Recently, I’ve been noticing a lot of stuff
online saying that the t-shirt market is too crowded and that starting a t-shirt business in
2024 isn’t worth the effort. But I had a feeling that maybe it wasn’t entirely accurate.
So, I decided to do some research.
Turns out, t-shirts are still the It girl
of everyone’s closet. Research backs it up too. The t-shirt industry is expected to
keep growing over the next few years.
So, don’t let those naysayers discourage
you. Stick around, and I’ll show you how to start selling t-shirts in no time.
The smartest way to start a t-shirt business
Print-on-demand fulfillment is the top
business model choice for 6- and 7-figure businesses selling t-shirts and other apparel.
If big companies like Coca-Cola, Dunkin’, MTV, and CBS fulfill their merch with a print-on-demand
company, there must be a good reason, right?
Print-on-demand is an order
fulfillment method where items are printed as soon as an order is made.
Working with a print-on-demand company, like Printful, means you don’t have
to buy printing equipment, keep stock, or hire employees. We’ve got you covered. Your
upfront costs include setting up an online platform and maybe a business. Printful is free to
use, and you only have to pay for the fulfillment of the product once your customer buys it.
You can react to trends, memes, and cultural events in minutes. Or even swap out less
successful products and designs for something new, without losing any money.
I work for Printful, so I might be a little biased, but it’s pretty obvious why
print-on-demand is the best way to make and sell t-shirts in 2024. It’s convenient, cost-effective,
and flexible for businesses of all sizes.
What’s the best t-shirt to sell?
Choosing the best t-shirt for your store isn’t one-size-fits-all. Here’s some
quick advice on what to consider.
Price and availability
A very important factor you need to consider is where you will sell your products.
If, for example, you want to sell only in North America, stick to locally fulfilled t-shirts.
To see what works best for your selling region, click here, then click on Global default
selling preferences and set the selling region. You can pick faster delivery, which
means your items are fulfilled locally, or as close to your selling region as possible. Or
you can select from a broader range of products, but they might be fulfilled elsewhere,
resulting in longer shipping times.
You might have also noticed that
our t-shirts have different pricing, ranging from around 7 to even 30 dollars.
If you want to offer affordable prices, you can filter t-shirts by price and start
with one of these models. They’re good for when you’re just starting because you can set
a competitive price for your product.
Material and techniques
Each t-shirt is made from different fabrics, allowing you to customize
t-shirts with different techniques.
The most common printing option
is direct-to-garment printing, where the ink is sprayed directly onto the
fabric and soaks into fibers. This technique works well with natural fabrics like cotton,
and you can create large, vivid prints.
Then, there’s a technique that works best for
synthetic fabrics – direct-to-film printing. Your design is first printed on a special transfer
film, then coated with an adhesive powder, and the design is transferred onto the fabric using a
heat press. It works great for t-shirts that are intended for heavy use, like working out.
You can also design every inch of the t-shirt with all-over printing. Your design is printed on
paper with dye ink and then transferred directly onto the fabric with heat. Then we cut & sew the
fabric pieces together, to make the final product. This works great for fully-customized
t-shirts or sports fan jerseys.
And lastly, my favorite fulfillment
technique—embroidery. This technique works for natural and synthetic fabrics. You
can use standard embroidery that lets you combine up to 6 colors. Or play around with
unlimited color embroidery to create designs with almost any color imaginable.
So, to choose the t-shirt model, you need to understand where and when your customer
will wear it and what your customer is like. Whoever you choose to sell to, it’s always
helpful to look at the current trends.
T-shirt design ideas for 2024
We’re still going strong with the nostalgia, but it’s all about the 90s
and Y2K this year. Yes, Y2K is back, and it brought back dresses over jeans.
Y2K kitsch, 90s-inspired graphic designs, spiritual art, and punk are some of the
boldest 2024 trends. Young people over the beige minimalist aesthetic are starving for
colors and personality. These will work incredibly well if your intended audience is Gen Z.
If you’re looking for a more neutral approach, stick with proven classics that stand the test
of time—minimalism and simple, geometric shapes. Minimalist and straightforward shape designs work
amazingly well with embroidery. They can be your go-to option if you want to sell to a more mature
audience ready to invest in t-shirts that can be paired with any clothing item.
How to design t-shirts
You can design your t-shirts with Adobe Photoshop,
Illustrator, or even free alternatives like GIMP or Canva. If you’re not design savvy but
ready to invest some money, you can hire an artist on Fiverr or other platforms. Or you
can easily do it in our Design Maker.
To add a design to any of these t-shirts,
click on it in the product catalog, then click Create a product template. Now, you can
choose the fulfillment technique, product colors, and sizes you want. Then you can upload your
designs on different placements or use our design tools to create a design from our clipart,
quick designs, and premium resources.
Before designing your product, check out
the product guidelines and use the print file templates. They’ll help you adjust
the design to the correct size to make sure the shirt looks exactly as you’ve
imagined. Remember to remove guidelines once you’ve finished the design, otherwise,
they’ll be included in the final product.
Where should I sell my t-shirts?
To start selling your t-shirts, you can choose between using an ecommerce
platform or joining a marketplace. An ecommerce platform allows you to create a website for your
store, where you have full control, but you also have to bring customers to the site yourself.
Examples include Shopify and WooCommerce.
On the other hand, joining a marketplace like
Etsy or eBay means being part of a larger platform where the marketplace attracts customers and
processes payments for you. Still, you don’t have as much control over your store’s appearance,
and you’re surrounded by competition.
To connect a platform, click on Stores in
your Printful Dashboard, and add one from the list of platforms. Each platform has
a tutorial to help you along the way. Oh, and by the way, you can create as many
stores as you want. There’s no limit.
What do I need to do to get started?
Now that we’ve skimmed the surface of what you need to know to sell t-shirts in 2024,
it’s time to give you a bit of a headstart!
The first step is creating an account on Printful.
Then, you can explore all the t-shirt options, read reviews, and start hearting your favorites.
You can also order several shirts with different fabrics and fulfillment methods to
really see and feel the difference.
Once you’re ready to jumpstart your
business, you can create and connect your online store to Printful. Click on Sell
with Printful, Platforms and Marketplaces, and click on Platform Comparison. Here’s a
quiz that gives good suggestions on the best integrations to make the process easier.
I’m excited for you! Good luck! I hope this helped, but do let me know if you have
any questions in the comments. Bye!
