Use a t-shirt size collection form to gather sizes, names, and delivery details in one place, reduce errors, and keep group orders on track.
Group shirt orders start simple and then turn into message chaos. One person replies in the team chat, another sends a DM, someone texts a photo of a size tag, and two people answer a week later with “same as last time.” Now the details are scattered across apps, and you’re doing detective work instead of placing an order.
The real problem isn’t “sizes.” It’s missing context. A size without a fit (men’s, women’s, unisex), a color choice, or a quantity isn’t usable. And when people guess, they often guess wrong. That turns into reorders, unhappy teammates, and extra shipping costs.
Here’s what usually makes a t-shirt size collection form feel messy, even before you order anything:
A quick example: a club orders 30 shirts. Twenty people respond on day one, five respond after a reminder, and five never reply. Two people write “M” but mean women’s medium, while you order unisex. When the box arrives, those two shirts don’t fit, and now you’re stuck negotiating exchanges.
“Done” should look boring. It means you have one complete list that’s ready to send to a supplier, without extra questions. For most groups, that is:
Once you aim for that kind of “done,” you stop collecting messages and start collecting clean orders.
Before you write a single form question, decide what “done” looks like. The fastest way to create confusion is to start with a t-shirt size collection form and then realize halfway through that you also need names for labels, two color choices, and a pickup plan.
Start by naming the group and the context. A sports team usually needs player names and maybe jersey numbers. A school event might need homeroom or grade. Company swag often needs a work email for follow-ups and a shipping address if people are remote.
Next, estimate the group size. For 10 people, you can afford a few optional questions and handle edge cases manually. For 200 people, keep choices tight and standardized, because even a small misunderstanding multiplies into dozens of wrong items. Big groups also benefit from adding an “approval check” like “I confirm my size and item choices are correct.”
Then decide how items will get to people. Delivery isn’t one-size-fits-all, and your form should match the plan:
Finally, confirm what you’re ordering. Is it one item per person, or are people choosing from several items like shirt + hoodie + hat? If there are options, define the rules upfront (for example: “Choose 1 top” or “Choose up to 2 items”). If people can order extras, decide whether you need payment info or just a quantity field.
Example: a 40-person volunteer crew ordering shirts might only need name, size, color, and pickup choice. A 180-person conference order with remote attendees may need full shipping details, deadlines, and a clear policy for changes.
A good form is short, but it still prevents the two things that ruin group orders: missing details and “I thought you meant…” assumptions. The goal is to collect everything you need once, in a format you can copy straight into an order list.
Start with identity. Ask for the person’s full name exactly as it should appear on your order sheet. If names will be printed on the item, make that a separate field and ask for the exact spelling and capitalization.
Next, capture the product choices in a way that leaves no gaps. A t-shirt size collection form should make it hard to answer “Large” without also choosing the fit type when that matters.
These fields cover most uniform or shirt orders:
Delivery is where forms often fall apart. If you allow shipping, collect the full address in one block (street, city, state or region, postal code, country) and a phone number if the carrier needs it. If you do pickup, ask them to choose a pickup location and a time window if you have limited hours.
A simple example: a school club offers a tee or hoodie in black or gray, with pickup at the front office. Your form should force three decisions (item type, size + fit, color) and then one logistics choice (pickup). That way, you don’t end up guessing whether “M” meant women’s medium, or whether they wanted one tee and one hoodie.
If you want fewer follow-ups, add one optional field at the end: “Anything we should know?” People will flag sizing concerns, split quantities, or special delivery needs before you place the order.
Most wrong shirt orders aren’t “wrong sizes” so much as “unclear questions.” If two people interpret your form differently, you’ll get two different answers, even if they both wear the same size.
Don’t ask “What size are you?” and hope everyone means the same thing. A unisex tee, a women’s fitted tee, and a hoodie can all label “M” but fit very differently.
Pick the exact product first, then include that product’s size chart right in the form. Since you’re not using images, paste the measurements as plain text (for example: chest width and body length by size). If you have multiple items (tee and hoodie), include a separate chart for each.
Also spell out the cut and sizing system in one line, like: “Unisex adult sizes (XS-3XL)” or “Youth sizes (YXS-YL).” That single detail prevents a lot of back-and-forth.
If the item is known to run small (or you’re unsure), ask for one key measurement to anchor the answer. Chest is usually the easiest because people can measure a shirt they already own.
Keep it simple:
Add a short note for “in-between” choices only if it’s true for the item you’re ordering, such as: “If you’re between sizes, size up.” If the brand runs large, say the opposite, or skip the advice entirely.
Finally, give people a small optional comment box for edge cases. This is where someone can write “I prefer a loose fit,” “long torso,” or “Please match my last order.” It keeps those details out of group chat while still giving you a way to make a better call.
