Turn your creative skills into cash, and learn how you can make money designing T-shirts online!
Have you thought about putting your designs or catchy slogans on T-shirts and then selling them online?
Selling and designing custom T-shirts for a profit sounds easy enough, but you have questions!
- How much money does it cost to get started?
- What’s the best e-commerce platform for selling merch?
- How much money can T-shirt entrepreneurs earn?
- Can I set my own prices?
- How do I increase the visibility of my shop?
Well, you’re in luck; we have your answers! Here is how to make money designing T-shirts online!
What is the POD business model?
POD stands for print on demand. When using a POD company, you don’t have to worry about screen printing, stocking, or shipping items to the customer. With these platforms, you upload your designs to products in their merch catalog and set the retail prices for your merchandise. When a product sells from your shop, the POD company prints and ships the item directly to the customer, making this a passive income method. The POD company subtracts their fees for the item, printing, and shipping, and what you’re left with is your profit.
Some POD platforms are entirely free to join, but they will take the biggest cut of your profits, whereas you’ll earn more from the price of each sale with paid POD platforms. Another thing to be aware of is some POD platforms are all-in-one solutions, meaning you can design and sell directly from the POD platform. Other print-on-demand services only allow you to design your merch, so you’ll need to connect an e-commerce platform like Etsy or Shopify to be your storefront.
Each print-on-demand service has its pros and cons, and we’re here to help you make an educated decision so you pick the best place to start your journey as a T-shirt entrepreneur!
13 companies to help you sell tees from home
1. CafePress
On CafePress, you can set up shop for free and see your original artwork and design on T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, posters, bumper stickers, and more. Big brands are using CafePress; you’ll find the likes of ABC, Paramount, Sprout, and National Geographic among the shop owners.
With CafePress, you can decide how much to mark up your items. For example, if a T-shirt costs $18, and you add a $5 markup, the total cost of the item will be $23, and you’ll make a $5 profit. You can also earn monthly bonuses based on your sales. Like other print-on-demand platforms, CafePress handles payments and shipping items to your customers.
- CafePress gets a 3.2-star training out of 5 on Trustpilot.
2. Gelato
Gelato is a print-on-demand company that is capable of producing just about any print product. T-shirts are a top product, but you can also use the company to design and sell notebooks, wall art, stationery, and more. They stand out as a greener option for printing if you are environmentally minded. Gelato participates in the UN Global Compact, which means they create sustainably and ethically produced products.
They are a global company that prints in 32 countries worldwide and ships to over 140, so you’re bound to find something in your area. Basic T-shirts start at $8.24, and then you set your retail price. To start selling, you’ll need to set up your e-commerce platform or online marketplace profile on Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, Wix, or Squarespace, and then Gelato will handle the rest.
- Gelato gets a 4.6-star training out of 5 on Trustpilot
3. Gooten
Gooten is another T-shirt printing company that exclusively connects to your existing e-commerce platforms. You can use them to sell your custom designs on Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Big Commerce, and more.
While Gooten’s seller reviews are mostly positive and say the company offers competitive pricing, they do not list prices on their website upfront. That said, they offer over 150 products you can customize with your designs, and you can set your own commissions.
- Gooten gets a 4.4-star training out of 5 on Trustpilot.
4. Printify
With Printify, you can design anything from T-shirts and leggings to accessories and décor. They have over 300 products you can customize with your art and sell. Printify works by connecting to your existing e-commerce store or online marketplace, so you’ll need to have that in place to start selling. They integrate with eBay, Etsy, Shopify, Wix, WooCommerce, and more!
Printify is totally free to use; all you need to do is pay for the base price of your product once an item sells, and you can charge whatever you want for the retail price. T-shirts start at around $8, though the costs vary depending on which printer you use. Printify contracts with printers all over the world, so be sure to find one in your area for the fastest shipping.
- Printify gets a 4.7-star rating out of 5 on Trustpilot.
