Published June 17, 2026
Print on demand (POD) sounds like the perfect business — no inventory, no upfront cost, sell a t-shirt design you made in 20 minutes. The catch is that POD has the thinnest margins in ecommerce, and most new sellers price by gut feel, then discover at the end of the month that they made $1.50 per shirt. This guide breaks down every cost in a POD sale — Printful vs Printify base costs, shipping, platform fees, and ad spend — and runs a real $26 t-shirt through the calculator.
This is what Printful, Printify, Gelato, or SPOD charges you for the blank product plus printing. A standard cotton t-shirt typically runs $8–$13 base depending on provider, blank brand (Bella+Canvas 3001 costs more than Gildan 5000), and print size. This is by far your largest cost — usually 35–50% of your retail price.
POD providers charge flat-rate shipping per item — typically $3.99–$7.99 within the US. You either pass it through to the buyer or build it into your retail price for "free shipping." Most successful POD stores roll shipping into the price and advertise free shipping, because shipping charges kill conversion.
Printful and Printify charge you sales tax where applicable. EU VAT on a €25 shirt can be €5+ and is often the seller's responsibility if registered. Don't forget this in margin calculations.
Where you sell matters:
POD lives and dies on paid social. Realistic POD sellers spend 15–30% of revenue on Meta/TikTok ads. A shirt that nets $6 organically nets $1–3 after ad costs.
Know your real POD profit per design.
Get the POD Profit Tracker — $19Base costs change constantly, but here are representative 2026 figures for common POD products:
| Bella+Canvas 3001 t-shirt (Printful) | ~$11.95 |
| Bella+Canvas 3001 t-shirt (Printify Premium) | ~$9.50–$10.50 |
| Gildan 5000 t-shirt (Printify) | ~$7.50–$8.50 |
| 11 oz mug (Printful) | ~$7.95 |
| 11 oz mug (Printify) | ~$6.50–$7.50 |
| Crewneck sweatshirt (Printful) | ~$20.50–$24.00 |
| Hoodie (Printify Premium) | ~$22.00–$27.00 |
| Tote bag (Printful) | ~$9.50–$11.00 |
Printify is usually cheaper per unit because it's a marketplace of print providers — you pick the cheapest. Printful is more expensive but more consistent (in-house fulfillment, better quality control, easier branding). New sellers usually start on Printful for simplicity, then migrate to Printify once they care about squeezing margins.
You sell a Bella+Canvas 3001 for $26 with "free shipping" (rolled in). You use Printful at base $11.95, real shipping is $4.99, you run on Shopify Basic at 100 orders/month, and you spend $5 per order on Meta ads.
| Sale price (free shipping built in) | $26.00 |
| Base product (Printful) | −$11.95 |
| Shipping to customer | −$4.99 |
| Shopify payment processing (2.9% + $0.30) | −$1.05 |
| Shopify platform per order ($39 ÷ 100) | −$0.39 |
| Ad spend | −$5.00 |
| Refund reserve (3%) | −$0.78 |
| Net profit per shirt | $1.84 |
That's a 7.1% net margin. Typical POD. Now let's see the same shirt sold on Etsy with Offsite Ads:
| Sale price | $26.00 |
| Listing fee | −$0.20 |
| Transaction fee (6.5%) | −$1.69 |
| Payment processing (3% + $0.25) | −$1.03 |
| Offsite Ads fee (15%) | −$3.90 |
| Base product (Printful) | −$11.95 |
| Shipping | −$4.99 |
| Refund reserve (3%) | −$0.78 |
| Net profit (Etsy ad-driven) | $1.46 |
POD is a volume game. At $1.50–$2.00 net per shirt, you need 500–1,000 orders/month to make a meaningful income. The math is unforgiving — but it's also clear once you actually run it.
5–15% net is typical for t-shirts and apparel. 15–25% is achievable on premium products (hoodies, all-over-print, embroidered items) where you can charge more. Anything under 5% means ad costs or base costs are eating you — fix pricing or switch print provider.
Printify if your priority is lowest base cost and you're willing to test multiple print providers. Printful if you want consistency, easier branding (custom pack-ins, neck labels), and simpler setup. Most serious POD sellers eventually use Printify for high-volume products and Printful for premium or branded items.
Yes, but only with realistic expectations. The days of slapping any design on a Gildan 5000 and profiting are over. Successful 2026 POD sellers win on niche, design quality, ad efficiency, and AOV — not on volume of random designs. Track per-design profit ruthlessly and cut losing designs fast.
Every POD seller hits the same wall: dozens of designs, each with different base costs, ad spend, and refund rates. Doing the math by hand is exactly how money-losing designs survive for months. Ecommerce Profit Tracker PRO lets you enter per-design sale price, base cost, shipping, ad spend, and refund rate — and shows true net margin per design at a glance. Formula-driven, no macros, works in Excel and Google Sheets. One-time $19.
Also available on Whop Marketplace →
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