A common question is how print on demand actually works if a seller already has a presence on Etsy, Amazon, or Shopify, or is deciding between those and a dedicated platform. The short answer is that these are different layers of the same idea: somewhere to list products, and something to print and ship them. Here is how each option actually compares.
Marketplaces bring built-in shopper traffic, which is their main advantage. In exchange, they charge listing fees, transaction fees, and often payment processing fees on top of each sale. The marketplace also owns the customer relationship to a large degree; a seller cannot always see or market to their own buyers directly, and the marketplace's search algorithm decides how visible a listing is.
A website builder gives a seller their own branded domain and full control over the storefront, but print on demand is not built in. It requires connecting a separate app or service, paying the website builder's own monthly plan on top, and maintaining that integration over time. The seller owns the customer data and the brand, but carries more setup and maintenance work.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.| Marketplace (Etsy/Amazon) | Website builder + separate app | Bear Grips Pro Shop | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storefront | Shared marketplace listing | Build it yourself | Built in, branded URL |
| Listing/platform fees | Yes, per sale | Monthly hosting plus app cost | Free plan available, $0/mo |
| Owns customer relationship | Partially | Yes | Yes |
| Affiliate program built in | No | No | Yes |
The tradeoff is straightforward: a marketplace brings traffic but takes fees and control, a website builder gives control but requires more setup, and a dedicated shop gives a branded storefront without the separate integration to build.
Bear Grips Pro Shops is built around US printing and free US shipping to the buyer. A seller based outside the US can still open a shop and sell to US-based customers; sellers whose entire audience is outside the US should weigh shipping logistics before choosing any platform.
A seller who wants to skip both the marketplace fee structure and the DIY website setup gets the most value from a platform that already comes with a built storefront. Open a free Pro Shop to compare the setup directly against a marketplace listing.
A branded storefront comes built in. Free to start, no separate website or integration to configure.
Start FreeThose marketplaces do host print on demand sellers, but it comes with listing and transaction fees and shared control over the customer relationship.
No. A dedicated Pro Shop comes with its own branded storefront, so there is no need to set up or pay for a separate website builder.
Generally, a platform with a free plan and no per-sale marketplace fee keeps more of the margin with the seller, though base item price still applies everywhere.
Many sellers do use multiple channels, but each one requires its own setup and comes with its own fee structure to track.
Bear Grips Pro Shops