Costs me around $7.50 to buy and print the shirts. Now, I'm going to make a wholesale catalog for stores that approach me. I'm going to have the min. amount of shirts they can buy in one size 50.
is 10-12 dollars asking for too much?
Geoff,
This is a very complicated question and there are several different answers depending on your product and target market. What works for one product may not work for another, so there is no definitive answer or 'magic formula' that encompasses every wholesaler/retailer relationship.
A couple of scenarios:
My company uses a 'the more you buy the better the discount' pricing structure at the wholesale level. In other words, the guy that buys 2 dozen shirts (our minimum) is not going to pay the same price as the guy that buys 100 dozen.
Another factor is who you are wholesaling to and what type of product you are selling. If you are buying blank shirts and throwing a generic print on it, you are not going to get much for your product at a wholesale level from any retailer. If you have something unique, on a QUALITY shirt, you can ask, and get, more for your product.
Another VERY important factor is who you are actually wholesaling to. If you are selling to a boutique type reseller, you will get a bit more than selling to a t-shirt shop. If you are trying to sell to Wal-Mart, you are screwed from the get go, because THEY will dictate what price they will pay regardless of what it costs you to manufacture your goods.
As far as asking $10-12 for a shirt at wholesale, it is definitely doable, IF you are wholesaling a quality product, with a quality print. How you break down your pricing structure is totally up to you and what you feel comfortable with.