5. Printful
Printful gives you the benefits of running your own T-shirt business without all the hassle. There are no minimum purchases, monthly fees, or inventory. They integrate with 23 different platforms, including Shopify, Amazon, Storenvy, Squarespace, WooCommerce, TikTok, and more. That being said, if you don’t have a store or aren’t planning on having one, this won’t be an option for you. They also have a whole lineup of items you can design, including leggings, pillows, posters, tote bags, cell phone cases, and more. Printful has two options for getting started: their free plan and their pro plan, which is $49 monthly.
- Printful gets a 4.7-star rating out of 5 on Trustpilot.
6. Redbubble
At Redbubble, you create and upload your designs to sell on high-quality T-shirts, vinyl stickers, posters, device cases, and more. They give you total control of what you sell your art for; just add your margin to their base price and list your products. Most artists earn an average of 17%, but it’s totally up to you to decide. Redbubble does all the heavy lifting, including handling the sale transactions, coordinating the printing, arranging the delivery, and providing customer service. With no monthly fees and free sign-up, it’s another great way to start making money online by designing T-shirts.
- Redbubble gets a 3.5-star rating out of 5 on Trustpilot.
7. Spring
If you don’t have money to invest in a business, no problem! Spring is a free platform where you can design and sell your T-shirts for money.
With Spring, you can use their online design studio to create your products or upload your own creations to the site. You’ll have to set a sales goal or tipping point, which is the minimum you need to sell to have your shirts printed. Then, share your campaign via email, blog, or social media. Your customers won’t be charged unless your campaign reaches the tipping point. Once your campaign ends, shirts will be printed and sent out, and you’ll be paid via PayPal or Payoneer.
There are many factors to consider when figuring out how much you can make with Spring. You’ll need to think about the text and design you use and your choice of shirt.
So you can get an idea of your possible earnings with Spring, you can start with a basic shirt and add a design and text for a total cost of $10 per shirt. You can choose your retail price, let’s say $20 each, and have a goal of selling 50 shirts. That would give you a profit of $500. Of course, the more shirts you sell, the higher your profit.
With Spring, you can also design and sell hoodies, sweatshirts, tank tops, leggings, bags, phone and tablet cases, posters, coffee mugs, hats, and more!
- Spring gets a 2-star rating out of 5 on Trustpilot
8. Spreadshirt
Spreadshirt makes it easy for users to make money designing T-shirts and other custom apparel and goods. You can choose to sell your products on their online marketplace or your own website.
The Spreadshirt platform includes everything you need to run your store – including a custom domain, marketing and analytics, and automatic fulfillment of your orders. With Spreadshirt, you can launch your shop for free and control your profit margin. They have over 200 customizable products you can sell, and they allow you to accept payments online via PayPal and credit card.
- Spreadshirt gets a 4.3-star rating out of 5 on Trustpilot.
9. Teemill
Teemill is a sustainable print-on-demand company that allows you to launch your online store for free. All their products are organic, and they use renewable energy to run their operations. With Teemill, you can sell your own T-shirt designs, stickers, tote bags, puzzles, and art prints using their platform, or you can use one of their many integrations to sell on sites like Instagram and YouTube. They also offer a wide variety of tutorials and marketing tools to help you promote your products. After you’ve designed your item, you’ll decide how much to markup your item, thus how much you’ll earn. Teemill is a UK-based company that ships worldwide, and many of its sellers are based in the US.
- Teemill gets a 4.5-star rating out of 5 on Trustpilot.
10. TeePublic
TeePublic is a good option, even if you’re not an artist or designer. You can make money with this T-shirt company in two ways. First, you can create your own designs and upload them to products for your store. This earns you a set price commission that varies depending on the product but ranges from $3-$5 on shirts, tanks, and hoodies.
Second, you can become a partner and have a merch store. This is a neat option because you can feature shirts with designs from other artists. You can choose what you like and what to carry in your store. You earn an 11% commission on existing TeePublic designs and an additional $3-$5 on sales of your own merchandise. So, even if you’re not a designer, you can make money online selling T-shirts!
- TeePublic gets a 4.5-star rating out of 5 on Trustpilot.
11. Threadless
At Threadless, you make art, and they’ll do the rest! You can open your completely customizable artist shop for free and sell anywhere in the world. You set your prices and earn a profit on anything over the base cost of the merchandise. T-shirts and tanks have a base cost of $17.50, so if you sell them for $27.50, you’re earning $10 bucks on every single shirt. That’s not too bad! There are no minimums or shipping fees, and they handle inventory and customer care.
