How To Start A Print On Demand T-Shirt Business

About this video

(Summarized from the Arabic caption track.) RJ Martinez explains print on demand as designing, uploading the design onto a product, and collecting the profit, with the platform handling shipping and customer service. He lists Merch by Amazon, TeePublic, Society6, Redbubble and Spreadshirt, and notes Etsy requires a third-party company and more effort. He stresses no startup costs and no inventory, and warns not to copy others’ designs — a unique design reduces competition and improves the chance of reaching page one for long-term sales. Designs should fill the full design area so they are visible in thumbnails on phones, improving click-through and conversion. He says black shirts are his best sellers on Merch by Amazon — he claims he has sold more than 23,000 black shirts, with navy next — so a design should look good on black first, then be inverted to work on white. For niche research he advises finding demand with very low competition, e.g. under 300–400 results on Amazon, and checking that about half the first-page products have a BSR, signalling people are buying. He also notes Merch by Amazon returns now create a negative balance deducted from earnings, and names Photoshop, Illustrator, GIMP and the Over phone app for making designs.

Key takeaways

• Use platforms like Merch by Amazon, Redbubble, TeePublic, Society6 or Spreadshirt; Etsy needs a third-party fulfilment company
• Do not copy designs — create unique designs to reduce competition and build long-term sales
• Fill the entire design area so the design is clearly visible in mobile thumbnails
• Design for black shirts first (his claimed best sellers, navy second), then invert colours for white shirts
• Pick niches with demand but under roughly 300–400 competing results, verified by BSRs on the first page

Episode details: published July 31, 2020 · 9:50 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are RJ Martinez’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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