Rodney

Quote: I think what Greg and Jasonda are trying to get across, is that it is the retailers that dictate the terms of trading, not the other way around. The retailers are the ones doing you the favour by stocking your items. If they don't sell, they're the ones stuck with your merchandise.

That's a very good way of putting it succinctly. I was reading through the thread trying to figure out how both sides sounded like they had very reasonable points. But in the end, it boils down to the retailer setting the terms.

I think there *might* be a little more wiggle room if the retailer approaches you.

It's like someone coming to you wanting to buy your property. You already know they want to buy, and you obviously have what they want, so you can negotiate a bit more on terms.

If you are going to them, then they have something you want (a store to sell your clothing line in), and so they have the upper hand in the negotiation.

As an example, I once had a museum in Canada contact me because they were interested in carrying a couple of products they saw in my online store. They were having a related exhibit, so they wanted to carry some gift items. They asked me the price, I checked around to see what the best wholesale pricing I could get for those items, I gave them my wholesale price (making sure to include my profit) and asked for the payment up front via a credit card authorization for the dollar total. Once the items shipped, I processed the charge.

If I would have went to them asking to put my t-shirts in their store, they probably would have told me that I need to send them the t-shirts and an invoice and that they would pay on net 30.

I wonder if you have an exclusive line or more high end line (like affliction or rocawear) that you know sells well (is proven), if you have more ability to negotiate terms since there are probably retailers knocking down your door to be able to sell your stuff.

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spottydog

We are working on a catalog right now for our front counter. I really like yours. I went to your youtube vid. What other stuff do you do? I want to do everything out of my shop like furniture and fabric design. Right now we do straight embroidery, screen printing signs and garments and large format printing but I want to get crazy. I'm getting kinda old and I need to give birth to some of these little babies I have in my head.

 

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237am

i would think that if the line was up there then you could make your terms since it's selling......

but who has really made it big on a "street" level and didnt rely on the medium/large stores to carry their gear........ i know even ecko/etc started small...but where is the break point at to where you can push the line and have some selling power to keep it going....

it's like one of those stories where theres a homeless guy that was offered a record deal and now he travels the world........

not sure what other routes there is to make it happen..... but if i have the space, i would get my own press and start that way......

i guess it boils down to finacial backing really..... if you have the loot to create the "image" then you might make it........

b

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nution

In most businesses it takes $ to start. Further more in most businesses it takes A LOT of $ to get started.

It would be fantastic to start a company with 0 risk and 0 money and just robing Peter to pay Paul the whole way there, but that is really not reasonable.

Most people who start do start small. If you cannot afford to produce an order, that does not mean you are screwed. There is credit, loans, savings, etc. to consider. The good thing is you can start small and build your way up. You do not have to try to take on the world your first shot at it. It would probably be best to do a small run the first time to get a better feel for it I would imagine.

And you are at an advantage. You can take orders and after a month or 2 of accepting orders, crunch the #'s and figure out what you need. Then try your butt off to get the $ to make the shirts. If you cannot, then no harm no foul. You let the stores know that you will not be fulfilling orders this time around. They will probably never talk to you again, but no one lost any real money and you at least took a shot at it and next time know what to expect?

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237am

i understand the whole need money to make money............ i've been on my own for 8 years now....

i'm just still at aww with the whole payment thing...

i think i'm going to have to sit on my line then....because the last thing i need to do is send out a few catalogs with terms and then look like an *** because i request 50%upfront......... i cant sacrific my name like that.......

nickle/dime....thats hows it's always been.......

or would taking that chance to see if anyone would work with you on the line to get it into the stores......with the payment terms listed...

b

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Jasonda

237, why not take a chance with a few small retail orders done the "traditional" way, getting payment when the stuff is shipped. Check their credit, check everything that you can. Call the owners of the brands they represent in their store and ask how the store treats them. Give yourself X number of dollars that you can afford to lose if they ALL decide to try to cheat you and you are stuck with printed shirts and nowhere to sell them. Even if it's just $100 worth of printed shirts.

That way you can minimize your losses and still get your feet wet. Once you have your shirts in stores it will be much easier to get re-orders and grow from there.

Spending a few $$ to get your line in real stores is money much better spent then trying to act like a big shot and spend $$$ on marketing, hoping that stores will be begging for you as a customer on your terms. The only time I can imagine that stores are going to be begging for your line is that if you're a celebrity of some sort, or your company has a very good sales record (i.e. everything sells out once it hits the shelves, and you have the numbers to prove it).

 

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237am

i have had a few local stores want to carry my stuff.... but they all want to do consignment and i cant do that.... but yet they all carry the higher end stuff like ecko/phat farm/etc but dont want to toss any loot my way for orders...... hence why i'm trying to get my line out of detroit.......

i'm actually in the process of putting my 77 vette up for sale so i have some cash to play with..... plus to get caught up on a few things......

i think i'll work on a smaller catalog/brochure and try to hustle the smaller places....... not sure what to do for the smaller setup....maybe like a brochure type or what..... i have no clue.......

b

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pshawny

Sell that vette & chase your dream! Unless your dream is to own a vette

If it's a decent store that wants you to put shirts on consignment then why don't you do it. Give them a dozen shirts on consignment with reorders paid on delivery.

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sunnydayz

I was going to say the same thing, that if they are decent stores maybe try small orders consignment to get your name out there. That will give you more to negotiate with being able to name stores that carry your product, it might encourage bigger stores to have more of an interest if you are already being carried somewhere else, as you can be somewhat proven as a brand.

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Rodney

Quote: i have had a few local stores want to carry my stuff.... but they all want to do consignment and i cant do that.... but yet they all carry the higher end stuff like ecko/phat farm/etc but dont want to toss any loot my way for orders..

Why exactly can't you do that?

Sounds like a good opportunity. Your line next to the high end stuff like ecko/phat farm, etc. That other stuff is proven, so the fact that they are willing to include your unproven stuff *at all* is pretty cool. I don't know if you should pass that up.

Sometimes you have to take risks (calculated ones) to get the rewards you want.

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mrchristie

Nice job, hope your work pays off for you!

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Trimere_Ink

Quote: Originally Posted by 237am fabric sample at the end....... it's not easy cutting that material straight and keeping it from flexing

If it's not too late, you can easily remedy this by going to a local craft store and buying a rotary cutter and a ruler. They're made for cutting fabric. Cuts thick paper well too.

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pukingdeserthobo

nice job, it look really good

 

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DREAMGLASS

I know it's stating the obvious, but if finance is your problem, you are just going to have to do things on a smaller scale till you get established.

Looking at some of your designs, they wouldn't be that difficult to screen print. I know someone who runs a market stall, that squats on the floor every evening with a simple screen setup and prints up her own stock. Consider the possibility of perhaps doing this yourself. Give them a real tee with your catalogue.

Business will always throw endless problems at you. The trick is finding effective ways to resolve those problems. I am sure the people that started Affliction would also tell you it was tough in the early days.

 

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Solmu

Quote: Originally Posted by Jasonda Tell them what your minimum is to have it printed - they might order more to make the minimum.

To look on the bright side, the one advantage you'd have in your favour in this case is that you could offer them an exclusive on the design.

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