Not all POD products are created equal. The same niche design can earn you $3.50 profit as a sticker or $14 profit as a poster — with completely different volumes and customer expectations. This guide shows you the real margin math for every major POD product type using 2026 pricing from Printify and Printful.
| Product | Base Cost | Typical Retail | Etsy Fees (~10%) | Net Margin | Margin % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-shirt (Bella+Canvas 3001) | $10.36 | $24.99 | $2.50 | $12.13 | 48.5% |
| Hoodie (Gildan 18500) | $22.45 | $44.99 | $4.50 | $18.04 | 40.1% |
| Mug (11 oz ceramic) | $5.25 | $16.99 | $1.70 | $10.04 | 59.1% |
| Poster (18×24 in) | $3.50 | $19.99 | $2.00 | $14.49 | 72.5% |
| Tote bag (canvas) | $9.50 | $24.99 | $2.50 | $12.99 | 52.0% |
| Phone case (snap) | $5.25 | $19.99 | $2.00 | $12.74 | 63.7% |
| Sticker (die-cut) | $1.50 | $4.99 | $0.50 | $2.99 | 59.9% |
Note: Etsy fees column approximates transaction (6.5%) + processing (~3%) + partial listing amortization. Actual fees vary by shipping inclusion and payment country. Use /etsy-fees for exact calculations.
Wall art and posters are the highest-margin POD category for a simple reason: the base cost is extremely low (paper and ink) relative to the perceived value. An 18×24 poster costs $3.50–$5.00 to produce but sells for $15.99–$29.99. Customers associate printed art with decor, not commodity, reducing price sensitivity. Shipping is also cheap (flat shipping) and damage rates are low with proper packaging.
T-shirts have the highest search volume of any POD product — consistently the top result category on Etsy for gifting and personal expression. Even at a lower margin percentage (48%) vs. posters (72%), t-shirts typically generate 3–5× more monthly orders. Revenue (not just margin percentage) is what pays your bills.
Use the Profit Calculator at /calculator to compare your specific retail price and provider combination for any product. The calculator shows margin percentage AND dollar profit per sale, helping you optimize both.
The most profitable POD shops use a 3-tier product mix: a high-volume anchor product (t-shirts) for traffic and consistent revenue, a high-margin product (posters, mugs) for padding profits, and an impulse add-on product (stickers, phone cases) for cart size increases. Each tier serves a different purpose in your revenue mix.