Threadless exists to help artists succeed. For over 20 years, we’ve partnered with hundreds of thousands of artists, promoting their independent art to millions of fans around the world. We are a diverse, global community of artists and those who support them.But what’s our comic-book origin story? In 2000, we began as a t-shirt company based in our beloved hometown of Chicago. Since then, we’ve evolved into a fully remote company with a marketplace full of apparel, accessories, and home decor, powered by our Artist Shops community. We’re constantly searching for more products for our artists to use as canvases for their best, weirdest, nerdiest, most beautiful art. If you’re an artist, we want your art to be seen—everywhere. And if you’re a fan, we want you to find art and products that let you celebrate your uniqueness.At Threadless, we celebrate the unique diversity that shapes each of us as human beings. We also support creative expression that drives cultural change and love art that sparks a conversation. Threadless is both a brave space for artists to share their designs and a safe space for all identities to find art that supports the things they care about. Even now, with the launch of Threadless Causes, you can make a positive impact on the world by purchasing designs directly supporting critically important initiatives.Threadless would not be possible without fellow lovers of art like yourself. Every purchase you make directly supports the artist who made the design. With every design you score and every Design Challenge you vote for, you help shape our eclectic marketplace.Our Community Experience team is here to help with anything along the way. Don't hesitate to email us with any questions, concerns, or just to say hi- [email protected]’s make great together.
Written by the business, not verified by us.
Is Threadless legit?
Threadless (www.threadless.com) has a 3.4 out of 5 rating on OK.one, based on 101 user reviews collected here. It is listed under Shopping & Fashion and its reputation is mixed. Opinions are polarized: 57% rate it 4 stars or higher while 31% give 1 star; The business has replied to 100% of negative reviews; Reviews mostly discuss Product, Customer service, Quality. Last updated 2026-08-12.
What reviewers say
AI generated
Reviewers had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently praise the dedicated support team for being incredibly helpful, friendly, and responsive when resolving various ordering issues or tracking down missing items. Many people also truly appreciate the quick communication and personalized assistance provided by staff members during every step of the shopping journey.
However, some customers also noted that recent clothing items feature lower quality materials and printed designs that tend to fade or peel quickly after washing. A few reviewers additionally experienced occasional manufacturing flaws, sizing inconsistencies, or minor mistakes with their delivered products that caused some disappointment.
Auto-generated from all reviews of this business. For reference only.
First: I am a customer and not an artist.
The products arrived very fast beautiful.
The support is amazing. I had a problem with a product. They responded immediatelly, very friendly and understanding.
The solution they offered was beyond my expectation. I can totally recommend this shop from a customer perspecitve!
Looking forward to future orders!
I've been ordering from Threadless since *checks account, 2008, with 36 orders in total. Three of those orders have included shirts which didn't have a great print on them (around the start of the pandemic when everything was going wrong), but every time the customer service has been exemplary. When I messaged to say I was less happy with the prints, a replacement was sent out free of charge. What else could you ask for? Their communication has been pleasant and courteous and any problems have always been resolved. There are a lot of print-on-demand sites out there, but I think the customer support of Threadless sets them apart.
Reply from Threadless2026-05-11
Thank you so much for being such a loyal member of the Threadless community since 2008! 36 orders is an incredible milestone. We are so glad to hear that even when things didn't go perfectly, our team was able to make it right for you. We truly appreciate your support and the kind words about our customer service. Happy wearing!
If you are an artist, think extra carefully whether it is worth to invest tens of hours uploading to them.. and then no inclusion on the marketplace, even if your designs are selling for tens of dollars on the other platforms.
I haven't got a cent on this platform..
Reply from Threadless2026-05-11
We appreciate you sharing your perspective as an artist. We are sorry to hear that your experience has been frustrating and that you haven’t seen the results you were hoping for yet.
Our team is dedicated to supporting our artist community, and we would love to help you take a closer look at your shop. We have many resources available designed to help artists grow their presence and visibility. Please feel free to reach out to our artist support team so we can provide more specific guidance and help you make the most of the platform.
This was my first time ordering via Threadless. My order arrived faster than I anticipated and I am very happy with the quality. My order was a gift for someone else and they are really happy with it. It is a good, fun and unique product. Thanks!
Reply from Threadless2026-05-11
Welcome to the Threadless community! We are so happy to hear that your first experience was a success and that your gift was a hit. Thank you for the kind words about our quality and speed—we look forward to helping you find more unique art in the future!
No shipping notification sent, order shipped to the wrong state with no notice or confirmation.
