How to sell t-shirts on Amazon – Full guide (2025)

Selling t-shirts on Amazon is an exciting business endeavor.

The t-shirt market will total $45.5 billion worldwide in 2024, with an expected growth of 2.6% by 2025, proving that selling t-shirts online is a lucrative way to make money online.

Amazon needs no introduction as the leading retailer in the United States, which had a whopping $143.1b in net sales in Q3 2023. 

It’s time to take the plunge and start selling t-shirts on Amazon. Get ready as we guide you through the process step-by-step.

From creating an Amazon seller account to designing and sourcing t-shirts with print-on-demand services like Printify, this article will show you how to sell shirts on Amazon successfully.

1. Register an Amazon seller account

Let’s look into the first step when exploring how to make and sell shirts on Amazon. 

First, you need a customer or an Amazon seller account registered with a business email. 

These are the must-haves for creating a seller account:

• Reside in one of the eligible countries.
• An Amazon customer account or a business email.
• International credit card.
• Government-issued identification.
• Tax information.
• Phone number.
• A bank account to earn royalties.

Go to the seller’s website and create an account. Or, to open an Amazon Merch on Demand account, you can sign in with your customer account at Merch by Amazon (MBA).

A seller account offers access to a wider range of products and sourcing methods. 

However, choose an MBA account if you plan to focus exclusively on sourcing t-shirts through the program.

Scroll down to familiarize yourself with pricing and account types, or if you’re ready – click Sign Up.

Choose between an individual or professional account:

• An individual account is good if you plan on doing 40 or fewer t-shirt sales per month. There’s no monthly subscription fee, but you’ll pay $0.99 per item sold.
• A professional seller’s account costs $39.99 monthly, and there’s no fee per item sold. This plan is more cost-effective if you plan to sell over 40 t-shirts per month. You’ll also get access to eCommerce tools like business reports, promotions and coupons, and user accounts. Referral fees vary depending on the product.

Merch by Amazon

Merch by Amazon, or Amazon Merch on Demand, is the platform’s POD service.

The platform is great if you don’t want to hold and manage inventory. It’s intended for people already selling on Amazon and wanting to start a business there. 

Merch by Amazon lets sellers focus on creating t-shirt designs while Amazon handles the logistics.  

Creating a business seller account is free and takes about one to two weeks. Fill in personal, contact, sales tax, and bank information, and await approval.   

In the meantime, create designs and a logo using any graphic editor according to Amazon’s requirements. Take your time and become familiar with the MBA content policies.

You can also use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), which requires sending the merchandise to an Amazon warehouse. After that, Amazon handles order fulfillment.

Printify

Printify offers a seamless way to start your t-shirt business on Amazon using Print on Demand. Create custom t-shirts and other products and forget about keeping inventory or tiring walks to the post office for shipping. What makes this business model so amazing?

• It’s 100% free – Signing up with Printify costs nothing. Create an account, design products, and access all the platform’s resources and integrations without any upfront fees.
• No inventory management – Printify handles all the production and fulfillment, so you can focus on designing and marketing your products.
• Global network of Print Providers – Printify connects you to a vast network of Print Providers, ensuring high-quality products and fast shipping times.
• Easy integration – Printify’s integration with Amazon allows you to directly connect your Printify account with your Amazon seller account, simplifying the listing process. After designing your t-shirt in Printify’s Product Creator, you can publish it directly to Amazon.

To start, simply sign up and connect your Amazon account with Printify in just a few clicks and you’ll be ready for the next step.

3. Design your t-shirts

Designing a t-shirt, whether at MBA or Printify, is a straightforward process. 

Before learning how to sell shirt designs on Amazon, let’s see how to design custom t-shirts with Printify’s Product Creator: 

1. Create a t-shirt design using free or paid design software. 
2. Set up your Printify account.
3. Pick a t-shirt from our Catalog. We have over 70 styles for all sizes and shapes, including the best-selling options for POD from Bella Canvas and Gildan. 

4. Select your favorite t-shirt and select a Print Provider. Then, click on Start designing, which will bring you to our Product Creator.
5. Upload your design and adjust it to your liking.
6. Click on Save product. Edit the description and details and choose your mockup images.
7. Publish it to the online store.

4. Prepare your product listings and storefront

It’s time to prepare product listings and make them available on your storefront.  

An Amazon Storefront is available for merchants registered with Amazon’s Brand Registry. This feature allows you to create a website with a unique URL within Amazon, showcasing products and strengthening your brand.  

Amazon listings contain the product’s title, images, description, and key features in bullet points. 

Each product listing on Amazon includes several key components:

• Title

Your product title should be between 80-200 characters. Start with the brand name, followed by a primary keyword that describes the product. Include secondary keywords highlighting specific features like dimensions, color, or set quantities.

• Bullet points

Use bullet points to outline key features of the product. Each bullet point can be up to 200 characters, with a total of up to 1,000 characters across five points.

• Product descriptions

Product descriptions should be detailed, ranging from 1,700 to 2,000 characters. On mobile devices, the first 80 characters are displayed before the bullet points, so make sure those initial words are compelling.

• Product images

Ensure your images are high-quality and non-pixelated, focusing on the key features of your product. A white background is generally preferred to keep the presentation clean and professional.

Avoid using trademarked names that aren’t your own, exaggerated claims like “bestseller,” and terms like “free shipping” unless it applies to your entire catalog. 

You should also avoid:

• Forbidden or false claims such as bestsellers and free shipping.
• Health claims related to curing diseases.
• Drug products and components.

Create your t-shirt store with Printify and sell your brand on Amazon now

Start designing

5. Market your products

Let’s put your brand out there. These key elements will help you develop your marketing strategy and earn money by selling shirts.

Amazon alternatives

Consider selling shirts in other marketplaces. Printify integrates with three of the most popular eCommerce platforms, making the process easier and seamless than selling t-shirts on Amazon. 

The pioneer among online marketplaces and the first auction website, you can sell products for the highest bid or at a fixed price. 

While exploring how to sell t-shirts on Amazon, also consider eBay. Selling them on the platform as an individual is simple, requiring basic registration. 

The marketplace easily integrates with Printify and has an established flow of traffic. 

It also offers paid plans for creating an online store – but initially, every merchant can only sell up to five products. 

eBay’s pricing overview:

• Insertion fees
  Listings are generally free up to 250 items per month. Beyond that, it’s $0.35 per listing.
• Final value fees
  Vary by category but are usually around 13.25% of sale prices up to $7,500. After that, a portion of the sale is charged a fee of 2.35% – plus $0.30 per order, with some categories having different rates.
• Store subscriptions
  They start from $4.95 per month and provide more free insertions and smaller final value fees.

Etsy

Sell shirts on Amazon or opt for Etsy – an easy-to-use platform and popular marketplace.

Etsy does not charge subscriptions and offers a storefront, with the option to purchase a Pattern subscription at $15 per month to create a standalone, custom website. 

Etsy charges $0.20 per listing.

Frequently asked questions

Amazon awaits

Now that you’ve discovered how to sell shirts on Amazon without inventory, it’s time to create a seller account and source products with MBA or Printify. 

Create a compelling storefront, and make sure your marketing game is strong. Craft top-selling shirts with a winning t-shirt design, and get your online t-shirt business off the ground today!