If you need to supply your business, school, organization, or event with T-shirts or other apparel, you'll need a good source to purchase them. Of course, it isn't that simple: some T-shirt wholesalers have restrictive pricing or minimum order limits that put them out of reach for smaller events. You also need to consider whether you're planning to customize the shirts yourself or if you need the supplier to handle that for you. If you're not prepared for this process, you can find yourself paying too much or spending too much time on it.
That's why I'd like to introduce you to my top 5 favorite online stores to buy T-shirts. I have worked with each of these sites in the past and can share my insights, including the general shopping experience, impressions, and the pros and cons of each site. Hopefully, this will be helpful to you as you approach your own project.
AllDayShirts
AllDayShirts.com is very easy to use and navigate, and I love working with family-owned and operated companies. The site offers the full-size runs and colors of T-shirts from top brands like Gildan, Hanes, Jerzees, Next Level, and Bella+Canvas. They have really deep wholesale pricing on white and black T-shirts as well as fleece and fast fashion apparel. I like the variety of products, and it's easy to search for youth T-shirts and even baby and toddler T-shirts and fleece. The pricing seems like it's wholesale direct to the customer and I was even able to order the Richardson 112 hat.
I was automatically given a discount because the site has a "buy more, save more" deal that gives great savings, so you never need a coupon code. It was easy to re-order a fill-in order for white T-shirts and I even get free shipping on small orders of $49+. They have blowout offers on white and black T-shirts and youth T-shirts as well. All of my orders have shipped very quickly and the customer service online chat was extremely helpful.
I wanted to try and pay with Apple Pay but they did not allow me. Also, I was looking for some Nike and Under Armour T-shirts, but I can't find these brands on their site.
Jiffy Shirts
JiffyShirts.com is a very basic website, but easy to use, and I was able to easily search for an Irish green T-shirt for a St. Patrick's Day event. The pricing is pretty good and there are definitely some great deals, but when I go back to order and restock it looks like the pricing has changed; sometimes it goes down by a few pennies but I have also seen it jump up by around $0.50 at times. However, Jiffy shirts has been around a long time and most of the reviews are really good, so it seems most customers see this as a minor inconvenience at most.
Jiffyshirts.com accepts PayPal which helps me a lot. I was able to mix and match brands like Hanes, Gildan, and even Champion. If an order is placed before 6 PM it will usually ship the same day.
The free shipping offer always changes, sometimes it's $59 but I have also seen $69 and $79. The pricing is inconsistent; sometimes it's quite affordable but then goes up. I am always looking for consistent pricing because I print and heat press on a lot of the items and I give my own customers a consistent price, therefore it would be helpful if my own expenses could be relied on to fall within the same budget every time.
Shirt Space
Shirt Space has a great selection of T-shirts, polos, and even things like hats and beanies that I sometimes use, and it's really easy to search by brand. They even sell screen printing equipment and supplies; however, they do not offer an embroidery service. The pricing on white T-shirts is good and they even have good pricing on fleece and hoodies. I like that they ship from all over the country and that they accept lots of different types of payments. The site is easy to navigate and it seems like they are always adding more T-shirts and other products.
I was able to get a $50 discount for an order over $500 which is a really great incentive. Also, every order over $99 gets free shipping. I was able to get a good price for white T-shirts and mixed them up with black and red T-shirts and even added a polo shirt into the order.
There isn't an automatic "buy more, save more" discount program. If you spend less than $99, you have to pay for shipping which makes it hard for fill-in orders. I find the pricing to be decent, but not the best pricing especially for white blank T-shirts.
Blank Shirts
I like that Blank Shirts ships from 6 warehouses and the orders ship and are received pretty fast. The kids' section is well organized and has a large variety of products, and they have really fun and hip baby and toddler items from Rabbit Skins, Gildan, and even Next Level. They also sell different types of T-shirts and they even sell polo shirts and hats. If you're a government agency you can request a PO too.
There is no minimum order so you can literally just order one white T-shirt and if you order by 11 AM PST the order will ship the same day. Blank Shirts has been around since 1999 and has a lot of other sites and divisions that sell caps and other apparel items.
It's not clear how much you have to spend to get free shipping nor is there an automatic "buy more, save more" coupon to get instant savings. Their return policy is also pretty restrictive: they do not offer exchanges for merchandise and any return has to be done within 30 days, plus you are responsible for shipping all of the items back.
LogoUp
LogoUp.com is an award-winning INC 500 company that will sell you blank and wholesale T-shirts, polos, hats, and fleece, or these same items with your logo or your customer's logo. I found it really easy to use the site and was able to mix and match top brands like Nike, Under Armour, Carhartt, North Face, and others with my customer's logo. The pricing is excellent, and you get 50% off the logo setup when you order just 6 or more items. This is much better than some of their competitors who only offer such a discount on large orders.
This is a great site to get blank or screen printed and embroidered apparel. It's been a lifesaver when I have a client who needs their logo on top name-brand apparel items. The Richardson 112 is offered in a huge variety of colors (70+) and I was able to just order a few with the logo on it instead of having to place a huge order. Since you can mix and match, I also ordered some T-shirts and polos that came out great. The turnaround time was super-fast too.
I wish they would take PayPal and Apple Pay; right now it's just credit cards but they will give terms to schools and government agencies. I wanted to split ship an order to three of my customers' offices however they said that the complete order had to ship to me.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are several great sources out there for purchasing blank T-shirts and other apparel for a variety of needs. Each one has its pros and cons, but every business is different, so you might be in a situation where one of the cons I have listed doesn't affect you. For example, if you never use PayPal or Apple Pay, it won't matter if a store doesn't accept these — I just personally prefer to use them at times.
If you are looking at an online T-shirt supplier that isn't on my list, you can use some of the same criteria to judge whether or not they would work in your situation. Get a feel for how easy their website is to use and how many products they have, look for discounts (especially "buy more, save more") and see if there are minimum orders, limits on free shipping, or other restrictions that might cause problems for you later. Experiment to see if you can mix and match brands and styles in your order, and check if the business accepts the payment method you like the most. If you need personalization on the items, see whether the supplier offers the type you're looking for.
I hope my guidance has been helpful to you and that you're now ready to move forward with your project. Whether you're printing T-shirts with your designs for sale in your own store, or supplying an event, agency, or another client, there is a solution out there that will work for you.
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