T-shirts featuring your own illustrations or logo can be sold through all-in-one print-on-demand (POD) services, online marketplaces, your own e-commerce store, or events. However, the method you choose affects who holds inventory, what costs are involved, and who handles production and shipping. Another challenge unique to T-shirts is that inventory is split across every size and color combination.
This article explains the differences between four selling methods and how to choose among them, along with the steps for deciding on T-shirt specifications and listing your product, plus points to watch regarding rights and quality labeling.
Four Ways to Sell Original T-Shirts
There are four main ways to sell original T-shirts. The all-in-one POD services covered in this article let you outsource everything from creating your sales page to production and shipping after an order comes in.
Note that POD (print on demand) itself refers to a production method in which items are made after an order is placed. You can also combine your own e-commerce store or an online marketplace with an external POD provider. It helps to think separately about where you sell and how the product gets made and delivered.
| Comparison | All-in-One POD Service | Online Marketplace | Event / Pop-Up | Your Own Online Store |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory | Generally not needed | Stocked inventory or POD integration | Prepared by size and color | Stocked inventory or POD integration |
| Cost structure | Fixed costs are easy to keep low, but the per-unit product cost tends to be higher | Mainly selling fees; fixed costs may also apply | Booth fees, transport costs, payment processing fees, etc. | Monthly subscription fee and payment processing fees |
| Attracting customers | Promote your product within the service or on social media | Easy to reach people already browsing the marketplace | You can introduce your product directly to attendees | You handle your own promotion via social media, search, etc. |
| Production & shipping | Handled by the service | Handled by the seller or a partner | Seller arranges production and brings stock to the venue | Handled by the seller or a partner |
| Best suited for | Those who want to try selling without holding inventory | Those who want to reach new buyers | Those who want to interact directly with fans | Those who want to build a brand over the long term |
*The fees and charges listed here are current as of August 19, 2026. Since they may change, please check each company's official website before applying.
All-in-One POD Services
With all-in-one POD services such as SUZURI or T-Shirt Trinity, you can create a sales page simply by registering your design and product details. Because the service prints and ships the item only after an order comes in, you don't need storage space or to handle packing yourself.
SUZURI charges no fee to open a shop and no separate selling fee is billed to creators. However, if you set a creator margin ("toribun"), an amount equal to 10% of it is added to the product cost as a fee. Also, the available garments, print positions, and packaging options are limited to what the service offers.
This approach is easy to use for people selling a T-shirt for the first time, or those who want to gauge interest in a design without the hassle of production and shipping. You could start by testing sales through POD, then expand a design that performs well into stocked inventory or your own online store.
Online Marketplaces
You list your products on platforms such as Amazon, Rakuten Ichiba, minne, or BOOTH. General online marketplaces and creator-focused marketplaces differ in user base and fee structure, so it's important to check the characteristics of each before choosing.
General marketplaces like Amazon and Rakuten Ichiba make it easy to reach a wide range of buyers, but depending on the seller plan, fixed costs may apply. Creator-focused marketplaces like minne and BOOTH make it easier to reach people specifically looking for creator-made items, and are mostly structured around a selling fee charged only when an item sells.
Fee structures and listing requirements vary by service, so check not only the selling fee but also whether there are fixed costs or transfer fees before listing.
While there's a chance of reaching new buyers, note that your product will be listed alongside similar items, which can lead to price competition. You'll also need to design your product page and communicate with buyers according to each service's own format.
Events / Pop-Ups
Fan conventions, live shows, exhibitions, and pop-ups are places where you can sell T-shirts directly to attendees. Buyers can check the fabric, print, and fit before purchasing, and you can gauge reactions to your product on the spot.
On the other hand, you'll incur booth fees and transport costs to the venue, and you'll need to prepare display fixtures and payment methods. The more sizes and colors you offer, the more inventory you tend to need, so taking pre-orders or reservations in advance can help reduce leftover stock. It's also a good idea to point attendees who couldn't buy on-site to an online store they can use after the event.
