Abby B. Thinking of selling print on demand tote bags? Unsure how to start and if you’re doing it right? Here are 16 sites you can use to speed things up!
Print on demand is dropshipping for products printed with designs made by yourself. These designs are placed on products such as t-shirts, tote bags, posters and phone cases. Products are sold on platforms like Etsy or your own Shopify store. Almost anyone can start as it is low cost to do so.
If you’re clueless, just know that I was in the same position as you. I wanted to make extra money on the side but it took quite a while to do research and even more resources to trial error. Nevertheless, I made my first sale on Redbubble with designs made with just Canva!
In this article, I’ll be sharing 16 best fulfillment sites to design POD tote bags and the types of tote bags they offer. To make things easier for you, I’ve also included a step-by-step guide on how you can start down below.
*This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission (at no cost to you) if you sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link!
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16 Print On Demand Tote Bags Companies
1. Printify
If you’re a complete beginner looking to sell white label merch, Printify is a great fulfillment to start with. There’s a wide variety of products to sell and they’re reasonably priced!
Looking at tote bags alone, Printify has more than 15 tote bags you can place your designs on. Price ranges from $6 to $30 depending on the type of bag. Some can even be embroidered but you’ll have to use their templates when designing as embroidery designs can’t be resized or repositioned.
There’s 8 different suppliers you can work with and decide which is best for your biz since not all are based in the USA. You can save even more on product cost (about 23%) by subscribing to Printify Premium. Highly suggest doing so once you’ve made enough monthly profit to cover the monthly fee.
Here’s a sample of a Printify tote bag I created using a seamless pattern design I downloaded from Creative Fabrica. All I did was upload the image, make it a pattern using Printify’s tool and chose the deep pink color as the background.
You can print on tote bags without making the tote bag designs yourself!
Types of tote bags you can design:
- Cotton tote bags
- Shopping tote bags
- All-over-print tote bags
- Natural tote bags
- Polyester tote bags
- Canvas tote bags
- Canvas shopping totes
- Woven tote bags
- Shoulder tote bags
- Organic tote bags
- Weekender bags
| Other accessories you can design | Facemasks Watches Phone cases Socks Hats Baby accessories Mouse pads Magnets Pin buttons Luggage tags Wristband Scrunchie Wallet Keychains Bluetooth speaker Wireless charger Jewelry |
| Available integrations | Shopify WooCommerce Etsy eBay PrestaShop BigCommerce Wix Squarespace Printify API |
| Free to use? | FREE |
| Based in | USA |
| Ships to | Worldwide |
Read: 5 key differences Printify vs Printful
2. Printful
Compared to Printify, there’s only four kinds of tote bags you can design with Printful. This includes eco-friendly tote bags and all over print tote bags. You can easily see the reviews for each product and decide if it’s something you want to sell.
Product base prices are slightly more expensive than Printify, plus you’ll need to pay a one-time digitization fee for every embroidery design. These details are provided at the product page but it starts from $3.95 – Printify does not charge you for digitization.
Printful is best for their all-over-print products as most categories offer these. When designing one, it’s best to use repetitive designs so the print looks seamless. Patterns work best!
Here’s a sample of Printful’s large eco tote bag I designed using their quick designs only. No image was uploaded on my part as I only used what’s available in Printful’s design studio.
Types of tote bags you can design:
- Eco tote bags
- All-over-print tote bags
- All-over-print large tote bags
| Other accessories you can design | Patches Phone cases Hair accessories Face masks Keychains Footwear Socks Jewelry Bracelets Necklaces Earrings Tech accessories Earphone cases Laptop cases Mouse pads |
| Available integrations | Shopify WooCommerce Etsy Wix Squarespace Magento BigCommerce Ecwid Weebly Prestashop Shipstation Big Cartel Gumroad Shift4Shop Launch Cart Webflow Square Nuvemshop BASE Amazon eBay Storenvy TikTok API |
| Free to use? | FREE |
| Based in | USA |
| Ships to | Worldwide |
Read: Is Printify or Printful cheaper? 5 pricing elements to know!
