Blank for my line. Please help.

1237 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Comin'OutSwingin, May 23, 2014

princeholiday

Discussion Starter · May 22, 2014

I'm looking for advice on which blank to choose for startup.

- I've bought shirts from JC, EDTeabelly, Boomslank, and LoudSilence. JC, ET, BS uses the AA2001, LoudSilence uses Alstyle 1301. I personally like the AA2001 feel and definitely can tell the difference between the AA2001 and Alstyle 1301.

- I would like to use AA2001 but (price!), which alternatives are there to AA2001 that are less expensive from your experience and also are comparable in quality/shrinkage/printing/fit of the AA2001.

Thanks for all the help, also the color of the Cranberry AA2001 Shirt.

Anvil 980
Hanes 4980
Next Level 3600
Canvas 3001
Gildan 64000
Tultex 0202
Alstyle 5301

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treefox2118

· #2 · May 22, 2014

I absolutely love the Canvas 3001. It's very cost effective, feels amazing, comes in a lot of colors, and is consistent.

Downside: the collar hem stitching wears out after washing a few times.

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Comin'OutSwingin

· #3 · May 22, 2014

princeholiday said:
I'm looking for advice on which blank to choose for startup.

- I've bought shirts from JC, EDTeabelly, Boomslank, and LoudSilence. JC, ET, BS uses the AA2001, LoudSilence uses Alstyle 1301. I personally like the AA2001 feel and definitely can tell the difference between the AA2001 and Alstyle 1301.

- I would like to use AA2001 but (price!), which alternatives are there to AA2001 that are less expensive from your experience and also are comparable in quality/shrinkage/printing/fit of the AA2001.

Thanks for all the help, also the color of the Cranberry AA2001 Shirt.

Anvil 980
Hanes 4980
Next Level 3600
Canvas 3001
Gildan 64000
Tultex 0202
Alstyle 5301

First, I would completely eliminate Tultex from your list. It's just my opinion, so take it for what it's worth.

I've gotten different samples of Tultex over several years (just to see if they've gotten better), and using them for a brand that you would consider using AA for just won't work. They come apart *very* easily. They shrink at least a shirt size on the first wash, and they get hard and rigid.

If you really like AA, you need to consider how much you want to make from the sale of each shirt, and maybe price your shirts accordingly. You also may want to find better prices for AA.

If you're letting your printer source them for you, some printers charge WAY more for sourcing blanks than other printers. Shop different printers, and shop different blank vendors. Compare the prices of AA at different vendors and see who has the best pricing. Then see if you can find a printer that will print on your supplied AA shirts.

I've got wholesale accounts at several blank vendors, but I let my printer supply my AA shirts. They only charge about 50 cents more for AA than I would pay buying them myself.

Everyone is free to run their business as they see fit. But I'll tell you how I came to the conclusion of paying the extra $ for AA. Take your Gildan shirt for example. If the Gildan is $2 less than AA, is paying the extra $2 per shirt worth it to your brand? Can you charge an extra $2 to your customer and they know that the shirt is worth at least $2 more if you had used what you perceive to be a lesser quality shirt?

For me, the price difference didn't justify using what I perceived to be a lesser quality shirt. I don't know what price point you retail your shirts for, but if you charged $21.99 instead of $19.99 (or $26 instead of $24?) and used what you perceived to be a better shirt for your brand, would that $2 break you or your brand? Your customer just paid the price difference.

Or better yet, can you sell at what you want your price point to be, and still be successful? For me I could. Making $2 less per shirt wasn't going to ruin my business or my profit. Every shirt I sell is almost 4 times what I have in the shirt. So, paying $2 more for AA gives me a better shirt (in my opinion), which is better for my brand, and I can still make a decent profit.

My advice to you is to find the best blank that works for you, and see if you can make the retail price point justify the price of the blank.

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princeholiday

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 23, 2014 (Edited)

Comin'OutSwingin said:
First, I would completely eliminate Tultex from your list. It's just my opinion, so take it for what it's worth.

