Redbubble Profit Calculator
Calculate your Redbubble artist earnings for t-shirts, stickers, mugs, and more. Set your markup percentage and track advertising performance (ROAS/ACOS).
Product Details
Redbubble sets the base price for each product type
Your percentage on top of Redbubble's base price (20% recommended)
Account tier affects platform fee percentage (Sept 2025 update)
How Redbubble Pricing Works
Redbubble sets the base price (product cost + their fee). You set the artist markup percentage. Customer pays: Base Price + (Base Price × Markup %). Platform fees apply to your margin based on account tier.
Your Redbubble Earnings
Profitable
Net Profit: $0
Your 20% markup is generating positive returns after platform fees.
Retail Price
$0
What customer pays
Net Profit
$0
Your earnings after fees
Profit Margin
0.0%
Excellent
Effective Fee Rate
0.0%
Total fees / margin
Detailed Breakdown
Cost Breakdown
Customer pays $24.00 = Redbubble base $20.00 + Your margin $4.00
Understanding Redbubble Profit: Complete Guide to Artist Margins and Earnings
What is Redbubble?
Redbubble is a print-on-demand marketplace where independent artists sell their designs on 100+ products including apparel, home decor, stickers, and accessories. Unlike Printify or Printful, Redbubble is a marketplace platform where customers discover and purchase products directly from the Redbubble website.
Artists upload designs and set their own markup percentage (artist margin) on top of Redbubble's base prices. Redbubble handles everything: product manufacturing, order fulfillment, customer service, payment processing, and marketplace traffic. Artists simply create designs and earn a margin on each sale.
The trade-off is control vs convenience. You don't control the customer relationship or have your own branded store, but you also don't handle any logistics or customer support. It's ideal for artists who want to focus purely on design rather than running an e-commerce business.
How Redbubble Pricing Works
Redbubble uses a simple markup model. Every product has a base price set by Redbubble that covers manufacturing costs, fulfillment, and their platform fee. You set your artist margin as a percentage on top of that base price:
Pricing Formula
- •Base Price: Set by Redbubble for each product (e.g., Classic T-Shirt = $15.60)
- •Artist Margin: Your percentage markup (you choose, typically 20-40%)
- •Artist Markup Amount: Base Price × Artist Margin
- •Customer Price: Base Price + Artist Markup Amount
Example: T-shirt with $15.60 base price and 25% artist margin → Customer pays $19.50, you earn $3.90 per sale
Choosing Your Artist Margin
Your artist margin is the most important decision impacting your profitability. Set it too low and you barely profit. Set it too high and you price yourself out of sales. Here's how to find the sweet spot:
Margin Guidelines by Strategy
- •15-20% (Low Margin): Competitive pricing strategy. Good for highly competitive niches or simple designs. Volume-focused approach requiring high sales to profit.
- •25-35% (Standard Margin): Balanced approach most successful Redbubble artists use. Competitive enough for sales while providing decent earnings per item.
- •40-50% (Premium Margin): High-value strategy for unique, niche designs with strong appeal. Requires excellent design quality and specific target audiences.
- •50%+ (Luxury Margin): Only works for exceptional designs with cult followings or very specific niches where customers value uniqueness over price.
Margin Optimization Strategy
Start with 25% margin as your baseline, then test and adjust based on performance:
- •Test Higher First: It's easier to lower prices than raise them. Start at 30-35% and reduce if sales are slow.
- •Vary by Product: Use higher margins on stickers and low-cost items, moderate margins on apparel, competitive margins on commodity products.
- •Niche-Specific Pricing: Passionate niche communities (fandoms, hobbies, professions) often pay premium prices for designs that resonate.
- •Quality Over Volume: Don't compete on price alone. Unique, high-quality designs command higher margins than generic designs.
Redbubble vs Other Print-on-Demand Platforms
Understanding how Redbubble compares to Printify, Printful, and other platforms helps you decide where to invest your design efforts:
Redbubble Advantages
- •Built-in Marketplace Traffic: Redbubble has millions of monthly visitors discovering designs. No need to drive your own traffic or run ads.
- •Zero Upfront Costs: No monthly fees, no per-listing fees, no inventory costs. Completely free to start and scale.
- •Hands-Off Operation: Upload designs and Redbubble handles everything else. No customer service, no shipping logistics, no payment processing.
- •100+ Product Options: Upload once, sell on apparel, home decor, stickers, stationery, and accessories from a single design.
