5 Most Budget-Friendly Online Apparel Business Ideas 

Starting a business takes a lot of time–and a lot of risk. While being your own boss can have many benefits, it also requires a lot of preparation and resources to set up a business for success, especially in a saturated market like the apparel industry. Luckily, working on online apparel business ideas doesn’t have to take as much capital as you may think. 

Print-on-demand and merchandising services like Shirtual have made it all the easier to manufacture custom apparel, and e-commerce platforms like Shopify make selling it a breeze. Here are five budget-friendly online apparel business ideas you can consider for your next venture:

1. Selling apparel with print-on-demand platforms

1. What you need: A reliable print-on-demand partner, a strong branding plan, and ideas for prints
2. Approximate Investment: $400-$500

Print-on-demand has become the go-to model for a lot of small apparel business owners–for good reason. While the model can have some disadvantages (i.e. limited designs, fewer shipping options), it removes the need for an inventory and opens up avenues to sell more experimental products without the risk of losing profit. 

When you sell apparel using print-on-demand services, you can focus on creating great designs and eye-catching branding plans. The print-on-demand services take care of most of the manufacturing and production for you. 

However, this also means that you’re beholden to many of the print-on-demand platforms’ limitations: great services like Printful or Printify often require monthly subscription fees to maximize your usage of their platforms. They may also have a limited number of print options for you to choose from, and often don’t have options to create apparel from scratch. 

Instead, consider services run by manufacturing and design experts like Shirtual. Our broad catalog of prints, custom sewing services, and unlimited storage offerings is a great way to start off your business while maintaining the creative freedom needed to get ahead of the competition. 

2. Selling art merchandise 

1. What you need: Great designs, printing and manufacturing services, shipping fees
2. Approximate investment: $200-$50,000 (yeah, it’s a wide range!)

If you’re interested in apparel, chances are you have a great love of design. Having a good eye for graphics and arts is essential to separate yourself from the competition in the apparel industry, which is why many budding artists like Aaron Kai and Sterling Ruby have made great clothing lines.

Selling your own art merchandise can be a great way to earn from your designs, but you’ll need to be careful about how much you invest in the business. Like print-on-demand platform businesses, you’ll need to find ways to print your products and later ship them out. However, if you want the most flexibility in how you handle your products, you’ll also be taking care of the printing, manufacturing, and distribution costs yourself.

Luckily, you can often collaborate with other artistically-minded merchandising services like Shirtual to sell units with the best prints and most unique cuts. 

3. Upcycling and reselling clothes

1. What you need: A source of secondhand clothes and fabric, sewing equipment, textile skills, a lot of creativity
2. Approximate investment: $50-$5,000

Do you have a massive wardrobe? Piles of clothes you’ll likely never wear again? Or perhaps you know enough people to compile a sizeable amount of secondhand clothes?

If you do, you might be a perfect candidate for an upcycling business. Upcycling is the process of disassembling otherwise unusable garments into something more valuable than it was before–a little like recycling but with more creativity. 

While it takes a lot of effort to invest in at first, upcycling has become incredibly popular in sustainable fashion spaces. Numerous fashion businesses have thrived in the niche, and upcycling as a business provides the most flexibility in creation and resource management. 

4. Start a dropshipping business

1. What you need: A reliable dropshipping supplier, strong marketing and branding skills
2. Approximate investment: $50-$100

Having a good grasp of trends and demand can take you to places in the social media landscape. Even if you may not know what designs you can sell yet, being able to sell presently existing ideas can earn you a lot for very little investment.

Dropshipping is a relatively new business model where you can sell readily available products without storing your own inventory. You get to set up shop, choose great products to stock up on, and market them to new audiences, benefiting you and the product suppliers. The best part is that starting all of this is incredibly affordable.

However, much of your business’ success relies on two things: your own marketing skills, and the dropshipping supplier. There are great suppliers to work with, but always make sure to stay active during the sales process and maintain quality and customer satisfaction. 

5. Becoming a style influencer 

1. What you need: An eye for style, social media skills, an eye-catching personality
2. Approximate investment: None at first, depends on your niche

While not a traditional form of an apparel business, it’s hard to deny how important style influencers are to the apparel business ecosystem. Many small businesses got their start from fashion influencer recommendations, and conversely, many apparel businesses were first founded by influencers.

How does a style influencer earn their keep or promote their own businesses? While every influencer is different, it largely depends on the basics of branding. Great influencers have a strong grasp of the niche they fill, who their target audience is, and what they can offer to others compared to other stylists.

Once they’ve grown their followings, influencers have numerous avenues of revenue. Some turn to affiliate marketing for other brands, while others focus on sponsorships or selling their own merchandise. 

Right now, you likely already have many of the requirements needed to pursue your own apparel business ideas. The one thing most new entrepreneurs tend to lack, however, is experience–something our consultants at Shirtual can provide in spades. 

80% of our customers have more time to grow their brand and marketing thanks to our all-encompassing merchandising services. Running an online apparel business can be challenging; let us handle the heavy lifting.