anvil ringspun tees or american apparel ring spun?
hi all.
my printer recently stopped carrying the american apparel shirts that i liked, but he offered me the anvil shirt that very close to it..
my question is should i go through the trouble of opening a whole sale account so that i can buy the AA shirts? or should i just stick with anvil (which would be a lot easier)?
Re: anvil ringspun tees or american apparel ring spun?
Your printer is most likely marking up the product to cover their costs associated with storage and the labor involved in just ordering the product. You can save additional $$ by opening up a wholesale account and ordering product directly from your source yourself.
However, you can save even more $$ by working with factories/vendors that do not spend as much as American Apparel or Anvil on marketing (most have better product as well). Depending on how many pieces you are working with per run you might also consider "graduating" to a more custom program by doing your own cut & sew or working with PFDs and garment dyeing the product.
Re: anvil ringspun tees or american apparel ring spun?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gratz_The_King
is anvil much worse than AA?
In general, I'd say yes. In the specific case of this shirt, it's better than their standard line, yeah? I know I've seen/felt a sample, but I barely remember it. I don't take that as a good sign though, as I remember plenty of other blanks I saw at the same trade show.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gratz_The_King
intercontex, so youre suggesting i open the whole sale account? isnt it a tedious and long process that not everyone can do?
It's not tedious or long, but you are correct that they won't give a wholesale account to everyone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gratz_The_King
my other option is that i try a different printer? do you think ill have any success and that they might offer the AA shirts that i like?
I'm actually surprised pretty much any printer won't print on AA, so yeah, I'd expect you to have success finding another printer who will.
Re: anvil ringspun tees or american apparel ring spun?
The process to open up an account is not that difficult. You will most likely just need a seller's permit from your state and a credit card.
Nothing against American Apparel, but there are many vendors selling fantastic product at comparable prices (most are based in Los Angeles). Some do not have neck labels on their product (only a care label on the side seam).
If you work with a vendor that offers PFDs you will also have the freedom and option to choose whatever PMS color you want instead of what is available in stock. I prefer garment dyed programs like that because I can also add enzyme washes to further soften the fabric and make it feel more delicious. You would be surprised how amazing you can make your product for just a bit more sometimes. In the end, quality will differentiate your brand from your competition.
Re: anvil ringspun tees or american apparel ring spun?
Quote:
Originally Posted by intercontex
The process to open up an account is not that difficult. You will most likely just need a seller's permit from your state and a credit card.
Nothing against American Apparel, but there are many vendors selling fantastic product at comparable prices (most are based in Los Angeles). Some do not have neck labels on their product (only a care label on the side seam).
If you work with a vendor that offers PFDs you will also have the freedom and option to choose whatever PMS color you want instead of what is available in stock. I prefer garment dyed programs like that because I can also add enzyme washes to further soften the fabric and make it feel more delicious. You would be surprised how amazing you can make your product for just a bit more sometimes. In the end, quality will differentiate your brand from your competition.
is this a big problem? i thought the only things required were the name brand neck tag, a care tag, and hang tag?
am i correct? and if so, why is it a problem if the care tag is on the side and not by the neck
Re: anvil ringspun tees or american apparel ring spun?
are some of those cheaper shirts like the hanes #4980 that pshawny suggested comparable to AA? would i have to lower my planned price for the shirts since the quality wont be as good? i dont want to make my customers feel like im cheating them
Re: anvil ringspun tees or american apparel ring spun?
I have been using Alstyle Apparel 1701 and 5301 alot lately. They are mid and lightweight combed ringspun with tear away tags for easy relabeling. The 5301 is side seamed with a fashion cut. I used Anvil 980 once, and discharge white came out tan. I just received some samples from Pacific Sports ----- Retail Quality Wholesale Price Blank T-Shirts and they are very nice. Haven't printed them yet though. Pricing on both of these brands mentioned above is less than American Apparel, and quality is comparable.
Re: anvil ringspun tees or american apparel ring spun?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gratz_The_King
are some of those cheaper shirts like the hanes #4980 that pshawny suggested comparable to AA? would i have to lower my planned price for the shirts since the quality wont be as good? i dont want to make my customers feel like im cheating them
There are three ways to beat American Apparel on price and/or quality.
1) Pay more for a better product from a competing company
2) Pay less for a better product because you contract a factory yourself (harder, but a good option when you're up for it)
3) Pay less for a product of comparable quality, but make tradeoffs in other areas.
If you are paying less than American Apparel, chances are you're missing out on a couple of things: their awesome colour range, and their made in America sweatshop free heavily marketed brand name recognition angle.
More goes into whether or not a product is worthwhile than just the quality of the cotton, and while there are better off-the-shelf blanks than American Apparel, I don't know of any that are both better and cheaper.
Still, comparable implies a range and not a perfect match. So are there comparable shirts? Yes.
(bear in mind I'm not actually cheerleading for American Apparel here; I think they have a good product, are a severely flawed company, and have superior competitors - but they're a huge company and better at what they do than the other huge companies)
In my opinion, if you're not using a locally made product then you'll need to lower your price point a little.
This is a discussion about anvil ringspun tees or american apparel ring spun? that was posted in the General T-Shirt Selling Discussion section of the forums.
anvil ringspun tees or american apparel ring spun? 
...is anvil much worse than AA?
