What Bonfire does

Bonfire is a Richmond, Virginia-based print-on-demand custom merchandise platform founded in 2012 that enables individuals, creators, nonprofits, schools, small businesses, and political movements to design, sell, and order custom apparel and accessories without holding inventory. The platform supports three primary selling modes: limited-edition campaign-based drops, always-on online stores, and nonprofit fundraising storefronts, with an underlying fulfillment stack built on DTG (Direct-to-Garment) and DTF (Direct-to-Film) printing technologies that produce units only after an order is placed. The product catalog spans T-shirts, hoodies, long sleeve tees, bags and totes, printed hats, activewear, kids apparel, drinkware, blankets, backpacks, and pouches, including eco-friendly lines from brands such as Allmade, Stanley/Stella, and Comfort Colors.

Bonfire monetizes through three streams: (1) margin embedded in the base manufacturing cost of each unit, where sellers set the customer-facing price and Bonfire captures the spread (transaction/fees on merchandise sales); (2) Bonfire Pro subscriptions at $9.99/month, $99/year, and $299/year, which add custom domains, Stripe direct payments, POS functionality, and higher seller margins; and (3) Bonfire Studio, a tiered professional design service priced at $49, $89, and $149 per design. Distribution flows through the bonfire.com storefront, the YouTube Merch Shelf integration (for creators with 1,000+ subscribers), Tiltify for live-stream fundraising, GoFundMe Pro for donation-to-merch flows, and a GetChange Corp partnership that processes nonprofit payouts. The company holds SOC 2 Type II compliance, employs 101–250 people, and reports serving "millions of customers" across its creator and nonprofit base.

Name

Bonfire

Legal name

Bonfire

Website

https://bonfire.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bonfire is a Richmond-based print-on-demand platform, founded in 2012, that lets creators, nonprofits, schools, and small businesses design, sell, and fulfill custom apparel and accessories without inventory, monetizing through merchandise margin, Pro subscriptions, and design services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Transaction Fees on Merchandise Sales: Bonfire earns revenue by setting a base cost for product manufacturing and allowing sellers to set their own selling price. The difference between the selling price and base cost represents the seller's profit, while Bonfire captures margin on the base cost. The platform charges no upfront fees for basic selling.
2. Bonfire Pro Subscriptions: Bonfire Pro offers two paid subscription tiers: Essentials at $9.99/month or $99/year, and Super at $299/year. Pro subscribers receive fully branded storefronts, custom domains, Stripe direct payments, and higher profit margins.
3. Design Services (Studio): Bonfire Studio provides custom design services in three tiers: Basic ($49), Standard ($89), and Premium ($149). These are one-time fees for custom artwork creation with varying revision counts and turnaround times.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bonfire is a print-on-demand custom merchandise platform that enables individuals, creators, nonprofits, schools, and small businesses to design, sell, and order custom apparel and products without inventory risk. The platform handles the entire fulfillment chain including printing (DTG and DTF), shipping, and customer support. Multiple sales models are supported: Campaign Selling (time-limited batch campaigns), Online Stores (continuous on-demand), and Nonprofit Fundraising (with peer-to-peer and partial giving capabilities). Bonfire Pro adds paid subscription features including custom domains, Stripe direct payments, POS app, and expanded print locations.

Product overview

Bonfire is a print-on-demand custom merchandise platform that enables users to design, sell, and order custom apparel and products. The core product portfolio includes T-shirts, hoodies, long sleeve tees, bags/totes, printed hats, activewear, kids products, drinkware, blankets, backpacks, and pouches. The platform operates through multiple channels: Campaign Selling (limited edition batch-based), Online Stores (on-demand selling), and Nonprofit Fundraising tools. Bonfire Pro is a paid subscription tier offering fully branded stores with custom domains, Stripe payments, and expanded features. Key supporting products include Bonfire Studio (custom design service), YouTube Merch Shelf integration, peer-to-peer fundraising, and Tiltify/GoFundMe integrations for streamers and fundraisers. The company specializes in apparel with eco-friendly options including organic cotton, recycled materials, and products from brands like Allmade, Stanley/Stella, Comfort Colors, and Bella+Canvas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom T-Shirts Premium custom t-shirts available in short-sleeve, Comfort Colors, tie-dye, eco-friendly, and various other styles with multiple colors and sizes. Manufactured on demand via DTG/DTF printing for sellers, creators, nonprofits, and businesses.
• Custom Hoodies and Sweatshirts Custom printed hoodies and sweatshirts including pullover hoodies, crewneck sweatshirts, and eco-friendly options from brands like Allmade and Stanley/Stella. Available for on-demand printing and shipping.
• Custom Long Sleeve Tees Custom long sleeve shirts in premium, classic, Comfort Colors, heavyweight, and eco-friendly variants from brands including Allmade and Stanley/Stella. Available for custom printing on demand.
• Custom Bags and Totes Custom printed bags including recycled cotton totes, organic cotton totes, over-the-shoulder shopping bags, two-tone canvas totes, and drawstring packs for sellers and organizations.
• Custom Printed Hats Custom printed hats including baseball caps, bucket hats, trucker hats, snapback caps, performance caps, and foam trucker hats from brands like Port Authority, Nike, and Umpqua for custom printing.
• Custom Activewear Custom printed activewear products for sports teams, athletic events, and fitness communities. New product line offering customizable performance apparel.
• Custom Kids Apparel Custom printed youth and kids apparel including t-shirts and long sleeve tees in child sizes for schools, PTAs, families, and youth organizations.
• Custom Drinkware Custom printed drinkware products including ceramic coffee mugs for promotional and personal use.
• Comfort Colors Blanket Cozy fleece blankets made from 80%/20% ring-spun cotton and poly blend fleece, garment-dyed with Comfort Colors signature twill label for custom printing.
• Custom Backpacks and Pouches Custom printed backpacks and pouches including the Everyday Backpack made from 600 denier polyester canvas with laptop sleeve, the 9x7 Hemp Blend Pouch from sustainable 55% hemp/45% cotton blend, and the Grove Go-Go Pouch from 100% recycled polyesters with built-in carabiner.
• Bonfire Pro Paid subscription platform for brands and businesses offering fully customizable storefronts, custom domains, Stripe direct payments, POS app for in-person sales, expanded print locations, and higher profit margins. Available in Essentials ($9.99/month or $99/year) and Super ($299/year) tiers.
• Bonfire Studio Custom design service with in-house designers creating original merchandise designs in three tiers: Basic ($49, existing artwork improvement with 1 revision, 3-day turnaround), Standard ($89, simple custom design with 3 revisions, 5-day turnaround), and Premium ($149, complex design including two-sided artwork with 4 revisions).