- Threadless gets a 3.7-star rating out of 5 on Trustpilot.
12. TPOP
TPOP is a European-based option for print-on-demand services, though they offer shipping worldwide. They integrate with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Etsy, so you’ll want to have your account on one of those platforms in place before you get started. This company is another option for greener products. They offer eco-friendly products and printing processes and a carbon-neutral delivery service.
Despite being a dropshipping company, TPOP offers completely customized branding for all your orders, including branded packaging, shipping slips, and a thank-you note – all for no additional charge! Their T-shirts start at about $12.22, and then you can sell for however much you want.
- TPOP gets a 4.7-star rating out of 5 on Trustpilot.
13. Zazzle
You can join Zazzle as a creator and upload and sell your artwork on T-shirts and many other products. Open a FREE designer store (you even get to choose your store name), select a product to add your design to, and post your creations for sale. Zazzle has a large selection of products: T-shirts, coffee mugs, wall art, office supplies, electronics accessories, and much more! Even pillows and jewelry!
Creators can download the free Adobe Photoshop Design to Print plugin to make money with their designs and streamline their workflow. There are no upfront costs, and you set your royalty rates, which can be anywhere from 5%-99%. Zazzle produces the products and ships everything directly to your customers.
- Zazzle gets a 4.5-star rating out of 5 on Trustpilot.
How much can you earn selling custom T-shirts?
Are you wondering how much money you can really make selling custom shirts? Like most business opportunities, it varies significantly. Some factors that will determine how much you earn include your graphic design skills, your creativity, how popular your designs are, how you market your business, how many products you have in your shop, and how much time you invest into your business.
I interviewed Jessica Roop from I Love Print on Demand, and she regularly earns $500 to $1,500 a month from her POD business.
Another print-on-demand seller, Benny Hsu, earned $100,000 in five months selling T-shirts on Spring.
Tips for selling your T-shirts
Once you’ve chosen a T-shirt-selling platform and designed your merchandise, it’s time to get the word out about your products. While there are many ways to market your T-shirt business, your first strategy should incorporate SEO.
Don’t worry; this isn’t complicated. All you need to do is incorporate the right keywords into your product descriptions so that when potential customers are searching for a specific niche, they can find your item. For instance, if you’re selling a T-shirt with an image of a dog, you should include the breed of dog and words like pets or puppy in your description. The more descriptive you can be, the better.
After you have your product descriptions written, you’ll want to spread the word about your products on sites like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest. You should write engaging descriptions for your social media posts that hone in on your target audience. For instance, if you’re selling T-shirts for kids, you’ll want to use keywords like children, boys, girls, babies, and toddlers. If you’re not a natural writer, use an AI program like Grammarly or ChatGPT to help you develop catchy descriptions and product names.
If you have a small marketing budget, you can also use paid Google, Pinterest, TikTok, or Facebook ads to reach potential customers. Just know that there is a lot that goes into running a successful ad campaign, so learn the ropes before plopping down your hard-earned cash.
Lastly, be sure that you’re using email marketing to stay in touch with your customers. With email marketing, you need to use a service to send out bulk mailings so that you’re in compliance with CAN-SPAM laws. Here is a list of free email marketing providers for business owners who are just getting started.
Be mindful of intellectual property
When designing your t-shirts, you must be aware of copyright and trademark infringement.
For instance, you can NOT take an image of Hello Kitty or Mickey Mouse and use it on your products. These are trademarked images, and if you’re caught using them, you may face legal and monetary repercussions.
The same is true when using templates, fonts, clip art, illustrations, photos, and even quotes; you need to ensure it’s okay for the asset to be used commercially. Always read through each site’s terms of commercial usage, and when in doubt, consult a lawyer.
Make money designing T-shirts online wrapup
Designing and selling T-shirts online is a great way to make money if you have a flair for creativity! In many cases, you can start for free, and it’s an excellent passive-income option. You create your design once and sell it over and over again. And all with no shipping, inventory management, big investment, or stress!
