How to Ship a T-Shirt

As an entrepreneur preparing to sell T-shirts, you have many considerations, right down to how to ship a single shirt. The shipping process involves more than deciding whether to use a pedestrian box versus creative packaging that gives your brand a boost. It's also important to choose a suitable shipping method. You need to know how to prepare your packages to travel across town or to an exotic destination so that your tees arrive clean, tidy and undamaged.

A great package helps create brand awareness. Packaging sets your wares, such as fabulous vintage crew necks or hand-dyed T-shirts, apart from the competition, so choose wisely. For example, you could neatly roll an artistic, screen-printed tee into an attractive paperboard tube. Or, send off an eco-savvy, bamboo-fabric tee in recyclable or reusable packaging with an organic vibe. On the other hand, a simple flat, folding mailer or large, sturdy, padded envelope seems practical for a work-wear tee – or does it? Weigh all the options when shopping for packaging.

You can find standard shipping boxes and tubes at most post offices or office supply stores. If you want custom boxes or containers with visual oomph to match your tees, compare packaging suppliers online. Do the math: Typically, the fancier the packaging, the higher its cost. To save money, contemplate buying custom boxes in bulk or fancying up plain ones with decorative stamps to complement your logo or play off your brand colors.

Shipping small packages by mail is typically the cheapest solution, but don't rule out using courier services for customers who need more control over the delivery process. For local shoppers, drone delivery of small items may be an option if available in your location.

Delivery services usually charge by weight. Although a T-shirt is relatively lightweight, prepare to tuck at least part of the shipping cost into your product's price tag. You may want to set a minimum order requirement, if you plan to offer free shipping.

Sturdy paperboard or corrugated fiberboard boxes are suitable for items up to 10 pounds, as long as you use enough cushioning to keep the product from shifting during transportation. Packaging tissue paper is a good cushioning material for wrapping folded tees, but you may not need it if you use a box that is small enough to keep the shirts in place. It's wise to place each folded shirt in a plastic bag before putting it in the box to keep it clean and free of cardboard particles.

Depending on the shape of the package, practice various ways to fold or roll a tee for the neatest appearance and the fewest creases upon arrival. Before sending it, reinforce the box's seams with 2-inch-wide packing tape. Address the package neatly, and add sufficient postage for its weight. For packages that weigh less than 13 ounces, you can simply affix the correct postage and drop the package in one a United States Postal Service blue collection box, if available in your area. T-shirts typically weigh approximately 4.5 to 6.5 ounces, depending on size and fabric type. A textile scale would be handy for determining correct postage.

By smartly packing T-shirts for transport, they'll arrive clean and smooth, and not damaged or lost due to torn packaging.