# Do i need shopify??



## allansim765 (10 mo ago)

Newbie in process of using photoshop freelance, have a website builder awaiting go ahead. I keep reading about shopify, printful, teemill etc etc. Question is. Should I go ahead and build my site with builder? Or skip it 
and join one of the dropshipping platforms. And can you use your own images or is it start from scratch? Any advice appreciated as I am confused with which path to follow. Will be t-shirt & hoodie.


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

so do you want an ecomm website or someone to print your tee's?

are you in the uk and want to sell in the usa?


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

You are not limited to choosing one path, so choose one to _start_ with and go from there.

If you go with having your own URL/site, you will get essentially *zero* traffic. Traffic costs money/time via ads and social media followers, all of which sounds far easier to achieve than it is.

An Etsy shop integrated with Printful gets you the traffic of a marketplace that people go to when looking for something to buy. Of course, you pay fees to Etsy for that pleasure, but far less costly and more likely to work than driving your own traffic (unless you are some marketing genius, in which case you should certainly not be asking_ me_ for advice  ).

Or start with a POD marketplace, like Redbubble, TeePublic, etc. They also have built-in traffic.

If you can't get at least half decent sales on Etsy or Redbubble, you wouldn't get any on your own site/URL. No point spraying money around on web developers, web hosting, and advertising until you prove there is a market for what you do. It's not like the world is suffering from a lack of novelty T-shirts, so consider whether what you have to offer is adding something or just the 10-billionth Dabbing Unicorn Nurse Mom Born In July copy.


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## allansim765 (10 mo ago)

Thank you. I am in the UK. Have been looking at Printful and yes they do seem to fulfill my requirements and have a UK base. My problem is that I am 69 years old and find the process of setting up on something like Printful quite hard not being a tech savvy whiz. Is there anyone I can reach out to re setup etc? Or is it a case of soldier on by myself? Appreciate your advice re website.


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

allansim765 said:


> My problem is that I am 69 years old and find the process of setting up on something like Printful quite hard not being a tech savvy whiz. Is there anyone I can reach out to re setup etc? Or is it a case of soldier on by myself?


The first question you need answered is... Will it sell?
If you are going to use printful, order 30 shirts (different designs), take pictures, and stick them on eBay and Etsy.
If you cannot sell there, you have no chance selling elsewhere.
Start with Gildan 5000 shirts, and list them them for $24.99 with free shipping. That's around $5 profit after shipping and fees.

If you shirts are really good, you will sell at least 20 of them within a month.
If you manage to sell 10 of them in a month, that's still OK.
If you sell just 2 shirts in a month... don't waste your time.

This is the cheapest and safest way to test the waters.
If you succeed you will make some money and you can keep going.
If you fail you can keep the shirts for yourself, or sell them cheap and recover part of the investment.


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## allansim765 (10 mo ago)

TABOB said:


> The first question you need answered is... Will it sell?
> If you are going to use printful, order 30 shirts (different designs), take pictures, and stick them on eBay and Etsy.
> If you cannot sell there, you have no chance selling elsewhere.
> Start with Gildan 5000 shirts, and list them them for $24.99 with free shipping. That's around $5 profit after shipping and fees.
> ...


OK. Many thanks. I've put the brakes on website and will us Printful Etsy. EBay etc. As for sales I get it. Thankfully I am enjoying the process and being aged I don't give a damn. What will be will be. So many thanks for the sound advice.


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## WDFA Custom Tees (11 mo ago)

Digital marketing person here and here is the realest information you are going to get. Start your website today, start working on ways go get traffic to that website today. Sooner or later, you will leave platforms like Yelp and Etsy. You'll eventually want your own sales. Don't build your site on Shopify either. Build a WordPress site with WooCommerce in it. Eventually all the big tech companies will raise rates and put the squeeze on you. Put the work in now and I promise the benefits in a few years will be completely worth it. 

Our site is built the same way, Wordpress + WooCommerce and we are doing okay in terms of sales with organic sales growing monthly.


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

allansim765 said:


> OK. Many thanks. I've put the brakes on website and will us Printful Etsy. EBay etc. As for sales I get it. Thankfully I am enjoying the process and being aged I don't give a damn. What will be will be. So many thanks for the sound advice.


don't neglect local sales

if your community allows, add a little lawn sign (make it simple but funky)
make a few tee's for yourself with a design full front chest, and then your business name and number across the back shoulders
always keep business cards with you

i would look for a local printer for the shirts you want to wear around

how complex and how many colors are your designs?


