In this guide, you'll discover how to earn money by selling t-shirts online without needing any inventory or prior experience. or without This article is designed for those looking to sell merchandise to grow their business, as well as for anyone interested in creating their own shirt for personal use. We discuss all the essential aspects, catering to both novice and intermediate shirt designers. If your primary goal, however, is to make quick money, you might want to read something else.
Generating Income with Customized T-Shirts Prior to the holiday season, we dedicated time to enhancing our affiliate websites to increase their profitability. We discontinued our participation in certain affiliate programs, removed several irrelevant articles, refreshed outdated content, and reassessed the keywords on our most lucrative posts and pages. Following an extensive cleanup process, we shifted our focus to Selling products online without holding any inventory.to explore the possibility of achieving even more. In just the first 24 hours, we managed to establish a store, upload our initial design, and complete a sale. Our later designs have generally performed well with less effort than anticipated. We have gained experience in selling t-shirts directly on our websites by Printful This was logical for us since each individual already possessed a pre-existing audience, a mailing list, and customers who had previously made purchases. However, we didn't halt our efforts there; we also uploaded our designs to several marketplace websites such as Teepublic,Teespring. We are interested in platforms like Merch by Amazon and Etsy because they each have their own unique customer bases that we want to explore. We are quite amazed at how quickly we've started earning money by selling personalized t-shirts and products online without needing any inventory or prior experience with these platforms. Now, we're excited to share our journey with you. While individual results may differ, we believe this article contains all the essential information you need to successfully sell t-shirts online and generate income using user-friendly "print on demand" services. More Than Shirts Keep in mind that you can offer more than just shirts online; consider selling prints, framed canvases, tote bags, beach towels, tapestries, backpacks, phone cases, flip-flops, and clothing for both children and adults. The paragraph discusses various home decor items, such as coffee mugs, pillows, and beanbag chairs, among others. Each fulfillment partner offers a unique range of products to choose from, as illustrated by a print example created for a Printful store. Despite the wide selection of products available, the initial costs remain relatively similar regardless of the item you decide to create and sell. The question posed is: why should you learn to sell merchandise? Discovering how to market t-shirts online using these platforms. wasn’t something we necessarily wanted. We believed that if we didn’t take action, we would be missing out on potential earnings. There are numerous reasons why creators might want to explore selling merchandise.
- Generate new revenue streams
- Compliment an existing offer
- Initiate a conversation with customers by asking, "What do you think of this?"
- Create brand recognition and awareness
- No risk; no sale, no cost to creators
- Simpler than drop shipping, with similarities to FBA.
- Affordable global shipping; a larger audience, greater possibilities.
- Simply upload your design, add a description, and you're all set.
By selling t-shirts online, you become more familiar with what your customers are willing to buy, encourage enthusiastic supporters to promote your brand, and generate income – what’s not to love? Create designs that cater to global markets for a continuous influx of cultures, memes, trends, and styles to inspire your creations. We've also introduced a live merch shop to Hobo with a Laptop with Printful This allows you to see how it could be incorporated into your own website.
Ways to Sell Shirts Online Without Holding Inventory
Let’s begin by examining all the components involved in selling shirts online without holding any inventory. Following that, we will explain how to accomplish it. Step 1 Begin with a unique design that you wish to transform into a product, such as your logo, an image, a catchy phrase, a slogan, or a character. Step 2 After you have created your initial design, you'll require a "fulfillment partner" such as Printful or Teepublic to handle the production, shipping, and online sales of shirts and other merchandise. They take care of everything for you. Step 3 Lastly, you will need an online store where customers can discover and purchase your products. This can be set up on your personal website using Printful, as we have done, or through a marketplace like Amazon or Teepublic. To sell shirts online without holding inventory, you'll need to utilize on-demand services. Let's explore how print-on-demand operates, the potential startup costs involved, and discuss various POD fulfillment partners. Following that, we will review the tools we employ to streamline the process and enhance our merchandise sales.
What is Print-on-Demand?
Print-on-demand (POD) involves collaborating with a fulfillment partner (FP) to personalize, manufacture, and distribute products. On your behalf "White labeling" refers to the practice where your financial planner minimizes their visibility in the process, making their role less apparent. Using branded logos on shipping labels rather than their own and ensuring a smooth integration into your website enables customers to make purchases without leaving your site. As previously stated, we accomplished this with Printful. Such services enable content creators to offer distinctive merchandise to their audience with minimal effort or investment. no Initial expenses can be significant, but by selling internationally—often with the help of fulfillment partners located around the globe to reduce shipping costs and time—you can create a profitable business. This model serves as an excellent transition between affiliate marketing and drop shipping.