A quick example: for a club order, you might see two members both pick “M,” but one adds a 42-inch chest and “loose fit.” That’s a strong hint they probably need a size up, and you catch it before you buy 30 shirts.
Pick a tool everyone can open on any device. A basic shared form app is enough for most teams. If you need a custom flow (like saving to a spreadsheet plus sending confirmations), you can also build a small web form quickly with a chat-based builder such as Koder.ai.
Start by writing a clear title and one line of context: what the shirts are for, what people are choosing, and what happens after they submit. Put the deadline on the first screen so nobody misses it.
Here’s a simple build plan that fits in one sitting:
Only ask for delivery details when delivery is part of your plan. Many tools let you show questions only when someone picks “Ship to me” instead of “Pickup”. This keeps the form short for most people and reduces bad addresses.
Before you send the t-shirt size collection form to the whole group, test it like a real participant. Open it on your phone, choose a few different options, and confirm the confirmation screen shows what you expect.
A quick test that catches most problems:
Once it passes, you’re ready to share it with confidence.
Most size problems aren’t sizing problems. They’re rollout problems: people miss the message, forget the deadline, or reply in chat with half the info.
Send one clear announcement that includes the deadline and what happens next. If you’re using a t-shirt size collection form, treat it like a mini checkout: one place to submit, one date to close, and one person to ask.
Here’s a simple message you can copy and paste:
Team - please submit your shirt details by Friday 5pm.
What to do: Fill in the form with your name, size, color choice (if any), and delivery/pickup preference.
Deadline: Friday 5pm (after that, we place the order).
What happens next: We’ll share a final summary on Monday and then order the shirts.
Questions: Message Alex (only) so we don’t miss anything.
After the first send, reminders should be short and only go to non-responders. Don’t re-explain the whole order every time. A reminder works best when it’s the same message, repeated with a tighter clock.
A simple reminder rhythm:
When the deadline hits, freeze changes. That means no edits in chat and no “just this once” exceptions. If someone missed it, they can be added to a second batch later, or they can buy their own separately. This one rule prevents last-minute swaps that cause wrong sizes and messy totals.
Keep questions going to a single point of contact. It avoids conflicting answers like “we can do name printing” or “sure, we can change colors” when you never planned for it. For example, if someone asks, “I’m between M and L, what should I pick?” the point person can respond once with your agreed policy (like “choose your usual size, we’re ordering standard unisex fit, no exchanges”).
If you want even less chasing, put responses into a simple tracker so you can instantly see who’s missing and follow up fast. Some teams build a tiny internal tool for this.
Most wrong shirt orders come from small gaps in the form, not from people trying to be difficult. Fix the weak spots up front, and your t-shirt size collection form turns into clean, order-ready data.
“Size” alone isn’t enough. A unisex cut and a women’s cut can fit very differently even when the label is the same. If you offer more than one fit, make people choose the fit first (for example: unisex, men’s, women’s, youth), then the size within that fit. Without that, you end up guessing later, and guesses turn into returns.
If someone can type anything, they will. You’ll get “Medium”, “M”, “med”, “M (snug)”, and “same as last year”. That makes sorting slow and easy to mess up.
Use a fixed choice list for sizes and keep the labels consistent. If you need extra info, add a separate notes box so the size field stays clean.
Wrong orders happen when the form assumes “one shirt per person”. Some people will want two, others will order for a partner or kid, and some will want an extra for training days. If you don’t ask for quantity, they’ll message you later, and you’ll lose track.
A simple quantity field (with a reasonable limit) prevents the classic “Can you add one more?” thread.
If everything is going to one office, one coach, or one event check-in table, you usually don’t need full home addresses. Collecting addresses in that case adds work, increases typos, and raises privacy concerns.
Instead, collect what matches your plan: pickup location choice, preferred pickup time window (if needed), and a contact method for issues.
When there’s no end date, responses drag on and you’re forced to place the order based on incomplete info. When the deadline changes, people stop taking it seriously.
Write one deadline, include the time zone, and stick to it. For example: “Submit by Friday 5:00 PM ET”. If you must extend it, do it once, and announce the new cutoff clearly.
A quick example: a club orders two shirt colors for a tournament. If the form lets people type sizes freely and doesn’t ask for fit type, you’ll end up with mismatched sizes and a pile of “I meant women’s M” messages. Two extra fields and fixed size options prevent most of that.
Once responses start coming in, your job shifts from collecting to cleaning. The goal is simple: turn mixed inputs into a single, vendor-ready order sheet you trust.
Start by standardizing sizes. Even if your form offered a dropdown, you may still see odd entries like “Large”, “L (men)”, or “XL?” from older responses or copied text. Convert everything to one set of values (XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL). Do the same for colors (for example, “navy” vs “dark blue”) so your totals are accurate.
