I will be answering the following questions in this article:

• What is Redbubble?
• Who can sell on Redbubble?
• What can I sell on Redbubble?
• How much does it cost to sell on Redbubble? Is there a commission fee?
• How and when do I get paid?
• How do I upload artwork to Redbubble?
• What happens when I sell an artwork?
• What promotional/marketing opportunities are there on Redbubble?
• Do they have a mobile app?
• What is the Redbubble Affiliate Program?
• Can I purchase my own products and get a discount?
• What is the “Partner Program”?
• What is the “Artist Blog”?
• Can I work for RedBubble?
• Have I sold anything on Redbubble?
• What do I think of Redbubble?

What is Redbubble?

Redbubble was founded in Melbourne, Australia in 2006. Their goal was and continues to be giving “independent artists a meaningful way to sell their creations”. There are currently over 700,000 artists on the platform from all over the world.

Have you heard of TeePublic? They are a part of Redbubble. Between the two, more than $100 million in sales have been made to customers from over 200 countries. They currently have fulfillers in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia which allows them to get your products to customers at a faster and cheaper rate.

If you are interested in learning more, they have a thing called Redbubble TV where they post video updates about their company. Here is the link: https://shareholders.redbubble.com/site/media/rbtv

Who can sell on Redbubble?

Anyone can sell on Redbubble. It is easy to register. On the home page, just click “Sign Up” in the top right corner. Once you are on that page, just make sure to select “Artist Signup” and then enter the information asked for. This is where you can enter your shop name.

What can I sell on Redbubble?

Redbubble is what is known as a “Print-On-Demand” platform. This means that you don’t sell physical pieces of art yourself. So no selling of originals directly through this website. Your artwork is put onto products made by Redbubble and shipped to the customer.

There are currently over 70 unique products that Redbubble can put your art onto. Some of these products include:

-Clothing

-Kids and Babies

-Phone Cases

-Stickers

-Wall Art

-Home and Living

-Stationary

-Accessories

With so many products available, it allows you to be creative and see what your artwork would look like as more than just a drawing, painting, design, etc.

Depending on the size of file that you upload will determine how your artwork fits onto the different products. Here is a link to the size of images recommended for each product: https://help.redbubble.com/hc/en-us/articles/202270679

I will say a few things at this point. Print-on-demand platforms can be great. Like I just mentioned, you are able to get your art out in so many different ways than what you could normally do on your own. However, depending on what type of artist you are, not all products will really fit well with your art. For example, as most of you know, I am mainly a traditional 2D artist. I paint on canvas and wood. My art works great for Wall Art reproductions such as different types of prints but it doesn’t look so good on clothing. If you are a graphic designer, your artwork may look better on clothing than it does on a canvas print like my art (that definitely isn’t always the case but just an example). You can decide what products you want your art to be on which is good. Most of the time I just leave all of the options enabled because it doesn’t cost you anything. And who knows, what you think may not sell could just be the next big thing!

How much does it cost to sell on Redbubble? Is there a commission fee?

It is free to signup and list your items on Redbubble. Redbubble charges a commission or base fee for any products sold. You are able to set your profit margin through a percentage on each product.

For example, the base cost for a t-shirt is about $19. If I add a 100% markup, then my profit will be $19 which means the customer will be paying around $38. Again, you can change this percentage on each of the products separately or all together if you would like. I sell more prints and stickers so I make sure my markup percentage is similar to what I would be making if I make the print myself.

I like that Redbubble allows you to change the markups for each product individually. Some print-on-demand websites don’t allow you to change it for each product or even change it at all.

I will get into how to change the markup percentage in the next section.

How do I change the markup percentages for my products on Redbubble?

In order to change the markup percentages, first click on your profile image in the top right and go to “Dashboard”. On the left-hand menu click on “Product Pricing”. On this page you will be able to change the percentages for each item.

*Notice that once you change or have highlighted one of the boxes where you type in the percentage, in small print underneath you can click “Apply to all” which allows you to change every box to the same percentage if that is what you want.

Here is an image to help:

Or you can watch in the video at: 19:35

How and when do I get paid by Redbubble?

Redbubble pays its artists through PayPal if you are outside of AU, USA, or UK. Otherwise bank transfer is possible. If you are outside of those countries, you must have a PayPal account to receive payment.

Payments are processed on the 15th of each month and can take 7 business days to arrive to you. If the product you sold hasn’t shipped yet, then your payment will be processed on the 15th of the next month.

If your PayPal account is unverified you will need to manually claim your payment.

