Print on demand t-shirts are the entry point for most Etsy apparel sellers, since tees have the lowest per-piece cost and the broadest buyer appeal. They are also the category where marketplace fees eat the largest percentage of the sale, since the dollar amount at stake is smaller than on a hoodie or a jacket. Here is how t-shirt pricing actually breaks down and what a fixed catalog price looks like next to it.
A tee listed at $26 on Etsy usually has to cover the blank cost, the print charge from the connected POD app, Etsy's $0.20 listing fee, its 6.5% transaction fee, and roughly 3% plus $0.25 in payment processing, all before whatever margin is left for the seller. On a lower-price item like a tee, that fee stack represents a larger percentage of the sale than it does on a higher-price hoodie or jacket, which is part of why tee margins on marketplaces often run thinner than sellers expect.
| Tee | Brand | VIP base |
|---|---|---|
| Airlume Cotton Tee | Bear Grips | $19.88 |
| Premium Cotton Crew Tee | Next Level | $23.88 |
| Men's Premium Triblend Crew Tee | Next Level | $23.88 |
| Premium Cotton V-Neck Tee | Bear Grips | $23.88 |
None of that price has a marketplace transaction fee taken out of the margin a vendor sets on top.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping."Custom t shirts designs" and "etsy custom t shirt embroidered" searches usually mean either a full custom graphic in print, or a smaller embroidered chest logo. The catalog handles full-color print designs at the same fixed base price regardless of how many colors the design uses, with no per-color surcharge. Embroidered chest logos on apparel are handled through print at this catalog rather than stitched embroidery, which keeps unlimited color use available at no added cost.
A new seller researching how to start a t-shirt business has two broad paths: list on a marketplace like Etsy and pay its fee stack in exchange for built-in search traffic, or open a branded shop at shops.beargrips.com and drive traffic from an existing audience while keeping the full margin above the fixed base price. Many sellers start with one and add the other once they know which converts better for their specific designs.
Every tee in the catalog ships free to the buyer, has no order minimum, and prints in about a week. See the full fee breakdown for how an Etsy listing price compares dollar for dollar, or the common questions post for what new sellers usually ask before starting.
No marketplace fee, unlimited colors, free shipping, ready in about a week. Free plan to test the model.
Start FreeNo. Designs can use unlimited colors at the same fixed per-piece price, with no per-color charge.
The Free plan is $0/mo with 3 live products, useful for testing a design before committing to a paid plan.
Yes. Each buyer checks out individually and selects their own size and color from the options the vendor enables.
No. The same print process and care instructions apply across the tee lineup regardless of the specific blank chosen.
Bear Grips Pro Shops