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

WDFA Custom Tees said:


> Digital marketing person here and here is the realest information you are going to get. Start your website today, start working on ways go get traffic to that website today. Sooner or later, you will leave platforms like Yelp and Etsy. You'll eventually want your own sales. Don't build your site on Shopify either. Build a WordPress site with WooCommerce in it. Eventually all the big tech companies will raise rates and put the squeeze on you. Put the work in now and I promise the benefits in a few years will be completely worth it.
> 
> Our site is built the same way, Wordpress + WooCommerce and we are doing okay in terms of sales with organic sales growing monthly.


isn't yelp a review site?

for a company that has only been around for a year you are truly a digital marketing savant
you have cracked the code that many with generations of t-shirt printing experience have not
as a small family business the international business behemoths below have used you for their t-shirt needs:
~ bmw
~ dhl
~ aegis living
~ perkin elmer
~ stanford university


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

WDFA Custom Tees said:


> Start your website today, start working on ways go get traffic to that website today. Sooner or later, you will leave platforms like Yelp and Etsy.





allansim765 said:


> My problem is that I am 69 years old and find the process of setting up on something like Printful quite hard not being a tech savvy whiz.


@WDFA Custom Tees You see any issues?



WDFA Custom Tees said:


> Eventually all the big tech companies will raise rates and put the squeeze on you.


Eventually? Ebay has been around for two decades, and rates are controlled by competition.


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## kcinnick (Oct 24, 2012)

WDFA Custom Tees said:


> Digital marketing person here and here is the realest information you are going to get. Start your website today, start working on ways go get traffic to that website today. Sooner or later, you will leave platforms like Yelp and Etsy. You'll eventually want your own sales. Don't build your site on Shopify either. Build a WordPress site with WooCommerce in it. Eventually all the big tech companies will raise rates and put the squeeze on you. Put the work in now and I promise the benefits in a few years will be completely worth it.
> 
> Our site is built the same way, Wordpress + WooCommerce and we are doing okay in terms of sales with organic sales growing monthly.


Time is worth something, an easier to learn and setup website is worth a bunch of time to me. I see the appeal of woocommerce but when I used it in a different industry we quickly switched to one of the point and click build sites that integrated everything.


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

WDFA Custom Tees said:


> Digital marketing person here and here is the realest information you are going to get. Start your website today, start working on ways go get traffic to that website today. Sooner or later, you will leave platforms like Yelp and Etsy. You'll eventually want your own sales. Don't build your site on Shopify either. Build a WordPress site with WooCommerce in it. Eventually all the big tech companies will raise rates and put the squeeze on you. Put the work in now and I promise the benefits in a few years will be completely worth it.
> 
> Our site is built the same way, Wordpress + WooCommerce and we are doing okay in terms of sales with organic sales growing monthly.


If one has already done proof of concept as to whether ones product will sell, and if one has marketing savvy, sure  But first step is testing the designs somewhere that already has traffic. Else one can waste considerable time and $ putting the cart way out in front of the horse.

I started out hand coding my own site from a blank screen. Sure, I enjoy messing about with code, and it allowed me to do some smart/convenient things I can't on other platforms. But I should have been testing my _designs_ and honing niches, not wasting time on my own site where the traffic was too low to give meaningful feedback. Once I got on Etsy, it became clear what designs/niches were worth pursuing.

Despite being able to code from scratch, I agree with you that Wordpress/WooCommerce is probably the smartest way to do your own site these days. At least if one can get by with the free features and/or be able to do a little PHP on their own. Else, it can be a bigger, _hungrier_ money pit than Shopify, as every plugin maker wants a piece of your wallet, and the "free" plugins are structured to suck you into paying for the premium version.


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

allansim765 said:


> Thank you. I am in the UK. Have been looking at Printful and yes they do seem to fulfill my requirements and have a UK base. My problem is that I am 69 years old and find the process of setting up on something like Printful quite hard not being a tech savvy whiz. Is there anyone I can reach out to re setup etc? Or is it a case of soldier on by myself? Appreciate your advice re website.


There is quite a bit of blather online about how to do this stuff, but might as well start with what Printful has to say themselves:



https://help.printful.com/hc/en-us/articles/360014008560-How-do-I-connect-Etsy-with-Printful-



Eh, don't whip out age as an excuse 😱 Some of us just stumbled into this computer stuff decades ago, some of us didn't. You'll get the hang of the bits you need to know soon enough.

Best of luck,
Enjoy


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

into the T said:


> isn't yelp a review site?
> 
> for a company that has only been around for a year you are truly a digital marketing savant
> you have cracked the code that many with generations of t-shirt printing experience have not
> ...


Be nice.


