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Holiday cash: How to create & sell T-shirts without ever touching inventory
Let’s talk T-shirts. Not the boring kind. I’m talking about clever, seasonal, giftable shirts people actually want to buy.
Whether it’s a “Dear Santa, I Can Explain…,” “Sleigh My Name, Sleigh My Name” or “Resting Grinch Face” tee, custom tops make great holiday gifts. And thanks to AI and print-on-demand, you can start a T-shirt side hustle from your couch.
No design skills, inventory or shipping labels required. Yes, really.
🧠 Step 1: Brainstorm ideas
Start with a tool like ChatGPT to generate concepts and slogans. Prompt it like “Give me 15 funny Christmas T-shirt ideas for dads.”
Want niche ideas? Ask for Christmas wear for gamers, teachers, dog moms or pickleball fans. AI is a gold mine of clever copy.
🎨 Step 2: Use AI art tools
Use Canva, Kittl or DALL·E to design a shirt graphic. You can even generate original art like “a cool cartoon Santa lifting weights” or “retro-style gingerbread cookies doing yoga.”
Keep your designs clean and high-contrast. Save as PNG files with a transparent background and 300 DPI resolution.
🛍️ Step 3: Make money
Upload your design to platforms. They list the items for sale, print the design on the item, ship it, collect the taxes, and the rest. You make the money.
- Amazon Merch on Demand: You earn $2 to $8 per shirt, depending on the sale price and type (standard, premium, long sleeve, etc.). It’s on Amazon Prime, which boosts visibility during the holiday shopping season.
- Redbubble and TeePublic: Set your own profit margin. Most creators make $3 to $10 per sale.
- Etsy + Printful: Combine AI art with Etsy traffic. After production and fees, you’ll typically earn $5 to $15 per shirt, depending on your pricing and upgrades (like organic cotton). Btw, this is how I run my Etsy store that, wow, needs love. I promise to work on it!
Some sellers make a few hundred dollars a month with just a few designs. Others pull in thousands with a strong catalog and niche focus.
💰 Step 4: Promote your shirts
Use social media to get the word out. Run seasonal promotions or bundle deals. Ask ChatGPT to write your product descriptions and holiday captions for Instagram or Facebook. So get going!
🎅 Hey, what do you call a Christmas wreath made out of $100 bills? Aretha Franklins! (lol) Now with that beautiful smile on your face, hit the share icons below to tell your friends and family about this innovative way to make money. Maybe you’ll get a cut!
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Tags: Amazon, Canva, ChatGPT, Etsy, gifts
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