Lastly, you must reach the $20 threshold in order to receive a payment. This is something that is somewhat newly introduced and in my opinion, isn’t a great feature. You may make $19 one month, but then have to wait another month in order to break $20. I had months and still have months where I sell a few dollars worth of stuff which means it can take quite a while to actually receive my profits. Redbubble isn’t the only platform to have a payment threshold but I think this is a feature they could do without. I’m sure it has something to do with processing fees for them through PayPal.

You can add or adjust your payment settings by going to your Dashboard and then in the left-hand menu click on “Edit Payment Details” under the “Account Settings” section.

If you have more questions about payments or anything to do with that side of things, follow this link and go to the “Getting Paid” section: https://help.redbubble.com/hc/en-us/categories/200209495

How do I upload my artwork to Redbubble?

You can watch how to upload an artwork here: 6:47

Or you can read below.

Uploading artwork can be started from a few different locations. By clicking on your profile image in the top right, you can then simply click on the “Add New Artwork” button in red. Or from the Dashboard you can click on the “Add New Work” button in the top right.

Once you click either of those, you will be taken to a page and given two options: “Upload new work” or “Copy an existing work”. You would want to copy an existing work if you want the products placements and options to be the same. For example, if I am uploading multiple paintings that are all done on 16×20 canvases, then I would just copy an existing work because I would want the options to be the same for them all. This saves you a lot of time when adding multiple artworks of similar size/design. If you are uploading different sizes or styles, then you will want to just select “Upload new work”.

I am going to continue here as if I selected “Upload new work”.

As soon as you click on “Upload new work”, you will be prompted to select a file from your computer. After the file is selected, it will upload and you will then be able to add a title, add tags, write a description, and select the products you want your artwork to be sold on.

For each product you can edit how your artwork aligned, sized, and more by simply clicking the “Edit” button under the product you would like to edit.

*Remember, the larger the image file, the more flexibility you will have with your products.*

At the bottom of this page, you can select what type of media your art is, add it to a collection, set who can view your work, and say if it is mature content or not.

The last thing you must do before clicking “Save Work” is check the little box just above that says that you have the right to sell the artwork.

The uploading process for Redbubble is pretty simple. I like how it is all on one page compared to some other websites where each step is separate. I like that you can enable every product if you would like to and then just tile your artwork if your file isn’t large enough to fit the whole products by itself. Other print-on-demand websites won’t allow you to do that.

What happens when I sell a product on Redbubble?

When you sell a product, you don’t have to do anything. You will get an email saying congratulations, telling you what was sold and your profit margin, and that they will take care of the rest! Since you are not selling originals or products that you have made, you don’t need to package and ship anything.

What promotional/marketing opportunities are there on Redbubble?

Redbubble is a little different than many other similar platforms in that it doesn’t have promotional opportunities that you pay for. Instead, they give you the tools to be able to promote yourself.

From the Dashboard under the Artist Tools menu, you can see a few options that I will briefly talk about here. They are: Share Your Work, Google Analytics, and Link to Other Sites.

Share Your Work:

By clicking on this option, you will see that you can download images of the products from your shop to share wherever you would like. If the product or artwork that you would like to sell isn’t there in the quick menu, it says that you can promote any of your artworks from the “Manage Portfolio” section and it links to it there.

They also give you what they call “Lifestyle Templates” that allow you to create images with your art on them. It says you will need your files, Adobe Photoshop, and the hashtag #findyourthing to post on social media.

Google Analytics:

This is more for seeing how your page is doing and what you can do to improve it. You must get a Google Analytics account first. This page walks you through the steps of setting it up.

Link to other sites:

Here you are able to link your social media pages and personal website so that they will be shown on your profile/shop page when someone visits it. This is great because most people will want to follow your social media if they follow you on Redbubble.

Do Redbubble have a mobile app?

Yes, they do have an app. I personally have never used it, but from reading about it, it seems as if the app is more for customers to make purchases and not for artists managing their portfolios. This means that you can’t upload and manage artworks from the app itself. You can, however, just access Redbubble on your mobile device through Google Chrome for example and access your artist dashboard from there.

I’m not too hung up on this as I don’t like to do work like this from my phone anyway. I think it is much easier to do it from a computer.

What is the Redbubble Affiliate Program?

The affiliate program with Redbubble is run through a company called “Impact”. You can sign up by clicking on the “Join Via Impact” button on the affiliate page found here: https://www.redbubble.com/p/398-affiliate-program

This affiliate program is for sharing other peoples artworks and getting a commission if something sells from someone clicking on your link. They don’t have an affiliate program for referring new artists like some other platforms do.

