I did some shopping on few of the print-on-demand (POD) sites that I have my artwork to see how they look on different types of products. I ordered items from Redbubble, Spoonflower, and Displate.
General observations on production and delivery
Production and Shipping: Many large POD platforms have multiple production sites worldwide, so they often ship from the nearest facility to you (EU, US, etc.). However, some items might still ship from farther locations, potentially adding customs duties or VAT, depending on your country’s regulations. Generally, the carrier will handle the basic customs procedures, but sometimes you are required to do it yourself. The carrier will notify you this but be wary of phishing emails regarding customs fees. If the carrier has an app, use it to get the information and guidance on paying the duties.
Multiple Deliveries: Different products like mugs, clothing, and decor items are often manufactured at separate facilities, from which they are sent directly and will arrive in separate shipments. Even though you get confirmation email from each send, the tracking them can be difficult. Keep this in mind when ordering last minute gifts and during holiday seasons.
Plan and Bundle: Some platforms offer a discount for multiple items of the same type, even if they don’t share the same design. These offers are usually given to items that come from the same factory. So, you can save a bit, if you order those coffee mug or T-shirt gifts in advance, instead of just one at a time and save on the shipping costs also.
Print Colour on Fabrics: The base colour of stretchy materials like fabric can sometimes affect how the print looks. This is worth considering when ordering clothing with the base colour completely different than the prints.
Redbubble
For my Redbubble test, I ordered a hoodie, scarf, mug, backpack, stickers, magnets, and a notepad. Overall, the items arrived within two weeks. Most of the products came within the EU. Only the scarf was produced outside the EU and came from UK.
I was particularly pleased with the mug, which has withstood daily use and multiple dishwasher cycles with no fading. I wish I would have ordered more mugs than just one.
The magnets, while small, work well for light papers, but if you want to hang big items on your fridge door, then order a larger magnets.
The hoodie is soft and comfortable. I cannot evaluate the sizing, because I bought a men’s L-size hoodie to ensure that it will be comfy to wear. The print on the back has a slight blue tint due to the fabric’s strong base colour. Remember that fabric colours can subtly influence the design’s final appearance. A big plus is the metal zipper. It should last a long time.
The backpack shows my pattern well. It is light weight and has been very good for grocery shopping. My laptop fits into it just fine, but it does not have a lot of padding to protect it. Just the basics on the straps and back panel. I especially like that the colours of my fall leaves are very vibrant and bring a little joy to the darkening days.
Spoonflower
I ordered two types of fabric, jersey and light cotton, from Spoonflower and used their Fill-a-Yard system to check how my seamless patterns looked off-screen. I was not disappointed, they were seamless and the colours were exactly what I had been expecting. Now I just need to figure out what to do with them. The jersey will probably end up as top or a skirt and I might make new kitchen curtains from the cotton examples.
The products were manufactured in two different U.S. sites and came in two separate deliveries. I had paid extra to have them in about 20 days. The first package I got after a week, the other one was in Finland at the carrier’ on the last day. But that happened to be Friday, so I got it on Monday. The carrier did not deliver either of them to my house, as they should have, but instead I got a message ‘You weren’t home, so we took you package to the local centre, go get it yourself.’ I was home both days, waiting for the delivery….
Displate
I ordered a medium-sized and three small metal posters. The production was incredibly fast and organized, with everything shipped from Poland to Finland within a week.
They came very well packed, and the packaging can be used to store the posters safely. The quality of the posters is good, as Displate has very strict requirements for the art that can be added to their site. I know this, because in 2019 when I started uploading there, most of my works got rejected and I had to photograph my artworks again to get them to the quality level required.
The magnetic mounting parts came with the order. I can’t personally speak to the magnetic mounting system, as it’s not recommended for wallpapered or textured walls like mine. However, if done right, the system should be wall-safe and easily removable. You can see the mounting process from here Displate – metal posters | Change your wall, change your world.
Final Thoughts
All in all, the experience has been good. I found no flaws in the products and most of them are in daily use. The shipping process went smoothly. I had been prepared to do some customs declarations, but all packages from outside EU came straight through. The multiple packages and ‘you weren’t home’ messages irked me a bit, but those were minor inconveniences and would not affect my decision to order again.
If you’re looking to try one of these platforms, I hope my experiences help set realistic expectations, especially when it comes to product variations, shipping times, and quality.
Where to shop my artworks
If you are interested in buying products with my artwork, use the links below. The smaller sellers are not showing in the searches well, because the search favours the top sellers.
Also sites usually add popular designers products to the page. That is ok, as long as you find what you want to purchase. But if you want to buy my artworks then check that the designer is Studio Variatio, or Tarja Virta or Tvirta.
Redbubble: Tarja Virta Shop | Redbubble Clothing, Accessories, Home Decor, Phone Cases, Stickers etc. Ships worldwide and has production in multiple geographic areas.
Spoonflower: Tarja Virta’s shop on Spoonflower: fabric, wallpaper and home decor: Fabrics, Wallpaper, Bed&Bath, Home Decor etc. Ships world wide, production in US.
Displate: Tarja Virta Merch Shop: Art, Posters & Prints | Displate Metal posters -Ships over 50 countries, production in EU.
Society6: Tarja Virta’s Store | Society6 Clothing, Accessories, Home Decor (Wallpaper), Office, Tech etc. Ships world wide, production in US. (Note: I only have a small selection available in Society6.)