I've been ordering from Threadless for over 20 years - this was my worst experience by a wide margin.
I placed an order in mid-April and received zero shipping communication for nearly two weeks. When I reached out for an update, I was told the order had already shipped and been delivered - to an address in Eugene, Oregon. I live in Twin Falls, Idaho. Nearly 600 miles off.
What followed was a frustrating back-and-forth with support that never actually addressed my questions. I kept receiving the same canned "your order was lost in transit" response, even after I pointed out multiple times that the tracking number they provided was for a delivery to a completely different state. Meanwhile, I received 9 marketing emails from Threadless during the same period I was trying to figure out where my order was.
Threadless confirmed they had my correct address on file, so how a package ends up in Oregon is still completely unexplained. The customer service responses felt automated and clearly weren't reading the thread.
I love the products and the concept of supporting independent artists. But this experience - a misdelivery to the wrong state, no proactive communication, and support that couldn't engage with a basic question - has shaken my confidence significantly. Leaning toward a refund rather than risking a replacement going the same route.
Reply from Threadless2026-04-29
Thank you for being such a loyal part of the Threadless community for over 20 years. We are incredibly sorry that your most recent experience fell so short of the standard we have aimed to provide you for two decades.
It is clear that our support team missed the mark by providing repetitive responses rather than addressing the specific tracking and delivery discrepancy you pointed out. We understand how frustrating it is to feel unheard, especially when receiving marketing emails while a support issue remains unresolved.
We have looked into this and can confirm that while your address was correct on our end, an error occurred during the fulfillment process that caused the misdelivery. We would love the opportunity to make this right immediately, whether you would prefer a full refund or a guaranteed replacement sent with priority shipping to your correct address in Twin Falls.
Please keep an eye out for a direct email from our team so we can get this resolved this for you. We value your long-standing support and hope to regain your confidence.
The extra soft tshirts are not soft anymore. The company is getting to big and cheap. I won't be buying anymore.
Reply from Threadless2026-03-11
Thank you for your feedback, and we're sorry to hear you were unhappy with your order. We want to clarify that we haven’t changed our Extra Soft shirts in any way. It is possible that you may have received the wrong blank if the shirt is not what you expected. We have located your purchase order and a member of our team will be reaching out to you directly to resolve this for you.
I usually don't bash companies because things happen. But I can say my last experience was absolutely terrible, and I sell on Threadless. I ordered a complete printed skateboard on Nov 25. It was going to be a Christmas gift. It was delivered on Dec. 15.Great right? Not so much it was just the board not the hardware. Contacted threadless explained and they contacted CCS (the third party who takes care of this for them) and was assured a the hardware would be sent out asap. It made it on Christmas eve. But it was the wrong wheels and trucks. Reached out again but didn't hear back until Dec 30. Holidays right. Customer support said they would let me know asap when the right hardware shipped. I got nothing, so I reached out for an update on the 5th of January and didn't hear back until the 6th. Today is the 12th and i still do not have what i paid for. No matter how you see this one its bad. And customer support just seems to go thru the motions and give the canned "sorry for the mix up".
Reply from Threadless2026-01-14
Hello, Renone
I am incredibly sorry for the multiple frustrations you experienced with this order. It is clear that we let you down not just once, but twice, and I completely understand why you felt the support you received was formulaic given the length of time this took to resolve.
As a seller on Threadless, you deserve the same high standard of quality and service that you provide to your own customers, and we clearly missed the mark here. While I am glad to see that the correct hardware was delivered on January 12th, I know that doesn't make up for the missed holiday gift or the back-and-forth it took to get there.
I have shared your feedback directly with our team and our partners at CCS to investigate why the wrong components were sent out after the first error. We are using your experience to tighten up our fulfillment process and ensure our communication feels as personal and urgent as it should be when things go wrong.
Thank you for your patience and for being a part of our creative community.
I wish I could give these useless incompetent people -10 stars. In what world does it take to 6 weeks to ship a t shirt. But on top of that charge a fortune for shipping. This is an unbelievable scam, don’t trust this company. Run away now.
Reply from Threadless2026-01-02
Thank you for sharing your feedback, and I am sincerely sorry for the frustration this wait has caused. A six-week delay is completely unacceptable and certainly not the experience we want for our customers. While we did face some production and stock challenges over the holiday season, that timeframe is far from our normal standard.
I have searched our system for an order under your name or any recent support history, but I haven't been able to locate a match. We want to look into exactly what happened and make this right for you immediately.
Please reach out to our support team at [email protected] with your order information so we can investigate this and find a resolution. We value your business and hope to have the chance to fix this.
