Buying and selling T-shirt designs on the internet can a frustrating process. Some websites only offer a few general options for shirts and colors. TeePublic is different. There a more than 30 background colors available for T-shirts, and images are always printed direct to garment, none of that low-quality, heat transfer stuff.

About TeePublic.com

For those looking for T-shirt designs beyond the basic “Keep Calm” genre, TeePublic is a space for real artists. Sure one can use the search bar to find generic designs, but the majority of the designs on the site are more complex.

Users can create an account by connecting their Facebook account or do it manually. Editing the user profile is easy. Members can modify and update many things

• Username, password, bio
• PayPal email
• Avatar
• Website link
• Apps
• Storefront merchandise filters

To upload a new T-shirt design, members can click on the T-shirt icon on the upper right of the web page near their personal avatar and the shopping cart. Users can drag and drop a PNG image to the upload page. There are recommended image dimensions and minimum files sizes. If the file is too small, it cannot be placed on certain products. There is a link on the upload page to a design guide that covers the printing process and color issues such as CMYK, halftones and transparencies.

On the upload page, users can click on the “Need help uploading” link. The website will send them to landing page explaining the overall process. There also is a pop-up, chat window, so users can communicate with a support representative.

During the upload process, the designer can add a title, description, a parent tag and refinement tags. The designer can position the image on various products such as cellphone cases, choose which T-shirt colors will be available and what types of apparel can be sold.

There is a lengthy terms and conditions document visitors can see by clicking on the link at the bottom of most web pages. The submissions section discusses the property rights of designs. This section also contains information of content restrictions.

Pretty much any kind of pornography is banned, but depicting women is sexy outfits seems to be acceptable on the website. TeePublic reserves to the right to remove designers it deems inappropriate or of low quality. Blatant use of trademarks is unacceptable. Designers cannot use an exact replica of a Starbucks logo, but they can sell one that is significantly modified.

Some of the T-shirt designs on the TeePublic website are also sold on Amazon.com. The designers are credited in the product description.

Designers earn $4 for every T-shirt they sell. TeePublic deposits the earnings at the end of each month into the member’s PayPal account. Designs sold on other media pay more

• Hoodies – $8
• Art prints – $6-$9
• Posters – $3-$7
• Canvas – $12-$21
• Cellphone cases – $5-$7

The members can upload a banner image for their store front. When members log in to look at their own store front, they can see statistics on followers, commissions earned, and design inventory. There also are buttons to upload and share.

When viewing other designers’ store fronts, users can see the banner, a link to follow the store and all the available designs below. There are drop-down menus visitors can use to filter the specific store’s collection based on product or category. Members can follow a designer, and his new designs will show up on the user’s TeePublic homepage.

Anyone can sign up for the TeePublic newsletter. The sign-up form is on the bottom of just about every web page. Members can comment on designs using the comment platform Disqus.

TeePublic has a referral program. For every designer a member refers, he can earn up to $250 in commission. The member gets $1 for every product the designer sells up to $250. Each member gets a custom link to share on social media or through email.

There is an affiliate program. Members can get a custom link, add designers to their store and get paid up to 31 percent commission for generated sales traffic. Website owners can use the custom link to drive traffic from their site to TeePublic.

TeePublic is active on Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook. On each shopping cart page, customers can share the item on many social media channels including Reddit and StumbleUpon.

Top Features of TeePublic.com

On most e-commerce stores, the sizing charts are pretty difficult to decipher. TeePublic has a more thurough visual explanation of sizes for male and female T-shirts. The sizing page lists sizes by body width and length in either inches or centimeters.

There are photos of the same model wearing the available sizes of T-shirts, so views get an accurate depiction of how the shirts look on a real person. The photo series of each model includes their physical measurements. One model is Dan, who is 6-foot, 4-inches tall and weighs 265 pounds. The 3XL T-shirt looks very loose on him.

The consumer market TeePublic targets is narrower than other sites such as Cafe Press. Most of the designs are based on popular movies, TV shows and comic books. In theory, it should be easier for consumers to find designs they want on TeePublic because of its limited scope. For designers, this could be an advantage because their work is not competing among a huge catalog.

TeePublic.com Prices

New T-shirt designs are on sale for $14 during their first 72 hours on the site. After that, the price goes up to $20 for most sizes. Designers get less commission on discounted items. The price of a T-shirt goes up $3 for sizes of 2XL and larger.

Cellphone cases cost $23 for a Samsung Galaxy slim design. Apple users seem to pay extra for everything. If the case is for an iPhone, the price is $25 for a slim and $30 for protective. Hoodies start at $39. Prints start at $16, and posters start at $10. Canvas items start at $73.

Customers can add promo and gift card codes during checkout. Beware of bogus promo codes from other sites. Gift cards are not available. Customers can ask TeePublic customer service questions on the live chat during checkout.

Payment options include Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and PayPal. Domestic shipping rates based on one T-shirt are as follows

• DHL standard – $6.99
• DHL Express – $7.99
• UPS standard – $13.99
• UPS quicker – $19.99

Orders weighing more will incur additional charges. TeePublic ships internationally with DHL.

Criticism of TeePublic.com

The company is not allowed to produce certain designs such as anything to do with the “Game of Thrones” TV show or books.

Designers certainly could argue the marketing advantages of brands/franchises allowing designers to borrow from their designs. Disney does not seem to have a problem with artists modifying the heck out of Stars Wars ideas.

Although copyright laws prevent designers from selling many products, those same laws also protect them. TeePublic has a page dedicated to its copyright policy. If a designer thinks one of his designs has been stolen, he can contact TeePublic via a dedicated email account.

There is no option to print designs on the back of shirts. Designers are not allowed to change the price of their products.

The process for getting products or a storefront featured on the website is subjective. The staff of TeePublic chooses its favorites.

Customers have to show proof of identification when making their first purchase. That is equivalent of a cashier asking a customer at a brick-and-mortar store to show his driver’s license because he is paying with a credit card.

Customer Support

There is a dedicated email account for member questions about the TeePublic community. There also is an email account for customer service and a toll-free phone number. The customer service line hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST Monday through Friday.

The frequently asked questions page is extensive, and there is a form customers can use to ask specific questions about orders.

The company’s physical address is 54 W. 22nd St., Floor 4, New York, NY 10010.

The company allows exchanges for sizing issues and returns for defective merchandise. Refunds can take two to three weeks.

Shipping options are DHL or UPS. DHL is the slowest and transfers packages to the customer’s local post office. Products ship from a variety of locations in the U.S. It can take three business days to process an order before TeePublic ships it. The company sends an email to the customer when it ships the order.

Designers can request that their designs are deleted or deactivated by emailing the customer support account.

Conclusion

Artists looking for another market to sell their designs could make decent profits with a TeePublic store front. As usual, half the battle is marketing the designs. Great content does not do much good, if no one sees it.

Consumers looking for designs their friends don’t have, can find plenty of unusal ideas on TeePublic. The prices are quite reasonable.