Discuss the process of getting your t-shirt line into brick and mortar stores and selling offline. Topics include industry tradeshows, events, line sheets, sales reps and other retailing tips and advice.
I'm trying to sell t'shirts all over the country in random states and counties out of my van. I won't ever know exactly where i will set up until i get there. Does anyone have advice on what county or city offices i will need to see about licensing etc when i get there. Is a school parking lot that's closed for the summer okay because it's public property, if i'm on someones land how much is legitimate for me to pay them for use? Just wondering if anyone else has experience with this sort of thing. thanks
Re: how do i get space on the road, public or private
Uh, actually a school parking lot is not public property, wether they are closed or not. I think your best bet would be to set up at swap meets or flea markets, but it's hard to say for sure without knowing what kind of shirts you are selling exactly.
Re: how do i get space on the road, public or private
you are tip toeing into a legal mine field I think. To be legal, you will need a sales tax or re-sellers permit for each state you sell goods in and you would need to have business lic for each jurisdiction, city or county, that you are working/selling in. Note I said to be 'legal' Does that mean you could not get by without doing so..but why would you...The rest of us get the appropriate license and permits..
As Anthony states..the school parking lot is not public property and neither is the mall parking lots. I think most jurisdictions have restriction of what/who can conduct business on public properties..
Re: how do i get space on the road, public or private
Travelin' man ain't got no zip code?
There are two different things you need to consider.
One is local OK. You may or may not need it. Some towns have a temporary "peddlers permit", or some similar term, for carnivals and other events that bring in vendors from other areas for a short stay. This could also be a county thing.
Then there is sales tax. You might be able to skate around this if you don't stay long. A lot of the time you may find the city / county / town is just interested in the permit fee and they don't care if you have a sales tax account, or not.
It really just depends. And where you might be welcomed with open arms in one state, the next you may end up in jail......
Re: how do i get space on the road, public or private
Yes I have a zip code. So basically what i gather, is at each county or city, i would go to the local city building and get the permit each one requires. I'm not trying to skirt any laws, i have no problem doing it the right way, it's just like i said I never will know whether I will be on private land or government etc. I'm doing this for a very small niche, there is no planned booth type environment. Does anyone know about just the side of a road for instance. It's kind of hard to explain without telling where it is i want to go without opening up a market that i believe is very underexploited. Anymore advice would be greatly appreciated. and thanks for your replies.
Re: how do i get space on the road, public or private
I am trying to figure out if it is best to truly go to "random" spots or at least have a planned route to your trip. Depending on your target market, the towns you set up in will have a huge impact on the kind of reaction you'll get. I would hate to think you might set up in a particular town and do lousy, while the next jurisdiction maybe 3 minutes down the road might be an untapped goldmine.
This is a discussion about how do i get space on the road, public or private that was posted in the Offline Retail and Tradeshows section of the forums.
how do i get space on the road, public or private 
