Should I use Teespring or a manufacturer?

[MitchM]

I feel like I know the answer to this question but I just want to make sure. I am going to roll out several products for a community which desperately wants merchandise but doesn't have any. The scale will be rather limited because the community is niche, but I have the opportunity to fulfill a real need here within a relatively short period of time.

What I want to do is post t-shirts, hoodies, and socks with different designs and open them for pre-orders and order the quantities based on that.

I am already in contact with some legitimate manufacturers and just need to send them the designs for quotes. My concern is that I will end up with an order quantity which will not be substantial enough for the manufacturer to consider it worthwhile to put different designs into production.

A general estimate for total pieces sold would be 1000-5000 but it could be higher. Let's say that one design gets 100 pre-orders. Would a manufacturer be open to running such a small production?

I guess that this question comes from my ignorance of the production process. Anyways, would Teespring be a better use of my time? I'm pretty sure my margin would be way smaller...

Thanks for any help!

 

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[PureA]

If you know you will get the sales manufacturer them yourself and avoid teespring.

If you want to eliminate risk, teespring...

It's up to you to decide what "desperately wants merchandise" really means...

you submit your decision with your $£$£$£

 

[MitchM]

If you know you will get the sales manufacturer them yourself and avoid teespring.

If you want to eliminate risk, teespring...

It's up to you to decide what "desperately wants merchandise" really means...

you submit your decision with your $£$£$£

I'm getting pre-orders before I order from the manufacturer (but am getting samples before I post the pre-order). Even though it is apparel I'm pretty confident that this group will be cool with that.

 

[Argue]

If you know you will get the sales manufacturer them yourself and avoid teespring.

If you want to eliminate risk, teespring...

It's up to you to decide what "desperately wants merchandise" really means...

you submit your decision with your $£$£$£

Question, how does one find a manufacturer?

 

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[MitchM]

Question, how does one find a manufacturer?

There are a bunch of sites where you can find them - the most well known being alibaba.com

You've got to know how to search through the different sites and how to assess whether or not they are a real manufacturer or just a trader/wholesaler. Walter Hay's book Import Direct from China is a great resource.

 

[Walter Hay]

If you have the time to do the manufacturing yourself you will find that there are a number of companies in the USA stocking branded and unbranded Tee Shirts. Prices are generally reasonable for ex-stock items and you can usually buy an order of mixed sizes and colors. That might be simpler than importing, and you will be able to check quality before making a big commitment.

You can print them yourself if you invest in a heat press for about $300. This is one of the subjects I deal with in my new labeling book.

Walter

 

[MitchM]

If you have the time to do the manufacturing yourself you will find that there are a number of companies in the USA stocking branded and unbranded Tee Shirts. Prices are generally reasonable for ex-stock items and you can usually buy an order of mixed sizes and colors. That might be simpler than importing, and you will be able to check quality before making a big commitment.

You can print them yourself if you invest in a heat press for about $300. This is one of the subjects I deal with in my new labeling book.

Walter

Thank you very much for the info. I am really considering buying Power Labels right now as I have Import Direct from China and it is fantastic, but I don't know if it is something I really need in this moment. You say that the book teaches you how to build a great brand as well as provide different suppliers of labels etc. Could you give kind of a table of contents overview of the information you provide that allows you to do that?

I think it would help a lot of people decide whether or not to invest the $50.

 

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[wade1mil]

It probably depends on the quantity you need. If you're selling a lot of shirts, then a manufacturer will surely give you greater margins (and greater chance of excess inventory). Teespring would be great for validation since you can order one at a time.

 

[MitchM]

It probably depends on the quantity you need. If you're selling a lot of shirts, then a manufacturer will surely give you greater margins (and greater chance of excess inventory). Teespring would be great for validation since you can order one at a time.

Nice, I didn't think about using it just for validation. Once I'm finished with the designs I may use that but I also think that Walter's idea of getting a heat press is really good.

 

[paulmp]

I would look at Teespring to get together your "MVP" to test the market for your product before you go on to manufacturing.
The main issue with Teespring is that you hand over many elements of control, which in the long run can come back to you burn you.

A few examples of the risks:
Quality - Teespring decide to change tshirt manufacturers to one with a lower quality product without informing anyone (their prerogative), your sales drop off as customers decide your quality isn't worth your pricing
Ethical/politcal - Teespring do something political that gets social media in an uproar and social media starts hunting down anyone using them and trying to hurt their business (this has happened in my sector with a few people either side of "controversial" issues), manufacturers have their own risk in this to some regard too ie - child labour in certain countries.
Customer service - if you are getting Teespring to deliver directly, they might not white label packages or they start delaying shipping etc.

There are a few other outcomes that would be completely out of your control with using them long term, but I would definitely use them to test the waters so you aren't stuck with 5000 of your favourite shirts.

 

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[MitchM]

I would look at Teespring to get together your "MVP" to test the market for your product before you go on to manufacturing.
The main issue with Teespring is that you hand over many elements of control, which in the long run can come back to you burn you.

A few examples of the risks:
Quality - Teespring decide to change tshirt manufacturers to one with a lower quality product without informing anyone (their prerogative), your sales drop off as customers decide your quality isn't worth your pricing
Ethical/politcal - Teespring do something political that gets social media in an uproar and social media starts hunting down anyone using them and trying to hurt their business (this has happened in my sector with a few people either side of "controversial" issues), manufacturers have their own risk in this to some regard too ie - child labour in certain countries.
Customer service - if you are getting Teespring to deliver directly, they might not white label packages or they start delaying shipping etc.

