Difference Between Etsy and Redbubble (With Table)  

E-Commerce has changed the definition of selling and buying in the present world. With the pace at which E-Commerce websites are booming, the world will soon become a digitally dominated place. As there is an umpteen number of websites available, people tend to get confused between several websites, for instance, Etsy and Redbubble; both are useful in selling your art but are intrinsically different.  

Etsy vs Redbubble  

The main difference between Etsy and Redbubble is that Etsy is an E-Commerce website focused on buying and selling vintage items or handicraft items and is a perfect website to sell handmade art, whereas Redbubble is an E-Commerce website that allows the selling of print on demand products like t-shirts, phone covers, accessories, etc.  

Etsy is a website that allows buying and selling art, handicraft, etc. Etsy allows the seller to supply from their catalog, this ensures that the seller quotes the shipping charges, price of the product, etc. As readymade unique artifacts are sold, the procedure of customization and designing is not required.   

On the other hand, Redbubble is a website that is a boon in every artist’s life. It allows artists to test their art and designs on products like t-shirts, phone cases, mugs, etc. The seller needs to upload his designs on the website and create a unique personalized logo. As customization is involved in this website, sellers need to be cautious about the design dimensions, color contrast, and several other parameters.   

Comparison Table Between Etsy and Redbubble 

Parameters of Comparison  

Etsy    

Redbubble    

Founded on    

18 June, 2005  

2006  

Founders  

Jared Tarbell, Chris Maguire, Robert Kalin, Haim Schoppik  

Peter Styles, Paul Vanzella, Martin Hosking    

Description    

Website to buy and sell unique artifacts, handicrafts, etc.    

A website that provides print-on-demand products  

Personalization/ Customization   

No 

Yes 

Type of Product Sold    

Ready-made articles  

Intricately Designed items  

What is Etsy?  

Aforementioned, Etsy is an E-Commerce website based on buying and selling of handmade/ handicraft artifacts with no personalized touch. As there is no step of designing the product, the seller can sell it through his/ her inventory, thus can quote their own price, shipping charges, etc.  

Owing to the developing technology, setting up an Etsy shop is the easiest step. It involves 5 step registration, formulating the product list (limit up to 10 items), quoting the price/ bill, mode of payment, etc.   

The product list must be elaborate and descriptive, otherwise, the product will be rejected. It requires the seller to upload a good quality photo of the product which serves as the thumbnail, the detailed description about the product including history, product price, etc.   

As the products are directly supplied by the sellers, the platform does not demand a base price for the products to be sold, so the entire profit goes to the seller directly. The website provides a pricing tool to aid the seller in quoting the price of the product. The only minor issue arises if the seller is not able to produce the products on their own, as a solution the makers of Etsy came up with tools like Production Partners, so sellers can choose their partner, provide their share, and share the workload with them.  

Originating in the 2000s, the entry of the website Etsy has changed the E-Commerce scene, on the whole, people around the world can capitalize on their artistic abilities or the unique vintage artifacts they possess. Websites like Etsy are now analogous with top E-Commerce websites like Amazon, Flipkart, etc.   

What is Redbubble?  

As mentioned above, Redbubble is an E-Commerce website that allows buying and selling print-on-demand items. The products on this website are perfectly designed and customized. Sellers need to upload their designs with perfect contrast and dimension and they can also virtually check if their design works on certain products like clothes. It is a website perfectly designed for budding artists, graphic designers, etc.   

Setting up your shop on Redbubble is quite easy with a series of simple steps beginning with registration, uploading the design with perfect dimensions, the website also demands the seller to upload their details, social media links, to contact them in case of any query with the available design. The last step is the same in all websites is deciding the mode of payment.   

As the step of personalization is involved in Redbubble, it demands the seller to perfectly design offline based on the product in demand, for instance, a t-shirt or a hoodie, and then upload it to the website. The designers need to be extra cautious as the design should be perfect in concern with the product, wrong dimensions and designs will lead to the rejection of the design.  

Every product listed on Redbubble has its own base price, which will be deducted from the seller’s account if the product is sold. The customers on Redbubble will witness the combination of a base price and product price as the MRP.   

Presently, Redbubble has umpteen production centers in The United States, The United Kingdom, and many other prime countries. This allows faster shipping and fewer shipping charges. The introduction of Redbubble has proved to be a blessing in many artists’ lives.   

Main Differences Between Etsy and Redbubble  

  1. Etsy is an E-Commerce website based on buying and selling handicrafts and unique artifacts whereas Redbubble is an E-Commerce website that focuses on buying and selling print-on-demand products.   
  2. The products on Etsy are ready-made and not customized while the products on Redbubble are customized/ personalized designs.  
  3. The products on Etsy do not have a website base price, on the other hand, the products on Redbubble have a Redbubble base price.   
  4. Etsy allows the products to carry the seller’s customized brand, in contrast, Redbubble does not allow the seller’s brand and publish the Redbubble logo on their products.  
  5. Etsy charges a specific amount for every product to be listed on their website, whereas Redbubble is a free and accessible platform and has no subscription fees.   

Conclusion  

From the above-mentioned points, it is evident that although Etsy and Redbubble both are E-Commerce websites that are quite useful for budding artists, they are fundamentally different. Etsy is a website that provides ready-made products, whereas Redbubble provides customized/ designed products.   

Both carry their own set of pros and cons, Etsy does not quote a base price but charge for the product listing and subscription, whereas Redbubble does not charge the subscription fees but charge the website base price. Nevertheless, the launch of both Etsy and Redbubble websites has changed the E-Commerce scenario and has given the artists and designers a new platform to showcase their talent.   

References 

  1. https://search.proquest.com/openview/626463abccb8d08ead1bd8fdf42236ad/1pqorigsite=gscholar&cbl=18750 
  2. https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/symposium/2019/all/57/