To re-label or not to re-label?

I agree with John that it starts with ego. As a brand owner, it's really up to you. But there is such thing as "perceived value," where the consumer will decide whether your product is worth buying. And something like a custom label or hangtag can make a big difference.

I tend to have three schools of thought on this issue:

1. Brand vs design: What is more important to your brand... the actual brand name or the designs on the shirt? If the brand name is more important, then you should have custom labels. If the design is more important, then don't worry about the labels and just focus on getting your designs out there. You can always upgrade to custom labels later on.

2. Premium blanks vs basic blanks: If you are using a premium blank like American Apparel, there is sometimes a value in letting the consumer know what they are getting. You are paying extra for that brand, so take advantage of it. But if you are using a basic brand like Gildan, sometimes it's better to relabel. Gildan is very well known and reputable, but most consumers know they are fairly inexpensive. So it can be tough to retail a shirt with a Gildan label for $20. If you are going to keep the label in, make sure your price point coincides with the perceived value of that brand of shirt.

3. Website vs retail: If you are selling on your own website, then it's up to you of you want to relabel. But if you intend to sell through retailers, you should definitely be relabeling. It's the professional thinkg to do, and you should be prepared to do it because retailers and consumers expect it on that level.

The only people that care about labels are people that are in the business. Your customer does NOT care what the hang tag says. Let's not be fools.

Seriously, have you ever checked your friends hang tag to get that really cool shirt? NO!

Have they said oh yeah, wait I know it's on my hang tag? NO!

They will tell you the store name, the website, or it was a gift.

Also, the majority of your customers can't tell the difference between shirts. Why? Because they don't care...

Finally, if you must label your shirt you can order business cards with rounded corners, a hole punch, and a gun to tag the business cards made into hang tags onto your shirts for about $50 for a thousand tags. Go that route.

Enjoy.

with the tapout reference, what you said was very true. but those times has changed and things are a lot different from when they started out. with forums like tsf, people can make reference to which t's are good, how much it cost and almost any detail you can think of about tshirts can be found.

re-labeling the item might not be the difference maker from someone buying your shirt or not, but it does add extra value towards your item as well as brand recognition after the shirt has been sold. you want the person that bought your shirt and remember that its from "xxx brand" more than you want it to be known its made using a shirt from AA. yes you want to them to know your selling a quality product, but that should be stated on the website under the description/details prior to purchasing.

its already hard enough to get someone to come visit your site, why wouldnt u spend that extra little for them to really remember where they got the shirt from?

I dont know about you? but for me.. if i like a shirt (quality and style) i dont think about whether its AA or Gilden, or what other brand made the shirt, i'd most likely go back to the brand i got it from and get stuff from them.

yes you could go with tear-away label and then print on the inside, that would work. But for personal preference, i like labels cause its cleaner looking and does not wash or fade off.