Haven't decided which ecommerce platform to use?
In this video, we'll cover the ins and outs, in our opinion, of the biggest ecommerce platforms
we integrate with to help you decide which one suits your needs.
Hey!
It’s Māris from Printful!
When figuring out which ecommerce platform to use, you need to consider how their features
fit your needs and business.
I'll be going over all the platforms we integrate with and break down their main features so
you can make an informed decision.
But before we continue, subscribe to our channel and click on that bell icon so that you get
notified when we publish more content just like this.
First up Shopify.
Shopify is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms out there.
Its main attraction is that it's one of the simplest platforms to use
while still being customizable.
Shopify's setup is quick and intuitive.
It comes with a user-friendly interface and a helpful customer support team
that'll take good care of you.
Shopify comes with a subscription that starts at $29 a month,
and they have different credit card rates for each plan.
The good news is, they offer a 14-day free trial.
Printful's integration with Shopify is one of our most automated integrations available
that's quick and easy to set up.
It allows for easy shipping setup with live carrier-calculated rates during checkout.
It’s also easy to add products to your store— you can use our push generator to create your
products, and they'll automatically appear on you Shopify store and sync with Printful.
Is Shopify for you?
If you want an intuitive, well-rounded platform,
and are willing to pay a little extra for more convenience, absolutely.
Next integration—Etsy.
Etsy isn’t a platform like Shopify where you have a standalone store.
It’s a marketplace.
Marketplaces let you add your product to their website that already has a following.
This gives you extra exposure, but you have to compete with other sellers.
It’s a great choice if you already have an online store
and want to sell on another channel,
or if you just want to sell on a marketplace.
Etsy is easy to use and it's quick to get started.
40 million buyers shop on Etsy worldwide,
so you can reach a bigger audience and find new customers.
There are no monthly fees for using Etsy, but there is a 5% fee on all transactions
and shipping, and it costs $0.20 to publish products, which have to be renewed every 4 months.
It also has rules for its sellers and limited customization options on how your store looks.
Printful's integration with Etsy doesn’t offer live shipping rates,
so you’ll need to set them up manually.
But it's still easy to set up and add products.
So should you use this platform?
We find that Etsy is best for sellers that are looking for already established marketplaces
to sell on, and don’t mind the limitations on customization.
Amazon.
Amazon is trusted by millions of shoppers
and is one of the most popular online marketplaces out there.
And just like Etsy, it's a great choice if you already have an online store,
and want to sell on another channel,
or if you want to sell on Amazon exclusively.
By using Amazon, you'll be selling on a respected, established platform with global marketplaces,
but we believe there are some downsides.
Amazon has a rather complicated setup and strict seller rules, like what kind of product
photos you can add, how fast you need to ship out your products, and more.
And it takes a bit of effort not just to set it up, but also to keep it going.
To sell on Amazon with Printful, you’ll need a professional Seller account,
which comes with a subscription of $39.99/month and fees up to 15% for each sale.
Connecting Printful and Amazon is more complicated than any of our other integrations.
Live shipping rates aren't available, so you’ll have to set them up manually.
But you can automatically add your products through our product push generator,
and we have a step-by-step guide to make setting up easier.
So should you go with Amazon?
Yes, if you want to take advantage of selling on one of the world's most popular and trusted
marketplaces, and you have the time to learn and follow Amazon’s rules.
Next up— Squarespace.
Squarespace is a widely popular, design-oriented platform known for simple,
minimal, and fully responsive website themes.
Squarespace lets you use their wide range of themes to create visually appealing stores.
They offer a lot of marketing tools for trackable ads, email campaigns,
24/7 customer support, and more.
Printful's integration with Squarespace isn't difficult, but takes a bit of work to set up.
There are no live shipping rates, so you’ll have to set them up manually.
There’s no product push available either,
which means you’ll need to create your products on Squarespace and then sync them with Printful.
Printful is available only for specific Squarespace plan users,
so check out the link in the description below for more info on pricing.
Our final word on Squarespace?
If you want to create a memorable, visually appealing online store, and you aren't afraid
of manually setting up the integration, this is the platform for you.
eBay.
With over 167 million monthly visitors, eBay is one of the few industry leaders
with more than 20 years of experience in ecommerce.
eBay is ideal for those who already have a store and are looking for another selling channel.
But, like Amazon, it has a complicated setup and strict seller rules.
And it takes a bit of effort to set it up and maintain it.
Creating an account on eBay is free and they don't charge subscription fees,
but they charge 10% of every sale made on their platform as well as a $0.35 listing fee.
There are no live rates with Printful's integration,
but you can add products through our product push generator.
Connecting to eBay is very complicated, and new users have limitations on product variants
they can publish, as well as overall product value they can offer.
You should consider eBay only if you’re serious about gaining access to a larger audience
and are ready to invest time in it.
Next in line—WooCommerce.
WooCommerce is a plugin for WordPress, a popular and reputable content management system.
Unlike the other platforms we talked about, WooCommerce doesn't provide hosting.
It's totally customizable, so you can set it up however you like,
but you'll need some tech skills to do it.
Aside from your hosting expenses, using WooCommerce is free.
Printful’s integration with WooCommerce is automated—there are live shipping rates available,
and you can add products through our product generator.
There's a lot you can customize, so setup might take a while;
however, it's not as complicated as our other integrations.
So what about WooCommerce for your store?
If you’re looking for a free, popular, and fully customizable platform
that’s based on a trusted content management system,
WooCommerce is your best bet, especially if you already use WordPress.
