How each model works
Print-on-demand marketplace
You upload a design, the marketplace turns it into product pages and shoppers find it while browsing. The marketplace takes payment, arranges printing and delivery and pays you a margin. On Redbubble the retail price is the base price plus your artist margin. On Dezajn you choose your earnings per item and Dezajn is the seller to the buyer.
Fulfilment service
You run the shop: a Shopify store, an Etsy shop or another sales channel. When an order arrives, the fulfilment service prints and ships it, and you pay it for the product and shipping. Shopify describes this as connecting a print-on-demand supplier to your store. Some services also offer their own hosted storefronts, such as Printify Pop-Up Store and Printful Quick Stores.
Side-by-side comparison
| Marketplace (e.g. Dezajn) | Fulfilment service + your store | |
|---|---|---|
| Where shoppers come from | The marketplace’s own visitors, plus your promotion | Your own marketing, search and social media |
| Who is the seller to the buyer | Often the marketplace (on Dezajn, Dezajn) | Usually you, as merchant of record |
| Customer service and refunds | Handled by the marketplace on Dezajn | Usually your responsibility |
| Pricing | You set your earnings or margin | You set the full retail price |
| Branding | Your profile inside the marketplace | Your own store, domain and customer list |
| Upfront cost | Free on Dezajn | Often free to start; store plans and channel fees can apply |
Why it matters who the seller is
The seller to the buyer, often called the merchant of record, is responsible for the sale: taking payment, issuing receipts, handling refunds and complaints, and meeting consumer law. Printify, for example, says that with Pop-Up Store the creator remains the merchant of record even though Printify handles payments, production and shipping.
On Dezajn the buyer’s contract is with Dezajn, not with the individual designer. For a creator working alone, that means no customer-service inbox and no refund handling, and designers do not need to handle buyers’ payment or delivery details.
What each model costs
Marketplace: usually free to join and publish. The marketplace keeps the part of the price that covers production, payment and its service, and you receive your margin. Redbubble applies account-tier fees to earnings on Standard and Premium accounts. Dezajn has no subscription or listing fees, and the earnings you choose are recorded per item sold.
Fulfilment service: you pay the production and shipping cost of each order and keep the difference from your retail price. On top come the costs of the sales channel: a store subscription, or listing and transaction fees on a marketplace such as Etsy. Printful states that it has no monthly fees to create products or connect a store.
How to choose
- Choose a marketplace if you have no audience yet, want to start for free, or do not want to handle customer service.
- Choose a fulfilment service if you already have steady traffic, want your own domain and customer list, and are happy to run a store.
- Combine both: publish on Dezajn to find out which designs sell, and add your own store when you are ready. Dezajn does not require exclusivity.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dezajn a marketplace or a fulfilment service?
Dezajn is a marketplace. It hosts your products, brings shoppers to them, sells to the buyer and coordinates printing and delivery. It does not print orders for stores you run elsewhere.
Can I use Printful or Printify without a store?
Both offer hosted storefront options, Printify Pop-Up Store and Printful Quick Stores, with their own conditions. Their main use is fulfilling orders from a store or marketplace you connect.
Which earns more per sale?
A fulfilment service with your own store usually keeps more per item, but you must find every customer yourself and pay for your sales channel. A marketplace keeps more of the price, in exchange for bringing shoppers and running the sale.
Related guides
Sources
Statements about other providers are based on their official pages, listed here. Their fees and features can change, so check them before deciding.