3. Gelato
There’s only two kinds of tote bags you can design on Gelato but you’re able to choose between embroidery or digital printing. Gelato’s tote bags are fulfilled in 12-14 countries across the globe including Singapore and New Zealand so even if you’re in parts of Asia, delivery can be fast.
If you prefer a thicker heavier tote bag, go for their premium tote bags. Their classic tote bags are quite thin (half in weight compared to premium ones) and may not be able to hold much. You can see for yourself in the unboxing video I’ve created down below!
Types of tote bags you can design:
- Classic cotton tote bags
- Premium cotton tote bags
| Other accessories you can design | Phone cases Hats |
| Available integrations | Shopify Etsy WooCommerce Wix Squarespace BigCommerce API |
| Free to use? | FREE |
| Based in | Norway |
| Ships to | Worldwide |
4. AOP+
Want to operate your biz using the Euro currency? You can see product prices in USD/Euros/GBP on AOP+. Regardless which one you choose, products are shipped from the UK!
AOP+ has some nice tote bags to offer including large-sized organic ones. Organic products are eco-friendly, made sustainably from decomposable materials. They come with internal pockets for extra storage of small items – so nothing gets lost!
I do feel that the price is slightly expensive compared to Printify and Printful.
Types of tote bags you can design:
- Classic tote bags
- Shopper tote bags
- Organic tote bags
- Large organic tote bags
| Other accessories you can design | Phone cases Blankets Mouse pads Coasters Ornaments Pet bandanas Flags Face masks Towels Scarves Neck gaiters Wall plaque Pillows |
| Available integrations | BigCommerce Shopify Etsy |
| Free to use? | FREE |
| Based in | UK |
| Ships to | Worldwide |
5. Gooten
Although Gooten offers unique products like home decor and pet products, they only have three options for tote bags. Their selection covers the basics if you ask me! You can design a basic cotton tote bag or one with strong black straps.
I personally love the ones with the black straps as they are heavy-duty compared to normal totes. It’s more practical for grocery runs and carrying heavy books to class. These two tote bags are not made of the same material hence the difference in the texture & look.
Tote bags are some of the easiest items to design but Gooten still provides downloadable design templates in JPG and PSD for sellers/artists to refer to. This ensures your final designs fit perfectly within the designated print areas and avoid the sides.
Gooten is a great fulfillment to use if you have prior experience in print on demand or have an existing ecommerce store. These details are needed at the sign up page to determine if you can join them.
Types of tote bags you can design:
- Cotton tote bags
- Black strap tote bags
- Weekender bags
| Other accessories you can design | Phone cases Watches Notebooks Yoga mats Calendars Towels Luggage tags Mirrors Car accessories Baby accessories Pet accessories |
| Available integrations | Shopify Big Commerce WooCommerce Etsy API |
| Free to use? | FREE |
| Based in | USA |
| Ships to | Worldwide |
6. Printed Mint
Aside from the usual tote bags, artists can design lunch tote bags on Printed Mint. The print is only one-sided and it comes with a zipper closure.
Printed Mint’s 100% cotton canvas bags is available in 12 base colors so you won’t be designing on plain white/black bag only. To ensure your prints stay visible, adjust the color of your designs to suit each base color – even if it means having 12 different ones.
Printed Mint is a major printing partner on Printify but not all their products are available there. If something is not available on Printify, you can get them directly from Printed Mint directly, usually for cheaper. Only downside is shipping options and integrations are not the same as Printify’s.
Types of tote bags you can design:
- Oversized tote bags
- Lunch tote bags
- Basic tote bags
- Heavy tote bags
| Other accessories you can design | Luggage tags Car mats Yoga mats Cosmetic bags Pencil bags Keychains Face masks Desk mats Clipboards Phone cases Scarves Pet mats Lunch box |
| Available integrations | Etsy Shopify |
| Free to use? | FREE |
| Based in | USA |
| Ships to | Worldwide |
7. Apliiq
Looking for cooler more heavy-duty tote bags to design? Apliiq has a nice range to work with including sustainable hemp tote bags. These are usually thicker and sturdier, making them suitable for grocery shopping and carrying heavier items.
