Three Ways To Earn With Drop Shipping In The T-shirt Business Industry

11 min read

Select an Industry for your Dropshipping Store

“Building a successful drop shipping business is first and far most being innovative and think out of the box.”

Selling on eBay allows a system called drop shipping arbitrage  (sometimes aka Amazon to eBay drop shipping). It is a methodology that requires automated systems to reprice and manage stock for your items. But there are more ways to increase your income by dropshipping products that do not require price and stock management.

T-shirts had been around since the generation of our grandparents and it has never gone cold in the market. That is why pursuing a t-shirt business online can be very successful.  In this blog, we are going to show you how to earn extra in the t-shirt business with dropshipping on eBay.

Why T-shirt in Dropshipping Business?

We know for a fact that t-shirts are affordable to source, established a global appeal, and are easy to customize using simple designs and t-shirt printing. Many entrepreneurs who are new in the field and even veterans who have established a name in the market are looking into the t-shirt business online because there are various opportunities that can help you earn something extra or an added income to your already flourishing business.

Although the t-shirt business can be lucrative for many drop shipping entrepreneurs, know that the market is highly competitive. And in order to compete in this field, you’ll need to strategically make your eBay or Shopify print on demand store stand out from the rest of the competition.

Three Factors That Directly Affects The T-shirt Business: Quality, Design, and Brand

It is always important to be competitive in a highly congested market. E-Commerce is already congested as it is. Regardless, there are still several people who consider getting into the business. The people who succeed are those who have chosen an effective niche. But it doesn’t stop there.

These entrepreneurs are those who have
(1) approached the market with high-quality products,
(2) used impressive and striking designs, and finally
(3) established a brand for their image.

Three Methods You Can Use to Drop Ship T-shirt

Method #1: Dropshipping Arbitrage

For many of our readers, this method will not be a big surprise as they are already practicing drop shipping arbitrage. It is plain and simple, sell t-shirts that are already doing well online. To know more about the drop shipping arbitrage business, you can visit our previous post: Dropshipping: How To Start A Business Without Breaking The Bank.

To reiterate, drop shipping is one way to sell items on eBay. Sellers using a product sourcing service never handle the item—instead, it is sent directly from a warehouse to the buyer. The seller collects money from the buyer and pays the product source for the item.

How does dropshipping work?

1. Look for best-selling t-shirts on Amazon (or any other supplier supported in by your drop shipping lister/repricer) either in the men’s or women’s category.
2. Upload these products to your eBay Store. Consider the cost to come up with your final price to give you profits or use a drop shipping lister that calculates the final price automatically for you.
3. After selling the goods, purchase from the source website the product and ship it to your customer. Here you go – Amazon to eBay drop shipping at it’s best!

These three steps listed above are just the tip of the iceberg. The drop shipping business is a good opportunity and several people are testing the waters. You can get help from those who are already diving into the business, experts in the industry who have experienced the high and low, and can possibly guide you through the first steps of your journey. Check out Facebook drop shipping groups to jumpstart your journey.

Tip: Sell a single variation in a single list

Note that some listers and eBay repricers do not support multiple eBay variations. DSM Tool, the eBay dropshipping management software, supports multiple variations. Therefore, it is generally better to sell your t-shirts in a single listing that offers multiple variation. You may find the article here: Creating a listing with variations

Method #2: Drop shipping T-shirts straight from the manufacturer

Of course, you always have an option to source your T-shirts straight from the manufacturer. There are manufacturers across the US who are willing to send your ordered items directly to your customers.

How to earn with traditional drop shipping t-shirt business.

1. Look for a t-shirt manufacturer in your target area. You can always google “Ready-made T-Shirts in New York” for example
2. Make a list to remain organized and focused. You might want to aim for a specific niche such as “Funny T-Shirts” or “Weddings T-Shirts”
3. Contact your potential dropship supplier, see if they offer any reselling terms or reselling agreement.
4. Compare prices. Quality should not be compromised when comparing prices. What you are really looking for is a reasonable price for quality t-shirts.
5. Ask for promotional materials. You are basically asking permission to use a few of their marketing materials for your dropshipping clothing store. These materials also help you market their products without missing out on detailed information about the product.

Once you found a supplier, you may start publishing the T-Shirts in your eBay store!

Tip: Maybe your supplier already sells online?

If your supplier already sells in Amazon you can use an Amazon to eBay dropshipping rapid lister to publish the items within a single click of a button, you can then disable the repricing option for that specific listing (as explained here ) and work under the terms you agreed on with your supplier

Method #3: T-shirt Printing On Demand (POD)

To be honest, the previous methods are quite known among drop shippers. But as the drop shipping industry exists for many years, the on-demand manufacturing industry (including 3D printing, DTG printing, etc.) is quite new which creates a great opportunity for us drop shippers.

You can collaborate with a t-shirt print-on-demand businesses. What do they do? These businesses use DTG (Directly to Garment) printing technologies and can print any design you might have of t-shirts and ship it directly to your customers with a corresponding price.

The steps of how to earn from an on-demand t-shirt printing business are quite similar to the other drop shipping arbitrage methods explained above, you find print-on-demand companies (this time for both the printing services and the designs), you publish the products in your eBay store and when you sell a t-shirt you process the order through your supplier directly to the customer.

Where to source your t-shirt designs?

You’ll be surprised to know that there are many graphic designers who sell their craft all over the internet. Two of the most popular places you can find great but quality designs are Fiverr and Upwork. You can get your designs for as low as $5 from Fiverr or as high as $125. Prices differ depending on the t-shirt design you set an eye for. But of course, you can always create your own design if you have a keen eye for it.