Absolutely useless customer service who refuses to actually do their job and just send pre-written responses. Will be escalating due to the horrendous customer service I’ve received. Package is lost in transit and says the seller never even shipped it; I have a 2-3 week shipping window in writing and all they’ve said is ‘Well, if it doesn’t arrive on time, wait 3 more weeks!’ Unacceptable and will not be waiting to take action with my bank — filing a chargeback will be easy with the screenshots I have and, again, the 2-3 week shipping window I was promised. So unbelievably disappointing as this was a Christmas gift. No wonder the reviews are so horrible - wish I’d read them before ordering and will tell everyone I know to AVOID! From what I have read the quality is awful too. Such a scam. Genuinely appalled.
Reply from Threadless2025-12-12
We sincerely apologize for the incredibly frustrating experience you've had with our customer service and the delay/loss of your package, especially since this was intended as a Christmas gift.
We understand your disappointment and we would be happy to look into this more. Please email us at [email protected] with your order number so we can look into the tracking status, address the breakdown in communication, and find a swift resolution for you.
Great designs, poor quality prints. I can’t recommend the t-shirts anymore. The quality has declined over the years. The t-shirt material is lower quality, and the prints don’t last nearly as long as they used to. I have older t-shirts where the design has held up very well, vs newer t-shirts where the design is faded/peeling after only a few washings.
Customer service is responsive and friendly, and I did have one shirt with a peeling print replaced “on an exception basis.”
Reply from Threadless2025-10-14
Thank you so much for your honest feedback. We're genuinely happy you still love our designs and appreciate the shout-out for our responsive customer service team.
However, we are very concerned about your experience with the prints peeling/fading after only a few washes. We have immediately escalated this to our production and sourcing partners to pinpoint recent changes in materials and processes. We are committed to restoring the durability you expect from us. If there's anything more we can do to help, or if you're interested in trying out a different style of shirt to see if you like the material better, please don't hesitate to reach out to the team and we can help you with your replacement.
After placing a large order, only half of my items showed up. Contact to support takes several days and its often unable to help in a timely manner.
For example, wrote them to cancel my order before it had shipped but by the time they responded back 2 days later it was already on it's way.
Same thing with the order missing items, haven't any response back after two days, still managed to take my money however.
**update** I'm still just waiting for a refund from Threadless now, overall this experience has been an entire months waste of time.
Reply from Threadless2025-09-22
Thank you for your feedback. We're very sorry to hear about the issues you've experienced with your recent orders and our customer support. This is certainly not the level of service we aim to provide, and we sincerely apologize for the frustration this has caused.
We would be happy to look into this for you right away. Could you please update your review with the last four digits of your order number? We will use that information to track down your purchase and see what we can do to help.
While our team is usually pretty quick to respond, sometimes during busy periods, it can take 2-3 business days to get back to everyone. We want to assure you that our support team is dedicated and will do everything they can to resolve this for you. We appreciate your patience and look forward to helping you get this sorted out.
I have been using threadless for so many years and they WERE a wonderful company. However the most recent order that I got from them, four of the shirts have gigantic decals that are so gross. It's super frustrating that there's no phone number or way to talk to anybody. I went back-and-forth with them on email and it is such a waste of time. First they were like "just pick out other shirts and you can keep those." Which seems nice but I was like "how will I know whether or not the shirts I'm picking or decals?" And they just kept denying that the shirts were made with decals they're saying that all the designs are printed onto the shirt which simply isn't true. Finally they were saying oh if these are decals we're gonna have to do a deep dive with one of our printers because none of these shirts are supposed to be decals. And then they were like oh success we're gonna send you the shirts again. Sigh. They sent them again and they are still decals. it's really a bummer because I loved Threadless for so many years. I'm a grandmother and I've been buying threadless shirts for my grandsons since they were little (they are 18 and 15 now). The designs are adorable. But these most recent shirts are just awful. I even bought a shirt for my younger grandson that I had also bought for my older grandson a few years back. The older purchase was printed on the shirt. it was a Where's Waldo sitting in a cross legged position saying "find yourself." so good! Well the new one is a giant decal and it's really gross. I cannot talk to anyone there they customer service is the worst and I guess writing this is my letting go. I want to still order from threadless but this is just ridiculous. I'm so sad.
Reply from Threadless2025-09-11
Thank you for your feedback. We are so sorry to hear about your frustrating experience and for the disappointment this has caused, especially given your long history with Threadless. We're proud to have been a part of your family's traditions for so many years and we sincerely regret that we didn't meet your expectations with this recent order.