I've gotten different samples of Tultex over several years (just to see if they've gotten better), and using them for a brand that you would consider using AA for just won't work. They come apart *very* easily. They shrink at least a shirt size on the first wash, and they get hard and rigid.

If you really like AA, you need to consider how much you want to make from the sale of each shirt, and maybe price your shirts accordingly. You also may want to find better prices for AA.

If you're letting your printer source them for you, some printers charge WAY more for sourcing blanks than other printers. Shop different printers, and shop different blank vendors. Compare the prices of AA at different vendors and see who has the best pricing. Then see if you can find a printer that will print on your supplied AA shirts.

I've got wholesale accounts at several blank vendors, but I let my printer supply my AA shirts. They only charge about 50 cents more for AA than I would pay buying them myself.

Everyone is free to run their business as they see fit. But I'll tell you how I came to the conclusion of paying the extra $ for AA. Take your Gildan shirt for example. If the Gildan is $2 less than AA, is paying the extra $2 per shirt worth it to your brand? Can you charge an extra $2 to your customer and they know that the shirt is worth at least $2 more if you had used what you perceive to be a lesser quality shirt?

For me, the price difference didn't justify using what I perceived to be a lesser quality shirt. I don't know what price point you retail your shirts for, but if you charged $21.99 instead of $19.99 (or $26 instead of $24?) and used what you perceived to be a better shirt for your brand, would that $2 break you or your brand? Your customer just paid the price difference.

Or better yet, can you sell at what you want your price point to be, and still be successful? For me I could. Making $2 less per shirt wasn't going to ruin my business or my profit. Every shirt I sell is almost 4 times what I have in the shirt. So, paying $2 more for AA gives me a better shirt (in my opinion), which is better for my brand, and I can still make a decent profit.

My advice to you is to find the best blank that works for you, and see if you can make the retail price point justify the price of the blank.

Thanks for the information, your advice on the shirt cost is what's pushing me to think about price per shirt vs quality. I would love to print on AA, but the cost per shirt is around 9.67 with the .30 cent discount per shirt. I have 3 colors in front and 2 colors in back.

How many colors do you have on your shirts to make 4 times your cost including shipping, packaging, etc..?

Thanks again.

My personal preference is AA, but I understand that my customers would most likely like a more traditional fit. What's your experience with Alstyle 1701's? Thinking about going with that for my first 100 piece run.

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LFAthletics

· #5 · May 23, 2014

In my opinion if you're looking for start up your best bet is to stick with Gildan 5000 because it is a heavier cotton, very inexpensive and is very durable - I still use G5000 because my customers love it and it doesn't cost me too much overhead, it allows me more money to invest in higher quality prints instead. Once you get established you can widen your range of brands no doubt, but target your crowd first and sample your shirts to get a feel for how popular your products are going to be.

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Comin'OutSwingin

· #6 · May 23, 2014

princeholiday said:
Thanks for the information, your advice on the shirt cost is what's pushing me to think about price per shirt vs quality. I would love to print on AA, but the cost per shirt is around 9.67 with the .30 cent discount per shirt. I have 3 colors in front and 2 colors in back.

How many colors do you have on your shirts to make 4 times your cost including shipping, packaging, etc..?

Thanks again.

My personal preference is AA, but I understand that my customers would most likely like a more traditional fit. What's your experience with Alstyle 1701's? Thinking about going with that for my first 100 piece run.

That's a lot of colors.

2 print locations with multiple colors in each location is going to cost you, obviously. If your design calls for it then so be it.

I don't have any experience with Alstyle at all, so I can't help you there. Sorry.

If Alstyle is the style that your target demographic prefers, then that's all that matters.

I used to mainly have plastisol prints, but I've recently switched to water based inks, so I've got a new printer that only does water base and discharge. I'm picking up an order tomorrow of 4 colors on the front of white AA.

I usually order between 100-200 shirts per design when I order, so the price breaks are pretty good, even with water based inks. That allows me to keep my retail prices in line with other brands in my target demographic, and I'm able to get close to 4 times the cost of my printed shirt.

I also cut costs in areas. I've got custom packaging that I print myself. I also heat press my neck labels inside the shirts myself.

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