Is Selling Notebooks On Redbubble Profitable
Last updated: April 2026 ·affiliate disclosure
Most notebooks sellers on Redbubble see net margins between 15% and 35% after all fees and Redbubble's cut. You're not getting rich, but it's possible to build steady income if you upload consistently and nail your designs. The real question isn't whether it's profitable in absolute terms—it's whether your time is better spent elsewhere.
Redbubble Fees for notebooks Sellers
Redbubble's commission on notebooks typically runs 40-50% of the base retail price, depending on your markup strategy. If a notebook sells at $11.95, Redbubble's production and platform costs consume roughly $4.75-$5.95. They don't charge upload fees or monthly subscriptions, which is the one advantage over print-on-demand competitors. Your actual payout per notebook sale lands between $2.00 and $3.50 depending on the final retail price you set.
Profit Margin Benchmarks
Good margins: sellers hitting $800+ per month are typically those with 200+ designs, strong SEO, and established audiences. Their per-sale margins are still 18-22%, but volume compensates. They're making $25-40 per day on notebooks alone. Average margins: most sellers see $50-200 monthly, with margins closer to 15-18% per sale. Poor margins: single-digit monthly earnings happen when you upload sporadically, ignore SEO, or design for trends rather than evergreen appeal.
Calculate your actual numbers
The margins above are averages. Your real profit depends on your specific price, costs, and volume.
Run Your Redbubble Profit Calculation →Verdict: Is It Worth It?
Selling notebooks on Redbubble is profitable only if you define it narrowly: yes, you'll make money on each sale, and yes, it requires zero upfront capital. But it's not a money printer. You're competing against 500,000+ other sellers for design attention. The real ROI depends on your labor. Spending 5 hours per month uploading designs and earning $150 is roughly $30/hour—worse than minimum wage in most countries. Only pursue this if you genuinely enjoy designing or already have audience reach to drive sales.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are typical Redbubble notebook royalties per sale?
You earn $2.00 to $3.50 per notebook sale depending on the retail price you set. Redbubble takes 40-50% off the base price to cover production and platform costs, leaving you roughly 15-18% of the retail price as your royalty. This means a $14.95 notebook nets you approximately $2.40.
What notebook margins should I expect as a new seller?
Expect 15-18% margins on each sale after Redbubble's fees. As a new seller with low volume, realistic monthly earnings are $50-150 unless you have existing audience reach. Most new sellers earn less than $100 monthly in their first three months because design discoverability is low.
How many notebook sales do you need to make money on Redbubble?
You need approximately 30-50 notebook sales monthly to earn $100, or 150-200 sales to reach $500 monthly. At average margins of $2.50 per sale, hitting $1,000 monthly requires roughly 400 sales—a realistic goal only with 200+ uploaded designs and active promotion outside Redbubble.
Is selling notebooks on Redbubble worth it compared to other print-on-demand platforms?
Redbubble's margins for notebooks are comparable to Printful and Merch by Amazon, but Redbubble has stronger organic discovery. However, your earnings-to-effort ratio is similar across platforms: roughly $2-3 per sale. Choose Redbubble only if you prefer their design community and customer base, not because the math is better elsewhere.
Tools that improve these margins
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Related calculators
Compare Notebooks across platforms
Sell Notebooks on other platforms — fee and margin breakdowns for the same product type.
| Platform | Calculator | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon KDP | Open calculator → | View full breakdown → |
We monitor platform fees quarterly and email you when something affects your margins.