But that doesn’t mean that selling T-shirts is easy. You’ll need to turn out professional-looking designs, promote your products regularly, and set goals for your business. It will take some time and dedication, but many people make excellent money selling T-shirts online; maybe you’re next!
Need help getting started with your online T-shirt business? Grab our free business plan template here and set your T-shirt-selling business up for success!
Originally published May 28, 2015. Content updated February 2025.
Thank you for the wonderful article.
I started designing shirts on Bonfire in January of 2022. I really like how easy it is to get each new one ready for people to see in my store, Ideas Come To Life.
My main reason for having the store is to help people to laugh at the silly sayings and clipart or pictures on the shirts. We all need endorphins to help us to enjoy life more.
I also want to encourage people to help save our wonderful planet by planting trees and everyone being nice to everyone. Make the world a better place for everyone.
And as a bonus, sometimes one of my shirts sells.
Sheila Mink
Glad you enjoyed it, Sheila!
I’m happy to hear that you found a fun hobby that generates a little extra cash!
Can i job from Bangladesh?
You’ll need to research each one to see if they are available in your country.
Am Joan from Nigeria and I started teespring already during the first lockdown but I don’t seem to see any progress yet.
So I was hoping if could have a wat out of it or better still tell me which particularly POD works for my country.
Are you promoting your shop? You’ll need to market your products.
Thank you for the information. I started using teespring from today.
Good luck and keep me posted on how it works out for you!
Other sites to consider rageon and sunfrog :)
Thanks for sharing!
I have used Redbubble several times and it worked for me, but I haven’t tested Teespring or Zazzle. Thank you for your amazing article.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Takla!
Almost all new tshirt flatforms are forwarding to POD. That means it’s hard for you to get a sale by free traffics. So before thinking of how to make money from selling t-shirt, you should have got a little knowledge about building store, SEO and ads.
Hi! Do this companies accept people who are in Qatar?
Hmmm, I’m not certain. You’ll have to look at each site’s terms of service. But I’m guessing the majority of these are US only.
Please check out this post for international listings:
https://www.theworkathomewoman.com/worldwide-work-from-home-jobs/
Upwork.com is another great site to search.
Good luck on your job hunt!
Thanks for the article. I’ve been looking for other sites besides Tee Spring.
Glad you enjoyed the list, Jen.
Have you tried any of these out?
Hello all,
Nymbl just rolled out our public beta for our print-on-demand e-commerce platform and we have a pretty awesome deal for all new users:
– You get a free domain (with setup)
– Up to 12 free designs (from a pro artist – 1/mo)
– Free site customization & marketing support
Check out our new site at https://nymbl.io for more details and to signup.
Some of our coolest & unique features:
– Open source CMS, cloud of self-hosted
– Single-seller store or multi-seller marketplace configuration available
– 50+ products and we are capable to generate unique, customized & automated mockups (photoshop based) in just minutes for all our available products
– Many other features — check out the site for additional info.
Feel free to ask me anything you like and either I or a member of the team can get your answers.
Thanks!
Hi great article, thank you. I have a question though. You choose a crowd fund situation – campaign and you have a set goal – What happens if orders continue to come in beyond your goal? Can you continue selling said design for quite awhile or is it closed out and the end of campaign?
And I really my point is with the above situation or in general is volume something any of these companies on your list can handle if your design – T-shirt and/or bumper sticker goes viral?
Thanks!
Yes, you can continuing selling beyond your goal. I would assume they would be able to handle the volume.
I have interest in designing the special occasion dresses and wondering if you have any idea about such websites where i can share my designs and earn some money in return
Hi Sarah,
Take a look at this post for starting your fashion line: https://www.theworkathomewoman.com/clothing-line/
And also look at https://shopvida.com/pages/design
Good luck and keep us posted!
How do I become an artist/designer so I can do try these websites out?
What software do I need?
Thanks
You don’t need any special software. Just click on the links to the websites and everything you need will be supplied via their portals.
