# Shirts from wholesaler or printer?



## jwids18 (Dec 5, 2010)

Hello guys, I have been searching the forums through and through the last few days and have not been able to find an exact answer to this question. I am going to be starting my own t-shirt business, selling t-shirts that I created myself. 

The question I have is, would I be better off buying the wholesale t-shirts myself. Or, do most professional screen printers have shirts that they use themselves and don't even accept your t-shirts. I would like to use some higher quality t-shirts ones such as alternative apparel, sanmar apparel, relik apparel etc. I understand American Apparel is what everybody likes, but I want something with a little higher quality. So would I be better off getting these shirts wholesale myself or would my screen printer have some higher quality shirts to offer me? 

The screen printer that I want to use and most likely will use is Sunburst Apparel Website since I live in Wisconsin and they are not located that far away from me.

I appreciate any input that you guys have to offer.

Thanks, Jake!


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## kevinjh (Nov 13, 2010)

If you have already chosen a printer then my suggestion would be to contact them and see if they carry the brands you are interested in using or if they would prefer you provide your own garments. If you do end up providing your own just remember that you will be expected to provide additional shirts over the number you are looking to get in order to allow for errors in the printing process.


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## Smckee21 (Jul 23, 2010)

I would speak with your printer first, as usually thay can offer a very competitive price and may have free shipping options as well which you may not get if you order direct from a wholesaler.


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## jwids18 (Dec 5, 2010)

Thank you gentlemen very much! I have not chose them for sure yet but they are most likely going to be my choice. I have already contacted them and will follow up to find out what my choices are. They are pretty big so I'm sure they will have some competitive pricing.


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## Relik Apparel (Jul 10, 2009)

jwids18 said:


> The question I have is, would I be better off buying the wholesale t-shirts myself. Or, do most professional screen printers have shirts that they use themselves and don't even accept your t-shirts.
> 
> *I would like to use some higher quality t-shirts ones such as alternative apparel, sanmar apparel, relik apparel etc*. I understand American Apparel is what everybody likes, but I want something with a little higher quality. So would I be better off getting these shirts wholesale myself or would my screen printer have some higher quality shirts to offer me?
> 
> ...


Hi Jake, first let me thank you for considering our products.

I was in your position about 2 years ago so I understand where you are coming from. Basically any screen printer you choose will have most of the same t-shirt options as you. Most screen printers would use the basic Hanes, Gildan, etc.. because these less expensive items work just fine for simple promotional products. 

At this point the only difference between you the screen printer is that a lot of time a screen printer will mark up the t-shirt to make a profit. This is and acceptable and understandable practice as he/she is making a living out of this business. 

Since you are already in the business and have direct access to distributors I do not see why a printer would not allow you to provide the blanks. The screen printer is interested in your business so at this point I think it would just come down to you communicating with your printer and helping them understand your desired outcome of the final product.

Hope this helps and wish you the best on your project !

Dany
Relik Apparel


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## kaycherie (Aug 6, 2010)

Hi Jake,
I am thinking about using Tagless Threads for my printing. This is what they say on their website. 

"When providing your own clothes please note that we add a percent increase to the print pricing per garment provided. You are also required to provide 10% extra in clothing for the print job in case of misprints. If their are no misprints the 10% extra are yours to keep"


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## jwids18 (Dec 5, 2010)

kaycherie said:


> Hi Jake,
> I am thinking about using Tagless Threads for my printing. This is what they say on their website.
> 
> "When providing your own clothes please note that we add a percent increase to the print pricing per garment provided. You are also required to provide 10% extra in clothing for the print job in case of misprints. If their are no misprints the 10% extra are yours to keep"


That is awesome information, thank you for putting that in here. The thing I was worried about is the printer I am "most likely" going to be using having the higher end quality t-shirts that I would like to use. Tagless threads looks like a very large business and doesn't seem that they would have any limits on the quality of t-shirts they provide themselves. I'm from Wisconsin, so I plan on using Sunburst Apparel, located just outside of Milwaukee. They are a rather larger printing company themselves, so I doubt I will have a problem with them being able to supply high quality blanks either. I really appreciate you posting in the thread, and giving me that information. I will have to contact Sunburst and see what their guidelines are for supplying personal blanks or using theirs. Thanks Kay!


