Creators Brought the Customers—Now POD Platforms Are Cutting Creators Out with Fees

Something shifted this spring and it wasn’t subtle. For years, creators on print-on-demand platforms have done far more than just upload photos or artwork. We’ve been the artists, the marketers, the SEO strategists, and we did custom work for special customer requests. We built shops with care, crafted titles and tags and product description that told the customer about our work and explained the product. We created products that felt personal because they were.

We didn’t just sell birthday cards, invitations, wall art, T-shirts or throw pillows. We answered messages from customers asking for something special. A reunion shirt with grandma’s favorite saying. A wedding invitation that matched the couple’s vibe. A memorial keepsake that needed to feel just right. We worked for hours sometimes days on these custom requests. And sometimes? The customer didn’t even buy. But we still showed up, did the artwork and tried to create the product that customer requested because that’s what creators do.

I’ve had customers reach out with heartfelt requests, and I’ve poured hours into edits to make sure the final product felt just right. Once it’s ready, I send them a direct product link along with detailed instructions to clear their browser data and cookies “to the beginning of time” before using my product link. Most of them follow through. They love the artwork. They want me to be paid fairly. They tell me so.

But here’s the gut punch: even when the customer does everything right, that clean browser that erases data and cookies to the beginning of time most of the time turns into a third-party sale. Instead of receiving my promoter pay and my royalty, I get hit with marketing fees. On a product I created. For a customer I worked with directly.

And I know I’m not alone. This shift doesn’t just hurt individual creators. It undermines the entire creative process.. We are the ones driving traffic. We are the ones building trust. We are the ones answering messages at midnight, tweaking designs, and making sure every product feels like it was made for someone specific. When creators are demoralized, the platform suffers. Because without us, there is no platform.

Let’s call it what it is: a 35 to 50% marketing fees on creator products sold through third-parties isn’t just steep it’s draining. It punishes the very people who made the POD platform successful. If platforms want to keep growing, they need to start respecting the time, heart, and hands-on care that creators pour into their work and stop with the excessive fees taken from their royalties.  POD creators are only paid a royalty/referral  (commision when item sells they earn nothing more) .

Footnote: When platform sales dip, it’s not just a market trend it’s a signal. Creators aren’t happy. And when creators aren’t happy, they don’t create with the same energy, care, or consistency and they don’t promote to drive organic traffic to their online shops. Everyone knows that when creators feel respected, they work harder. They’re not asking for perks they’re asking for fair compensation and freedom from inflated marketing and royalty fees. It’s time to return to a sustainable model: 14.9% royalties, not the bloated 23.9% that only exists to pay platform costs. All that does is make the marketplace feel overpriced and that drives customers away.

This article published by Susan Golis, Freelance Writer, blogger, and Content Creator.  AI images created by Susan Golis