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## WDFA Custom Tees (11 mo ago)

NoXid said:


> If one has already done proof of concept as to whether ones product will sell, and if one has marketing savvy, sure  But first step is testing the designs somewhere that already has traffic. Else one can waste considerable time and $ putting the cart way out in front of the horse.
> 
> I started out hand coding my own site from a blank screen. Sure, I enjoy messing about with code, and it allowed me to do some smart/convenient things I can't on other platforms. But I should have been testing my _designs_ and honing niches, not wasting time on my own site where the traffic was too low to give meaningful feedback. Once I got on Etsy, it became clear what designs/niches were worth pursuing.
> 
> Despite being able to code from scratch, I agree with you that Wordpress/WooCommerce is probably the smartest way to do your own site these days. At least if one can get by with the free features and/or be able to do a little PHP on their own. Else, it can be a bigger, _hungrier_ money pit than Shopify, as every plugin maker wants a piece of your wallet, and the "free" plugins are structured to suck you into paying for the premium version.


Yes, I don't recommend coding. You can find developers who will charge $100-$200 a month but you will have a full blown site. My point was if you don't get that Organic juice now you'll be behind the curve later. It doesn't matter what your designs look like, your website will always be either a Custom T-Shirt store or a Graphic Tee store. Better to get domain authority sooner than later.


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## WDFA Custom Tees (11 mo ago)

kcinnick said:


> Time is worth something, an easier to learn and setup website is worth a bunch of time to me. I see the appeal of woocommerce but when I used it in a different industry we quickly switched to one of the point and click build sites that integrated everything.


Yes but those click an point sites will control your optimization and SEO authority. Spending the resources to build your online store will never be a waste of energy/time (on a server you lease/own like Bluehost)


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## WDFA Custom Tees (11 mo ago)

TABOB said:


> @WDFA Custom Tees You see any issues?
> 
> 
> Eventually? eBay has been around for two decades, and rates are controlled by competition.


eBay has raised its rates in 2020 and 2021. And to your competition point. Rates are controlled by competition, who does big tech compete with? If everyone is selling on etsy and ebay, aren't they competing with big tech as well?


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## WDFA Custom Tees (11 mo ago)

into the T said:


> isn't yelp a review site?
> 
> for a company that has only been around for a year you are truly a digital marketing savant
> you have cracked the code that many with generations of t-shirt printing experience have not
> ...


If you offer your services as a custom t-shirt printer, you can buy ads and traffic on yelp to grow your business. I recommend trying it if you haven't, especially if you need some short term sales. It will take a few months to get going. 

And thank you, I've done digital marketing for over 20 years, now I'm applying those skills to build out service based businesses, like t-shirt printing.


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

WDFA Custom Tees said:


> If you offer your services as a custom t-shirt printer, you can buy ads and traffic on yelp to grow your business. I recommend trying it if you haven't, especially if you need some short term sales. It will take a few months to get going.
> 
> And thank you, I've done digital marketing for over 20 years, now I'm applying those skills to build out service based businesses, like t-shirt printing.


thanks for the info on yelp, i always thought it was strictly customer generated reviews

you obviously have some wisdom, and are a benefit to the forum

but it just seems disingenuous when people use huge multi-national corporations' logos for their mom & pop business from ottumwa, iowa
what would happen if i were to call bmw head office and say, i am thinking of getting some shirts made by wdfa, as they are proudly displaying your logo as one of their clients, what was your experience with them like?

the above hypothetical question is only for curiosity, maybe there is a reason they let you use their logos as endorsement for your business (i honestly don't know)

it would be better if we were sitting together over coffee/beer, the written word can be so easily misconstrued (and i am not a great communicator)


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

WDFA Custom Tees said:


> eBay has raised its rates in 2020 and 2021


Everyone is on the same boat and the cost is passed on to the buyers. 
Ebay would raise the fees to 50% if it was possible, but it isn't.

In any case the $24.99 example I gave is just for testing the waters with the minimum time and money investment possible.
Like Noxid said, putting the cart in front of the horse does not help.


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## WDFA Custom Tees (11 mo ago)

I get what you're saying. I'm just saying in the year 2022, the website is not the cart before the horse. It's your digital storefront and is as important as a location, logo and any other form of branding.


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## WDFA Custom Tees (11 mo ago)

into the T said:


> thanks for the info on yelp, i always thought it was strictly customer generated reviews
> 
> you obviously have some wisdom, and are a benefit to the forum
> 
> ...


I appreciate the disclaimer on the tone, I agree its hard to tell sometimes. 

I know it might seem like, how can a one year old company work with those big brands, because of my digital infrastructure aka my website. To those big corporations who we have worked with us, their buying journey with me was: 


Search on Google ( custom t-shirts, t-shirt printing near me, custom t-shirt shop, etc)
Find my website in search results on the first page (2nd or 3rd listing)
Come to my website that loads in 1.4 seconds. 
See prices, a good looking website that someone invested money in.
See other companies that worked with us
See our 5 star ratings on Yelp and Google
Click the Request a Quote button and request a quote
Sales people then jump in and close the deal 

That's literally how we picked up all of those clients. By investing in our website, we immediately get legitimized. And we are getting that organic traffic that is super important. I'm not trying to sell anyone on my way of doing things. But I think small businesses need to focus on those websites before big tech take all the business can converts everyone into a contract shop (we are closer to this than you can imagine).

