Im generally new to the business and always had a passion to design my own shirts. Im so glad to have found this forum, because you guys generally have all the bases covered, no stone unturned, which helps people like me a ton. So thanks!
The main thing Im trying to figure out, and maybe I can get some good feedback, is the most cost efficient way to start selling.
Im starting out small, with maybe 4-5 designs and maybe print out 50 of each design. I want to have them done as professional as possible. I want brand labels, hang tags, etc.
My designs are fairly simple ones, using just 2-3 colors max.
should I purchase a screen printing start up kit? Should I outsource, if so what does that generally cost?
Also, Im a web designer. So I can easily design my own website, etc.
Yeah, keep the colors down and make them really amazing!
Its always a gamble to print 50 + shirts of unproven designs, so I would go through the whole reviewing the designs with random people and see what people like.
I am having a DTG printer hook me up with one-offs of my designs so I can wear them myself and see if people are like wow! That rocks I want one.
It is just how I am going to do it, before I go to the screening outsourcing process.
Otherwise do the screenprinting process and you should be just fine on price. I would try and find a local source that way you don't have to deal with shipping, but there are printing companies that will do everything for you.
Can't think of them off the top of my head but you someone will chime in and tell you
Just letting you know, screenprinting is considered almost art, or artform from quite a few people on here. It is definitely not something that can be learned in a weekend. You will most likely get better results from a paid professional.
That way you can get started and reinvest the money into other equipment like the starter kit.
Just remember and be realistic about your abilities to do the things that you want to do.
Better to have a top shelf product then anything else.
Depends on where your passion lies.. I got into this biz with a good friend of mine that cares more about designing than the printing side of it.. He knows how to print (as we both learned it together) , but he spends more time designing than printing! (cuz his love is in the design process!)
So if you wanna invest the time to learn.. do it. If you are looking to just get the designs out there with a quickness.. Definitely outsource to start with.. Try and find someone that wont rape you on the minimums, but realize that screen printers gotta eat too .. so don't be surprised with the lower amounts paying more..
Maybe do a test on the kinda people you think will buy your designs.. ask around... get feedback on the designs/ artwork that you want printed, as you dont want 50 copies of something you think looks cool, but the rest of the world think its poo poo.. (I'm not saying your work is poor by any means) Just do a little testing before you get stuck with a buncha shirts that end up in your closet for 10 years before they deplete!
Maybe even invest in a heatpress for a few hundred bucks to make mock-ups with and see if they are worthy of screen printing ... (yes heatpress shirts dont last nearly as long, fade, crack, peel, fart and all that other unsightliness :P )
-Deuce
Last edited by Comin'OutSwingin; April 15th, 2008 at 11:17 PM.
Reason: removed url per forum guidelines...please feel free to add your url to your signature.
Well, right now you should clear up a few things.
Personally I would not buy screenprinting equipment since it's not something everyone can do, as easy as it looks on youtube videos.
Your best bet is test the waters with the whole tshirt-selling idea first. If you like it then you could start thinking in the longterm i.e. get equipment, work out deals with local printers, etc.
However, if you realize that this isn't your cup of tea, you won't lose as much, as if you were to buy all the equipment and so on.
thanks...Ive decided to hold up on buying any equipment and outsource it to a local screen print shop. So far, this is how things are adding up just for the shirts themselves.
So Im looking at roughly $7.54/shirt. Do you guys have any recommendations on pricing your shirts. Im going to test them out by selling them at a Flea Market, but people always try to weasel the price down. Is $15 too high??
There is no set t-shirt price.
I would start at at least $20 that way you can go down to $15 and people feel like they haggled you down, and you still make your profit.
Do you guys have any recommendations on pricing your shirts. Im going to test them out by selling them at a Flea Market, but people always try to weasel the price down. Is $15 too high??
Your right Peace2TheRest I just got my shirts in and I got 4 dz of each design 2 different designs my cost into them was $6.00 I wanted to sell them for $15.00 but my buddy owns a local hip hop store and thats what my clothing line is he started selling them for $20.00 and there going like hot cakes!
Yup. plus if you start at $15 your branding will be tough to ever make people feel like they are special for wearing one of your shirts.
Most people want something others don't have, and are willing to pay for it.
I am going to market and sell my shirts for around $25-35. Can always come back down. But my time is precious to me and if I am going to be putting so much effort into my shirts then I feel like I should be rewarded for it.
Plus donating $ from each sale to charity so i have to account for that too.
I agree, from what I've seen people don't seem to bat an eye when paying $20+ for a nice quality t-shirt. And to be able to wear an up and coming brand will be alluring to customers as well! I'd probably start out around $25 so as another poster said if you have to reduce price later on you still profit!
Most Cost Efficient Way to Start Selling 
