Hey guys, I’m back with another comparison post about selling your art on POD (Print on Demand) websites!
This time I’m comparing 2 popular websites I sell my artwork on, Society6 and Redbubble. I’ve broken down my comparison into sections to make it easier to compare and hopefully find what you’re looking for more easily.
So read on to learn more about selling your art on POD websites and find out which one might work best for you!
Store Front
As of this time, I prefer Rebubble’s store front. Store fronts are easily customized with a header, profile photo, bio, optional journal entries, and collections. Your latest art works are also shown this page.
On the design page you will see the default product you chose when uploading the artwork, and below that is a button to show which other products are available. You can also see reviews (of the product, not your art) and comments people have left you. [Pro tip – leaving comments is a great way to connect with other Redbubble artists!]
You can also “like” designs and “follow” other artists on both websites, which I recommend doing.
Society6 has recently updated their store front. Right now (as of April 2019), you can click on edit shop then choose “Sort By” and then choose either Random, New or Popular. I recommend choosing “Random” so it shows a good assortment of your products and designs.
You can also customize your store front with a banner and a logo or profile image.
Audience
Both Society6 and Redbubble cater towards a young, hip, and trendy audience. Think festival gear, college dorm or first apartment decor, stickers, and unique accessories. Trendy pattern designs and sayings are popular on both websites.
The audience on Redbubble seems to be slightly younger than Society6 as they focus more on stickers which are popular with teenagers and young adults. However, Society6 recently introduced stickers too which are gaining in popularity.
Overall I think the target audience for both of these sites are young adults (20s and 30s) and their parents buying gifts for them.
Ease of Upload
Redbubble’s uploading tool is the easiest of the POD sites I’ve tried.
It’s great because you can upload your main design and then customize it for each product type. There are options for tiling the image (to create a pattern), or you can replace the image entirely if neither of those options work.
You can also change the background colour on Redbubble, which is handy when working with designs that have a transparent background.
As of April 2019 you can now “copy” the settings of an existing design to make uploading a similar design even easier!
Society6 has also recently updated their uploading tool to make it more like Redbubble’s, which is great. However, it still has a few issues and lacks tools like tiling or the ability to change the background colour. It’s not a big issue – you just have to adjust your image accordingly. Also, transparent (png) images don’t work well except for stickers.
In general, both are pretty easy to upload but Redbubble has the edge in my opinion.
Products
In terms of products, both offer a similar range which includes apparel, electronics cases, and home decor items. The prices are about the same as other online POD stores and they often run 20% off or other similar promotions.
Redbubble has some unique products that are not on Society6, such as mini skirts, dresses and scarves among others.
Society6 also has unique products such as furniture and yoga mats.
The quality is pretty good on both sites and varies depending on the product.
I have a really nice tapestry from Society6 that I used as a bed sheet in the warmer months. Friends have purchased mugs and beach towels and were very happy with what they received. T-shirts and hoodies can be hit or miss.
Both websites add new types of products from time to time so look out for that.
Earnings and Payment
Redbubble earnings are paid automatically around the 15th of every month (to Paypal, or direct deposit), and there is a $20 minimum threshold.
Similarly, Society6 pays automatically to Paypal, with whatever balance you have on the 1st of every month.
Both are reliable and I haven’t had any issues getting paid from either.
Marketing
The folks at Redbubble and Society6 are pretty good at marketing and driving traffic to their respective sites, so it’s mostly a matter of getting your own designs out there (which is easier said than done).
Check out my post on Social Media Marketing Tips for Artists to learn more about marketing your designs.
Most products have nice display images that you can screenshot and use for your own marketing initiatives. You can also find some nice promotional tools on the Redbubble blog, such as fun templates like this one:
Society6 also has a curator link on each product page, so you can receive extra royalty not only on your own products but other’s as well!
Another nice thing that Society6 does is they will send an email out before a sale so you can prepare, and they provide you with an overlay to create your ads. Usually it’s just text containing the discount and promo code so you can layer it over or within your own images.
Example:
Shipping
Redbubble and Society6 both have reasonable shipping costs which varies depending on the product and package weight.
Redbubble has headquarters located in San Francisco (U.S.) and Melbourne (Australia) so the products are shipped from one of those areas depending on your location. Also, you get a free sticker with purchase and their packaging is super cute.
Society6’s headquarters is also in California but some products are manufactured in different locations within the U.S., so you might get multiple packages. Sometimes they offer free shipping worldwide promotions.
Shipping from both stores is pretty quick, and you can choose a faster shipping method if required.
Note: Some products take longer to manufacture than others so it could take longer to ship and receive!
Summary
Both Society6 and Redbubble are great options for selling your artwork online, but overall I prefer Redbubble!
However, both have great things to offer and it all depends on what you feel comfortable with and works with your art style.
Personally, I use both because, as they say, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket 😉
Want to learn more about selling your art online? Here are some more great posts to check out!
