With the ever-increasing demand for everyday comfort wear, t-shirts are a timeless classic that caters to everyone’s needs. Don’t miss the chance to be part of the trend-setting fashion wave and start dropshipping t-shirts now.
To aid us in getting started, this article will outline the crucial components of running a dropshipping t-shirt business. In addition, we’ll discuss the top print-on-demand companies and dropshipping t-shirt suppliers. Let’s get the ball rolling.
Is Dropshipping T-Shirts Profitable?
Certainly! A substantial number of people make money through the online sale of t-shirts. As a matter of fact, figures from Statista show that the worldwide t-shirt market continues to expand into a multibillion-dollar industry.
With this value, we’re confident that the popularity and profitability of selling t-shirts will continue to rise. By consistently offering products that resonate with customers, dropshipping t-shirts can be a thriving eCommerce venture.
11 Best T-Shirt Dropshipping Suppliers
To kick off our dropshipping t-shirt venture, let’s uncover the best suppliers to source top-selling items. Here are the top 11 t-shirt print-on-demand companies and dropshipping suppliers:
Get ready as we check out these platforms.
T-Shirt Print On Demand Companies
Print on demand (POD) is a business model that allows for producing printed materials according to customer demand. This venture is becoming increasingly popular as it eliminates the need for upfront inventory and minimizes the risk of unsold stock.
Next, we’ll discuss the benefits of working with top-caliber print-on-demand companies for our dropshipping t-shirt business.
1. AutoDS
At the top of our list is AutoDS, an all-in-one dropshipping solution that helps you automate your business, find and source winning products, and explore private suppliers. Now, it also allows you to design and sell custom items like apparel, accessories, and homeware without handling production or shipping.
Key Features
- Private suppliers
- Product sourcing
- Winning Products Hub
- Instant product imports
- Price and stock monitoring
- Customized Branding
What makes AutoDS special is that you can enjoy an all-included experience. Want exclusive products with fast shipping? AutoDS has got you covered. Want to forget about manual tasks like product importing, listing optimization, and price & stock updates? Look no further!
As a POD supplier, AutoDS offers a comprehensive selection of high-quality products like apparel & full printed apparel, accessories, decoration, footwear, home & living, and more. In addition, you can choose to source products from Chinese manufacturers or the EU.
2. Printful
Next is Printful, a leading company in the print-on-demand industry. The company handles inventory, printing, and shipping for dropshippers selling custom-made t-shirts. Printful offers different t-shirt printing methods, such as direct-to-garment (DTG), cut-and-sew sublimation, embroidery, and screen printing.
Key Features
- Quick shipping times with tracking updates
- Competitive shipping rates
- Built-in mockup generator
- Excellent customer service
- Integrates with several eCommerce platforms
Printful’s quick shipping times come with tracking number updates so that customers can monitor the whereabouts of their orders and when to expect deliveries. Additionally, the platform offers a built-in mockup generator, so we can preview the t-shirts’ designs before printing.
The company extends excellent customer service and integrates with several eCommerce platforms, such as Shopify, Etsy, and WooCommerce.
3. Printify
Another sought-after POD company is Printify. The platform connects our dropshipping t-shirt business with a network of print service providers who handle the production and shipping of products to customers. When sourcing POD t-shirts, Printify utilizes DTG printing, screen printing, dye sublimation, and vinyl printing.
Key Features
- No upfront cost when signing up
- A comprehensive network of print-on-demand suppliers
- Affordable t-shirt products
- A user-friendly website with easy navigation
- Easy-to-use mockup generator
Signing up with Printify requires no upfront cost, and it comes with design tools to help users create their t-shirt designs. Moreover, the company manages over 90 manufacturing hubs worldwide, helping us select the best shipping arraignments for our customers. On top of everything, we can assign prices on t-shirt items according to our target profit margin.
