To sell personalized shirts to small businesses and teams on Etsy, use one listing that collects the logo file, the names and the size of every shirt, and confirm a proof with the buyer before anything is printed. Most of the work is in three details: where the logo goes, how sizes are gathered from a group, and how the order is handled so every shirt arrives right.
These orders come from a café that wants staff tees, a cleaning company that wants polos, a run club or a quiz team. They usually want a handful of matching shirts, often fewer than a traditional print shop's minimum. Screen printing usually has minimums between five and 100 units, while DTG and DTF run with no setup fees or minimum orders, which leaves room for a print-on-demand shop.
What small businesses and teams want
Small businesses want to look consistent: the same logo and colour, in sizes that fit everyone on staff. Front-of-house teams often prefer polos, and kitchens and craft studios ask for aprons. Teams want identity: a team name, a mascot of their own and often a name or number on the back.
These buyers order several items at once and work to a deadline, such as an opening, the start of a season or an event, so plan your listing and your messages around both. If your shop offers polos, our guide to performance polos and tees for team and business orders covers the blanks.
Logo placement and logo files
Four placements cover most requests:
Left chest: a small logo, the classic choice for staff shirts.
Full front: a team name or a large logo for events.
Back: names, numbers, a slogan or the business website.
Sleeve: a small second mark when the front is already busy.
A left-chest logo paired with a larger back print is a classic combination for custom business shirts. Small logos need care because fine detail disappears at that size, so ask for the simplest version of the mark. Our guide to designing small chest logos and pocket prints goes into sizing.
A logo saved from a website is often too small to print sharply, and a JPEG does not support transparency, so its background can print as white. Ask for a vector file (SVG or PDF) or a large PNG with a transparent background.
Rights come first. Print only a logo the buyer owns or has permission to use, and ask them to confirm that in Etsy Messages. Etsy allows production partners, including print-on-demand services, as long as the items are the seller's original design or the buyer's customization, so keep the buyer's written confirmation in the thread. Decline requests that use another company's brand, and for anything you are unsure about, check Etsy's help pages or a qualified professional.
Setting up a listing that collects everything
A listing can have up to 5 personalization fields, built from text boxes, lists of options and one file upload field, and each field can be required or optional.
File upload for the logo: buyers can upload up to 10 files of up to 100 MB each, as .jpg, .png, .svg, .heic or .pdf.
Text box for the business or team name, with a character limit you set to fit your design, anywhere from 1 to 1,024 characters.
List of options for the placement, such as left chest only or left chest plus back, with up to 30 options.
Use variations for size and colour. Since September 2026, Etsy allows up to three variation types, so a third one can carry the style, for example tee or long sleeve. If the back print costs extra, price it as its own option rather than building it into every shirt.
Quantity matters to your fees too. When a multi-quantity listing sells, Etsy charges $0.20 for each additional unit, so a 12-shirt order through one listing costs $2.40 in listing fees. For a large order with many names and sizes, a private listing created after you agree the details (also $0.20) keeps everything in one place.
Collecting sizes from a group
Sizing is where group orders go wrong: an organiser who guesses sizes for a whole team creates a pile of exchange requests. Send your size chart before the order, explain the difference between unisex and women's cuts, and ask the organiser to collect every size first. Offer plus sizes if your blank has them, so nobody on the team is left out.
A roster makes the order easy to check. Ask for one line per shirt (size, colour if it varies, and the name or number) in the personalization text box, or as a PDF through the upload field. Before anything is printed, compare the roster with what was actually bought.
| Detail to confirm | How to collect it on Etsy | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Logo file | Upload field, as SVG, PDF or a large PNG | A small web image prints blurry |
| Permission to use the logo | Written confirmation in Etsy Messages | You print only what the buyer has rights to |
| Placement | List of options field | Left chest and full front need different sizes |
| Sizes and names per shirt | Roster in the text box or a PDF upload | Every shirt is printed separately |
| Garment colour | Colour variation | The logo colours must read on that shirt |
| Deadline | Message before the order is placed | Sets a realistic ship-by date |
| Proof approval | Mockup sent in Etsy Messages | A change after printing means a reprint |
Running the order from proof to delivery
Keep every step inside Etsy Messages. Etsy scans messages and reviews them for reasons that include attempts to move buyers off Etsy to finish a transaction, and a written thread protects you both if questions come up later.
Send a proof before printing: a mockup with the logo in place, the names spelled as given and the chosen colour, and print only after the buyer replies with an approval. The proof step takes time, so build it into your processing time. If a deadline is at risk, Etsy lets you edit the ship-by date once and extend it by up to 21 days, after confirming with the buyer.
With combined shipping, Etsy charges the most expensive "One item" rate plus each other item's "Additional item" rate, so set a sensible additional-item rate and a 12-shirt order will not pay 12 full shipping fees. For more on bigger orders, see managing a large group order from one buyer.
How Alomations handles custom and team orders
In Alomations, custom orders have their own screen, and regular Etsy orders arrive resolved: the design and variant are matched, and the buyer's personalization text and photos are attached to the order. A team roster typed into the text box arrives with the order, so you do not copy it out of Etsy by hand.
From the orders screen you can send an order to a production partner, with the item cost and shipping shown separately before you pay from your balance. The row says which print centre has the order, the partner cannot mark an order shipped without a tracking number, and tracking is posted back to Etsy where Etsy allows it. You can also print and ship an order yourself, and fulfillment is open on every plan, Free included. The catalog includes performance polos and tees, caps, aprons and tote bags, and a front smart mockup can carry its own chest-logo spot for proofs.
Frequently asked questions
Can I print a company's logo for them on Etsy?
Yes, when the buyer owns the logo or has permission to use it, confirmed in writing in Etsy Messages. Decline any request that uses another company's brand.
How should I charge shipping on a large order?
Set an "Additional item" rate in your shipping profile. Etsy charges the highest one-item rate plus the additional-item rate for every other shirt in the order.
What if the team needs the shirts by a certain date?
Work backwards from the date: proof approval, processing time and transit. If the date cannot be met, say so before the order is placed rather than after.
To take your first team or business order from the first message to delivery, start on the Alomations free plan.
