I think I've seen something similar to this question on the forums before but I couldn't find it via search.
I'll be buying my initial inventory of shirts soon. Most of my designs are strictly for black t-shirts but some will have a white t-shirt version as well. The sizes I plan to offer are M-2XL.
Unfortunately, my finances don't exactly allow me to buy 100 of each or anything like that. So, in order to determine how many to buy of each size I was wondering what sizes sell most. Obviously, the country is getting larger so I had assumed something like this:
If I remember correctly from another thread, it is the gaming crowd.
If you are going with 100 even, I think what you have is okay. There is enough in each size, so that you shouldn't run out too quickly. You can always adjust later, according to what sizes are selling.
Yeh, that had kind of crossed my mind. My shirts are shirts that people into video games and anime would like -- which is tough because we come in all shapes and sizes.
If I remember correctly from another thread, it is the gaming crowd.
If you are going with 100 even, I think what you have is okay. There is enough in each size, so that you shouldn't run out too quickly. You can always adjust later, according to what sizes are selling.
Good memory.
That is something that worries me though, Swingin, running out of shirts too quickly.
Don't get me wrong, I hope I have this problem.
When you guys order your shirts wholesale how long does it usually take for them to get out to you? I'm assuming you can pay extra to get them to ship faster?
If you have girls in your audience, I might break it down like this:
10 Small
15 Medium
25 Large
30 XLarge
15 XXLarge
5 XXXLarge
Quote:
When you guys order your shirts wholesale how long does it usually take for them to get out to you? I'm assuming you can pay extra to get them to ship faster?
I think a 1-2 week turnaround time is normal.
Managing inventory gets to be a science after a while Running out of a size should be the least of your worries. That will only help you learn for each run after that (seeing which sizes sell out faster for your market).
I'd rather run out of a t-shirt size than have a shelf full of tees that aren't moving
When you guys order your shirts wholesale how long does it usually take for them to get out to you? I'm assuming you can pay extra to get them to ship faster?
I get my shirts from Los Angeles. I live just outside of Nashville, TN.
If I order my shirts Monday morning, I have always had them by Thursday afternoon, UPS ground. That is the latest I've had them arrive. Most of the time, I get them by Wednesday!
Like you said, you can always pay for overnight if you need them that bad. A good problem to have, indeed!
If I order my shirts Monday morning, I have always had them by Thursday afternoon, UPS ground. That is the latest I've had them arrive. Most of the time, I get them by Wednesday!
Are we just talking about the blank t-shirts, or the screen printed t-shirts from the printer?
Given how skinny some nerds can be I think chucking in some smalls would be a good idea. Likewise for the gaming market I'd add some 3XL's - in other markets maybe not, but for that one yes.
(personally I'd probably go with something like Rodney's curve, except maybe a few less smalls, rolling those into larges)
Why are you buying inventory. Where I get my tees I get them within 2-3 days. Unless you offering pre printed shirts and your telling your customer that you will ship within 24 hours then I would suggest you buy a small sampling of sizes and order as you need them. How fast are you going to sell 100 shirts (Unless it is a wholesale client) What if you buy 20 med and then you sell 24 med Now you have to order more shirts anyway. I have no more than 24 shirts here at one time and I tell my clients 2 week delivery (The Norm) I don't have any problems filling any shirt order. And it is a financially sound move. My money is in the bank not on stock that is not selling.. But , that's me and I have been in retailing over 30 years.
I have no more than 24 shirts here at one time and I tell my clients 2 week delivery (The Norm)
That's the norm for heat pressed shirts?
WOW!
If I went to a site and saw that it was going to take 2 weeks to get my shirt, they wouldn't be getting my money!
2 weeks?!
I think the inventory issue has a large part to do with the delivery time your customers expect. If they are willing to wait 2 weeks for a heat pressed shirt, then you don't need to have that many blanks on hand.
On the other hand, if you have on your site that customers can expect shipment within a certain period of time, and you can't meet that because you don't have enough blanks on hand to fill orders timely, that is not a good thing.
But in this age of instant gratification and the ability to have shipped items arrive quickly, even shipped via ground, I have a hard time believing that customers
are okay with waiting 2 weeks for a shirt unless you can give them a VERY good reason why it takes so long. Like you are growing the cotton and weaving the shirt and custom making it to their measurements!
Why are you buying inventory. Where I get my tees I get them within 2-3 days. Unless you offering pre printed shirts and your telling your customer that you will ship within 24 hours then I would suggest you buy a small sampling of sizes and order as you need them. How fast are you going to sell 100 shirts (Unless it is a wholesale client) What if you buy 20 med and then you sell 24 med Now you have to order more shirts anyway. I have no more than 24 shirts here at one time and I tell my clients 2 week delivery (The Norm) I don't have any problems filling any shirt order. And it is a financially sound move. My money is in the bank not on stock that is not selling.. But , that's me and I have been in retailing over 30 years.
That's exactly how I do it. I started out with 8 - 15 days delivery time and gathered orders over about a 4 day period (to save on shipping costs), then ordered all the shirts, pressed, and sent them out. I've never hit 15 days and people have had absolutely no problem with it. Now, since I keep the transfers in stock I can have a shirt out in as little as 24 hours if I need to since my supplier is local. I don't do business this way because it shrinks the profit, but if I had to I could. My average turnaround time is now cut in half.
Anyway, no funds tied up in shelved inventory is awesome, and what attracted me to this business in the first place (since I'm poor ).
Buying inital inventory, how many? 
Running out of a size should be the least of your worries. That will only help you learn for each run after that (seeing which sizes sell out faster for your market).