Redbubble Disadvantages
- •Lower Profit Margins: You only earn 15-40% of the customer price vs 40-60% with Printify/Printful if you drive your own traffic.
- •No Customer Data: Redbubble owns the customer relationship. You can't build an email list or retarget buyers.
- •High Competition: Marketplace means competing with millions of other designs. Standing out requires excellent SEO and unique designs.
- •No Branding: Products ship as "Redbubble" not your brand. Can't build a standalone brand identity.
- •Algorithm Dependency: Redbubble controls search rankings and featured placements. Algorithm changes can impact visibility.
Maximizing Redbubble Profits
Successful Redbubble artists focus on quality over quantity and optimize for the marketplace algorithm:
Profit Optimization Strategies
- •SEO is Everything: Redbubble is a search-driven marketplace. Use relevant titles, tags, and descriptions. Research trending keywords in your niche.
- •Niche Down: Target specific communities and interests rather than generic designs. Passionate niches convert better and accept higher margins.
- •Quality Over Quantity: 20 excellent designs outperform 200 mediocre ones. Focus on designs that solve problems or express identity.
- •Enable All Relevant Products: If your design works on t-shirts, it likely works on hoodies, stickers, mugs, etc. More products = more opportunities.
- •Promote Outside Redbubble: Drive external traffic from Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok. External sales improve your Redbubble ranking.
- •Monitor Bestsellers: Pay attention to what's selling in your niche. Adapt winning themes while maintaining originality.
Common Redbubble Profit Mistakes
Mistakes That Kill Profit
- •Margin Too Low: Setting 10-15% margins leaves almost nothing after Redbubble's cut. Aim for at least 25% on most products.
- •Poor SEO Optimization: Generic titles and tags mean your designs never get discovered. Spend time researching keywords.
- •Copyright Violations: Using copyrighted characters, logos, or phrases gets your account suspended. Original designs only.
- •Uploading and Forgetting: Successful artists promote their Redbubble designs on social media, Pinterest, and other channels.
- •Ignoring Trends: Design trends change. Monitor your niche and adapt to what's currently resonating with buyers.
- •Low-Quality Designs: Pixelated, poorly composed, or amateurish designs don't sell. Invest time in learning design fundamentals.
Final Thoughts
Redbubble offers one of the easiest entry points into print-on-demand selling. With zero upfront costs and built-in marketplace traffic, it's perfect for artists who want to monetize designs without running a full e-commerce business. The trade-off is lower margins compared to running your own store with Printify or Printful.
Use this calculator to experiment with artist margins before setting your prices. Most successful Redbubble artists use 25-35% margins as their baseline, adjusting higher for unique designs and niche markets. Don't compete on price alone - focus on creating designs that resonate with specific audiences.
Redbubble works best as part of a multi-platform strategy. Upload your designs to Redbubble for passive marketplace sales, while also selling through your own Shopify/Etsy stores using Printify for higher margins on promoted products. Diversification maximizes your earning potential while minimizing platform risk.
Additional Frequently Asked Questions
What artist margin should I use on Redbubble?
Most successful Redbubble artists use 25-35% margins as their baseline. Start with 25% for competitive niches and 30-40% for unique designs or specific target audiences. Avoid margins below 20% unless you're in an extremely competitive category - you'll barely profit. Test higher margins first (30-35%) and reduce if sales are slow, rather than starting low and raising prices later.
How much money can I make on Redbubble?
Earnings vary dramatically based on design quality, niche selection, and marketing effort. Beginners typically earn $50-200/month in their first year. Intermediate artists with 50-100 quality designs and good SEO earn $500-2,000/month. Top artists with large portfolios, strong niches, and external traffic can earn $5,000-15,000+/month. Success requires consistent uploads, SEO optimization, and promoting designs on social media - not just uploading and hoping for sales.
Does Redbubble have any fees for artists?
No, Redbubble is completely free for artists. There are no monthly fees, listing fees, transaction fees, or payment processing fees deducted from your earnings. You simply set your artist margin percentage, and that's exactly what you earn on each sale. Redbubble makes money from the base price (which covers their costs and profit), and you keep 100% of your artist markup amount. Payouts are via PayPal or Payoneer.
How long does it take to make your first sale on Redbubble?