4. Gelato
Next up, Gelato is a renowned POD company working with diverse networks of print service providers worldwide. The platform utilizes the direct-to-garment printing method as standard practice. Serving about 200 regions worldwide, Gelato is an outstanding POD company that works well with dropshipping t-shirt businesses.
Key Features
- Free to use
- Fast printing and delivery processes
- Worldwide market reach
- Sustainable materials and methods
- Promotions and deals
This free-to-use POD platform boasts its fast printing process and efficient delivery services, serving customer demands within 72 hours. Additionally, Gelato vows to use sustainable raw materials and printing methods, which is advantageous when targeting environmentally conscious clients. The company also offers promotions, such as marked-down prices, for sellers who achieve massive monthly sales.
5. CustomCat
Joining the list of exceptional POD companies for our dropshipping t-shirt business is CustomCat. Specializing in dropshipping solutions, the platform has no subscription fees. Additionally, CustomCat uses DTG, screen, and embroidery as its main printing methods.
Key Features
- Dropshipping services
- Wide range of t-shirt products
- Easy connection with eCommerce platforms
- White-label solutions
- Online design tools
CustomCat offers a comprehensive product catalog, including high-quality t-shirts. When working with this POD company, we can easily connect with popular eCommerce platforms like Etsy, WooCommerce, and Shopify. Plus, CustomCat provides white-label solutions that enable us to brand our products and packaging for a unique business.
6. SPOD
SPOD is yet another great POD company that works with dropshipping t-shirt businesses. With its massive daily production, it’s no doubt that SPOD is an in-demand platform for sourcing top-quality t-shirts. SPOD utilizes digital direct, thermal sublimation, digital transfer/laser transfer, and special flex printing options.
Key Features
- Several printing methods
- Quick production time
- Global warehouses
- Technology-powered processes
- Sustainable practices
Despite the rigid process of POD t-shirt manufacturing, SPOD ensures quick service with its 48-hour production guarantee for most items. In addition, the company has multiple warehouses that serve customers worldwide. Besides that, SPOD incorporates technology-powered processes to ensure sustainable production.
T-Shirt Dropshipping Suppliers
Dropshipping doesn’t require us to store t-shirt inventory physically. This business model is low-risk and high-reward. As such, it allows us to partner with dropshipping t-shirt suppliers who handle sourcing and delivering orders directly to customers.
With that said, let’s explore the best dropshipping t-shirt suppliers we can work with.
1. Shein
Although relatively new to the dropshipping scene, Shein has become an incredibly popular platform over the years. Today, it’s one of the most reliable suppliers for apparel, including dropshipping t-shirt items.
Key Features
- Diverse product catalog
- Competitive prices
- Deals and discounts
- Worldwide market reach
- Fast delivery times
Shein offers a wide range of high-quality t-shirts at competitive prices. The platform’s frequent promotions and worldwide market coverage make it a popular choice for online sellers. On top of everything, Shein fulfills and delivers customer orders in a short period of time, gaining high satisfaction from buyers.
2. Walmart
When it comes to dropshipping t-shirts, Walmart is an excellent sourcing platform. This multinational supplier is known for its great selection of products at reasonable prices. Besides that, Walmart has much more to offer our dropshipping t-shirt business.
Key Features
- A wide array of t-shirts
- Reasonable prices
- Promotions and discounts
- Quick shipping options
- Price match guarantee
- Responsive customer support
Walmart is a versatile dropshipping supplier, offering a wide array of t-shirt products that cater to a vast range of audiences at competitive prices. The company’s frequent online promotions and discounts enable us to give our customers savings.
Moreover, Walmart’s price match service guarantees that we source products at fair costs. As a result, we can ensure competitive pricing and maximum profitability.
3. AliExpress
Our next dropshipping t-shirt supplier is AliExpress. This supplier is an online retail platform that offers a huge selection of products from thousands of sellers worldwide.