You can earn up to a 10% commission with a 30-day attribution window. That means that if I share a link today, and some clicks on that link and purchases something 29 days from now, I will still get a commission. After that 30 days, however, the link is no longer valid.

This isn’t a bad affiliate program but not one that I am interested in. I don’t have any experience with it. If you do, feel free to leave a comment below.

Can I purchase my own products on Redbubble and get a discount?

Yes. You can purchase your own products and Redbubble will simply charge you the base price without the profit margin that you have set above and beyond that. This means that if you have a market or something that you would like to sell these products at, you are able to order the products you want and then sell them for the price you want in person.

Redbubble isn’t the only website that has this feature but it makes sense that it does.

What is the “Partner Program”?

The Partner Program in simple terms allows you to become a licensed designer for popular brands.

Redbubble has partnered with many brands including:

-Back to the Future

-Adventure Time

-Star Trek

-Schitt’s Creek

-Rick and Morty

And so many more!

For a full list of brands, follow this link: https://help.redbubble.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001021543?ref=partner-program

By clicking on any of the brands, you will be directed to a page that gives you specific guidelines for that brand and how to tag your artwork so that they can review it and license it.

I have no experience with this program but I think it is a great opportunity for creative minds who love different things to express their creativity in a way that is legal. So often, fan art is sold illegally, now you have a chance to do it properly!

What is the “Artist Blog”?

The Artist Blog is exactly what it sounds like, a blog for artists. Here there are articles written that will help you not only sell on Redbubble but create artwork as well. They have templates, holiday checklists, new product launches, getting started tips, and more. If you are serious about using Redbubble and making the most of it, the Artist Blog is a good place to go to.

There are other platforms that have a blog section so it is nice to see Redbubble being on the same page as those. 

Here is the link to the blog: https://blog.redbubble.com/en

Can I work for Redbubble?

Yes, you actually can if you have the right credentials! At the very bottom of the webpage you will see under the “About” section a tab that says “Jobs”. Click on that and then follow it through to see the available positions. You can see where the positions are located and then click on them separately for more information!

They boast a kitchen loaded with delicious food and snacks, paid leave for new parents, social events and parties, extra discounts, and more!

You can click on this link to see the positions currently available: https://careers.redbubble.com/jobs

Have I sold anything on Redbubble?

Yes, I have sold some products on Redbubble. Have I sold a lot? No. I usually sell a handful of small items each year. In the same breath, I also haven’t put any effort into promoting my products or Redbubble page. I simply have uploaded some art and left it at that.

What do I think of Redbubble?

I think Redbubble is a quality print-on-demand platform. Personally, I haven’t had any negative experiences with them thus far. They have a large variety of products that you can put your art on and ship to customers world-wide.

As I mentioned previously, I appreciate that you can set your own profits above and beyond their base price. I also like that even if your image is small, you can still activate all products and just set your artwork to be tiled on the product.

The Redbubble layout is easy to use in my opinion. Finding your sales, uploading art, and so on are all easy to find in the Dashboard. Nothing is really hidden complicated to get to. Sales and stats are all straightforward. 

It is unfortunate that you can only sell print-on-demand products but that is what the website is for. You can easily say that originals are for sale in the description of your works and have your personal website linked if someone is really interested.

It can be hard to get discovered by customers but I think it is easier than some other platforms.

I appreciate that Redbubble isn’t loaded with paid promotions like so many other websites. Those websites really make it hard to someone who doesn’t have the money to promote their artwork and be seen. Redbubble gives you great tools to help you promote your work on social media and elsewhere. 

Lastly, I feel like print-on-demand websites such as this can be geared for graphic designers and digital artists more than traditional artists. You can have your traditional art printed onto canvas, art paper, and other products that work for square or rectangular designs but they don’t necessarily look great on all types of products. In my opinion, this shouldn’t stop you from uploading traditional art to Redbubble. There are also many photographers that upload their photos to be put onto the products that fit that type of format. So depending on what type of art you are uploading may determine what products you decide to make available.

Give it a try, if you don’t like it, it was free and you didn’t lose anything. If you end up liking it, you will be glad you tried it.

My opinions are based solely on my personal experience. If you have anything you would like to share about your experience, please write a comment below!

And here are the links again to the other reviews of some similar websites:

Make sure to check out my two videos where I briefly talk about 24 websites where you can sell your art:

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