Your Own Online Store
You can open your own online store using a platform such as Shopify. Because you control the product pages, pricing, bundle offers, and post-purchase follow-up yourself, it's easier to convey your brand's world and the story behind your designs.
Running your own store involves a monthly subscription fee and payment processing fees, and you'll need to attract customers yourself through social media, search, events, and so on. Shopify's Basic plan costs 4,850 yen per month when billed monthly, or the equivalent of 3,650 yen per month when billed annually. If you use Shopify Payments to accept domestically issued Visa, Mastercard, and JCB cards, the Basic plan charges a payment processing fee of 3.55% of the order amount.
By integrating an external POD provider, you can also outsource production and shipping. This approach suits people who want to keep selling over the long term and grow their brand.
Benefits of Selling Original T-Shirts on Shopify
Image source: Shopify
With Shopify, you can build your own store to match your brand and freely combine stocked inventory with POD. By connecting a POD app such as Printful, you can outsource production and shipping to the POD provider after an order comes in. Printful's core features are free on a monthly basis, with the cost of goods and shipping billed to the seller per order.
If you hold inventory, you can register size and color as product variants and manage stock for each combination. Using Shopify POS, you can manage orders and inventory for both your online store and events or pop-ups together on Shopify. That said, before adopting a POD provider, be sure to check its product costs, lead times, the scope of returns and defect handling, and which payment methods and hardware are available for in-person sales.
If you're considering Shopify, it's also worth checking how the store as a whole is run and what it costs.
Shopify's features, pricing, and pros and cons are covered in detail in the following article.
Before adopting Shopify, check the official pricing information and choose the plan that best fits your store.
Steps to Create and Sell Original T-Shirts
Once you've chosen a selling method, decide who you're selling to and what you're selling, check a sample and your margins, and then list your product. Let's go through the steps.
1. Decide Your Target Audience and Selling Conditions
First, decide "who you want to wear it, and in what setting." Fans attending a concert and people who want to wear it as everyday clothing call for different designs, fabrics, and price points. Once you can picture your buyers and expected sales volume, choose how to produce the item from the following three options.
- POD: Produce one unit at a time as orders come in
- Limited-time pre-order: Set an ordering period, then place a bulk order once the final quantity is confirmed
- Stocked inventory: Produce items in advance so you can ship immediately after an order
If you can't predict sales volume and don't want to hold inventory, POD is the easiest way to start. If you need to hand items over on the spot at an event, or want to lower the per-unit production cost through a bulk order, a limited-time pre-order or stocked inventory are good candidates.
2. Decide on the T-Shirt Specifications
Once you've decided how to produce the item, choose the fabric, weight, silhouette, color, size, and print position. With an all-in-one POD service, you choose from the garments the service offers. If you're ordering from a T-shirt manufacturer, you can discuss the look you're going for and your budget with them.
The "ounce" (oz) figure you often see in product descriptions is a unit of fabric weight, and it's also a useful gauge for comparing thickness. For printing method, screen printing suits a single design produced in a larger quantity, while inkjet printing or DTF transfer (printing onto a special film and heat-transferring it) suits small batches or designs with many colors. Pricing and finish vary by manufacturer, so share your design, quantity, and desired texture with them when consulting.
With stocked inventory, the more sizes and colors you offer, the more complex inventory management becomes. Rather than offering a wide range from the start, it's easier to manage if you add options gradually based on how sales go.
3. Prepare Your Design Data and Check the Finished Product
Before creating your design, check the submission guidelines of the service or manufacturer you plan to use. With POD, you upload your design to fit the specified image size and adjust its position and scale while viewing a preview. If you're ordering from a manufacturer, you'll need to match their requirements for file format, image size and resolution, and background transparency. If anything is unclear, ask before sending your files.