We see that you're working with Josh from our support team to get this resolved. He's been looking into this specific issue with our printers, and we're committed to making this right for you. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share this with us; your feedback is invaluable as we work to ensure the quality and customer service you've come to expect from us.
Have threadless tees and a hoodie from over a decade ago. The cotton has a lovely feel still. Re-ordered from them recently as really love the artists they show. It was not like it used to be, says 100% cotton, dont think it actually is (doesn't breathe as cotton usually does). Starts to pill after a few washes. For the price and complications had with sizing not really worth it either. A real pity as the art on the tees is amazing.
Reply from Threadless2025-09-09
Thanks so much for leaving a review and for being a loyal customer for over a decade. We're so happy to hear you're still enjoying your older Threadless items.
We're really sorry to hear that the new items you ordered didn't meet the quality you've come to expect from us. We take feedback like this very seriously. We want to make this right and look into what happened with your recent order.
Could you please send us an email at [email protected] with more details about your purchase? We'd appreciate it if you could include your order number and any information about the sizing issues and pilling you experienced.
Thanks again for your feedback and for your support of the incredible artists in our community.
Their websites are practically non-functional on a desktop.
Reply from Threadless2025-09-08
We're sorry to hear you've had a negative experience using our website. We haven't heard of any widespread issues regarding desktop functionality, but we'd be happy to investigate this further for you. Please send us an email at [email protected] with more details about the specific issues you encountered, including the browser you were using and the pages where you experienced problems. We'd love to have our team look into this so we can improve the experience for all of our users. We look forward to hearing from you.
Their artist team is a scam,how does all my designs fail for submission and I think their reviews on your submissions is very shady,they are just wasting my time with all their pots of rubbish that they are full of.
Reply from Threadless2025-08-04
Thanks for reaching out and sharing your frustration. We're sorry to hear that you've had a negative experience with our artist team and the submission process. We understand how disappointing it is to have your designs rejected, and we want to help you get your work approved.
Our review process for submissions is in place to ensure all designs meet our quality standards and are properly formatted for printing. We'd be happy to provide more details about why your submissions weren't approved. Sometimes, designs submitted to a specific challenge have very specific guidelines that need to be met. Other times, it's just a simple adjustment to the file that needs to be made.
If you reach out to our artist support team (you can simply reply to any notification you received throughout the submission process), we can share some more specific insight into your submissions. We're confident that with a few tweaks, your designs can be resubmitted and approved.
Threadless talks a big game about supporting artists, but its policies strip creators of autonomy, transparency, and trust. If you value your art and your reputation, look elsewhere this platform is more interested in its own profit margins than in genuinely lifting up independent talent.
Zero Pricing Control
• Artists have no option to set royalty rates or choose final sale prices.
• The platform unilaterally determines your product’s price, pocketing the difference.
• You effectively hand over your designs and pricing guidelines so the site can cash in and artists see almost nothing.
No Customization or Personalization
• You can’t tailor products to reflect your brand or creative vision.
• Buyers get generic offerings, making it impossible to stand out or build a following.
Misleading “Discounts”
• The advertised markdowns on artist products are purely deceptive.
• Customers feel misled, blame the creator, and the artist hard-earned credibility takes a hit through no fault of own.
Cumbersome Custom Orders
• There’s no efficient bulk-production process; every custom order becomes a procedural headache.
• Instead of empowering artists to scale, the site creates red tape that frustrates both creators and customers.
Reply from Threadless2025-08-04
Thanks for sharing your honest feedback. We hear your frustration and appreciate you taking the time to outline these concerns. We're truly sorry that you've had this experience with our platform.
We want to assure you that supporting artists is at the heart of what we do. We understand that having control over your pricing and brand is crucial. We'd love to help you get the settings you need for your shop. We offer two pricing options: you can choose Managed Pricing where we set the prices, or you can select Set Your Own Pricing to have full control over your royalty rates. For product customization, we offer lots of options with colors, styles, print placement, and more. If you're trying to achieve something specific with your files, our team would be happy to work with you to make it happen.
Please reach out to our artist support team so we can address these issues directly and get your shop set up the way you want it. We're here to help and would love to hear more of your feedback.
I joined this platform hoping for a fair marketplace, but it’s nothing more than a predatory scam:
1. Pitiful Earnings
After weeks of hard work, I earned roughly $1.00 total. They exploit artists’ lack of legal know-how and force “reasonable” pricing down to cents.
2. Bogus “Community Voting “
The so-called voting system is totally rigged. Fake accounts vote not real artist in the community!