So helpful holly! Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed the list!
so many t-shirt selling platform out there, i’m so excited to get in, i dont know if i should start design and upload to all those platform or i should focus on one? cause more mean more opportunity
i also found a platform like : https://sunfrognews.com
What about designbyhumans ? Is that a good site?
I’ve never heard of it.
Sayings are really big sellers now. not a copyright issue. But what do you suggest to protect your design. some shops have the right to keep your design and keep producing it. Any advice on protecting designs? For now I would send designs im not attached to. Save my line for my site while submitting clever shirts on multiple sites and not worrying about the design. Do most sites advertise for you and you get a percentage? Is anyone using and having success with shopify? Facebook advertising?
Thanks
Yes, sayings are popular right now, but you always need to do your due diligence and make sure you’re not using someone’s copyrighted phrase or materials.
To protect your designs, I would look into trademarking your material.
Each site had different terms so you’ll need to read through all of them.
Teespring has a good article on understanding intellectual property: https://teespring.com/policies/ip
And here is another article on protecting your designs: http://offthemarkipsolutions.com/intellectual-property/how-to-protect-your-t-shirt-brand-when-using-teespring-and-spreadshirt/
When in doubt, I always suggest talking with your lawyer. Good luck!
Is it a good idea to upload my design to all this pages? or it will be better to focus on one and advertise it properly?
I would focus on one platform and then spend your time promoting your products.
Nice list Holly! but still the most important thing isn’t what platform to choose but how good my shirt is and if there’s an audience for it?, most people focus on facebook ads and ignore the t-shirt design which is more important at the beginning, people won’t buy ugly t-shirts.
Those are important aspects too. But you want to confirm that the platform that you choose has good quality products, ink that doesn’t bleed, and prompt delivery of the products.
Thanks for the article. I tried my first T-shirt project using Teespring. I use their design tools to put quotes on a shirt and I think the final product on the screen looks cheap and amateurish because there’s not many options when using their design tools. I probably wouldn’t buy if I saw a Teespring ad for quotes on a shirt. But your article gave me other resources which I may pursue.
Hi Work at Home Lady.
My name is shannon, and I just put up my website http://www.hennashannon.com again for the millionth time, only this time i intend for it to stay, and forsee it doing so, because I am adding things as i go along. i have a section called business tips and networking, and I would love to include your link in that section. I have immensely enjoyed the chatter on the t-shirt making businesses, because as a henna artist, i am looking to make some tees.
I look forward to reading more of your articles, and only hope that it can help my audience.
Austin, Tx.
Hi, I have a shop on Etsy, currently designing t-shirts via CustomInk and the only problem is that it’s expensive itself, so it forces me to set prices high so that I can still make a profit. Obviously these high prices most likely make people turn away. Are any of these sites good for designing shirts and then selling them on a different site for a more reasonable price?
hi is this opportunity open to people outside of the U.S cos am based in Nigeria
THANKS
The Work at Home Woman is geared toward U.S. residents.
Please check out this post for international listings:
https://www.theworkathomewoman.com/worldwide-work-from-home-jobs/
Good luck!
Do any of these platforms allow you to upload a video? My t-shirt involves customizing and so without a video to demonstrate, it will not give it justice. Thank you for a very helpful article.
Hi David, I’ve only played around with Teespring and their storefront doesn’t have video capability (at least yet). You’ll have to test out the other platforms to see if they allow video. Good luck!
You forget one of biggest companies: Amazon (https://merch.amazon.com)
Also:
Lookhuman
TeeFury
Design by human
..
Thanks for sharing these, Andrea.
Hi Holly, thank you.
Although nearly a year and a half old, Benny Hsu’s Tee Spring article on his netting over $100k selling T’s inspires in its honesty. (Internet traffic would probably be halved if all links to “Make $10,000 in One Week” were removed.) Hsu’s work let’s us see some of what is really necessary to succeed.
I’ve been reading and following up on several of your blog / emails – your work is consistently thorough. I second MyfrogTee’s June 5th 2017 suggestion of updating this article. For instance, I’ve seen grumblings about CafePress too (mentioned here in replies); and the pinkytee.com site seems stale – nothing on the home page, and the last news post is dated December 26, 2016 … as Benny Hsu efforts clearly shows, it takes a good number of failures before making it. That’s certainly true for internet businesses as well.