After submitting your data, get an actual physical sample before you start selling, if at all possible. Don't judge based on an on-screen mockup alone — check the following:
- The position, size, and color of the design
- The fabric's thickness and how see-through it is
- How it actually fits when worn
- The quality of the stitching and print
- Shrinkage or print changes after washing
4. Set Your Selling Price Based on Cost
The basic approach to pricing is to take the cost of the T-shirt itself plus printing, then add your selling expenses and desired profit. Start by listing out the costs incurred each time you sell one unit.
- Cost of the T-shirt and printing
- Cost of individual packaging, tags, and packing materials
- Shipping costs
- Selling fees or payment processing fees
- Costs to cover returns and exchanges
For upfront costs such as printing plates or event booth fees, divide the total by your expected sales volume to get a per-unit figure. Also check whether "selling price minus per-unit cost" leaves you with the profit you're aiming for.
5. List Your Product
When listing, you need photos and descriptions that let buyers judge the size and finish. Your online product page should include the following information.
- Front, back, print area, and on-model photos of the T-shirt
- Actual measurements such as chest width and length
- The model's height and the size they're wearing
- Material, care instructions, and washing precautions
- Expected shipping date and return/exchange conditions
With an all-in-one POD service, you set the product description and price, then publish your sales page. For your own store or a marketplace, check the displayed price, stock by size and color, shipping costs, and delivery method before publishing. For an event, prepare size samples, price tags, an inventory list, and payment methods such as cash and cashless options.
Legal, Rights, and Quality Labeling Checks Before Selling Original T-Shirts
Whichever method you use, you must check the rights to your design and the labeling required on your product. For original T-shirts, you need to confirm not only that you're not using someone else's work or logo, but also that the quality label remains accurate after processing such as printing. If you're selling online, you'll also need to prepare a "Notation Based on the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions."
Confirm You're Not Infringing Copyright, Trademark Rights, or Other Rights
Printing and selling T-shirts featuring characters, logos, photos, or other work created by someone else without permission may infringe copyright, trademark rights, or other rights. Use designs you created yourself, or material you have permission to turn into merchandise.
Even images from stock material sites or designs you outsource may not have license terms covering printing on and selling T-shirts, so check first. For derivative or fan works, follow the guidelines and permission terms published by the rights holder.
References: Agency for Cultural Affairs, "Copyright Basics and Piracy", Japan Patent Office, "Effect of Trademark Rights"
Confirm the Fiber Content, Care Instructions, and Labeling Party After Processing
T-shirts you sell need quality labeling covering fiber content, home laundering care instructions, and the name and contact information of the labeling party. Adding printing or dyeing to a plain T-shirt can change the appropriate care instructions from what they were before processing.
Because you can't necessarily rely on the original tag as-is, check with your manufacturer about the labeling content after processing and who is responsible for it.
References: Consumer Affairs Agency, "Household Goods Quality Labeling Act", Consumer Affairs Agency, "About Textile Products"
Prepare a Notation Based on the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions for Online Sales
If you sell by mail order through your own online store, you need to disclose the selling price and shipping costs, payment method and timing, delivery timing, return conditions, and your business name, address, and phone number. With all-in-one POD services or online marketplaces, the scope of disclosures handled by the seller versus the platform differs, so also check each service's terms and guidance.
Reference: Consumer Affairs Agency, "Mail Order Sales"
Start Selling Original T-Shirts With the Method That Fits Your Goal
If you want to test the waters without the burden of inventory and shipping, an all-in-one POD service is a good candidate. If you want to reach new buyers, consider an online marketplace. If you want to interact directly with fans, an event is a good fit. If you're aiming to build a brand through ongoing sales, your own online store becomes an option.
You don't have to settle on just one selling method. By connecting Shopify with a POD app such as Printful, you can run your own store while outsourcing production and shipping to a POD provider. You can also combine approaches to match the stage you're at — for example, testing sales through POD before creating stocked-inventory products, or running events alongside online sales. Once you've chosen the method that fits you, check a physical sample and your per-unit margins, and get ready to sell.