How Print-on-Demand Works
Print-on-demand offers a fantastic opportunity to generate revenue from your existing website by selling merchandise such as custom t-shirts, crop tops, tote bags, coffee mugs, framed artwork, socks, backpacks, pillows, beach towels, and more. without any physical labor on part of the creator.
- No mandatory upfront cost for creators
- No inputting data or printing of shipping labels.
- No printing or ironing-on adhesives
- No inventory management or storage
- No handling boxes or products
- No trips to the post office
- There is no obligation to be in your home country.
In general, your fulfillment partner (FP) permits creators to modify their product profit margins. They will provide you with the base cost for producing the item and allow you to add a markup. The customer will only see the final, marked-up price. When a sale occurs, the FP takes their portion of the transaction, and you receive the profit. The method of payment varies depending on the FP. Most issues related to print errors are managed by your FP, who also handles returns on your behalf. I will elaborate on the details in the rest of the article.
Startup Costs
Possible initial expenses for selling t-shirts online might consist of:
- Hiring a designer to develop a unique design for you (starting at $5)
- The price of stock images for your designs starts at $5 and can go higher.
- Listing fees for products on marketplaces like Etsy usually cost around 20 cents each.
- Any costs associated to a self-hosted website or Shopify store (optional, intermediate step)
Other costs you may run into after your first sale;
- Covering the gap when your selling price is less than your fulfillment base cost.
- Returns because feelings If FP didn't make any mistakes, they won’t be responsible for handling the return costs, and you should refund the customer the entire amount, absorbing the expense yourself.
- Digital advertising campaigns designed to showcase your product to targeted audiences.
You won't incur any expenses for products until the customer has paid for their order, eliminating any risk on your part. unless They send it back for personal reasons. To prevent returns, ensure that the DPI resolution of your design exceeds the requirements set by your fulfillment partner.
Starting with No Money?
Don't let the expenses mentioned hold you back if you're completely out of money. If you're approaching this without the intention to spend any money, just like we did, I'll provide detailed information in the article on how to create your initial shirts and sell merchandise online at no cost. with no upfront cost .
Returns
If you sell t-shirts online and one of them is faulty, your fulfillment provider will usually send a replacement to your customer at no cost to you. if it’s their fault For example, if there is a problem with the shirt's stitching or an issue with the print quality, customers may receive a full refund. Additionally, if the design has issues (such as being too low-resolution) or if a customer returns an item for personal reasons, the refund will be taken out of your earnings automatically. Printful Your profits can be accessed immediately. Different marketplaces will set their own minimum payout limits and payment timelines. If you select Printful, it's recommended to maintain a balance in your Printful wallet, PayPal account, or credit card to manage any unforeseen returns after you start operating.
Order Fulfillment
We offer products across various platforms to maximize visibility, which is essential if you're just starting out without an audience or if you lack the skills or budget for online advertising. Print-on-demand (POD) fulfillment partners operate independently, requiring no upfront investment, as their fees are included in the shirt price. You usually have the flexibility to set the retail price and profit margin for your items, with payments typically managed through PayPal. Each fulfillment partner listed provides a product design tool that simplifies the process of uploading designs and customizing products. Keep in mind that different partners and marketplaces have different pricing, offerings, and quality levels. Be sure to explore their catalogs and read product reviews from other creators before deciding on a product to personalize with your design.To keep it simple, I'll categorize fulfillment partners as "marketplaces" and "integrations."
“Integrations”
Integration involves the smooth communication and fulfillment of orders from one platform by another. For example, when a customer places an order on your website, another website /company processes the order discreetly. In this article, we focus on Printful since it can be incorporated into your website or blog, and/or Etsy marketplace store: You have greater control over the integration, receive payments immediately, enjoy enhanced administrative tools, and keep customer data.