Key Features
- Huge selection of products
- Low-cost pricing
- AliExpress dropship center
- Domestic warehouses
- Buyer and seller protection program
Offering hundreds of millions of products, the platform ensures competitive pricing, helping us gain substantial profits. To help us find best-selling t-shirts, this supplier has the AliExpress dropship center where we can access product insights. Additionally, the platform provides buyer protection and secure payment options, ensuring a safe shopping experience for customers.
4. CJDropshipping
Another dropshipping t-shirt supplier to work with is CJDropshipping. This supplier provides a range of services to help dropshippers manage their inventory, order fulfillment, and shipping.
Key Features
- Dropshipping-friendly
- Endless t-shirt product ideas
- Domestic warehouses
- Branding and sourcing services
- Print-on-demand solutions
- Dedicated customer support lines
CJDropshipping offers a wide selection of products, including unique t-shirts, at competitive costs. The platform’s services include automated order processing, private label packaging, and branding services, ensuring a seamless customer experience.
Plus, CJDropshipping extends personalized support through dedicated account managers and 24/7 customer service, ensuring prompt solutions to issues or concerns.
5. Target
Last but not least, Target is a retail company that operates a chain of department stores and online shopping platforms. As a leading dropshipping t-shirt supplier, sourcing from Target gives our business a lot of benefits.
Key Features
- Multiple distribution centers
- Private label brands
- Quick shipping times
- Exclusive Red Card perks
- Flexible return policy
- Sustainable goals
Target is known for its trendy and stylish products, with exclusive designer collaborations and private label brands. The company is committed to sustainability, setting ambitious goals to reduce its carbon footprint and eliminate waste. Apart from that, Target offers weekly deals, price matching, and the Target Red Card that offers exclusive discounts.
T-Shirt Dropshipping: Which Is Best – POD Or Suppliers?
As mentioned, print-on-demand enables us to sell custom-made t-shirts per customer order. Generally, working with print-on-demand companies paves the way to greater flexibility in design options and customization.
On the other hand, general dropshipping involves partnering with a supplier who has an inventory of t-shirts. With general dropshipping, we can avoid inventory surplus and losses due to unsold stocks. Thus, this business model gives us more freedom to source items with high-profit margins from diverse suppliers.
The decision between using print-on-demand or dropshipping t-shirt suppliers will depend on our business model, goals, and resources. Overall, it’s best to mix and match POD companies with dropshipping suppliers. In this way, we’ll have diverse product options, allowing us to stand out and beat the competition.
How To Start Dropshipping T-Shirts: A Complete Walkthrough
Are you excited to jumpstart your dropshipping t-shirt business? Let’s begin by going through these seven steps:
- Find Your T-Shirt Niche: Product Research
- Choose A T-Shirt Dropshipping Supplier
- Set Up Your T-Shirt Store: Select A Selling Channel
- Import T-Shirts To Your Dropshipping Store
- Promote Your Dropshipping T-Shirts Business
- Fulfill Customer Orders
- Provide High-Quality Customer Service
Buckle up as we explore each process toward dropshipping t-shirt success.
1. Find Your T-Shirt Niche: Product Research
When looking for the best dropshipping t-shirt niche, product research plays an essential role. By conducting thorough product research, we can identify the needs of our target audience and offer products that cater to those demands. Doing so ensures that the products we dropship are trending and profitable.
As beginners, we can start by opening a general store that caters to multiple niches. This way, we can experiment with different t-shirt product ideas and see which works best for our business. Afterward, we can sell under specific niches like humor, fashion/trendy, space/sci-fi, and more.
To help us get started, here are proven product research methods we should check out:
- AutoDS winning products hub
- AutoDS product-finding blog
- AutoDS best sellers playlist
- Search supplier t-shirt best sellers
- Spy on the competition (Check out FB ads promoting t-shirts with high engagement rates)
- Google Lens
- Use Google Trends to discover the latest in-demand t-shirts
Let’s look at the AutoDS Winning Products Hub. The Hub offers a wide range of t-shirt selections to dropship. With this feature, we don’t have to search far for the most trending and profitable items. This feature allows us to conduct product analysis and access more information to help us set the most competitive pricing.
