposure.
- Learn More: Start selling on Redbubble.
- Extra Reading: How To Make Money On Redbubble – The Ultimate Guide.
3. Printify + Etsy
If you want more control over building your brand, selling Printify products through Etsy is better than CafePress.
Printify is a POD company that lets you upload your designs to dozens of different products, just like CafePress.
However, unlike CafePress, Printify lets you integrate your POD products on your own website or marketplaces like Etsy.
This is actually what I experimented with for one of my college side hustles where I tried to make money with memes by selling funny mugs.
What's cool about Printify is that you have more control over where you're selling.
For example, Etsy is just one sales channel, but nothing stops you from also launching a Shopify store and selling your POD merchandise there as well.
In terms of Printify products, options include:
- Apparel (quite a bit of selection)
- Artwork
- Bags
- Home and living products
- Mouse pads
- Phone cases
- Stickers
- Towels
Printify is also free if you run up to five stores, and you can set your own margins wherever you sell to turn a profit per sale.
- Pros: Gives you control over where you sell and can yield higher margins.
- Cons: You have to grow your audience if you sell on your own store and not somewhere like Etsy.
- Best For: Serious POD sellers who want more creative and brand control.
- Learn More: Start making money with Printify!
4. Zazzle
Zazzle is another popular website like CafePress where you can sell POD products to a marketplace 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:
- Artwork
- Business cards
- Clothing
- Face masks
- Notebooks
- Phone cases
- Stationary
- Stickers
- Tote bags
You get to set your margin as well, and Zazzle also lets you make money as a Zazzle affiliate or manufacturing partner.
Overall, it's an incredibly flexible POD marketplace, and its monthly traffic usually surpasses CafePress so there are more monthly buyers.
- Pros: Large audience and in-depth product catalogue.
- Cons: Margins can be low like CafePress.
- Best For: Print on demand sellers who want to access a large marketplace.
- Learn More: Start selling on Zazzle.
- Extra Reading: The Best Sites Like Zazzle.
5. Society6
Like CafePress, Society6 is another popular POD marketplace where artists can make 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 decor
- Office products
- Stickers
Society6 also gets a few million visitors per month, so while it's not as large as Redbubble or Zazzle, it still has decent sales volume.
Your margins can be lower than a lot of sites like CafePress, which is a downside.
This is because Society6 pays artists 10% royalties on many product categories, so you can only set your prices for art and canvas prints.
But, Society6 is still a nice CafePress alternative, and there's no harm in listing your designs on several marketplaces to maximize exposure.
Society6 also pays you monthly in PayPal cash, and transactions take around 30 days to clear and actually deposit in your account.
- Pros: Decent product variety and popular for artwork and prints.
- Cons: Lower margins on a lot of products other than artwork.
- Best For: Anyone who wants to sell art prints, canvas prints, and stickers.
- Learn More: Start selling on Society6.
- Extra Reading: The Best Sites Like Society6.
6. Teespring (Spring)
If you have a strong social media following, Teespring is one of the best CafePress alternatives you can try.
Teespring, now rebranded as Spring, lets you sell a variety of POD products through your own storefront or through social media.
That's right: creators can integrate their Spring products on platforms like:
- Twitch.tv
- YouTube
Plus, product variety isn't bad on Spring, and you can sell over 180 physical products or digital products to your fans.
Spring custom storefronts are also rather sleek, and overall, this is a better choice than CafePress if you want to leverage your social media following.
Selling on Spring is also free and you set your own margins.
- Pros: Integrates with social media channels so you can leverage your following.
- Cons: Not as beginner-friendly for first-time POD sellers.
- Best For: Anyone with a strong social media following.
- Learn More: Learn more about Spring.
- Extra Reading: The Best Sites Like Teespring.
7. Merch By Amazon
If you want to make money with Amazon, selling your print-on-demand designs through Merch by Amazon could be the right choice.
You have to request access to join Merch by Amazon, but the obvious perk of this program is that you're selling your products on Amazon's massive marketplace.
You get to set your own list pricing, and Merch by Amazon products are also prime-eligible, so you have a competitive edge when it comes to shipping compared to CafePress.
In terms of what you can sell, Merch by Amazon products include:
- Apparel
- Phone cases
- PopSockets
- Tote bags
This is less selection than CafePress, and Merch by Amazon really shines for apparel.
However, if you get into the program, you can take advantage of Amazon's existing traffic and Prime shipping, which are two huge perks.
- Pros: You get to leverage Amazon's existing brand reputation and products are eligible for Prime shipping.
- Cons: You have to request approval to join.
- Best For: Experienced POD sellers who want to expand to Amazon.
- Learn More: Apply to join Merch by Amazon.
8. Teepublic
Teepublic is a slightly more premium print on demand marketplace that specializes in apparel.
And, unlike most websites like CafePress, Teepublic sets the same prices for a lot of merchandise.
This helps limit pricing competition between sellers, and since products are slightly more expensive on Teepublic, you usually earn a few dollars per sale which is more than most POD sites.
Teepublic also has a catalog of roughly 70 products and gets a few million monthly visitors, so it's a healthy marketplace with a decently sized audience.
Ultimately, if you want to make more money per sale, I'd try Teepublic over CafePress, especially if you're selling apparel!
- Pros: Higher margins per sale and high-quality products.
- Cons: You don't have control over most of your pricing.
- Best For: Print on demand sellers who specialize in apparel.
- Learn More: Start making money with Teepublic.
Tips For Choosing A CafePress Alternative
As mentioned, there are lots of POD options out there, which can be overwhelming if you're figuring out where to sell.
But, choosing the right site that's similar to CafePress doesn't have to be rocket science.
Here are a few 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. In contrast, if you just want to upload your designs to a marketplace, you can try Redbubble, Zazzle, or any combo of marketplace websites.
- Niche-Down: If you're struggling to get sales on CafePress, you can always try narrowing your niche if your designs are all over the place. A lot of successful POD sellers run multiple stores, with each store focusing on a specific design theme or niche.
- Diversification Is Okay: There are lots of sites similar to CafePress, so why not take advantage of this fact? You can list 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 again, you can always try several options to see what works best for your business.
Final Thoughts
I hope this list of sites like CafePress helps you accelerate your print on demand business and ultimately make more money each month.
POD is cool because it eventually lets you 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 meaningful revenue, so don't be discouraged if your first designs don't catch on immediately.
Best of luck in your POD selling efforts!
Looking for more ways to make money online? Checkout:
- How To Make & Sell Digital Stickers.
- Mercari vs eBay – What's Best For Sellers?