Here are a few places to source your T-shirt designs from:

Printify #1

Printify is a platform that lets customers choose from more than 300 different print-on-demand products. It also offers a Mockup Generator tool to create merch by uploading your own designs.

Fiverr

Fiverr is a place where you can outsource various services from general admin tasks, writing, and graphic designs. Services start as low as $5 which includes graphic designs and other gigs.

Upwork

Upwork is a place where you can find graphic artists for the best bidder. You can search for them or post a job ad to attract bidders. You can set your rate and bid from there. The price starts at $3 depending on the design.

Placeit

If you want to create your own design but have neither tools nor design experience, then Placeit is the right option for you. Here you can create great designs in seconds with their easy-to-use templates and you can even make awesome mockups to help you showcase your designs better.

Mintees

Mintees is a website dedicated to selling t-shirt designs and other graphic arts. You can find designers who can custom a design for you. Mintees.com is an online t-shirt and apparel design community. Promoting all sorts of designers, apparel brands, and shirt shoppers, Mintees.com works with some extremely talented tee designers from all across the globe. You will have to register by joining the community in order to get in touch with a graphic designer. Prices vary depending on the seller.

T-Shirt Artworks

The T-Shirt Artworks site is a meeting ground for artists and buyers. Browse through various designs by professional graphic artists. All designs are 100% original. Once you buy a design, the rights of the image will be automatically yours. Prices range from $50 to $150 (depends on design)

Graphicriver

Graphicriver features various artwork in t-shirt design. Find over 1,431 custom t-shirt designs from $4. A great place to find great graphic artists with great work to offer. The price starts at $4.

Print on Demand Businesses (by Tough Nickel)

We have made it easier for you. Below are great print-on-demand businesses brought to you by Tough Nickel. These are well-trusted print-on-demand businesses that have gained great reviews from reliable sellers online. This can help you jump-start your t-shirt business on eBay.

Cafe Press

• Based in: USA
• Product Range: 250-300, including clothing, gifts, homewares, stationery, and accessories
• Organic Products: Yes! T-shirts for men, women, and children
• Customizable Store: Yes! Header, Featured Products, Categories, Templates, and HTML
• Clothing Sizes: Vary by product but sizes include Men~ S-4XL, Women~ S-2XL and Women Plus~ 16-34
• Fees: 2 Options
• Your Shop URL
• Compatible With Own Website?: They do not recommend embedding your store but there is a widget available.
• Extras: Shop performance bonus. Earn $100+ to get a 10-30% bonus on base sales for that month.

Zazzle

• Based in: USA
• Product Range: 350+, including clothing, gifts, homewares, stationery, and accessories
• Organic Products: Yes! Clothing and bags
• Customizable Store: Yes! Completely customizable to match your brand.
• Clothing Sizes: Vary by product but sizes include Men~ S-6XL and Women~ S-2XL
• Fees: None
• Your Shop URL
• Compatible With Own Website?: Flash Panel Widget
• Extras: Proseller Program. Earn $100+ (lifetime) to earn added benefits. Customers can comment on your products and can become ‘fans’, being updated on your latest products. Trending search topics listed on Zazzle homepage.

Streetshirts

• Based in: UK
• Product Range: 150, including clothing, underwear, toys, drinkware, and accessories
• Organic Products: Yes! T-shirts for men and women
• Customizable Store: Yes! It can also be designed to be embedded into your own site.
• Clothing Sizes: Vary by product but sizes include Men~ S-4XL and Women~ XS-XL
• Fees: None
• Your Shop URL: or your own Domain
• Compatible With Own Website?: Generated code for embedding.
• Extras: You can choose to have your design printed or embroidered onto items. Choose up to 16 colors from their pallet of 500. FREE shipping for the UK.

Spreadshirt

• Based in: Germany
• Product Range: 123, including clothing, gift certificates, home-wares, pet accessories, and bags.
• Organic Products: Yes! Clothing for men, women and children/babies
• Customizable Store: Yes! Header, Footer, HTML, and Colours
• Clothing Sizes: Vary by product but sizes include Men~ S-3XL, Women~ S-XL
• Fees: None or £6.66pm for premium (see extras)
• Your Shop URL
• Compatible With Own Website?: iFrame embedding is available. You can also add your shop to your Facebook page~ customers won’t have to leave your page to order.
• Extras: Premium accounts include~ no ads, personalized invoices, shopping incentives, multiple shops, and newsletters. Sell your design in the marketplace~ earn a commission when others buy using your designs in their customized products. “Blog This” button on each product, making it easy to tell your audience about your products.

More Print on Demand Companies you want to check out:

Underground T-shirts

The company, Underground Printing provides custom printed apparel. They offer screen printing and embroidery of various apparel and promotional products. They can provide you with high-quality screen printed and embroidered products customized with your designs.

Discount Mugs

DiscountMugs is among the largest suppliers of promotional products within the United States. They have been in business for more than twenty years. They offer innovative products which include a variety of apparel, glassware, drinkware, office supplies, and many more. All these are made available at the most affordable prices, perfect for giveaways and memorabilia.

Rush Order Tees

Becoming a Rush Order Tees partner is a great way to boost business in t-shirt print on demand business. They have streamlined the process to make it as easy for customers like us.

Printful

More and more drop shippers and artists alike are considering Printful, a custom print product drop shipping, warehousing, and fulfillment company. They require no minimums making it easier to sell designs on custom printed t-shirts. It is free to sign up and there are no monthly fees.

Final Lines

The information can be overwhelming, but you can make it simple by sorting out the print-on-demand companies in the areas that you are targeting. Narrow it down further by choosing POD businesses that meet your demands in online shopping. These include shipping time, shipping costs, quality of materials, and customer service.