“Marketplaces”
Marketplaces like Teespring , Teepublic , et al. serve as comprehensive platforms, placing your merchandise alongside millions of others, which has its advantages and disadvantages. A t-shirt marketplace can attract many potential buyers, but you must adhere to their guidelines. Some, such as Merch by Amazon (above) might not approve your application if they don't believe you'll be a top seller. They usually have control over your customer relationships since platforms like Amazon do not disclose this information. You need to use their platform to interact with your customers, which means you depend on marketplace platforms for communication. You don’t fully control the environment; you’re just using the space they provide. If they decide to remove you, you lose everything. This is why we are strong supporters of Printful. Ultimately,
- We will complete your order for you, so you won’t need to do it yourself.
- Utilizing multiple ones simultaneously enables you to connect with larger audiences.
- They all move your product and make money
- Shopify
Integrations with Printful (WordPress, Shopify, and Etsy)
Printful is a white-label Print on Demand (POD) fulfillment partner that integrates with Etsy marketplace stores and/or WordPress. Shopify Websites that can automatically take orders, manufacture products, and handle shipping (in other words, fulfill) customer orders for you. Unlike other marketplaces, Etsy does not fulfill your orders on your behalf.You upload and create your design on the Printful website, and then integrate it into WordPress or Etsy.
WordPress and Shopify
On Shopify Printful is an application. On WordPress, it functions as a plugin that depends on the WooCommerce ecommerce plugin. Discover how to set up a... WordPress website .
Etsy
Etsy functions as a marketplace on its own, but it... isn't. You will need a fulfillment partner, either yourself or a company such as Printful, to handle order fulfillment for your Etsy store. By integrating Printful with Etsy, you can allow Printful to take care of the manual tasks. It's important to note that other platforms, like Teepublic, do not necessitate the use of Printful.
Teepublic
Teepublic is a t-shirt marketplace for underdogs that appears to have less competition in various niches, and we've had good success with it. This could be due to the fact that it discourages some designers; while its dashboard is outdated, it still functions adequately. The pricing structure is straightforward (all items on the site are priced the same), and they frequently hold sales that you cannot influence. Teepublic is cheap. The profit margins may not be ideal, but the ease of uploading a design is a huge advantage—why not take the opportunity? Numerous budget-conscious shoppers and fans of unique, indie designs frequent this site. Our most avant-garde designs perform exceptionally well on Teepublic. Simply upload your design and select the products you want to offer it on. Teepublic’s print-on-demand options include shirts, hoodies, stickers, mugs, pins, onesies, wall art, pillows, phone cases, notebooks, tapestries, and more. Customize the appearance for each product to achieve the best outcomes. SIGN UP FOR TEEPUBLIC
Merch by Amazon
Merch by Amazon is by Amazon , the 'divine ruler of online retail The search engine is highly effective. The range of products offered is limited, just enough to appeal to the general public. Most people have shopped on Amazon, which is widely popular in the U.S.; if your products show up in search results, you can earn money. However, not everyone is granted access to create an account, and those whose products don't sell well or cause controversy may not be allowed to keep their accounts for long. Amazon faces a lot of scrutiny and pressure to perform, and your designs will face similar challenges if they're sold there. It might be wise to understand what sells well on a different platform before diving into Merch by Amazon, as it may not be suitable for unconventional content. SIGN UP FOR MERCH BY AMAZON
Teespring
Teespring was the first platform for profiting from t-shirt sales. I recall several acquaintances earning a significant amount of money between 2014 and 2015 by designing t-shirts and promoting them through Facebook ads on popular fan pages.As in, a 'substantial' amount similar to a down payment on a house.Although the initial excitement may have diminished, Teespring remains a top platform for implementing popular designs and experimenting with trendy pop culture themes or seasonal items. Over the years, Teespring has also broadened its product selection to include home decor, mugs, and accessories such as phone cases and tote bags. SIGN UP FOR TEESPRING
Product Design
To successfully sell shirts, you'll need to take on the responsibility of design work in some capacity. Let's discuss the following points:
- Choosing an idea
- Design tools
- Outsourcing design
- Zero upfront cost ideas
- Warnings and advice
The Idea
To create a compelling t-shirt design, the first step is to select a concept. Consider timeless and profitable t-shirt design ideas that can consistently attract buyers.
- Memes and pop culture
- Motivational quotes
- Political issues, social equity, and civil liberties
- Events and conferences
- Schools and universities
- Clubs and organizations
- Non-profits and charities
- Life milestones
- Animals and pets
- Beer and alcohol
- Barbecue
- History
- Family
- Career
- Holidays
- Fitness
If you're interested in discovering how to select a lucrative t-shirt concept, you can refer to the points discussed in our...How to select a lucrative blogging concept. This article describes how to utilize current marketplaces and search engines to discover which products are the best sellers.I got this design for free, thanks to Unsplash!
