Both Printful and CafePress are relatively similar on the surface. Both platforms allow merchants to sign up for a free account and immediately start adding designs to a variety of different products.
Both platforms have built-in design tools so you can see how your items will look before you start selling them. Plus, as POD solutions, Printful and CafePress handle a lot of the hard work of running a store for you.
Once you set up an account, all you really have to worry about is choosing attractive office 365 data designs, adding them to different products, and promoting your items to customers.
Once you have your products, you can use one of Printful’s native integrations with an e-commerce platform or marketplace to list your items for sale. Native integrations ensure that you can automatically send any order information directly to your print supplier. Printful will then manufacture your products for you, and you pay for the cost of the items, customization, and shipping.
You also get 100% of the money you make from selling Printful products, although you have to factor manufacturing and shipping costs into your profit margin.
With CafePress, you create a storefront on the CafePress marketplace and sell directly on the platform without integrating anything. Whenever you make a sale, you earn royalties, which are paid out via PayPal or check within 60 days.
You can choose to earn money directly (5-10% of the selling price of your products), or you can use the credit you earn as “CafeCash” to pay for goods on the platform.
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Printful vs CafePress: Features and Ease of Use
Printful and CafePress have a lot of overlapping features. Both tools have their own design solutions that help you add unique components to a range of products, such as clothing and accessories. They also both include design templates and guidelines to help you get the most out of your business.
With both platforms, you’ll also be responsible for promoting your products yourself. However, with CafePress, your designs will appear directly on the platform’s marketplace, giving you immediate access to a wide range of potential buyers, while with Printful, you list your products on your own store. Where Printful and CafePress really excel is in their sales channel options.
You can use the Printful API to integrate with virtually any ecommerce platform, from Shopify to Amazon, BigCommerce, Ebay, and more. You can also sell on social platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Printful also offers the ability to pre-order and store your best-selling items in Printful warehouses, ensuring you can provide same-day fulfillment options to your customers. Bulk orders also come with discounts of up to 55%, which can be ideal for high-volume sellers.
In terms of simplicity, both platforms are fairly easy to use. However, it’s worth noting that you’re responsible for managing your own ecommerce platforms and Printful sales channels. You’ll need to create an ecommerce store or marketplace storefront before you can start selling. With CafePress, you can bypass that process and start selling right away.