Enter your sale price and see Printify, Printful, and Gelato profit side by side — after every supplier cost, shipping, and Etsy fee. The winner is highlighted automatically.
Run the calculator to see your profit comparison.
Most new POD sellers pick a price by rounding up the supplier cost and hoping for the best. The problem: Etsy charges fees on the total amount the buyer pays — item price plus shipping — and those fees stack on top of your base cost and shipping label. Miss one layer and your "profitable" listing is actually losing money.
The right order: start from your supplier's base cost, add the shipping label cost, then solve for a price that leaves your target margin after all Etsy fees. This calculator does that math for three suppliers simultaneously so you can see in one glance which supplier gives you the highest take-home on the product you're actually selling.
Printify is a marketplace of print providers. Base costs are usually the lowest because providers compete, but quality varies by printer. The free plan covers most sellers; the Premium plan ($24.99/month) cuts base costs a further 20% and makes sense above roughly 30 orders/month.
Printful manufactures in-house, so quality and consistency are higher. Base costs run $2-3 more per shirt, but you get fewer reprint requests. Worth the premium if you're building a brand rather than flipping generic merch.
Gelato fulfills locally in 32 countries, which means lower shipping costs and faster delivery for EU and UK buyers. If more than 20% of your customers are outside the US, Gelato often wins total cost even when its base price matches Printify.
| Product | Printify | Printful | Gelato | Winner (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Shirt (Gildan/B+C) | $9.28 + $4.49 | $11.50 + $3.99 | $9.00 + $4.25 | Gelato $13.25 |
| Hoodie (Gildan 18500) | $21.24 + $6.49 | $20.75 + $6.99 | $16.75 + $7.50 | Gelato $24.25 |
| Mug (11oz ceramic) | $5.29 + $4.79 | $5.95 + $4.99 | $6.50 + $4.50 | Printify $10.08 |
| Tote Bag | $7.49 + $4.49 | $8.95 + $3.99 | $8.25 + $4.25 | Printify $11.98 |
| Canvas Print (8×10) | $13.49 + $5.99 | $15.95 + $4.99 | $12.50 + $5.50 | Gelato $18.00 |
Prices are base cost + standard US shipping (free plan rates). Actual costs vary by print provider selection within Printify and by destination country.
Etsy charges three fees on every sale: a $0.20 listing fee per item, a 6.5% transaction fee on the total amount paid (item + shipping), and a 3% + $0.25 payment processing fee (US) also on the total. Combined, that's roughly 9.5% of your total revenue plus $0.45 flat. On a $25 item with free shipping that's about $2.62 in Etsy fees alone — before you've paid Printify a cent.