Keep up the great work!
Howard – a WAH Guy
P.S. Does The WAH Woman have a T shirt line ? :))
Glad you enjoyed the article, Howard! I don’t have t-shirt line yet. It’s something I’ve thought about, but, I’m terrible at design, so I would need to hire a designer to create something for me.
Hey Holly, email me if you’d like some suggestions for T’s … you have material already! – H
Thanks, Howard!
I think you need to update this article. You should mention teechip.com and sunfrog.com. These are two of the biggest T-shirt sales websites
Thanks for sharing those! We’ll have to update the post =)
Teechip is an absolute rip off . I ordered shirts from them after without paying close enough attention and thinking it was teespring ( happy with everything I have gotten from them)
When I received shirts, the 2x was smaller than the large. Emailed multiple times, tried to call, sent them pics.. nothing .. thankfully I paid with PayPal .. the company didn’t respond to them either.. so PayPal did the refund. They have horrible reviews all over the place..
Thanks for sharing your experience, Jenn! Good information to know.
They rip off of artists and use their designs. DON’T DO IT!
Great list. If you are looking for creative and brilliant designs or you want to create your own design on your t-shirts, I also recommend you https://raftshirt.com/ . Being the oldest t-shirt company in the world we have learned many tips and tricks.
You can share your ideas in our live chat, We are available 24*7.
Thanks for sharing, Roberto.
FYI Skreened better work on their rating at BBB
https://www.bbb.org/centralohio/business-reviews/screen-printing/skreened-ltd-in-columbus-oh-70014995
I’ll have to check that out. There has been an explosion of t-shirt design companies in the past few years, so I may have to replace them with another company.
Very nice tips, I had no idea about this! A few months ago, I started learning to design t shirts by following this guide: http://www.coreldraw.com/en/pages/sell-t-shirts/ and it started mainly as a hobby, but thru time I got pretty good, and now I am thinking about making a business out of it but I didn’t know where to start, and now I do. Thank you for putting me in the right direction :) Wish me luck!
That’s awesome, Susan! Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!
Hello Kimi,
Thanks a lot for your article, very interesting!
I recently discovered a French on-demand printing service (www.the-shop.co) that could be interesting for creative people who want to have their designs printed and distributed in France/Europe :)
Happy to help!
Best,
Maxime
Do these sites work in india ??
I’m not sure — you’ll have to check their terms of service.
What do you guys think about Threadless? I’m currently using it but looking at other options.
That’s a new one to me, I’ll have to check it out.
Can you tell me the real best one weasite for me holly
I haven’t tried any of them personally, but they’re all free to try out. Good luck and keep us posted.
Zazzle has been so far the best money maker for me. I haven’t done much work lately with it either. other than adding new designs. I also make a little money, but not as much on Cafe Press. I had recently started with Spoonflower and been a bit impressed with sales. You make the less money with that one, 5% :( and plus you must ‘proof’ your design before selling. Meaning you much order it to see it personally. Yikes! Which really is a good idea, but who can order every single design first before selling! But I have less than 12 designs on there now and already have a nice #1 seller. Keeps me on the site and occasionally proofing the designs as I add more along the way
Thanks for sharing, Skylar!
PinkyTee.com is a new website that is launching in Nov 2016 and is accepting artist submissions. They are a daily t-shirt company that will print your shirt for 24 hours and pay you $1.00 for every t-shirt sold. The artist retains all rights to the design and they pay you via PayPal 2 weeks after the sale is over. Its a good way to make some extra money.
Be careful when you use a few of these. The quality sometimes isn’t the best. I used teespring once in the past to order shirts and was a bit disappointed. They may have improved since then however.
Thanks for the tips!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Tyler.
Thanks for info.
Can i upload one same design on more than 1 websites?
Yes, you upload the same design to multiple platforms. But, you need to own the rights to the design.
Thanks for this article. I’ve order from Teespring and the quality of the print was not good at all and doesn’t last. Just ordered from Customcat and the quality is very good and holds up nice!
