Learn · 3 min read · updated
How to price print on demand t-shirts
A Printful tee costs about twelve dollars before shipping and fees. Here's what's left at common prices, with the real numbers.
The short answer
Add up Printful's product cost, its shipping and the marketplace's fees, then price so a meaningful amount is left. A Bella+Canvas 3001 tee is $11.92 from Printful in sizes up to XL; sold on Etsy at $28.00 with free shipping it leaves about $8.02, and at $32.00 about $11.64.
Profit per shirt
Change the numbers to see what one order leaves you after Printful and fees, before sales tax. Starts with a Bella+Canvas 3001 tee.
| Sold on | Price | Printful + shipping | Fees | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etsy, free shipping | $28.00 | $16.87 | $3.11 | $8.02 (29%) |
| Etsy, free shipping | $32.00 | $16.87 | $3.49 | $11.64 (36%) |
| Own store, free shipping | $28.00 | $16.87 | $1.11 | $10.02 (36%) |
What Printful charges
Printful's catalog price for the shirt with a front print, before shipping. Sizes from 2XL cost more, so price those sizes up too. The same numbers, by size, are in printful-costs.json.
| Shirt | S to XL | 2XL | 3XL | 4XL and up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic tee (Bella + Canvas 3001) | $11.92 | $13.92 | $15.92 | $17.92 to $19.92 |
| Heavyweight tee (Comfort Colors 1717) | $15.60 to $19.95 | $17.60 to $21.50 | $19.60 to $22.95 | $21.60 to $24.25 |
| Ringer tee (Next Level 3604) | $14.79 | $16.79 | $18.79 | n/a |
| Long sleeve (Bella + Canvas 3501) | $18.66 | $20.66 | n/a | n/a |
| Crewneck (Gildan 18000) | $19.17 | $21.17 | $23.17 | $25.17 to $27.17 |
| Hoodie (Gildan 18500) | $22.63 | $24.63 | $26.63 | $28.63 to $30.63 |
What the marketplace takes
- Etsy (US): a 6.5% transaction fee on the item price plus shipping, payment processing of 3% plus 25 cents on the whole order (sales tax included), and 20 cents to list. If the sale came from Etsy's Offsite Ads, another 15%, capped at $100 an order (12% once a shop has passed $10,000 in sales in a year).
- Your own store: card processing, typically 2.9% plus 30 cents an order with Stripe or Shopify Payments, plus the store's monthly plan.
- Shipping: Printful charges shipping per order. In the US, when we checked, a tee was $4.95 plus $2.20 for each extra one in the same order, and a hoodie or sweatshirt $8.79 plus $2.50. Check Printful's shipping page for your products and countries.
The math at common prices
On Etsy with free shipping, a $28.00 tee leaves about $8.02 after Printful, its shipping and Etsy's fees, or 29% of what the buyer paid. At $32.00 it's about $11.64. On your own store at $28.00, card fees are smaller and you keep about $10.02, but you pay for the store and for every visitor you bring.
One Offsite Ads sale takes a big slice of that margin, and once a shop makes $10,000 in a year, Offsite Ads become mandatory for the life of the shop. Price for the sale that comes through an ad, not only the best case.
How to price so it pays
- Price the heavy and big sizes separately. A 3XL hoodie costs Printful noticeably more than a medium tee; one flat price either loses money on big sizes or overcharges small ones.
- Free shipping is a price, not a gift. Fold Printful's shipping into the item price and show free shipping, which buyers prefer, or charge it at cost.
- Sell on what isn't a commodity. A blank with a common phrase competes on price with thousands of listings. A design about one specific person (a name, an inside joke, a made-up college) is what people pay more for.
- Order a sample. One shirt at cost tells you more about the print and fit than any mockup, and gives you real photos.
Questions people ask
How much does a Printful t-shirt cost?
A Bella+Canvas 3001 is $11.92 in sizes up to XL from Printful's US catalog when we checked, before shipping. Heavier blanks, long sleeves, sweatshirts and hoodies cost more, and so do sizes from 2XL.
What's a good price for a print on demand t-shirt?
There's no one answer, but run the numbers above first: under about 25 dollars with free shipping, Printful's costs and Etsy's fees leave very little on a classic tee. We start our own text tees at 28. Above the mid 30s, the design has to be clearly worth it.
Do Etsy fees apply to shipping?
Yes. The 6.5% transaction fee is charged on the item price plus shipping (not sales tax), and the payment processing fee on the whole order, tax included.
Sources
- Etsy fees and payments policy
- Printful shipping prices
- Etsy Help: How Etsy's Offsite Ads work
- Etsy Help: Fee basics
- Printful catalog price for the Bella+Canvas 3001 (public API)
- Shopify pricing
- Stripe pricing
Checked 2026-10-25. Policies and rules change; follow the source before you rely on a detail. This is general information, not legal advice.