Next, do a fast completeness check. Scan for missing delivery details (pickup vs shipping), missing last names, or missing payment status if you collect it. If your tool supports validation, flag blanks automatically, but still do one manual pass before you place the order.
When it’s clean, export to a simple order sheet. Keep one row per person, with only the fields your supplier needs, plus a couple of admin columns for you. A useful format is:
Before you submit anything, confirm totals by size and color. A quick pivot table or grouped count is usually enough. If you ordered 12 shirts but only have 11 paid, or you have 3 “black” and 3 “Black”, you want to catch it now, not after the box arrives.
Finally, keep a record of confirmations. Save the raw form export (as your source of truth) and note who submitted what and when. If someone disputes their size later, you can reply with facts instead of guessing.
Example: a club offers two colors and pickup at practice. You tally totals by size for each color, spot one response missing a color choice, and fix it before placing the final order.
Before you hit send, take two minutes to check the details that usually cause confusion later. A good t-shirt size collection form is less about fancy design and more about removing opportunities for guessing.
Start with the deadline. Put it at the top of the form and repeat it in the message you send with the form. If your group is spread across locations, write the time zone (for example, “Friday 5:00 PM ET”), so nobody assumes their local time.
Next, make sure your size info is trustworthy. Use the same size chart your vendor will actually print from, and confirm it matches the exact shirt cut (unisex, women’s, youth) and brand. If you paste measurements, keep them simple and consistent (inches or cm, not both).
Here’s a quick pre-send checklist that catches most issues:
For delivery, be specific about the plan. If it’s pickup, ask for a preferred pickup window or location only if you have multiple options. If it’s shipping, collect the full mailing address in one place and add a quick reminder to double-check spelling.
Finally, schedule a short review step. For example: “Order review on Monday: check missing sizes, confirm totals by size and color, then order.” That calendar slot prevents rushed mistakes and expensive reorders.
A school club is ordering 60 shirts for a weekend event. They want two colors (Navy and White), a mix of unisex and women’s fit, and a simple pickup plan during lunch. The goal is to collect everything once, avoid long chat threads, and end with a clean summary the vendor can copy into an invoice.
The form starts with basics: student name, phone or email (for reminders), and “Are you a club member or a parent?” Then it gets specific:
One small trick reduces wrong sizes: add a single size check question right under the size field, such as “What size do you usually wear in a standard T-shirt?” When someone picks Women’s M but writes “Usually men’s L,” you can flag it before ordering.
After two days, the organizer sorts responses by “missing” and follows up only with non-responders. A short message works best: “Quick reminder: please submit your shirt size by 3 pm today so we can place the order. Reply if you need help choosing a size.”
When it’s time to order, the organizer creates a vendor-ready summary like this (example numbers):
If you want to turn this into a reusable t-shirt size collection form with a simple admin view (late responders, counts by color, pickup lists), you can build a custom web app on Koder.ai by describing the form and rules in chat. From there you can deploy and host it, use a custom domain, and export the source code if you need to hand it off later.
Use a single form with fixed choices instead of letting people reply in chat. Make fit type and size separate required fields, and add a deadline you won’t move so the order can actually close.
Collect the few fields that make the order “vendor-ready”: full name, item type, quantity, fit type, size, color, and delivery method. Only ask for shipping address details if you truly plan to ship items.
Ask for fit first, then show size options that match that fit, so no one can submit “M” without context. A short confirmation like “I checked the size chart and I’m confident” also reduces guessing.
Don’t use a free-text field for sizes. Use a dropdown with exactly the sizes you can buy, and reserve a separate notes field for special requests like “between sizes” or “prefer loose fit.”
Include the exact size chart for the specific product you’re ordering, not a generic chart. If the item tends to run small or large, add one optional measurement (like chest) or a short note such as “If between sizes, size up,” but only if you know it’s true.
Make quantity a required field with a sensible range, even if most people will choose 1. This prevents late messages like “add one more,” which are hard to track once totals are calculated.
Ask for delivery method first (pickup or ship), then show only the fields needed for that choice. For shipping, collect the full address in one block and a phone number only if your carrier requires it.
Set one clear cutoff with a time zone and treat it as the freeze date. After that, don’t accept edits in chat; put late or changed requests into a second batch so your totals stay stable.
Send one clear announcement with the deadline and exactly what to do, then send reminders only to non-responders. Keep questions going to one point of contact so you don’t get conflicting answers or side agreements.
If you need a custom flow like conditional delivery questions, an admin view for non-responders, and automatic counts by size and color, a small web app can be easier than patching spreadsheets. With Koder.ai, you can describe the form and rules in chat, generate the app, deploy it, and export the source code if you want to hand it off later.