Real community engagement? Nonexistent. It’s just a smoke screen to feign credibility.
3. Outdated, Vulnerable Platform
The website feels like it was built a decade ago glitches, broken links, terrible support.
I discovered multiple security flaws: unencrypted form fields, weak password requirements, and no two-factor authentication. Your personal data (and artwork) could be at serious risk.
4. Zero Transparency or Support
Customer service is unreachable. When I raised concerns about suspicious charges, I was ghosted.
They provide no clear terms of service or copyright protection for artists.
Bottom Line: Threadless exploits creatives, pays next to nothing, and jeopardizes your safety with its shoddy, vulnerable infrastructure. Do yourself a favor—steer clear and find a legitimate, artist-friendly marketplace.
Reply from Threadless2025-07-25
We are truly sorry to hear about your extremely negative experience on our platform, and we sincerely apologize for the frustration and disappointment you've encountered. Your feedback is incredibly important to us, and we take your concerns very seriously.
We understand your points regarding earnings, the community voting system, platform security, and transparency, and we want to assure you that we are committed to providing a fair and supportive environment for artists. We are constantly working to improve our platform and address the issues our community faces.
We would appreciate the opportunity to discuss your specific concerns in more detail and work towards a resolution. Please reach out to us directly at [email protected]. We are here to help and want to ensure your voice is heard.
The customer service team is phenomenal. I had a strange issue with USPS and Threadless was very helpful on their end allowing me to pinpoint the delivery problem. They are fantastic and I’ve never received this level of assistance from an online retailer before.
Reply from Threadless2025-07-24
We're so thrilled to hear about your positive experience with our customer service team! Thanks for letting us know we hit the mark – providing that level of assistance is exactly what we aim for. We really appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback!
Its hard to find shirt designs i enjoyed still in store. and i saw on the shirts was printed this website, so i came here and ordered an extra pair. They came in and i have a massive issue and no way to just review on the website itself.
1. The shirt type quiality is ok. Not bad, you can choose the type of shirt and the ones i recieved were fine.
2. Bad print quality. The print quality is terrible or bad. For 3 of the 4 i recieved the print was saturated, fuzzy and off alittle, the parts that were black (the shirt portion) had black print on them where it shoulnt be, it feels like if they are used regularly, the designs might just rub off in a matter of months and ive had these same designs from instore for over 2 years. On one shirt the print felt like they just glued a slice of plastic onto the shirt and it doesnt feel like it will stay on with prolonged use.
Overall terrible which sucks because a lot of shirt designs i would like more of are on there and no longer in stores.
Reply from Threadless2025-07-21
We're truly sorry to hear about the issues you've experienced with your recent order, especially regarding the print quality. We understand how frustrating it must be to receive shirts that don't meet the standards you've come to expect from our products, and we sincerely apologize for the saturated, fuzzy, and misaligned prints, as well as the concern about durability.
Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us, and we're taking your comments about the print quality very seriously. We're committed to providing high-quality merchandise, and it's clear we fell short in this instance.
We would like to make this right. Can you email our customer service team with your order number at [email protected]. We'd be happy to discuss a replacement or refund for your order and ensure you receive the quality you deserve. We also want to learn more about your specific order to address these issues and improve our printing process.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We appreciate your continued support and hope to have the opportunity to restore your confidence in our products!
Threadless uses contracted printing that is horrible
Threadless uses contracted printing shops for various items. They do not uphold a high quality standard at all. More than 50% of the items I've ordered in 2025 have had defects. This includes everything from t-shirts to hoodies to mugs. They can't get the printing straight. The printing contains defects with streaks or entire chunks missing. Is a human being even LOOKING at these before they go out the door? It's shameful. Threadless has reprinted a handful of items for me and has refunded me for others. It is very hard to have a Threadless shop for my nonprofit when there's a high chance that my donors/clients are going to get something defective from their shoddy suppliers. Stay far away.
Reply from Threadless2025-06-30
We're truly sorry to hear about the ongoing issues you've experienced with multiple orders, and we understand your frustration. It's clear we've fallen short of your expectations for quality, and for that, we sincerely apologize. We've already addressed the recent mug defect directly with you, issuing a full refund and a credit.
More importantly, we're taking your broader feedback about consistent defects across various items very seriously. We're actively investigating our printing processes and partnerships to understand why these issues are recurring and to ensure they don't continue. Your experience is not what we want for any of our customers, especially for a valued shop owner like yourself. We appreciate you bringing these critical concerns to our attention; it helps us uphold the quality standards we strive for. We're committed to making things right and earning back your trust.