Tote bags on Apliiq can only be embroidered. Compared to Printify and Printful, digitization fee for embroidery designs on Apliiq is $11 (one-time for every new design). It’s slightly expensive and if you were to order samples of your own product, you’ll be paying more than the dropship price (what customer pays) as their in-house artist will help you set up your design properly.
I wrote a separate article to compare the features of Apliiq vs Printful here. Apliiq offers some cool branding services including adding woven labels and your own embroidered patches to products.
Types of tote bags you can design:
- Basic tote bags
- Eco tote bags
- Hemp market tote bags
- Orange tote bags
- Black tote bags
- Red tote bags
| Other accessories you can design | Headwear Label supplies |
| Available integrations | Shopify WooCommerce Etsy |
| Free to use? | FREE |
| Based in | Los Angeles, USA |
| Ships to | Worldwide |
8. Redbubble
Don’t want to face the headache of setting up your own ecommerce store? Using POD marketplaces like Redbubble is the best option you have. It was the first site I started my print on demand journey with. No shame to admit it’s super easy to use and takes less than 5 minutes to upload designs to multiple products!
There are two types of tote bags you can design with Redbubble – the normal canvas tote or an all-over-print tote. Designs can only be printed in the center for canvas totes while AOP totes have the design printed through out – sample picture down below. Some designs can be enabled for both and others can only be used for the AOP.
Redbubble’s artist commissions are standardized at 20% but you can increase or decrease it to your preference. If your designs stand out against others, you can try your luck by fixing a 30% commission rate instead.
Types of tote bags you can design:
- All-over-print tote bags
- Cotton tote bags
| Other accessories you can design | Face masks Clocks Laptop cases Towels Magnets Pet products Phone cases Hats Pins Scarves Socks Notebooks Acrylic blocks |
| Available integrations | – |
| Free to use? | FREE |
| Based in | Australia |
| Ships to | Worldwide except 6 countries |
Read: Do these 11 things to be successful on Redbubble!
9. Merchize
If you’re comfortable sourcing custom printed tote bags from fulfillments based in Asia, Merchize is one I highly recommend. It’s based in Vietnam and offers integration with eBay and Google Shopping. Other unique products you can find on their site are candles, doormats and clocks.
However, there is only a single type of tote bag to design with Merchize – as everything looks pretty much the same. You can choose to design the tote bags below with a white or black strap. The lined tote bag comes with an additional layer of fabric sewn on the inside – it’s slightly more durable and keeps the outer layer clean.
For an AOP product, I believe Merchize’s leggings are reasonably priced as it includes a standard shipping charge to the USA.
Types of tote bags you can design:
- Black straps tote bags
- Lined tote bags
| Other accessories you can design | Office & stationery Face covers Clocks Phone cases Socks Hats Jewelry Keychains |
| Available integrations | Etsy Amazon Shopify WooCommerce eBay Merchize API Google Shopping |
| Free to use? | FREE |
| Based in | Vietnam |
| Ships to | Worldwide |
10. Prodigi
Looking for a print on demand tote bags UK-based company? Prodigi is one of the best fulfillments to use. Most products are shipped worldwide from the UK and production takes less than three days.
For tote bags, Prodigi only offers a single type alongside a shopping bag (shorter handles). Designs are printed using water-based inks, making their products eco-friendly. The black canvas strap is 18″ long and strong enough to hold heavy items. Wholesale prices starts from just £12.00!
Prodigi is best known for their quality art prints. You can even order a pack of miniature samples just to have a real experience of their paper products. They ship worldwide!
Types of tote bags you can design:
- Canvas tote bags
| Other accessories you can design | Watch straps Face masks Footwear Patches Jewelry Keychains |
| Available integrations | WooCommerce Etsy Squarespace Wix BigCommerce |
| Free to use? | FREE |
| Based in | UK |
| Ships to | Worldwide |
11. Zazzle
Zazzle is the next best marketplace to sell your designs on. Compared to Redbubble, they have a few types of tote bags you can design including tote bags that don’t really look like one. Talk about an upgrade!
