T-Shirt Buying Guides

The six decisions, in order

Fabric and weight first, because fabric is half the cost. Price per piece second, because a price without a basis is not a price. Supplier checks third, because the cheapest quote is worthless if the entity behind it is not real.

Then shipping, then duty, then the stock question — which is really a question about how much cash you are willing to risk for a better unit price.

• How to choose blank t-shirt fabric — combed, carded, ring-spun, and what each costs.
• Price per piece — how a wholesale number is built and where it is hiding.
• Supplier checklist — nine checks before you pay a deposit.
• Shipping from China — express, air, LCL, and the consolidation argument.
• Import duties — classification, customs value and the three errors.
• In stock in the USA — what domestic stock changes about cost and risk.

What these guides deliberately do not do

They do not rank suppliers, including us. They do not promise savings, and they do not print a duty rate, because duty depends on the day you import.

They also do not assume you will buy from us. Several of them conclude that a different route — a factory direct run, a local printer, print on demand — is the right answer for a specific situation. That is the point of a guide.

How to use them if you have ten minutes

Read price per piece and the supplier checklist. Those two cover the two ways a first order fails: a price comparison made on the wrong basis, and a deposit paid to an entity nobody verified.

If you are ordering production rather than stock, read shipping from China and import duties as well — together they are usually a third of your landed cost.