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.