Unveiling the Champions: Does Redbubble or Etsy Win the Race for Sellers?

CONVERSATIONAL BUSINESS GUIDE
Online Selling: Redbubble or Etsy – Which one should you choose?
Edited by
Lorraine Smithills
Last Updated:
June 26, 2022

Do you want to make some money from your awesome design skills or your wicked creative streak? You might’ve thought about starting a business where you sell your own designs or digital downloadable products. But where should you set up shop, Redbubble or Etsy?

Here, I’m gonna help you figure out which platform suits your needs best.

Let’s compare:

1. Redbubble Basics:
Redbubble is all about selling your designs on t-shirts, posters, stickers, and the like. You just upload your designs and then visitors to the site can choose to print them on various products. It’s relatively hands-off business as they take care of printing and shipping. Though, you may make a bit less money than with some other platforms because of Redbubble taking a chunk for fees and other costs, it can be a more passive business model.

2. Etsy Basics:
Etsy is an online platform where you can sell handmade, vintage, and digital goods. It allows for more personalization as you can customize your shop’s look. As a seller, you’ll need to manage listings and deal with customer issues directly. It takes a bit more activity, but has potential for bigger earnings. You can sell print-on-demand products, similar to Redbubble, but you’ll have to find your own supplier because Etsy doesn’t offer this service.

Both platforms let you view details such as popular products, earnings over time, traffic sources etc., through their dashboards. They also offer affiliate programs to earn extra cash.

3. Fees and Pricing:
Redbubble doesn’t charge you anything to join the platform and sell your artwork. They just deduct their costs from your sales. Etsy, on the other hand, charges a small fee per item listed, and a 5% transaction fee when the item sells. If you want more features, there’s an Etsy Plus plan which means you pay more but get extras like a free web address, more listings and promotional credits.

4. Which one suits you?
Think of Redbubble as a “set-it-and-forget-it” kinda platform. You just upload and set your prices, then they handle everything else. Etsy, however, is more like your typical online shop. You’ll deal with product creation, shipping, and customer interactions but there’s opportunity for bigger profit.

Your decision will depend on what you want out of your business. If you’d rather let someone else handle the business bits while you focus on creating, Redbubble would work. But if you like managing the ins and outs of a traditional online shop, then Etsy is the way to go.

Both have pros and cons, and it’s totally free to set up on either platform (except for Etsy’s listing fees). So, why not take each for a spin and see which one you like better? You could even start with Redbubble, and once you’ve made some money, transfer your best-selling designs to an Etsy store for bigger profits.

I hope this guide has helped you understand a bit better about Redbubble and Etsy and given you some insight into which one might work best for your future creative business venture.