[MICKEYRAWZ]

Is it a good idea to take orders from retailers before i produce my tshirts and then ship? Or should i print up/produce my tshirts and stock them in my basement so i have them on hand?
Im trying to figure out whats the better way to approach this.
Thanks in advance

 

[kimura-mma]

Building inventory without sales is always risky because you may get stuck with unsold shirts. But the advantage is being able to offer immediate delivery, so retailers may make impulse buys. It's probably best to split the difference. Try going out and getting some orders. Then produce extras so you can deliver on your orders plus have additional inventory for new orders and re-orders.

Something else to consider is sales samples. Do you have them? Chances are, retailers will want to see samples before placing an order. So you may need to do a production run before making sales calls anyway.

 

[taricp35]

Do you have retailers lined up? If not get them first, not as easy as some think. If so then I would print them as the sales come in as you have time to deliver the goods.

 

[OnTheSand]

i'M A RETAILER I'M USE TO WAITING TWO WEEKS FOR MY MERCHANDISE BUT YOU BETTER HAVE A REAL SAMPLE OF THE PRODUCT NOT JUST SOME MOCK UP OR PRINTOUT.

 

[taricp35]

wow two weeks.....the company i do contract printing for have 4 weeks to get them to the retailer, and i have two weeks to get them printed and shipped.

 

[MICKEYRAWZ]

I dont have my samples yet. Im about to decide on my blanks this week and hopefully find me a good screen printer by next week. I didnt want to make a first production run on a small quantity based on higher pricing. I wouldve rather got better pricing on a larger quantity but i do realize the necessity of having my samples.
I know it varies but whats usually the production turnaround time for a screen printer?
What season are smaller retail stores (specialty/niche/boutique/streetwear) buying in july? Are they buying for fall? (sept/oct) or is their budget more like cash on hand?
Thanks again for all your help!! I really appreciate it!!!

 

[DimSum]

Mickey,

You need to invest if you are serious about business. You should have 5 to 10 styles in stock at least, and then you can present new designs in line sheets (catalogs). T-shrits are already cheap to produce and you can sell many of the same designs season after season. I make fashion garments and we don't have it as easy.

One shoulder tops might still sell now, but I might have to close out any inventory for dirty cheap next year. There are thousands of clothing brands out there with fresh designs every week and inventory ready to ship. Don't look like a complete amateur to retailers by having only a few computuer print outs to show and nothing to sell.

Some retailers can wait some can't. Hot Topic gave me 4 weeks to ship, but some boutiques wanted goods asap. It depends.

You can build your business with a small collection, but you still need to look professional, and not like a starving artist.