Design Requirements
To develop designs that meet the quality requirements of the majority of fulfillment partners, make sure your designs conform to these standards:
- A minimum of 150 DPI is required for small items, while 300 DPI is necessary for all other products.
- CMYK color mode
- Transparent background
- No effects such as 'Drop Shadow' or 'Glow'
- All fonts are rasterized
- Exported as EPS, PNG, JPG
T-Shirt Design Tools
The design tools listed below were carefully selected to help save time during the product design process, regardless of whether you are handling it yourself or hiring someone to do it.
Canva
Canva This is an easy-to-use graphic design website that allows users to create designs by dragging and dropping elements. It offers access to photos, vector images, graphics, and fonts and is utilized by both amateurs and professionals. Canva’s features are suitable for designing graphics for both online and print media. The platform is free to use, but some of its top creative resources require a premium subscription. Merch Informer (below) could be a more favorable choice for individuals interested in putting some effort into selling t-shirts online. SIGN UP FOR CANVA
Merch Informer
Merch Informer is a specialized tool designed to assist you in achieving your product design objectives from the initial idea to the final product, while also simplifying the process of selling t-shirts online. with data. Merch Informer offers comprehensive tutorials that guide you through the process of starting an online t-shirt printing business from the ground up, along with the necessary tools for success. All the information and resources are developed by experienced merchandise sellers. Furthermore, it includes an integrated online course that... immensely Apart from this guide, Merch Informer offers a t-shirt design tool similar to Canva, a competition analysis feature, a listing optimization tool, a keyword discovery tool, a trademark search tool, a trend analysis tool, merchandise analytics, and additional resources. Shovels are affordable. Knowing where to put them, Merch Informer is all about offering something invaluable. SIGN UP FOR MERCHINFORMER
Creative Market
Creative Market is an excellent source for acquiring ready-made fonts, graphics, design templates, and various creative assets individually, allowing you to create professional designs more efficiently. They also offer 6 freebies every week Similar to the font mentioned above, you can have it sent directly to your inbox. Not too shabby; register for the free offerings and stay for the valuable creative resources designed to help you save time and boost your sales. Many well-known bloggers we’re familiar with and have collaborated with appreciate this option.
SIGN UP FOR CREATIVE MARKET
Unsplash
Unsplash is my go-to source for images to enhance our website whenever I need additional photos for an article, as well as for producing some of the prints we sell on several of our sites. They offer high-quality photographs that are available for use. for free Yes, you can use the images for commercial purposes without paying the photographer or giving credit to them, as they are licensed under Creative Commons (which allows for commercial use without attribution).These images can be used without any attachments.Earlier, I said I would show you a way to design your products without any initial investment – and this is one of the tools to help you with that. You can quickly take a high-resolution image from Unsplash, place it on a framed print, shirt, or pillow, sell it, and retain all the earnings. SIGN UP FOR UNSPLASH
Shutterstock
Unsplash is fantastic; however, some of the images are so widely used that they lose their uniqueness. zing! When individuals see them, it evokes a sense of déjà vu. If you're in search of distinctive images that are less commonly used, consider visiting Shutterstock. We have also uploaded some images there to create a source of passive income. check ’em out! They offer a good free trial; you can receive free photos and cancel at any point within the first month. SIGN UP FOR SHUTTERSTOCK
Outsourcing Design
After mastering the art of selling merchandise, the next sensible move is often to outsource design work. This enables you to focus more on the profitable elements of your online business.It's similar to discovering your next great t-shirt concept.