In particular, the system offers valuable insights about the product, including selling price, potential profit, number of orders, engagement score (level of audience interaction with the product), saturation score (the market saturation based on the number of competitors), target audience insights (gender, age, interests, etc.), competitors (stores selling the product), return policy (return window and who pays for it), reviews. Besides that, the Hub allows us to analyze the product’s Facebook and TikTok ads and potential market, resulting in better audience targeting.
2. Choose A T-Shirt Dropshipping Supplier
Choosing the right dropshipping t-shirt supplier is crucial for the success of our business. In particular, a reliable dropshipping supplier provides us with the best product quality and service reliability.
Here are relevant factors to consider to find the best dropshipping supplier:
- International warehouses (especially if we want to expand our market reach)
- Fast shipping to our customers (quick delivery times for our domestic markets)
- Practical return, shipping, and payment policies
- Wide t-shirt range
- Affordable pricing
- Positive reviews
- Excellent customer support
Working with multiple dropshipping suppliers extends more benefits for our online ventures. Some advantages include diverse product listings, competitive advantage, and flexibility. Additionally, it’s essential to establish clear communication and expectations with each supplier.
As a result, we’ll have the same goal: to achieve the highest customer satisfaction. With that said, AutoDS supports over 25 reliable dropshipping suppliers that we can partner with toward success.
By collaborating with the top players in our industry and implementing automated processes, we can optimize our business operations for maximum efficiency and success.
3. Set Up Your T-Shirt Store: Select A Selling Channel
Setting up our online stores is the next step toward dropshipping t-shirt success. To do this, we must choose a selling channel to connect us with our customers. Next, we’ll check out the two types of selling channels: customizable websites and marketplaces.
Customizable Websites
A customizable website is a selling channel we can create from scratch using a website builder. This type of selling platform is ideal for dropshippers seeking complete control over their online presence. Likewise, we need to have the resources to design, develop, and maintain a website.
Pros
- Flexibility in design
- Control of store appearance
- Branding solutions
- SEO ranking potentials
- Innovation to test new ideas
Cons
- Additional costs for plugins/apps
- Learning curve
Marketplaces
Meanwhile, marketplaces are online platforms where sellers offer their products or services to customers. With these selling channels, we can work within the marketplace’s framework without heavy website development and maintenance investment. This option is good for dropshipping t-shirt businesses that want to leverage an existing customer base and marketing channels.
Pros
- Wide range of products and services
- Competitive pricing
- Convenience in standard processes
- Increased visibility
Cons
- Selling fees
- Greater competition
- Lack of control over store customization
Now, here are dependable selling channels for our dropshipping t-shirt business:
Ultimately, the choice between the two selling channel types depends on our business goals, resources, and preferences. As we expand our business, we can explore several selling channels and multiply our sales potential.
🌟FREE SHOPIFY TRIAL🌟
Build your online store in one platform with all the eCommerce features you need to start, run, and grow your business.
4. Import T-Shirts To Your Dropshipping Store
What’s next after we identify our sourcing and selling platforms? It’s time to add trending t-shirts to generate massive profits for our business. In doing so, we can either manually or automatically import products.
Manual product imports involve individually entering product data into an online store’s database. This method can be time-consuming, tedious, and error-prone, especially for stores dealing with a large number of items.
On the other hand, automatic product imports utilize a dropshipping tool to add product information from the supplier’s website. The main benefit of automatic product imports is reducing the need for manual data entry, which can save us time and effort.
When it comes to product import automation, AutoDS provides easy-to-use import methods, such as:
- One-Click Importer
- Single Product Uploader
- Multiple Product IDs/URLs
- Bulk Importer
Aside from the automatic importing methods, we can also explore the AutoDS Marketplace and import trending t-shirts.