Hi Brandy, Bummer. I know you can pick various qualities of t-shirts, I wonder if that makes a difference on how well the overlay stays on. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Hi holly. I interested make design in t shirts. I have some ideas, how to hosting my ideas please suggest right website.
I haven’t used any of these platforms personally. You’ll have to read their terms and see which one makes the most sense for you. Good luck and keep us posted!
Hi…Great article. I have stores in all of your mention sites and a few more. I love making designs using photoshop but many of these business you can use their artwork. I have been making money for about 5 years using these concepts. I started with Zazzle give up for a while then went back and started making some sales. This is a good way to make extra money but it is not easy. You have to really market your product and website and have some knowledge on SEO. If you are good at advertising and marketing this is a great way to make extra cash. So far zazzle and customizedgirl are the only ones making money without much effort.
Hi Carol, Thanks for sharing your experience!
Do you own the rights to your designs Carol?
This is a stupid question but if you already have a design and everything for tee spring who prints out the shirts.
They do the printing, Lola.
gReally a very nice post, Teespring is doing a great job its a great income opportunity to earn from tee income. Thanks for sharing your experiences here. Facebook advert. is a good way to get sales and good percentage of ROI
Thank you so much for sharing all the reserch! Here are a few factors that are important to me as well.
-Design placement range. I like to put my logo on the upper back, far enough up to clear a full back image. I think Cafe Press didn’t have the template for this, but Custom Ink did. Alas, Custom Ink has no plans for opening up personal stores.
-Black shirt print quality. Cafe Press and Zazzle fell far behind on this one when I experimented.
-Personal store name. I would love the ability to choose an easy to remember web domain, and even the ability to have category subdivisions.
So far, I’ve been the most impressed with TeeSpring as far as design capabilities are concerned. I just wish Custom Ink would join this personal market trend!
Holly, I would love to hear what you think of our site http://www.fundraisertee.com
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Tom
Hello!
Thanks for the great article! Just a few quick questions. So, is around $3.00-$4.00 a pretty reasonable royalty price? And, when I upload my designs, are they still my designs? …as in, I still have the rights to them?
Thanks so much!!
I’m not sure on that, Kerry. You’ll need to read each site’s terms of service. Good luck!
Excellent question..
7 is the average on amazon Merch. Depends on your own pricing.
You can also check out https://99designs.com/t-shirt-design for cool t-shirt designs :)
Please. No. This is spec work. This is anti-designer. Sites like 99Designs explout working creatives. No way to make a living there. Boycott.
Agreed! Say no to spec. This is why I’m sitting here starving, about to be homeless. Now I’m joining a stampede of former graphic designers who have to design yard sale junk for a couple dollars a week.
Absolutely avoid sites like 99 Designs. Like Erin said spec work (not paid unless your design wins contest against other “designers”), and anti-designer.
RafTshirt design the Tshirts with custom designs which you guys order. Ordering a design on T shirts takes less than 2 minutes and delivery of your favourite design on T shirt will take place within 48 hours.
https://raftshirt.com
Thanks for this article! It is very informative & useful. I enjoy designing & crafting things, & I have been really thinking about tshirt designing. I have heard of & seen some of the sites mentioned but I never knew they provided these start-up opportunities. Wonderful ideas! :)
Glad you enjoyed the list. Good luck and keep us posted!
Question can i spread out my designs amongst all these sites
Yes, you can use multiple sites at the same time.
Great list, but it has been rumored that Cafepress exploits its designers. In fact, a petition has been made in concern with their greediness.
I hadn’t heard that before. Do you have a link to the petition?
I trust FreshMonk for selling custom t-shirts. Making money by designing t-shirts has become the latest fad, and this sudden interest is truly justified too, considering the profit and creative satisfaction this field provides.
Thank you for this informative listicle!
Thanks for sharing, Gunshi. Sounds like you’ve had some success with this moneymaking opportunity — good for you!
For t-shirts, Represent and Society6 are websites I’ve patronized.
If one is doing other sorts of art, DeviantArt is a possibility for prints, mugs, mousepads and such.
Thanks for an excellent article. I appreciate your research.
Glad you enjoyed the article, Judy. Thanks for sharing the other sites.