With Zazzle, customers can personalize their purchase by adding their name, photo or details they simply want to show off. Of course the type of personalization available depends on the type of product. I’ve included a sample down below of one with my name on it.
I also like that it’s super easy for customers to browse Zazzle’s marketplace, they can straightaway see the color options available for a certain product.
Types of tote bags you can design:
- Grocery tote bags
- Large tote bags
- Budget tote bags
- Jumbo tote bags
- Impulse tote bags
| Other accessories you can design | Phone cases Hats Buttons Bandanas Backpacks Ties Luggage tags Cufflinks Card holders Keychains Wallet Sunglasses Jewelry Watches |
| Available integrations | – |
| Free to use? | FREE |
| Based in | Redwood City, California, USA |
| Ships to | Worldwide |
Read: 12 things to compare Redbubble vs Zazzle
12. CafePress
If personalized products is something you like to offer, CafePress is another marketplace you should sell your designs on. It works just like Redbubble and Zazzle, but designs are slightly outdated (for me). Print on demand marketplaces allow the same designs to be sold elsewhere (even on their competitor sites) as your artwork is non-exclusive.
Aside from the usual canvas tote bags and black strap ones, CafePress has grocery tote bags and zipper tote bags to offer. The major downside is CafePress only ships to 26 countries (link below) and accepts artists from the same countries only.
Types of tote bags you can design:
- Canvas tote bags
- Zipper tote bags
- Polyester tote bags
- Reusable grocery tote bags
| Other accessories you can design | Drinkware Phone cases Stationery Hats Car accessories Patches Flip flops Jewelry Buttons Keychains Stickers |
| Available integrations | – |
| Free to use? | FREE |
| Based in | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Ships to | 26 countries (Check here) |
13. Contrado
If you want to source tote bags from UK but operate your biz in USD, check out Contrado. They have a wide variety of products to offer and unique bags you can’t find anywhere else. Although prices are on the higher side, Contrado provides multiyear printing guarantees so you know you’re in good hands!
Instead of the canvas tote bags, you can design leather ones with Contrado. They are perfect for everyday use to work, class or for a day out with friends. Not too shabby, fills in a lot and can replace your handbags!
The only downside is Contrado only offers integration with Shopify so you can only use a Shopify store with it.
Types of tote bags you can design:
- Shopper bags
- Canvas tote bags
- Cite tote bags
- Kika tote bags
- Basic tote bags
| Other accessories you can design | Phone cases Scarves Gloves Jewelry Face masks Socks Keyrings Hard glasses cases Sunglasses Hats & caps Wallets Ties Cufflinks Umbrella Leather belt Watches Laptop cases Stationery Travel accessories Children’s accessories |
| Available integrations | Shopify |
| Free to use? | FREE |
| Based in | London, UK |
| Ships to | Worldwide |
14. Society6
Love making cheerful hippie designs? Society6 is the most suitable marketplace for you. Most designs on the site are chic looking and modern – compared to ones on Redbubble or CafePress.
Unfortunately, they only have one type of tote bag to offer – but it’s available in three sizes. Smaller ones (13″) are fine for carrying your daily accessories while the largest one (18″) is suitable for long notebooks and stationeries.
As these bags are versatile, customers can practically use them for any purpose. The only downside is artist commissions are fixed at only 10% for everything (excluding art prints). Regardless, selling tote bags on multiple platforms helps diversify your revenue!
Types of tote bags you can design:
- Black strap tote bags
| Other accessories you can design | Phone cases Towels Sun shades Bottles Yoga mats Face masks Socks Pouches Desk mats Stickers Notebooks Pencil cases Tech accessories Clocks |
| Available integrations | – |
| Free to use? | FREE |
| Based in | Santa Monica, California, USA |
| Ships to | Worldwide (not all products can be shipped outside of the US) |
15. Art Of Where
If you’re looking for a POD company to sell to a Canada-based audience, Art Of Where is one I recommend. They have a great selection of apparel products with some accessories including tote bags.