Importing A T-Shirt Using The AutoDS Marketplace
To begin, head to the AutoDS platform and click ‘Marketplace’ on the left sidebar. Then, search for a best-selling product. For example, we’ll type ‘t-shirts’ on the search bar. After doing so, scan the selection and click the best item to dropship.
Once we have an item, we can access the platform’s product information, specifications, policies, and reviews. We can also gain insights into the product cost and retail price, helping us set a competitive price for the item. Then, we can explore and select the variations and sizes we want to add.
Next, click the ‘Import’ button to move the product from the Marketplace to the ‘Drafts’ section. Once the transfer is complete, we can view the item in the ‘Drafts’ section.
From here, we can optimize the product by adding SEO-friendly titles, descriptions, tags, images, and more. Doing so will enhance the item’s professional appearance and improve its ranking in customer web searches.
Once the optimization is done, we can save our changes and import the product by selecting the ‘Save’ and ‘Import’ buttons. This will make the product live in our dropshipping store, allowing customers to purchase it and generate profits for our business.
5. Promote Your Dropshipping T-Shirts Business
Marketing is an integral foundation for our dropshipping t-shirt business. As such, it plays an essential role in building a successful brand. Here are the top reasons an effective promotion is a must:
- Attracting customers
- Building a brand
- Increasing sales
- Monitoring performances
To achieve the goals of marketing, we need to utilize strategic methods. With that said, here are proven marketing techniques for different selling channels:
Wix/WooCommerce/Shopify
- PPC Ads
- Influencer Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Content Marketing (Create a blog and bring in free organic traffic)
- Social Media Posts
eBay/Amazon
- Promoted Listings Standard
- Promoted Listings Advanced
- Sales Events
- Volume Discounts
- Win Buy Box On Amazon
- Amazon Sponsored Brands, Displays, and Stores
Facebook Shops & Marketplace
- Facebook Promotions
- Buy & Sell Groups
In summary, marketing is critical for the success of our dropshipping t-shirt business. We can grow our business and achieve long-term survival by developing impactful marketing tactics.
6. Fulfill Customer Orders
Once our stores are up and running, customers will begin placing their orders. Therefore, we need to serve these demands efficiently. Effective order fulfillment is crucial for the success of a dropshipping business.
The way we manage demands directly impacts customer satisfaction and retention. Generally, customers expect fast and reliable delivery of their purchases. Thus, it’s important to streamline our order fulfillment process.
Here are ways to fulfill customer orders:
- Manual Order Fulfillment
- AutoDS’ Automatic Orders
- Fulfilled By AutoDS
Manual order fulfillment involves accessing the supplier’s website for each order and manually entering customer details. On the downside, this method is time-consuming and impractical as sales volume increases.
On the other hand, automatic order fulfillment can save time and effort by automating the order placement process. For example, AutoDS’ Automatic Orders feature enables us to utilize buyer accounts, which are our preferred payment methods with suppliers, to fulfill orders. Additionally, this tool automatically tracks package status and provides updates.
Moreover, the Fulfilled by AutoDS (FBA) service automatically handles the entire order fulfillment process. This service uses auto-credits to eliminate concerns about order limits. Plus, we can take advantage of supported supplier discounts when using this method.
Overall, prioritizing order fulfillment and ensuring that customers receive their orders in a timely manner is key to building a loyal customer base. As a bonus, it can drive repeat businesses and attract new clients.
Product Sourcing Quotes
Three out of five of the t-shirt dropshipping suppliers on the list are Chinese providers. Sourcing from companies like AliExpress or CJDropshipping is always a trade-off: low prices at the cost of product quality, cheap shipping but long delivery, and there is also a language barrier. Luckily, there is a solution – Product Sourcing Quotes.
This innovative feature transforms the order fulfillment process and addresses common pain points dropshippers face. It simplifies and optimizes the order fulfillment process, particularly when dealing with Chinese suppliers.