First sales typically occur within 1-3 months for artists who optimize SEO and target specific niches. Generic designs with poor tags can take 6+ months or never sell. Speed to first sale depends on: design quality (unique vs generic), SEO optimization (specific vs vague tags), niche selection (passionate community vs oversaturated), and external promotion (social media traffic vs Redbubble-only). Upload 20-30 designs with excellent SEO before expecting consistent sales.
Is Redbubble passive income or does it require work?
Redbubble is semi-passive. The fulfillment is passive (Redbubble handles everything after upload), but generating sales requires active effort. Successful artists spend time on: creating high-quality designs, researching SEO keywords and tags, promoting on Pinterest/Instagram/TikTok, analyzing what sells and adapting, and uploading new designs regularly (trends change). After building a portfolio of 50-100 optimized designs, you can earn passive income from older designs while creating new ones.
Should I enable all products for my designs?
Enable all products where your design works well. More products = more opportunities for sales without extra work. A design that works on a t-shirt often works on hoodies, stickers, mugs, phone cases, and more. However, disable products where your design looks stretched, poorly positioned, or low-quality. Check preview mockups for each product type and disable any that don't look professional. Quality matters more than quantity of product options.
How does Redbubble compare to Etsy for selling designs?
Redbubble is easier to start (no fees, built-in traffic, zero customer service) but offers lower margins (15-40% vs 40-60% on Etsy with Printify). Etsy requires driving your own traffic, handling customer service, and paying listing fees ($0.20/listing) plus transaction fees (6.5%), but you control pricing and customer relationships. Use Redbubble for passive marketplace sales and Etsy for building a brand with external traffic. Many successful sellers use both platforms simultaneously.
Can I use the same designs on Redbubble and other platforms?
Yes, Redbubble allows you to sell the same designs on other platforms like Etsy, Shopify, Amazon Merch, TeePublic, and Society6. There's no exclusivity requirement. Most successful print-on-demand artists upload designs to 3-5 platforms simultaneously to maximize exposure and sales. This multi-platform strategy diversifies income and reduces platform risk. Just ensure your designs are original and you own the rights - don't upload copyrighted or trademarked content anywhere.
How important is SEO for Redbubble success?
SEO is absolutely critical for Redbubble success. 90%+ of sales come from Redbubble's internal search. Use specific, relevant keywords in your title, tags, and description. Research what customers search for in your niche using Redbubble's autocomplete and Google Keyword Planner. Avoid generic tags like "cool" or "awesome" - use specific niche terms your target audience searches for. Front-load important keywords in titles. Update SEO periodically based on performance and trend changes.
What are the most profitable product types on Redbubble?
Stickers offer the best profit-to-base-price ratio ($0.50-1.00 artist earnings on a $2.50 base = 20-40% effective margin). T-shirts are the highest volume seller ($3.90-5.46 earnings on $15.60 base at 25-35% margin). Hoodies offer high per-sale earnings ($7.98-11.17 on $31.91 base). Phone cases, art prints, and mugs convert well in specific niches. Focus on products with at least $2+ profit per sale unless you expect very high volume. Enable all relevant products for each design to maximize opportunities.
Can I promote my Redbubble designs on social media?
Yes, and you should! Successful Redbubble artists actively promote designs on Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, and niche Reddit communities. Pinterest is especially effective for Redbubble traffic - pin your designs with keywords your target audience searches for. Instagram works for building a following and directing to your shop. External traffic improves your Redbubble search ranking and generates sales beyond marketplace discovery. Don't just upload and wait - actively market your designs.
How do Redbubble payouts work?
Redbubble pays monthly via PayPal or Payoneer on the 15th of each month for sales from two months prior (e.g., January sales pay out mid-March). Minimum payout is $20. This 2-month delay accounts for returns and production time. You set your payment threshold ($20, $50, $100, etc.) and payment method in account settings. Track earnings in your Redbubble account dashboard. Note the payout delay when calculating cash flow - it takes 60-75 days from sale to payment.
Should I use Redbubble or create my own Shopify store?
Use both! Redbubble for passive marketplace sales (no marketing required, but lower margins) and Shopify with Printify for active sales (higher margins, but you drive traffic). Redbubble is ideal when starting (zero risk, zero costs) and for designs that sell via search discovery. Shopify is better once you have traffic sources (Instagram following, Pinterest audience, email list) and want to build a branded business. Most successful print-on-demand entrepreneurs use a multi-platform strategy to maximize income and reduce platform dependency.