An E-comm Expert Reveals 5 T-shirt Pitfalls You Need to Avoiding
Introduction
Launching a print-on-demand T-shirt business is an appealing entry point into e-commerce. With a great design idea and a few clicks, you can have a store up and running in a day. But while the barrier to entry is low, the path to success is littered with hidden traps. Many aspiring entrepreneurs fail. It’s not because of bad designs. Instead, they often make surprising mistakes. These mistakes can hurt their businesses right from the start.
This article shares five important tips from e-commerce expert Sarah of Wholesale Ted. To build a successful T-shirt business, steer clear of common pitfalls. Watch out for hidden legal risks and make wise photo choices. This way, you can avoid the traps that lead many others to fail.
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1. That “Cool” font could be a legal nightmare.
A smart design tip: choose a typeface that reminds people of a well-known brand, like Coca-Cola. This can make your T-shirt feel familiar and attractive. However, this common practice can land you in serious legal trouble. The issue is more complex than just copyright. It depends on the laws of the country where you’re selling.
In the USA, there is a strange but essential distinction between a “typeface” and a “font.” A typeface is how letters look. Unlike in many countries, it has no copyright protection. A font, however, is the software you use to create designs with that typeface. For example, if you were to buy the font “Gilroy,” you would be given a software file to download and install. That file is the protected “font.” While the primary legal risk here isn’t copyright infringement, it’s trademark infringement. Trademark protects the design elements of a famous logo, such as the iconic “C” in the Coca-Cola logo. This means the brand could pursue legal action against you for using it.
…in the USA, it’s sketchy to sell, not due to copyright, but due to trademark infringement.
The safest strategy is to skip typefaces linked to trademarked logos. Your risk tolerance might differ, but staying clear of these fonts is wise. This is for information only. It’s not a replacement for official legal advice.
2. Your “unique” niche is actually too small to succeed.
Choosing a unique niche can help you stand out. But if your niche is too small, you might struggle to find a sustainable audience. This is especially true with paid ads like Facebook ads. Take, for example, a T-shirt design for giraffe lovers. While it feels specific, the data shows it’s a difficult niche to scale.
Facebook’s Audience Insights tool reveals that about 450,000 to 500,000 people in the USA like giraffes.” An audience this big can saturate quickly. Your ad will lose effectiveness as the same people see it over and over. Worse, it’s nearly impossible to find targeted sub-niches. Target people who love giraffes and support “environmental organizations.” You’ll reach 33,000 individuals. That’s too small for a successful campaign.
In contrast, a broader niche like “giant pandas” has an audience of 3.5-4 million people. This larger pool not only gives you more room to scale but also allows for effective sub-niching. Targeting fans of giant pandas and environmental groups reaches over 100,000 people. This number is the minimum goal for your first ad campaign. A scalable niche is critical for the long-term viability of your advertising efforts.
3. The “Easy” Path of Dropshipping on eBay is a Trap
Selling on a marketplace like eBay is an attractive shortcut. It attracts millions of daily users. So, you won’t need to spend a lot on marketing to showcase your products. Dropshipping T-shirts from a supplier like AliExpress to eBay has many risks.
The first significant problem is customer service. Items from AliExpress often take two to three weeks to ship, which leads to “antsy customers.” If a dispute comes up, eBay often favors customers. This can put your seller account in danger. If over 2% of your transactions end in a dispute resolved in the customer’s favor, your account is in big trouble.
A bigger reason this strategy fails is that you must compete directly with your own supplier. Many AliExpress suppliers sell the same items on eBay themselves. To charge higher prices, you need to set your brand apart. However, the eBay marketplace takes away that edge. When your listing is next to your supplier’s, it’s tough to stand out. They can sell at a price you can’t match. This makes it hard to show why your higher cost is worth it.
…it isn’t easy to meaningfully differentiate yourself from the supplier.
It’s better to stick with dropshipping in your own store. This way, you control branding, customer service, and stand out from the competition.
4. You’re reusing product mockups the wrong way.
Using lifestyle mockup photos from an app like Placeit is a powerful tool for any T-shirt store. A photo of a model in your design is “way better 99.99999% of the time” than a plain product shot on a white background. However, a common beginner mistake completely undermines the benefits of these mockups.
Using the same photo—model, pose, and lighting—for different T-shirt designs on your site is a mistake. This is a “terrible idea.” It shows customers that designers have photoshopped the designs onto a stock image. This shatters the professional illusion that the lifestyle photo aims to create.
It makes it look like your store is big enough to justify having its own photo shoot. And you ruin that when you reuse the same photo.
The expert tip for getting this right is to build a consistent brand aesthetic. Choose a few models you like. Use them in different photos, poses, and settings for your product listings. This makes your images more cohesive and engaging. This gives the strong impression that you held a real, cohesive photo shoot for your brand. This simple technique boosts your store’s authority. It makes your store appear more established and successful.
5. Your supplier’s location is sabotaging your Etsy store.
Etsy is a great place for T-shirt sellers. A unique culture and specific customer needs need a tailored approach. This is important when choosing a manufacturer. Etsy began as a marketplace only for “handmade items.” Buyers on the platform still care about the ethos. Sellers can now team up with “ethical production partners.”
Using a manufacturer from China, like CJ Dropshipping, can be a big risk. Many buyers have negative views of manufacturers’ ethical standards in China. This is due to various factors. Customers often feel disappointed. They believe they are supporting a small, local business but discover a T-shirt made in China. This often leads to backlash.
If an Etsy user gets a T-shirt from CJ Dropshipping and notices the package is from China, they might feel let down. This could lead to negative feedback.
To keep your store’s reputation strong and your customers happy, Etsy sellers should avoid foreign manufacturers. Stick to local ones instead. Aligning with the Etsy ethos is key for lasting success and good customer feedback.
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Conclusion
Success in the competitive print-on-demand market isn’t about having the most creative designs. These examples show it’s also about avoiding subtle mistakes. Strategic, legal, and branding errors can quietly hurt your efforts. Evaluate everything with careful consideration. Your font choice and supplier location help you create a solid business foundation.
Which part of your business strategy will you review first after discovering these hidden issues?