AOW has a variety of tote bags including market totes, day totes and origami totes. Although these are essentially tote bags, they have a unique shape and unseen on other sites! For both day tote and origami tote, sellers can even choose the colors and fabric material for straps.
Depending on the order, products are printed in Montreal or New York. Sellers can also pick up orders if you need them quick or if you’re designing for yourself.
Types of tote bags you can design:
- Basic tote bags
- Large basic tote bags
- Cotton tote bags
- Urban tote bags
- Day tote bags
- Origami tote bags
- Market tote bags
| Other accessories you can design | Face coverings Scarves Headwear Zipper pouches Stationery |
| Available integrations | Big Cartel BigCommerce WooCommerce Squarespace Etsy |
| Free to use? | FREE |
| Based in | Canada |
| Ships to | Worldwide |
16. Teespring (Spring)
Are you an online content creator looking to monetize your current audience or fans? Selling merchandise is a great passive way to do so. It also helps with your branding for the long term.
Teespring or Spring is a POD marketplace that’s catered for content creators and influencers. They offer integrations with social media platforms like YouTube and Discord – and their products are merch worth, including tote bags.
Aside from canvas totes, Teespring also has organic and all-over-print polyester ones. Although prices are slightly on the higher side, there isn’t any other site with the exact integration options. And you can make about 40% margin (sample below)!
Types of tote bags you can design:
- Basic tote bags
- Organic tote bags
- All-over-print tote bags
| Other accessories you can design | Keychains Footwear Face coverings Hats Tech accessories Watch bands Stickers Stationery Phone cases Socks Athletics |
| Available integrations | Instagram YouTube Shelf Twitch Linktree Stream Alerts Discord |
| Free to use? | FREE |
| Based in | San Francisco, California, USA |
| Ships to | Worldwide |
Read: 14 POD marketplaces just like Teespring
How To Sell Tote Bags Online With Print On Demand
For the sake of this article, I’ll only talk about how you can start with Printify. The process is similar for Printful and if anything, it should be much easier on marketplaces like Redbubble or Society6.
1. Choose a niche for your print on demand tote bags store
First and foremost, you’ll have to decide what your shop will be about. It’s great to choose 1 main niche and 2-3 sub-niches for your shop in the beginning to see what sells best. Double down on the best selling product later!
Some niches I would recommend are women empowerment, pet lovers, baby and toddlers, as well as the hustle lifestyle.
2. Do research on what kind of designs you should make
Do research by seeing what design sells best on Amazon or Etsy. You don’t necessarily need to see designs in the tote bags category, consider checking in the t-shirt or mug category. There’s a chance these designs have not been expanded to tote bags.
Check if the designs are registered for trademark by using tools like Merch By Amazon Trademark Protection. And don’t copy blatantly!
3. Create your own designs or outsource to freelancers
Some tools I would recommend are Kittl (super simple for beginners), Photoshop, Procreate (iPad) and Affinity Designer (only for Mac).
If you decide to scale later on, outsource designs to freelancers on Fiverr or Upwork. Designers on Fiverr sell one design for a minimum of $10 and you’ll pay per item. While on Upwork, you’ll be paying per hour’s work so things are a little more long term there.
Always provide a detailed brief to designers to improve your process!
4. Sign up for print on demand platforms of your choice
Will you integrate with Etsy or use Shopify integrations? These two can be used with fulfillments like Printify and Printful. If you ask me, I find Printify’s products to be cheaper and more beginner-friendly – read why I recommend Printify against Printful.
You can sign up to any sites I’ve recommended above. If you’re not interested in white label at the moment, it’s ok to start with POD marketplaces.
5. Upload your designs to suitable products
Once your designs are ready, it’s time to upload them in JPG or PNG. There’s a maximum file size and a preferred sizing for each product – Printify suggests (3825 x 3825) px for tote bags so make sure your designs are in that size. This depends on the bag you want to sell designs on!
What you see in the mockups will be what customers get in their hands! Always ensure your designs are aligned properly to the product.
