[inkyliontees]

Hi guys, am a graphic designer and a couple of moths ago i started to sell my designs on t shirts on etsy, my designs are not the best but they are not bad at all, i have sold just 30 something t shirts and made just a couple dollars on every t shirt, and i see a lot sellers on etsy sold thousands of t shirts. how they do it? am using printaura as a fulfillment company, am selling gildan 2000 which is the cheapest t shirts they they have, i just want to be a more competitive on price with a lot of sellers on etsy, what do they do, do they do it through fulfillment companies, do they order the blank t shirts and print them self? like i said before am just a graphic designer , am not familiar with which is the best and cheapest t shirt to use for this model of business, what is the best fulfillment company etc, can you guys please help me with this matter?
thank you

 

[jpelmore]

I sell on Etsy as well. You stand to make more money printing yourself. A fulfillment center is a great back up but cuts down your profits with so many selling the same thing.
Be forewarned if you start looking into printers stay AWAY from the Epson F2000 it will appear to be a saving grace but will be your worse nightmare.
Good luck!

 

[inkyliontees]

so you order all colors and sizes and have them in stock ? any brand you recommend ?

 

[4C Print Shop]

I have seen this many times where people try to sell and print. It does work in some instances but in most instances one of those areas will suffer. This is one of the reason why there are so many used printers on the market.

 

[sb45]

Most fulfillment services will charge around $10 to $13 for a basic colored shirt order (plus shipping), so it's likely that anyone you see selling for less than $15 (not including shipping) is printing their own. I think it's most likely that sellers using fulfillment services will be selling between $18 and $24, with free shipping on the higher end prices.

That said, if I were you and I wanted to test the waters, so to speak, I would price lower but enough to at least break even. Do that for a while (maybe for a 3 month period) and see if your sales ramp up. If you're not getting at a minimum, say, 5 sales per day, I would hold off on getting equipment. On the other hand, if you find that when you price more competitively your sales significantly increase, maybe you could start thinking about bringing the printing in house. Do note that DTG printing is not as easy as it may seem. Make sure you do your homework before you take the plunge, but it can be worth it. Good luck.

 

[jpelmore]

No I don't keep very much inventory. Luckily Alphabroder is in my town so I can run out and pick up what I need or can have it shipped and have it the next business day.

 

[jpelmore]

SB45 you are right on the money!

 

[jpelmore]

any brand you recommend ?

With DTG you will need 100% Cotton or at minimum 50/50. Brand is preference and most of the time I go by who has the best price.
I don't name a brand in my listings, only the cotton percentage. That way it leaves me open to other brands if a color/size is sold out.

 

[fahid]

i think you production cost is expensive than you margin, you should produce cheap, but not sacrifice with the quality whatever may you import the shirt from anywhere with lower coast blank or printed after that you sell with reasonable prices.

 

[NoXid]

With fulfillment they get a lot of the money because they are doing almost all of the work. You can get more of the money by doing more of the work. Which obviously is work!

Gildan 2000 are, perhaps, the best of the low-end shirts. But they are rather coarsely woven and are not soft ringspun cotton.

We don't know what your designs are or who they would appeal to. Perhaps a low price point and cheap shirt is the right choice. But if you can go more upmarket, the margins a lot larger. I sell high quality screen printed shirts starting in the low $20s, and running up to the high $20s for tri-blends and more stylish women's cuts. I do the printing myself (which is no small undertaking--lots to learn, and lots of equipment to buy). My designs are on the unique side, and targeted at niches.

Of course, I have not sold 1000s of shirts. But I make ~$15+ a shirt.

High volume, low margin, low quality; or Low volume, high margin, high quality. Consider your options and what would work best with your designs and target market. There is a decision to be made here, and you may have made it without realizing it.

Consider how long an Etsy shop has been open when looking at its sales numbers.