There are a few other outcomes that would be completely out of your control with using them long term, but I would definitely use them to test the waters so you aren't stuck with 5000 of your favourite shirts.

Thanks for the solid advice. Now I am on the fence between the heat press and a manufacturer for the long term but I think I am going to go with the heat press. Thankfully I am certain that the shirts will sell well because the "head honcho" of the community (so to speak) originally sold t-shirts but stopped because of other priorities.

What I am offering is to make all of this merchandise available to the community for a 50/50 split in profit. The main rub is knowing which designs will be ordered most - which can be partially solved by having the press which allows me to make them as the orders come. However, I am going to be doing t-shirts, hoodies, mousepads, and maybe even socks to start out with so I may need to run a pre-order first. Otherwise it will be guesswork.

 

[Walter Hay]

Thank you very much for the info. I am really considering buying Power Labels right now as I have Import Direct from China and it is fantastic, but I don't know if it is something I really need in this moment. You say that the book teaches you how to build a great brand as well as provide different suppliers of labels etc. Could you give kind of a table of contents overview of the information you provide that allows you to do that?

I think it would help a lot of people decide whether or not to invest the $50.

Here is the contents list from my Labeling book. Chapter 7 has 26 subsections each dealing with a different branding or labeling method. Several of those methods would be applicable to Tee Shirts.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Branding And Marketing ̶ Opportunity Knocks.
2 Why Use Quality Labels? ̶ What They Can Achieve.
3 Brand Names, Logos, And Slogans ̶ Examples And Ideas.
4 The Design Process ̶ DIY Or Outsource?
5 Learn From Your Competitors ̶ Don’t Copy, But Learn
6 Technical Terms - Explained Here Because Abbreviations Are Used.
7 Labeling & Branding Methods ̶ Choosing The Right One For Your Product And Your Image.
8 Powerful Packaging ̶ As Important As Labeling.
9 Labeling Your Product And Packing Your Packages ̶ Avoiding The Tedious Work.
10 Colors ̶ The Right Choice Can Boost Sales.
11 Choosing Products To Sell ̶ The Importance Of A USP.
12 Private Label Product Suppliers ̶ Basic Procedures For Best Results.
13 Product Suppliers Outside The USA ̶ How To Locate Them.
14 Open Tool ̶ Let Others Pay For The Tooling.
15 My Experience ̶ As A Private Label Manufacturer And A Label Seller.
16 Product Liability ̶ A Note Of Caution.
17 Labeling Compliance ̶ Keeping Within The Law.
18 Trademarks And Patents
19 Protect Your Brand From Your Suppliers By Using Post- Production Labeling Or Branding
20 Over-branding (Covering) Brands On Generic Products

I am very conscious of my reputation on the forum and consequently don't want anyone to be dissatisfied with my offering. It might not be suitable for what a member intends doing with private labeling, and that is to my mind, good reason to be dissatisfied. If anyone requests a refund via email to Imagemodeuk as shown in the book, it will be done within 24 hours, with no questions asked.

Walter
P.S. If you like the book, a review sent to ImagemodeUK would be appreciated.

 

[Deleted20833]

I'd use teespring or something similar

I would always overestimate how successful
a business would be especially in the beginning

Go with teespring until you can order in bulk
without blinking an eye

 

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[MitchM]

Here is the contents list from my Labeling book. Chapter 7 has 26 subsections each dealing with a different branding or labeling method. Several of those methods would be applicable to Tee Shirts.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Branding And Marketing ̶ Opportunity Knocks.
2 Why Use Quality Labels? ̶ What They Can Achieve.
3 Brand Names, Logos, And Slogans ̶ Examples And Ideas.
4 The Design Process ̶ DIY Or Outsource?
5 Learn From Your Competitors ̶ Don’t Copy, But Learn
6 Technical Terms - Explained Here Because Abbreviations Are Used.
7 Labeling & Branding Methods ̶ Choosing The Right One For Your Product And Your Image.
8 Powerful Packaging ̶ As Important As Labeling.
9 Labeling Your Product And Packing Your Packages ̶ Avoiding The Tedious Work.
10 Colors ̶ The Right Choice Can Boost Sales.
11 Choosing Products To Sell ̶ The Importance Of A USP.
12 Private Label Product Suppliers ̶ Basic Procedures For Best Results.
13 Product Suppliers Outside The USA ̶ How To Locate Them.
14 Open Tool ̶ Let Others Pay For The Tooling.
15 My Experience ̶ As A Private Label Manufacturer And A Label Seller.
16 Product Liability ̶ A Note Of Caution.
17 Labeling Compliance ̶ Keeping Within The Law.
18 Trademarks And Patents
19 Protect Your Brand From Your Suppliers By Using Post- Production Labeling Or Branding
20 Over-branding (Covering) Brands On Generic Products

I am very conscious of my reputation on the forum and consequently don't want anyone to be dissatisfied with my offering. It might not be suitable for what a member intends doing with private labeling, and that is to my mind, good reason to be dissatisfied. If anyone requests a refund via email to Imagemodeuk as shown in the book, it will be done within 24 hours, with no questions asked.

Walter
P.S. If you like the book, a review sent to ImagemodeUK would be appreciated.

Thank you so much Walter! As soon as packaging and product labeling are necessary I know where to look.

Edit: Additionally, does anybody know of any good sources for buying t-shirts wholesale like Walter brought up earlier?

 

[Walter Hay]

Thank you so much Walter! As soon as packaging and product labeling are necessary I know where to look.

Edit: Additionally, does anybody know of any good sources for buying t-shirts wholesale like Walter brought up earlier?

I doubt that you could do any better than Wholesale t-shirts and other blank printable shirts at wholesale prices

Walter