Print on demand on Etsy works by linking a POD app to an Etsy shop. The app pushes a product listing to the shop automatically once a design is uploaded, and when a buyer orders, the app prints and ships the item while Etsy processes the payment and takes its cut. It is a real, working setup that many sellers use, and yes, it is allowed under Etsy policy as long as the listing discloses that the item is produced through a POD service. The part that catches new sellers off guard is the fee stack: Etsy charges its own listing and transaction fees on top of whatever the connected POD app charges per piece, so the final margin is thinner than the sticker price on either platform suggests on its own.
A seller creates an Etsy shop, then connects a print on demand app (Printify and Printful are the two most searched) through the Etsy app marketplace. The app syncs a product template, which the seller then decorates with a design and pushes live as an Etsy listing. When a buyer checks out on Etsy, the order routes to the POD app, which prints and ships the item under its own production timeline. Etsy handles the storefront, search visibility, and payment collection. The POD app handles printing and fulfillment. Two separate systems, two separate fee schedules, one order.
| Fee | What Etsy charges |
|---|---|
| Listing fee | $0.20 per item, active for 4 months or until it sells |
| Transaction fee | 6.5% of the item price plus shipping and any gift wrap charge |
| Payment processing fee | Around 3% plus $0.25 per order in the US (varies by country) |
| Offsite Ads fee | 12-15% of the order total, mandatory for shops over $10,000 in trailing 12-month sales, optional under that |
None of that includes what the connected POD app charges for the blank, the print, and shipping. That is a separate line the seller pays on top.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.Take a $28 tee. Etsy takes roughly $2.02 in transaction and processing fees plus the $0.20 listing fee, so about $2.22 off the top before the POD app is even paid. If the connected app charges $14 to print and ship that same tee, the seller nets around $11.78, before ad spend to get the sale in the first place. That math is not wrong, it is just often invisible until a seller adds up a full month of orders.
A vendor who signs up at shops.beargrips.com gets a branded shop with a single fixed catalog price instead of two fee stacks layered on top of each other. Tees start at $19.88 VIP base, hoodies at $36.88, with free US shipping already included and no listing fee, no transaction fee, and no ad fee taken out of the sale. The vendor sets the retail price and keeps 100% of the difference between that price and the base cost. See the full fee stacking breakdown for the side by side math.
Etsy plus a POD app fits a seller who wants Etsy search traffic and is comfortable with two fee schedules eating into margin. A branded Pro Shop fits a business, gym, studio, or creator who already has an audience to sell to directly and would rather keep the full margin on a fixed, predictable price. Some sellers run both in parallel while deciding which converts better for their specific audience. See the full platform comparison for how the two stack up beyond the fee line.
One branded shop, one fixed price, free shipping included. No listing fee, no transaction fee, no ad fee. Free to start.
Start FreeYes, under Etsy's policy for production partners, as long as the listing discloses that the item ships through a POD service rather than being made by the seller personally.
No, not for the Etsy plus POD app route. A branded storefront like Bear Grips Pro Shops is a separate path that gives a vendor their own shop instead of an Etsy listing.
Yes. The $0.20 listing fee is charged when the listing goes live and again every 4 months it stays active, whether or not it sells.
No. Bear Grips Pro Shops is an independent apparel platform with its own storefront and printing process, separate from Etsy and any app in its marketplace.
Bear Grips Pro Shops