Quantifiable outcome

• Nonprofit campaigns can raise thousands through merchandise (e.g., National Forest Foundation raised $24,873)

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• TiltifycoreTechnology or IntegrationTiltify is a streaming fundraising platform that enables creators to raise money during live streams. Bonfire's integration allows users to connect their Bonfire merchandise campaigns to Tiltify fundraising goals. When linked, merchandise purchases automatically contribute to the Tiltify campaign total. Currently available to select users via early rollout.
• GoFundMecoreTechnology or IntegrationGoFundMe Pro integration allows Bonfire users to add t-shirt fundraisers directly to their GoFundMe campaigns, enabling supporters to purchase merchandise as an alternative or supplement to direct donations.
• YouTubecoreTechnology or IntegrationYouTube Merch Shelf enables Bonfire creators with eligible channels (1,000+ subscribers, not Made for Kids) to showcase and sell merchandise directly below their videos. Google reviews products for compliance with Merchant Center policies before activation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Designhill: Designhill is a creative marketplace offering custom design services and print-on-demand products. Comparable to Bonfire in combining design services (akin to Bonfire Studio) with custom merchandise production.
• Apliiq: Apliiq is a print-on-demand platform specializing in private-label and premium blank apparel for brands. Comparable to Bonfire in POD apparel focus and brand-building positioning, with a narrower premium/lifestyle niche.

Direct peers

• Spreadshirt: Spreadshirt is a custom apparel platform offering POD and on-demand stores for individuals, businesses, and organizations. Comparable to Bonfire in self-serve store creation, European breadth, and group/team selling.
• Printful: Printful is a leading print-on-demand fulfillment and platform provider offering apparel, accessories, and home goods. Comparable to Bonfire in core POD technology, fulfillment model, and broad product catalog, though Printful skews more toward ecommerce store integrations.
• Printify: Printify is a print-on-demand marketplace connecting merchants with a global print network. Comparable to Bonfire in POD infrastructure and ecommerce seller focus, with overlapping target customers in creators and SMBs.
• Custom Ink: CustomInk is a leading custom apparel platform focused on groups, schools, teams, nonprofits, and events. Highly comparable to Bonfire in serving nonprofits and groups for custom fundraising apparel, though CustomInk is more group-order centric versus Bonfire's creator/campaign focus.
• Spring (formerly TeeSpring): Spring is a print-on-demand platform purpose-built for creators and YouTubers, with deep YouTube Merch Shelf integration. Directly comparable to Bonfire's creator economy focus, campaign-based selling, and YouTube integration.
• Zazzle: Zazzle is a custom products marketplace offering personalized apparel, gifts, and accessories. Comparable to Bonfire in self-serve design tools and POD marketplace model across apparel and accessories.
• Gooten: Gooten is a print-on-demand production partner and platform serving ecommerce brands. Comparable to Bonfire in POD fulfillment and merchant integrations, though Gooten is more B2B/wholesale-oriented.
• Redbubble: Redbubble is a public print-on-demand marketplace for artists and designers selling custom apparel and home goods. Comparable to Bonfire in artist/creator focus and POD marketplace model, though Redbubble is artist-upload-centric while Bonfire is campaign/customer-centric.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bonfire
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/BonfireVideos
• Facebookfacebook.com/bonfire
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bonfire-funds-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/bonfire
• TikToktiktok.com/@wearbonfire
• Pinterestpinterest.com/wearbonfire

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bonfire