Starting a T-Shirt Retail Business
Starting a t-shirt business provides a great opportunity to market images, slogans and phrases to consumers in different age groups and segments of the population. T-shirts provide retailers an opportunity to communicate powerful graphics and messages to customers. From children and teens to adults and retired individuals, many people enjoy owning selections of comfortable, custom-designed t-shirts. In-store retailers as well as e-commerce businesses can set a target market to sell a variety of t-shirts and acquire ongoing sales and profits with the right marketing strategies. If the designs attract customers in the target market, it can lead to repeat sales, loyal customers and a consistent increase in a company’s customer base.
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Most retail businesses purchase blank t-shirts from wholesale clothing distributors. By purchasing the items in bulk, a business owner has an opportunity to purchase a large quantity at very low prices. Wholesale prices for blank t-shirts can be as low as $1.00 or slightly more. Businesses can customize the shirts with different designs and prepare them for sale to customers.
Pricing may vary depending on the amount of money it takes to purchase the shirts and get them ready for sale in stores. In addition to the amount of the wholesale prices, a business owner must pay for shipping costs, printing, labels and hangtags. The difference between the wholesale price plus additional costs and the markup price helps to determine the profitability of each t-shirt sale. Depending on the quality of the shirts and the uniqueness of the designs, the selling price can be substantially higher than the wholesale price.
