Choosing Where to Sell: Platforms vs Store

Deciding between the ease of marketplaces and the control of your own branded website.

One of the most consequential decisions you will make in your print-on-demand journey is where your products will "live" on the internet. This choice of platform selection will dictate your profit margins, your workload, and your level of control over the customer experience. There are two primary paths: working within existing marketplaces or building your own independent branded store. This chapter will break down the pros and cons of each to help you choose the right home for your designs.

1. Marketplaces: High traffic, low control

Marketplaces like Amazon Merch on Demand, Redbubble, and TeePublic are the ultimate entry-level friendly options. They operate on a simple model: they provide the shoppers, and you provide the art.

The pros: Built-in discovery

The primary benefit of a marketplace is the built-in search traffic. Amazon and Redbubble already have millions of active shoppers who are looking to buy. If you upload a design for a "Funny Shiba Inu Hiker," and someone searches for those terms, your product could appear in the search results without you spending a single cent on advertising. They handle the hosting, the payment processing, and the customer service.

The cons: Low margins and zero data

The trade-off for this convenience is steep. Marketplaces take a massive cut of every sale. You might only earn a $2 to $5 royalty on a shirt that sells for $20. More importantly, you do not "own" the customer. You cannot capture their email address, you cannot retarget them with ads, and you cannot build a long-term relationship. On a marketplace, the customer belongs to the platform, not to you.

2. Branded stores: High control, high responsibility

The second path involves building your own store using a platform like Shopify or Etsy and connecting it to a backend production partner like Printful or Printify.

The pros: Maximum profit and ownership

When you run your own store, you set the prices. If you want to sell a premium organic t-shirt for $40, you can. After paying the production cost of $15, you keep $25. Furthermore, every person who buys from you becomes a valuable asset. You can build an email list, launch loyalty programs, and create a brand identity that exists outside of a generic search result. A customer who buys three times from your personal store is worth more than 50 one-time buyers on a marketplace.

The cons: The "Desert Island" problem

The biggest challenge of an independent store is that nobody knows it exists. It is like opening a beautiful boutique on a deserted island. To make a single sale, you must build the "bridge" that brings people to the island. This requires active marketing—whether through social media, SEO, or paid ads (like Facebook or Instagram ads). If you aren't prepared to spend time or money on marketing, an independent store will be a very lonely place.

Choosing the right partner: Fulfillment speed and quality

Regardless of where you sell, the "engine" behind your store is your print-on-demand provider. You are entrusting them with your brand's reputation. If they ship a blurry design or a low-quality shirt, the customer will blame you, not the provider.

When evaluating providers like Gelato or Gooten, look at three metrics:

Production Speed: How many days does it take from the moment an order is placed to the moment it leaves the warehouse? (Aim for 2-4 days).
Product Selection: Do they offer the specific blank products your niche wants (e.g., oversized hoodies, recycled t-shirts)?
Global Routing: Do they have printing facilities in the countries where your customers live? This reduces shipping costs and delivery times significantly.

The hybrid approach: A multi-channel strategy

Many of the most successful POD entrepreneurs don't choose one over the other; they use a "multi-channel" approach.

The Marketplace "Test": They use Redbubble or Amazon Merch as a testing ground. They upload dozens of designs to see what sticks.
The Branded "Scale": Once a design proves it has high demand, they move it over to their Shopify store, build a dedicated brand around it, and start scaling with social media marketing.

This hybrid model allows you to enjoy the passive discovery of marketplaces while still building the long-term equity of your own branded website.

Summary Checklist for Platform Selection

Ask yourself these three questions before picking your path:

Do I have a marketing budget or a social media following? If NO, start with marketplaces.
Is my niche large enough to support a dedicated brand? If YES, build a Shopify store.
Am I focused on quick experimentation or long-term growth? Marketplaces are for speed; independent stores are for legacy.

In the next chapter, we will discuss marketing and automation—how to drive traffic to your store and set up systems so the business runs with minimal daily effort.