Just keep in mind that it's rather technical, and you'll need some time to set up your own hosting.
Storenvy.
Storenvy is a ready-made marketplace with a focus on social sharing.
It provides a marketplace as well as an option to create your own personal store.
It's easy to use and free.
But your store will be under Storenvy's default theme and a designated domain,
so there's less room for customization.
While Storenvy is free, you'll be charged 15% commission fees on marketplace sales.
Printful’s integration doesn't have live shipping rates,
but you can add your products easily with our product push generator.
The bottom line for Storenvy?
If you want a free, easy-to-use platform with a built-in marketplace
and don’t mind the limitations on customization, Storenvy's the right choice for you.
PrestaShop.
PrestaShop is a free, open-source ecommerce platform
with plenty of extra features to help your business grow.
That includes tools that help you implement SEO strategies, manage orders,
and collect data about marketing performance.
PrestaShop doesn't cover hosting, but gives you more flexibility to customize your store.
That also means it takes a bit more tech knowledge and time to create it.
Printful's integration doesn't have live rates, but you can add products using the push generator.
Try PrestaShop if you want a free, customizable, and popular platform to start your store,
and are OK with setting up your own hosting.
Up next—BigCommerce.
BigCommerce enables multi-channel selling, so you can sell on your store as well as marketplaces
and social media sites like Pinterest and Facebook.
It's easy to use, includes hosting, and offers stellar customer support.
Printful's integration doesn't have live shipping rates,
but you can add products through our push generator.
It’s easy to set up.
Subscriptions start at $29.95, and you can try out their free trial first.
You should use this integration if you want a hosted service that
lets you sell on third-party channels and are OK with paying the monthly fees.
Big Cartel.
Big Cartel's focus is on artists.
Setting up your store with Big Cartel is simple, and the platform itself is also easy to use.
Its biggest selling point is that it’s free if you sell five items or fewer.
But it does charge a monthly subscription if you add more products.
Connecting Big Cartel with Printful is simple and quick.
But there are no live shipping rates or product push generator,
so you'll have to set up your shipping and products manually.
You should use Big Cartel if you want to work with a platform
that celebrates artists and their work.
If you plan to sell on a smaller scale and adding products manually to your store isn’t an issue,
Now let’s talk about Ecwid.
Ecwid supports sales on multiple platforms.
You can create your own store, or easily add a shopping cart to existing websites.
So with Ecwid, you can embed shopping carts on your social media networks like Facebook
and Tumblr, or marketplaces like Google Shopping, and manage them all from one control panel.
Ecwid has recurring monthly fees starting at $15/month.
Connecting Printful and Ecwid is fast, and comes with live shipping rates
and product push capabilities that make it easy to add products.
You should consider Ecwid if you're OK with recurring fees,
and want to sell on multiple channels, or add a “buy” button to an existing website.
Weebly.
Weebly is an ideal platform for small to midsize business owners with little to no technical experience.
It's extremely user-friendly and easy to set up.
It has one of the most intuitive drag & drop site builders on the market
with lots of customizable themes & page layouts.
Weebly offers a free version to create your products,
but to publish them on your store, you need to use one of their plans.
Setting up Printful and Weebly is quick and easy.
You can add your products through our push generator,
but you'll have to set up shipping manually since Weebly doesn’t support Printful’s live rates.
Give Weebly a shot if tech isn't your forte,
and you don't mind adjusting the shipping rates manually.
Gumroad is a minimalist platform
that lets you sell products on your website by adding a “buy” button on any webpage.
It basically lets you add the purchase functionality to any store without any tech experience.
It's easy to set up, but doesn't offer much customization.
You can choose between a fee of 8.5% + $0.30 per transaction or a $10/month subscription.
Connecting Printful and Gumroad is fast, but there are no live shipping rates,
and no product push generator.
Final thoughts?
You’ll find Gumroad handy if you're not big on customization
and you have an existing website that you simply want to add a “buy” button to.
Here's another one for you—ShipStation.
ShipStation is a 3rd party app that lets you connect with platforms
that otherwise can’t be directly integrated with Printful.
With the ShipStation integration,
you'll be able to send orders to Printful from other ShipStation integrations such as Yahoo and Walmart.
It’s a bit more complicated to set up and you’ll need to make sure
that the platform you're interested in can be hooked up with ShipStation.
After connecting, you’ll be able to overview all of your orders in Shipstation.
It has monthly subscriptions starting at $9, depending on your order volume.
Check out ShipStation if you use a platform that Printful doesn’t integrate with directly
and don't mind working with your orders manually.
Magento.
Magento is the king of open-source platforms with a robust toolset and dedicated user base.
Their advanced features make it the perfect choice for growing businesses and enterprises.
Magento offers two options.
Magento Open Source is perfect for a small business
looking for a free, professional, and flexible solution.
Magento Commerce is their paid option designed for those looking for an enterprise level solution.
It’s free to use the Magento Open Source version,
but you'll need to find hosting to use it for your store, and it takes time to set up the integration.
Magento Commerce is for established sellers, that's why the pricing starts at $20,000/year.
Setting up a store with Magento is a bit time-consuming;
however, it allows full customization.
Note that product push is available, but no live rates.
Look into Magento if you’re a large retailer or a developer
Note this is our view on the available platforms and marketplaces
and this video is not endorsed or sponsored by any of the aforementioned entities.
What platforms are you using to sell online and why?
Let us know in the comments below!