Teelaunch Review

Considering starting a print-on-demand business? Already running a Shopify store and want to add POD products to your offering? Teelaunch makes it possible to do just that. You no longer have to invest money upfront, producing items that may or may not sell. There’s no need to keep an inventory.

In this Teelaunch review, we look at the products you can order, pricing, available printing technologies, and more. By the end, you should have an idea about whether you’ll use this to create products for your ecommerce store.

What is Teelaunch?

Teelaunch is a POD app available for Shopify. Unlike other platforms like Printful and Printify that let you integrate with a variety of ecommerce platforms, you cannot use this unless you’re also using Shopify or Etsy.

Once you’ve got your Shopify store up and running, you install the Teelaunch app, for free. From there, you’ll upload your designs and choose the products to apply them to.

You pay the base price for every product your customers order. You set the retail price that customers pay – and you keep the difference. Compared to platforms like CafePress and Zazzle that pay you on a royalty structure, you have more control over your profit margin.

If you sell nothing, you pay nothing.  

What types of products can you produce with Teelaunch? It’s not just t-shirts, tank tops, and other apparel. You can also make and sell:

• Jewelry, Accessories, and Lifestyle Goods: Jewelry boxes, necklaces, bracelets, tote bags, backpacks, phone cases, mouse pads, scarves, headphones, Bluetooth speakers, etc.
• Home Goods and Kitchen Items: Plates, cutting boards, coasters, coffee mugs, tumblers, beer steins, towels, coasters, pillows, blankets, etc.
• Stationery: Notebooks, journals, stickers
• Pets: Dog bowls, pet bandanas, pet pillow, and crate mats
• Wall Art: Posters, flags, tapestries, canvases, etc.

When you look at an item on the website, you’ll see details about production time, where the product ships from, and shipping costs.

You can order a sample before you list the product for sale in your shop. You must email customer service and let them know you’re making a sample order. Sample orders are available at a 50% discount. You’ll receive a 50% refund after you email customer service with the name on the order and order number.

Printing Technologies

Teelaunch uses a few printing technologies, depending on the products ordered.

• Direct-to-Garment (DTG): This is the standard printing method for all garments. This is digital printing that applies ink to the fabric to create the design. The final product withstands plenty of laundering without degrading the image.
• Dye Sublimation: This method prints the image onto special paper. After the design is placed on the item, heat transfers the image to the final product. It’s often used for drinkware, all-over-print clothing, and other fabric items.
• Digital Printing: This is the same concept as DTG, but used on paper and paper products.

Engraving: Teelaunch offers laser engraving. They use this method on cutting boards and other items where appropriate.

Teelaunch Pricing

The Teelaunch app is free to use. There are no subscription fees to use this POD service. You’ll only pay for the products customers order. The product catalog on the Teelaunch website provides pricing information on each item.

For apparel products like shirts and hoodies, you can expect to pay anywhere from $11 to $19. For non-apparel products, you can expect to pay anywhere from $15 to $85. Knowing this, you can set your pricing so that you earn an adequate profit on every item. 

Shipping costs are quite expensive, especially for international orders. In many cases, shipping runs at $10+ for the first item with a discount for each additional item.

For example, a crate mat ships from Florida and costs $20 for the first item to ship within the United States, with another $10 for each additional item. An international order costs $70 for the first item and $10 for each additional. 

A pint glass that ships from Massachusetts costs $9 for the first item and $3.50 for each additional within the United States. An international order costs $25 for the first item and $3.50 for each additional. Keep this in mind as you set your prices and shipping costs.

Features

Teelaunch offers a mockup generator and design tool, so you can see what your final product should look like once printed. You can use these images in your store. Some personalization options are available, depending on the product.

Teelaunch does not offer design services or warehousing. You cannot use this platform without an online store.

One thing worth mentioning is that Teelaunch will put your products in custom packaging if you want. You will have to send them the packaging you want them. touse. thee may be additional fees involved.

Ecommerce Integrations

Teelaunch is a Shopify app, available in the Shopify app store. It does not integrate with any other ecommerce platforms.

Marketplace Integrations

Teelaunch only offers an Etsy integration. There is no Teelaunch API for connecting to other platforms.

Customer Support

Teelaunch has limited customer support. You have access to a help center and a customer service email. This has more to do with how small the company is than anything else.

Some users report negative experiences with Teelaunch customer service. Others report that customer service is improving because of that feedback.

Alternatives

If you’re not a Shopify or Esty fan, you’ll need to use another POD service. Here are a few options.

Teelaunch vs Printful

Both platforms are quite similar to one another. Where Teelaunch is only available for Shopify and Etsy, Printful integrates with a variety of platforms. The platforms are user friendly, making them great for beginners. 

Teelaunch offers many of the same quality products as Printful at a slightly lower price. Shipping may make that price difference negligible. Printful has an average three-day lead time, where Teelaunch takes up to six days. 

Printify

Printify is like Printful. The differences lie in the lack of warehousing, design services, and branding services. They produce quality products at lower prices than Printful, like Teelaunch. Teelaunch has more unique products overall, though. For instance, you can get laser engraved cutting boards and pet crate mats with Teelaunch, but not with Printify. That said, you can get engraved pet tags and other products not available on Teelaunch with Printify.

CafePress

If you don’t want to hassle with creating your own store, then CafePress may be a good option for you. You can create your own products, set your royalty rate, and focus on marketing. CafePress will do the rest. 

Leave Your Review

Do you currently use Teelaunch? Have you used Teelaunch before? If so, please leave a review of your experience. Part of the way we keep our reviews unbiased is by including real user reviews.