6. Decide on your sale margin and set a price
Unless you’re selling on a marketplace, you’re free to decide your product prices. It’s practical to start with 40-50% profit margin for white label and test what works. You can always increase or decrease the price later!
Bear in mind, pricing items higher on marketplaces will make it difficult to compete with others on the same platform.
7. Generate mockups of products to make it more impressive
Both Printify and Printful have a free mockup generators and professional product photos. For other sites, you can explore tools like Placeit with advanced mockups or order your own product samples to take your own photos.
I personally think that the flat lifestyle mockup is the best for tote bags!
8. Display the product design at your chosen store
Once you follow through the process of uploading the design, you just need to click on submit and you’ll have your products displayed in your Etsy shop (get 40 free listings here) or Shopify store within a minute. It’s ready for sale!
You can always go back to the listing to change details like description, price, collections etc.
9. Repeat the process until you have a collection of designs
Don’t stop at 5 products. Ideally you should have 30-50 products. You’ll need even more to compete on marketplaces – try to achieve at least 100 quality designs there to get recurrent sales.
3 Things To Consider For Print On Demand Tote Bags
1. Get the right design dimensions for best printing results
You don’t want the designs to be printed so small or too big on the tote bag so get to know the exact dimensions for each product. Also, always ensure your designs are placed correctly!
2. Intended usage
Always design and sell with the end goal in mind. What will the tote bag be used for? What will people put in them? Assess this for each design sold.
If it’s meant for students, selling your designs on an A4-sized tote bag with a boxed bottom will do great. Students will need to place A4 files, books, pencil cases and sometimes their lunchbox.
3. Embroidery colors
Embroidery works differently than normal printing on tote bags. Fulfillments like Printify recommends exactly 16 thread colors to refer to, as it is the colors of the actual thread. Use the exact color code when designing so the actual product looks just like what is seen online!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Tote bags are in demand and are one of the best selling products for both Etsy and Shopify stores. People are becoming environmentally conscious and reducing use of plastics especially since the banning of plastic bags in states like California and Connecticut. This has contributed to a rise in sales of tote bags and it’s looking to grow even more by USD 5.85 billion in the next 5 years.
People fail at print on demand because they choose the wrong products to sell and ones unsuitable for the design. Most do not put effort into marketing their products or having the right product descriptions. They dismissed good copywriting to build customer trust.
A tote bag business should be profitable with print on demand. Although profits can vary from 10-30% per sale depending on the platform used, there’s almost zero cost to start the business. To save cost, you can make your own designs using free tools or hire others for a minimum of $10 per design.
Bottom Line
Setting up a print on demand tote bag business isn’t difficult as you thought, right? With enough quality designs, I’m sure you can make a lot of extra income. This is possible even if you have a full-time job or a hectic schedule you can’t wrap yourself around.
If you’re planning to dropship tote bags, go for the white label POD companies I’ve listed above. You don’t even have to leave your house to start dropshipping tote bags!
Here are 16 fulfillment sites you can use to design print on demand tote bags:
- Printify
- Printful
- Gelato
- AOP+
- Gooten
- Printed Mint
- Apliiq
- Redbubble
- Merchize
- Prodigi
- Zazzle
- CafePress
- Contrado
- Society6
- Art Of Where
- Teespring
Check out my print on demand guides here with pretty good tips!
- Tote bags for print on demand
- Tumblers for print on demand
- Phone cases for print on demand
- Posters for print on demand
- Leggings for print on demand
- Jewelry for print on demand
- Candles for print on demand
- Doormats for print on demand
- Hoodies for print on demand
- Pet products for print on demand
- Socks for print on demand
- Pajamas for print on demand
- Blankets for print on demand
- Baby clothes for print on demand
- Wrapping paper for print on demand
- Puzzles for print on demand
- Stickers for print on demand
- Athletic wear for print on demand
- Hats for print on demand
- Journals for print on demand
- Greeting cards for print on demand
- Mugs for print on demand
Photo by Mikhail Nilov from Pexels
