Where Can I Buy a Heat Press Machine for Making T-shirts 

Heat press machines can be found every where for pennies on the dollar if you don’t mind purchasing a used t-shirt press for your business.

Each year, new wannabe t-shirt entrepreneurs will spend thousands of dollars on equipment for making t-shirts at home. After the excitement wears off, usually, 3-6 months, the equipment will usually sit in their garage or basement for the next several years collecting dust.

Bad for them, but a great opportunity for you because you can usually find some great bargains within a 30-90 minute drive from where you are right now.

In a moment, I’ll suggest where you can purchase both new and used t-shirt heat press machines from, but first, let me make the case for why buying a used heat press is probably the better option for a new tshirt business that’s just getting started.

1. Invest the savings back into your t-shirt business. Why spend $2,000.00 for a brand new heat press when you can buy a used heat press of the same quality for about $500-$800??? Many of the used t-shirt heat press machines sit and collect dust in a basement and have been used very little — they’re practically like new.
   

   For example, I found this Mighty Press Heat Transfer Press for $75 on Craigslist:

   

   Below, I’ve included a copy of the original ad so you can see how people buy this stuff and never use it…

   Mighty Press – Clam Heat Transfer Press 15×15 I bought this but never used it , it’s BRAND NEW, STILL IN THE ORIGINAL BOX! It retails for $800.00 and I’m selling this for $75, the price is not negotiable. Details: The heat press platen makes it possible for you to heat apply larger transfers and jumbo numbers and letters on oversized shirts, fleece wear and jackets. Ideal when you’re heat printing football uniforms, sports warm-ups and large corporate jackets.

   I found this ad in the New York / Queens area on Craigslist. This is a brand made by Stahls, an older press, but nonetheless, it’s practically brand new. It’ll run for many, many years and it’s only $75 bucks.

   I know it sounds to good to be true, but most of these folks are literally trying to get rid of the clutter in their basement. So they practically give the stuff away. I’ve purchased many used heat press machines for as little as $200 and still use them many years later. These machines are difficult to tear up.

   So instead of purchasing brand new transfer heat presses, try looking for used name brands on websites like Craiglists, eBay, Amazon, etc. You can then invest those savings back into your business. You will have a bunch of unexpected expenses when starting your new t-shirt company. Might as well use that money to get your designs created, get your business incorporated, copyright and/or trademark a few of your t-shirt designs, etc…

2. Make sure you’re in the t-shirt business for the long haul. Before spending thousands on equipment and supplies, it’s best to spend much less to make certain this is something you want to do. Most people who run out and buy this equipment, wake up one night with a vision for what they think will be the next million dollar t-shirt design idea.They get excited and convince themselves everyone wants their designs. When they finally launch and experience rejection for the first time, they just quit. They never stick around long enough to find out if their idea will work. In fact, most never make it to the ‘design’ part of getting their t-shirt created. They don’t realize the amount of work involved and the learning that must go with building a successful and profitable t-shirt business.

   Before you go out and buy high-end equipment, I suggest you first test out your idea with as little money as possible — and that may mean getting your first round of t-shirts printed by a local screen printer. Once you sell out, buy more… then repeat.

New Heat Press Machines

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If you’re still hooked on the idea 6-12 months later, and you’re making money, then great. Let the business fund the purchase for newer and higher-end equipment.

If you really want a new t-shirt heat press machine and don’t mind spending the money, then I highly recommend the Hotronix brand (if you want one, let me know and I’ll throw in some bonuses). We are authorized resellers for the brand and these are the primary heat presses we use at our place of business:

• The MAXX™ Clam Heat Press
• Hotronix Auto Open Clam Heat Press
• Hotronix Fusion Heat Press

Also, keep in mind, the heat press machine is not the thing you need immediately when starting. There are so many other things you need to get together first, before you’ll ever need the heat press… For example:

• Do you already have your t-shirt business plan written up?
• Do you already have your designs drawn out or created by a graphic designer?
• Do you already know who your target market or niche is gonna be?
• Do you know how much you plan to sell your t-shirts for?

As you can see, there’s plenty to do before ever buying the heat press machine… Without your designs already being on plastisol transfer paper, the heat press will just sit there until you have some transfers to press onto a t-shirt.

But if you’re looking for a cheap heat press to buy, get a used one!

If you need hands-on help with starting your t-shirt business, check out our Protege300 program — space is limited for the free t-shirt website deal.