Three Strategies for Manufacturing Garments for Online Sales
In the ever-evolving world of online business, print-on-demand (POD) services have emerged as a popular choice for sellers looking to bring their unique designs to life on a variety of items, including clothing. Two leading POD services for selling clothing online in 2025 are Printful and Printify.
Printful: A Comprehensive POD Solution
Printful, widely regarded as one of the best POD companies, offers an extensive product range of over 340 items, including a broad clothing collection. With reliable fulfillment through in-house production, multiple printing techniques such as DTG, embroidery, and all-over printing, and seamless integration with platforms like Shopify, Etsy, and Wix, Printful is an all-around solution for sellers.
Printful boasts quick turnaround times, with an average of 2–5 business days, and shipping starting from $3.99 in the US. The service supports branding options like custom labels and packaging inserts, although customization depth can be limited. With a 99.7% customer satisfaction rate, Printful is an easy choice for those new to the POD world or those seeking streamlined operations.
Printify: Global Network and Flexibility
Printify connects sellers to a network of global print providers, allowing regional supplier selection for faster and affordable shipping. Offering a large catalog of apparel options, Printify is a strong choice for those wanting to find the best mix of price and location flexibility. However, quality may vary depending on the chosen supplier.
Printify offers premium plans with discounts for high-volume sellers, making it a good option for those scaling their POD businesses.
Other Options
Other POD services like Tapstitch, Gelato, and SPOD by Spreadshirt also cater to clothing sellers, but Printful and Printify remain the top recommended choices for most clothing sellers starting or scaling POD businesses in 2025.
Key Factors to Consider
When choosing POD services for clothing, key factors to evaluate include product range, printing methods, shipping speed, quality consistency, ecommerce integration, branding options, pricing, and ease of use.
Handmade Clothing and Small Batch Manufacturers
For those who prefer a more hands-on approach, creating and selling handmade clothing is another option. This can be done by selling items at craft fairs or online on platforms like Etsy. When selling handmade items online, it's crucial to calculate the retail price by adding the cost of supplies and time spent, then doubling the figure.
Another way to make clothing to sell online is by finding a small batch manufacturer like Trends Jeans, which specializes in denim fabrics and offers batches as low as 250 units. Using a small batch manufacturer can help reduce financial risk compared to traditional high batch runs.
However, it's important to note that platforms used in a print-on-demand service can take a significant portion of the income made by the creator. Therefore, careful consideration should be given to the chosen service to maximise profits.
- At a craft fair, you can sell your handmade clothing creations, an alternative approach in the fashion world for those who prefer a hands-on approach.
- In the realm of lifestyle and fashion-and-beauty, Printful, one of the best POD companies, offers a broad clothing collection among its extensive product range of over 340 items, potentially making it a suitable choice for your fashion-focused handmade products.
- When considering product reviews for streamlined operations and a wide product range, Printful and Printify are top recommended POD services for clothing sellers in 2025, surpassing other services like Tapstitch, Gelato, and SPOD by Spreadshirt.
- Handmade clothing sellers ought to carefully determine their retail prices by calculating the cost of supplies and time spent, then doubling the figure, to ensure a fair price that covers costs and allows for profit.
- To reduce financial risk compared to traditional high batch runs, small batch manufacturers like Trends Jeans, which specializes in denim fabrics, offering as low as 250 units per batch, could be a viable option for fashion-focused handmade clothing sellers looking to move beyond producing items solely by hand.