Here is how:
1. When you receive an order from a Chinese supplier or an unmonitored source, you can request a quote from AutoDS.
2. Our team swiftly processes your request, typically within 48 hours.
3. After processing, you’ll receive a range of options to choose from, including product variations, shipping methods, and associated costs.
4. Once you decide to source a product, its status changes to “linked.” You can connect only your product to the chosen AutoDS-sourced item (for future orders) or link existing pending orders.
The Product Sourcing Quotes service makes shorter shipping times and cheaper products possible and ensures product quality. Here is why you should use this feature for t-shirt dropshipping:
- Quality Assurance: We established a warehouse where products undergo thorough inspections before shipping to your end customers.
- Faster Delivery: We’ve streamlined the sourcing process, allowing you to choose from various shipping options and prices and enjoy faster delivery times for your customers.
- Effortless Process: The process is quick and efficient. Within 48 hours, you’ll have multiple options at your fingertips.
- Customization: Tailor your sourcing with various options for product variations, shipping methods, and costs, meeting your specific needs.
- Cost Savings: Find competitive and often lower-priced products, maximizing your profitability.
With the Product Sourcing Quotes, your t-shirt dropshipping business gets all the benefits of working with Chinese suppliers while avoiding the drawbacks. This powerful combination might be your winning formula for dropshipping success.
7. Provide High-Quality Customer Service
High-quality customer service can help us build customer loyalty, increase sales, and enhance our brand reputation. To provide excellent customer service, being responsive and attentive to customer needs and inquiries is essential.
This includes promptly answering customer questions and offering helpful solutions through these methods:
- Live chat
- FAQs pages
- Ticket submission
- Phone number
Another essential customer service aspect is providing clear and accurate information about our products and business policies. Doing so helps to set expectations and avoid misunderstandings that can lead to customer dissatisfaction.
Finally, it’s essential to prioritize customer satisfaction and to ensure that customers are happy with our products and services. This can include offering personalized recommendations, after-sales support, and incentives for repeat business. By prioritizing customer satisfaction and taking proactive steps to address their needs, we can set your business apart and achieve sustainable growth.
Automating Your T-Shirt Dropshipping Business: How To Scale Effortlessly
To attain success in our dropshipping t-shirt business, we must incorporate business automation into our strategy. Dropshipping automation refers to the use of tools to streamline various processes. As a result, we can focus on other important aspects of our business.
As a complete dropshipping automation solution, AutoDS provides our business with the following tools:
- Product Imports
- Complete Order Fulfillment
- Price/Stock Monitoring
- Automatic Price Optimization
- Inventory Management
- Advanced Image Editor
- and much more!
By leveraging automation tools, we can reduce the risk of human error, improve efficiency, and increase profitability. Ultimately, business automation is essential to a successful dropshipping venture, leading us to massive profits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dropshipping T-Shirts Legal?
Yes, dropshipping t-shirts is a legal venture. As long as you comply with eCommerce regulations and avoid selling copyrighted products, your business is safe.
What Are The Best T-Shirt Dropshipping Companies?
The best dropshipping t-shirt companies include Printify, Printful, Walmart, Shein, and more. You can select between a POD company or a general dropshipping supplier, whichever suits your business needs.
How Can I Start Dropshipping T-Shirts?
To begin dropshipping t-shirts, you need to conduct thorough product research. In doing so, you will discover what items to dropship according to the demands of your target market. Then, add those winning products to your store and watch the sales roll in!
Conclusion
Way to go! With our dropshipping t-shirt business, there’s no other way but up. By using the right strategies and reliable partners, we can surely expand our business and multiply our profits.
But wait, our dropshipping success journey doesn’t end here. We can further scale our business to greater heights with business automation. Thus, we can streamline repetitive tasks and allocate our time to improve other aspects of our business, such as marketing and customer support.
Be ready to explore the growing clothing niche and the wonders of POD dropshipping. Here are guides and tips to help us broaden our knowledge on these ventures:
