how to start a tshirt business

Start your own online t-shirt business

Design and sell custom t-shirts online

Ditch the storage struggle and sell shirts under your brand without inventory

Avoid lengthy pre-orders and fast-track your business with on-demand fulfillment

Get access to free design assets, product mockups, and other ecommerce tools

Estimated delivery to United States is from November 19 to 22

Our average shipping time is 4 business days depending on the order's destination.

It all starts with a t-shirt

Start your own business with a wardrobe staple

Man with computer making money online

Become your own boss

Make money from home and on your own terms:

  • Design your own products
  • Build a brand from scratch
  • Save time on inventory management and focus on marketing
Woman with custom t-shirt making her own business

Scale up any time

Start your business on the right foot by launching your catalog with the versatile t-shirt:

  • A unifying closet staple that goes with any outfit
  • Ideal for viral trend designs
  • Easily mixed and matched with other pieces

Print-on-demand vs. bulk t-shirt fulfillment

Print-on-demand fulfillment

Pros Cons
Only pay for what you sell Higher cost-per-item
No order minimums Longer fulfillment times
Fast speed to shelf process
No need to hold inventory
No leftover stock

Bulk fulfillment

Pros Cons
Lower cost-per-item Risk of losing starting investment
Orders can be shipped out instantly Mandatory order minimums
Lengthy product launch
Complicated inventory management
Leftover stock risk

How to start a t-shirt business with no money

1
1

Find a t-shirt niche

Decide on the type of t-shirts you want to sell
2
2

Set up a t-shirt store

Build your own website or create a shop on an ecommerce platform or marketplace
3
3

Connect your store to Printful

Sync your shop with Printful for automated order management
4
4

Design a t-shirt

Upload your own design or give our Design Maker a spin
5
5

Put your t-shirt up for sale

Now you're good to go—show everyone what your t-shirt business has to offer by promoting products online
6
6

Grow your t-shirt business

Focus on marketing your business while we take care of the orders

How to sell t-shirts in 2024?

Watch this video to see what it takes to successfully sell t-shirts in 2024.

video thumbnail

Become a business owner and start selling t-shirts

Get started
  • No order minimums
  • Global fulfillment network
  • 368 products to expand your collection with

Get inspired by other customer t-shirts

Create your own online t-shirt store in minutes using our ecommerce integrations

No programming skills required

shopify
7178 total reviews
Ecommerce platform with everything you need to sell online.
etsy
A creative marketplace with over 80 million active buyers worldwide.
woocommerce
The simplest way to monetize blogs and websites built on WordPress.
wix
A platform with an intuitive drag and drop builder and 500+ customizable designer-made templates.
squarespace
A platform for visionaries with beautiful themes and an emphasis on mobile commerce
walmart
A marketplace with over 120M monthly visitors
webflow
An ecommerce website builder with powerful design and marketing tools
ecwid
Ecommerce plugin for any website, marketplace, mobile app, or social network.
bigcommerce
Leading ecommerce website builder with everything you need to grow your business.
prestashop
An extremely customizable storefront with a thriving community.
amazon
The world’s most popular online marketplace.
tiktok
A marketplace on the fastest growing social media platform.
ebay
A well-known marketplace ideal as an additional selling channel.
bigcartel
The platform for creatives, independent artists and smaller businesses.
weebly
Ecommerce platform with drag & drop website builder and built-in marketing tools.
magento2
An open-source ecommerce platform designed for enterprises and ecommerce experts.
storenvy
An online storefront to tell the story of your brick & mortar store.
gumroad
An all-in-one solution to sell your work and grow your audience.
nuvemshop
The leading ecommerce platform in Latin America that helps build and grow successful online business.
shipstation
A workaround for integrating with Walmart, OpenCart, and many more.
3dcart
A platform for visionaries with beautiful themes and an emphasis on mobile commerce.
launchcart
An easy-to-use platform that specializes in managing all aspects of an ecommerce store.
Solution for any custom integrations with your website or app.
shopify
Star Star Star Star Star
7178 total reviews
Ecommerce platform with everything you need to sell online.
etsy
A creative marketplace with over 80 million active buyers worldwide.
woocommerce
The simplest way to monetize blogs and websites built on WordPress.
wix
A platform with an intuitive drag and drop builder and 500+ customizable designer-made templates.
squarespace
A platform for visionaries with beautiful themes and an emphasis on mobile commerce
walmart
A marketplace with over 120M monthly visitors
webflow
An ecommerce website builder with powerful design and marketing tools
ecwid
Ecommerce plugin for any website, marketplace, mobile app, or social network.
bigcommerce
Leading ecommerce website builder with everything you need to grow your business.
prestashop
An extremely customizable storefront with a thriving community.
amazon
The world’s most popular online marketplace.
tiktok
A marketplace on the fastest growing social media platform.
ebay
A well-known marketplace ideal as an additional selling channel.
bigcartel
The platform for creatives, independent artists and smaller businesses.
weebly
Ecommerce platform with drag & drop website builder and built-in marketing tools.
magento2
An open-source ecommerce platform designed for enterprises and ecommerce experts.
storenvy
An online storefront to tell the story of your brick & mortar store.
gumroad
An all-in-one solution to sell your work and grow your audience.
nuvemshop
The leading ecommerce platform in Latin America that helps build and grow successful online business.
shipstation
A workaround for integrating with Walmart, OpenCart, and many more.
3dcart
A platform for visionaries with beautiful themes and an emphasis on mobile commerce.
launchcart
An easy-to-use platform that specializes in managing all aspects of an ecommerce store.
Solution for any custom integrations with your website or app.

Wide range of high-quality products and responsive customer service

I love Printful’s wide range of high-quality products and their responsive customer service. Teaming up with Printful lets us keep our product lineup fresh and gives us the freedom to grow the business without tying up our money in 2,000 t-shirts in my garage.

I love Printful’s wide range of high-quality products and their responsive customer service. Teaming up with Printful lets us keep our product lineup fresh and gives us the freedom to grow the business without tying up our money in 2,000 t-shirts in my garage.

Wide range of high-quality products and responsive customer service

I love Printful’s wide range of high-quality products and their responsive customer service. Teaming up with Printful lets us keep our product lineup fresh and gives us the freedom to grow the business without tying up our money in 2,000 t-shirts in my garage.

I love Printful’s wide range of high-quality products and their responsive customer service. Teaming up with Printful lets us keep our product lineup fresh and gives us the freedom to grow the business without tying up our money in 2,000 t-shirts in my garage.

Printful does all the hard work for me

Printful allowed me to start a business with zero capital in my spare time. It was easy to set up and Printful does all the hard work for me. All I have to do is supply the ideas and the traffic, and then everything else is taken care of.

Printful allowed me to start a business with zero capital in my spare time. It was easy to set up and Printful does all the hard work for me. All I have to do is supply the ideas and the traffic, and then everything else is taken care of.

Printful does all the hard work for me

Printful allowed me to start a business with zero capital in my spare time. It was easy to set up and Printful does all the hard work for me. All I have to do is supply the ideas and the traffic, and then everything else is taken care of.

Printful allowed me to start a business with zero capital in my spare time. It was easy to set up and Printful does all the hard work for me. All I have to do is supply the ideas and the traffic, and then everything else is taken care of.

This is a great first place to create your online product presence

Printful is a great online provider of print products. I've only just begun to scratch the surface of what I can accomplish working with them. The customer service is timely and professional. The product reviews are a great resource and provide real guidance based on client feedback. The array of products continues to grow which is exciting to experience and broaden what I can provide to my customers. This is a great first place to create your online product presence.

Printful is a great online provider of print products. I've only just begun to scratch the surface of what I can accomplish working with them. The customer service is timely and professional. The product reviews are a great resource and provide real guidance based on client feedback. The array of products continues to grow which is exciting to experience and broaden what I can provide to my customers. This is a great first place to create your online product presence.

This is a great first place to create your online product presence

Printful is a great online provider of print products. I've only just begun to scratch the surface of what I can accomplish working with them. The customer service is timely and professional. The product reviews are a great resource and provide real guidance based on client feedback. The array of products continues to grow which is exciting to experience and broaden what I can provide to my customers. This is a great first place to create your online product presence.

Printful is a great online provider of print products. I've only just begun to scratch the surface of what I can accomplish working with them. The customer service is timely and professional. The product reviews are a great resource and provide real guidance based on client feedback. The array of products continues to grow which is exciting to experience and broaden what I can provide to my customers. This is a great first place to create your online product presence.

Aaron Reynolds

Aaron Reynolds

EFFIN' BIRDS
Dogecore

Dominic Dogecore

DOGECORE

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can. T-shirts are becoming increasingly popular by the year. With the reliable high demand, t-shirts are one of the most profitable products to start your online business.

This depends on your local business regulations. Most countries demand a business or retail license for any online business, including t-shirt businesses.

A good t-shirt design will:

  • Match your market niche
  • Resonate with your target audience
  • Comply with our DTG print file guidelines
  • Most importantly: be true to your brand and what you stand for

Check out our t-shirt ideas for inspiration.

Spread the word about your shop by growing an online community. Engage with your audience by:

  • Sharing your business mission and values
  • Showing the behind-the-scenes of running your store
  • Encouraging them to share their reviews and tag you in their posts
  • Hosting giveaways
  • Offering exclusive deals and coupons

Visit our blog to find more marketing know-how.

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