99Designs
Frankly, 99Designs In our view, if you're not skilled with Photoshop, this is the ideal platform for outsourcing design work. We didn’t focus much on Fiverr in this guide because our experiences with designs purchased there have been mostly disappointing; the quality tends to be unpredictable. However, 99Designs completely transforms that experience. Unlike Fiverr, which we’ve found to be filled with opportunists using stock media and passing it off as original, 99Designs offers a much more reliable service.That could lead to trouble for you.99Designs offers high-quality agency services at a price that t-shirt designers can manage once they’ve earned some income. The value reflects the cost, in contrast to Fiverr, where results can be inconsistent. Plus, it's based in Canada, which is an added bonus. SIGN UP FOR 99DESIGNS
Penji
It's almost on par with 99Designs, but with an added benefit: they offer unlimited design services for a monthly fee.Endless design options, everyone. Just a single monthly charge.This is aimed at dedicated merchandise designers who consistently produce innovative and original designs. The pricing structure is ideal for developing those fashionable items, but... flash-in-the-pan Customizable pop culture-themed t-shirts that rapidly go in and out of style. Once you spot a trend, Penji is ready to fulfill your request. Prices begin at just over $300 USD per month, making this a great option for those who are new with some budget, as well as for intermediate to advanced designers who have a clear vision of what they want. SIGN UP FOR PENJI
Placeit
Placeit is an essential online tool for creating realistic mockups for merchandising. You'll find examples of its use throughout this article; whenever you see a high-quality photo featuring our merchandise, it's likely that it was produced using Placeit's mockup generator.
Tote bag mockup | T-shirt mockup It saves a lot of time and offers a wide variety of options to prevent customers from feeling like they've seen your product photos before. You can create mockups for nearly any item with a screen, including coffee mugs, tote bags, t-shirts, hoodies, onesies, pillows, hats, sports bras, and more. SIGN UP FOR PLACEIT Ideas with No Initial Investment I understand you're excited to begin, and some of you may not have much money to spare at the start. Your main focus is on learning how to create and sell products online. for free If this resonates with you, there are some simple methods to get started. However, I advise that while you can experiment with these approaches initially, they shouldn't become your regular business model, as they tend to lose effectiveness quickly and may not represent a respectable way to earn money selling t-shirts online. For example, you can utilize free stock images. Unsplash offers a wide variety of commercially usable images that don’t require attribution, and many are of sufficient resolution for printing on shirts, pillows, or canvas. Explore high-resolution images on Unsplash and consider selling prints of them. We've tested this out, and it’s effective and completely legal. But we felt guilty doing it. However, the photographer chose to participate, and there's always someone who benefits from the situation—why not let it be you? Just make sure to reinvest your profits into your merchandise business by purchasing unique creative works that you own the rights to. This way, you can operate ethically and feel good about yourself when you look in the mirror at night. Memes Don't Mind if You're Not a Photoshop Expert Recreating popular memes is straightforward; while you shouldn't use others' copyrighted material directly in your designs, you can rotoscope them, which is just a fancy term for tracing. Most memes have a simple and rough aesthetic, as if a 4th grader created them using Microsoft Paint. You can take advantage of this. The NPC character is a prime illustration of this idea (as shown above). Just find a meme, trace it in high resolution, and use it on a shirt. Alright, I feel a little guilty now. That's all the inspiration I have for you, trolls! — now go get at it. Make memes great again.
Warnings
If you plan to seriously sell t-shirts online, you will probably encounter trademark challenges occasionally. This can happen to anyone, even if you're unaware of the trademark infringement. It's a learning experience. Many times, it’s simply an honest mistake. To reduce the risk of being sued or having your listings removed from a marketplace, it’s important to make sure you’re not infringing on someone else's trademark. MerchInformer Using a trademark search tool is the most effective method to safeguard yourself. Once you have sufficient funds, I recommend utilizing it. Relying on the idea that you can frequently act as a trademark infringer is neither sustainable nor advisable. We recommend you do not infringe upon the copyrights or trademarks of others.You could face serious legal action, and that would be justified. Nobody desires that outcome. their designs being taken to benefit a paid promoter online.
In Summary
You can now create and sell merchandise online at no cost, starting without any initial expenses and without incurring storage fees if the items do not sell.
Passive Income
The amount of money you earn from online t-shirt printing is largely determined by the effort you put in at the start and the location of your business. do your research No matter how timeless your content is, how many designs resonate with your audience, the methods and locations of your marketing efforts, and who your... dropshipping Even with just a small amount of sales, you could still invest in new designs, advertise, and continue to grow to reach $5,000 in monthly revenue. digital nomad. A source of income (if that interests you). And there you have it, my friends, the elusive concept often referred to as passive income. Initially, it’s not at all "passive. "Understanding trends and predicting what products will be successful takes considerable effort. Additionally, if you need assistance in launching your own website, take a look at our complimentary guide to learn blogging . What did you think of this guide to Selling products online without holding any inventory?Do you have any suggestions for design tools or courses on selling t-shirts? Let everyone know in the comments, and thanks for stopping by.