For your hypothetical conversation: a) you wont be able to get someone for the marketing department on the line, if you do please let us know how you did it  and b) if a customer asks us we can point them to the General Manager of the local dealerships that we deal with.


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

WDFA Custom Tees said:


> I get what you're saying. I'm just saying in the year 2022, the website is not the cart before the horse. It's your digital storefront and is as important as a location, logo and any other form of branding.


Branding means nothing without a cohesive product line directed at a target market/niche and without the money and expertise to market it.

People starting out in the novelty T-shirt business probably have some design and meme ideas (these days, a surprising number do not; too much YouTube T-shirt Millionaire mania). But will they sell?

It is cart before horse to go too heavy into brand identity before finding the alignment of ones interests and abilities and that which actually sells. That great URL, and any SEO it has accumulated, will be of no real use once one adapts to market feedback and goes in a substantially (or entirely) different direction.

Spend time and energy upfront testing the viability of ones ideas and finding ones place in the larger novelty T market. Then one has something to hang a brand on.

Been there. Done it the wrong order 😳


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

WDFA Custom Tees said:


> I'm just saying in the year 2022, the website is not the cart before the horse.


2022 is no that much different from 1972 as you may think.
I did not exist in 1972, but I bet people had to produce some shirts so they can take photos and print catalogues.
My advise would still be the same... try selling a few shirts in the local market or a shop, before investing money printing catalogues.


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

TABOB said:


> 2022 is no that much different from 1972 as you may think.
> I did not exist in 1972, but I bet people had to produce some shirts so they can take photos and print catalogues.
> My advise would still be the same... try selling a few shirts in the local market or a shop, before investing money printing catalogues.


get your designs into the public eyes locally and see if there is an appetite

like NoXid said, there is a plethora of kids with ideas and talent
maybe you are better, maybe not (just don't spend a ton of cash and/or time to find out)
this game is very similar to writing, write what you know

i am a little shocked that you were not around in 1972
you seem older and wiser, like a guru on the mountaintop


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

into the T said:


> i am a little shocked that you were not around in 1972
> you seem older and wiser, like a guru on the mountaintop


Well, I'm 35... so not too old, but not too young either.


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## sgsellsit1 (Mar 31, 2021)

I've owned a screen printing business for 24 years. In my experience it is hard to trust others to do your work. Call me a control freak but when I have had everything in house I could solve any problem that arose. 

The few times I have used outside contractors, something always went wrong and of course I was the bad guy. You are at their mercy and sometimes logistics are more work than the order is worth. Some time back I wanted to sell some custom shirts and wanted to test the waters without investing a ton in screens set up, etc.. I used a couple of the fulfilment services. Worst mistake ever. I thought all was going well. I sold 30 products in 18 days. Profit was not high after fees and such but I didn't have to touch it. Then the returns and reviews started. Things like poor quality, hole in shirt, took too long to come in and so on. 

I ordered a mug to see for myself. The print was placed too high and the top of the print was cut off. It was my name on the line not theirs, literally, I had my logo in the tag of shirts and elsewhere on other products. Long story short, it ended up costing me money. 

Especially these days with all the logistical issues, lack of help, lack of stock and no pride in any work, I would stay away from fulfilment websites. Spend the time, effort and money on building your own brand and website and link some of the resell sites. You have the control in every aspect of it then.


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## DJCreations (Oct 22, 2013)

sgsellsit1 said:


> Spend the time, effort and money on building your own brand and website and link some of the resell sites. You have the control in every aspect of it then.


What do you mean by link some of the resell sites?


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## fishbackginny (Jul 10, 2012)

allansim765 said:


> Newbie in process of using photoshop freelance, have a website builder awaiting go ahead. I keep reading about shopify, printful, teemill etc etc. Question is. Should I go ahead and build my site with builder? Or skip it
> and join one of the dropshipping platforms. And can you use your own images or is it start from scratch? Any advice appreciated as I am confused with which path to follow. Will be t-shirt & hoodie.


I've got a site on Yola.com. You can start out with a free website and upgrade it later. It's easy to do your own with their software.


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## Marione (6 mo ago)

I've launched my e-business on Shopify 3 years ago and have zero regrets about it. In my case, everything works as it should - the store's running quickly and stress-free. I like their support staff wjo are always ready to assist with any problems.


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## allansim765 (10 mo ago)

Well it was interesting for me for a while, I have managed some sales on Etsy but lost interest. Have moved on with a different retirement hobby. Good luck with your ventures.


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