Here, are the business and production models of some of the major players in the online t-shirt arena.
Some of these companies not only allow you to design your own custom t-shirts but you can sell your creations to others.
Method of customization: Embroidery, tackle twill and appliqué.
Minimums: None.
Turn around time: Determined by the T-shirt, method of decoration, and the complexity of the logo or design.
Return Policy: None.
Affiliate program: None
Threadless was started in 2000 with a unique business model of creating an online T-shirt community.
The community is comprised of nearly 600,000 registered users who have submitted more than 60,000 shirt designs since the Web site’s inception.
Each week, Threadless holds an open call for people to submit their designs. For seven days they are voted on by the Threadless community.
Designs are chosen to printed are based upon the number of votes. However, a design with a high score is not always guaranteed to win.
When a design is chosen, the company pays the artist $2,500 and sends the artwork to one of its two contract screen printers. The design goes into a queue and is printed roughly three to four weeks later. Site visitors don’t know a design has been chosen until it has been printed and posted for sale on the Web site. If a shirt sells out and enough people are still requesting it, they will reprint it.
Every Monday Threadless launches seven new shirts and two reprints.
Threadless uses traditional screen printing, discharge, jumbo and burnout printing. They also use specialty inks such as super glows and gels, as well as foils and flock.
Since 2000, CustomInk has been one of the internet's most popular designed-by-you apparel sites.
They sell over a million screen printed t-shirts a year and publish all of their customer’s comments on their web site, completely unedited, in real-time. 99% of the reviews are positive.
Their affiliate program allows you to make money by referring customers
to their web site by placing links and/or banners on your site. Every
time a customer you've referred to them makes a purchase, you’ll earn a
10% commission. Each month that you've earned more than $25; they will
send you a check for the percentage of the sales you refer to them.
An online library of more than 15,000 pieces of artwork, text tools, hundreds of fonts and the ability to accept uploaded images, enables customers to design and order customized apparel online or over the phone.
There is the six-piece minimum and a money back guarantee.
CustomInk also offers custom embroidered wearables and promotional products.
Zazzle has been around since 1999 and online since 2003. You can create T-Shirts from your own designs, or if you have an idea but are not very creative, you can customize an existing design from their data base.
Zazzle’s forte is on efficiency and their Model Realview system.
As soon as customer places an order, it is transmitted to the production floor.
Model Realview is a system where you can upload your images and designs onto real life models, giving you an idea of how the garment will look in the reality.
In addition to T-shirts, Zazzle’s can heat transfer designs onto tote bags, aprons and hats, as well as promotional products.