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## TeesForChange (Jan 17, 2007)

From my experience, I found that it's less expensive to purchase blanks from the manufacturer rather than from the printer (the printer has to make some money on the tees, too, so they usually mark them up a bit).


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## Relik Apparel (Jul 10, 2009)

TeesForChange said:


> From my experience, I found that it's less expensive to purchase blanks from the manufacturer rather than from the printer (the printer has to make some money on the tees, too, so they usually mark them up a bit).


I agree with Andreea.


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## TshirtGuru (Jul 9, 2008)

TeesForChange said:


> From my experience, I found that it's less expensive to purchase blanks from the manufacturer rather than from the printer (the printer has to make some money on the tees, too, so they usually mark them up a bit).


But here's the other thing, if we aren't making money off the blanks we just raise the print price. So wether you think you're saving money you might be spending more bringing your own shirts because printers usually get volume pricjng and free shipping. So I always recommend having the printer supply your shirts.

I don't bring my own drink to a restaurant.


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## Smckee21 (Jul 23, 2010)

Henry, you make a good point. When clients bring their own shirts to me I charge extra for the printing as well.


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

If you are in business of re-selling goods and your printer is charging you more for printing on clothing you supply, then you should shop around....There are lots of printers that will work with you....

Also, Sanmar has a program with a number of contract decorators that covers the freight from Sanmar to the decorators.....It is called PSST....Do a Google search and you can find some of the participants in this program....


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## jwids18 (Dec 5, 2010)

Thank you very much for informing me about that. Didn't really think of it that way but the printers are obviously in business to make a decent profit as well. Definitely a good thing to know and think about when purchasing blanks or just using the printer supplied blanks. One question though, do most printers carry high quality blanks such as: American Apparel's 2001 or some of the Alternative Apparel's tagless t's, or just any higher quality blanks?

Thanks a lot guys!


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## Relik Apparel (Jul 10, 2009)

Hi Jake,

Here is a screen printing price list I have used a reference before.Printing Price List

I am not recommending their services as I do not know this company. Rather I have used it as a reference to compare prices with my local screen printers. Remember, price will be affected by many different factors. Including if your tees are light or dark.

I agree with screen printers marking up the t-shirts. What I do not agree is me paying that markup 

In all seriousness, most ppl that contract screen printers are not that educated about how our market works. And screen printers need to make a living, one way by marking up tees a bit. But if you know the system, I do not see why you would find yourself in a position where you would pay more than the wholesale price.

Since both you and the screen printer have most of the same buying options. Weather they or you decide to use a certain blank is up to you.


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## jwids18 (Dec 5, 2010)

dee305 said:


> Hi Jake,
> 
> Here is a screen printing price list I have used a reference before.Printing Price List
> 
> ...


Awesome! Great information once again. Thank you for the link to the printing prices. I'm currently deployed overseas so it is hard as hell to contact anybody back in the states but when I get back home I have a few printers in mind that I am interested in. I will get with them when I get back and compare prices with what I already know I can get for wholesale prices myself. Thanks Again!


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

Most printers do not "carry" any blanks......They typically purchase them on demand from a wholesaler at the time they need them.....As far as getting a particular brand of blank, most printers can get most brands if they choose to....But for a number of reasons most printers keep their purchase to a few wholesalers so they may not want to bring in brands that are not offered by their main wholesale suppliers....


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## jwids18 (Dec 5, 2010)

royster13 said:


> Most printers do not "carry" any blanks......They typically purchase them on demand from a wholesaler at the time they need them.....As far as getting a particular brand of blank, most printers can get most brands if they choose to....But for a number of reasons most printers keep their purchase to a few wholesalers so they may not want to bring in brands that are not offered by their main wholesale suppliers....


I don't think I can say enough guys, thank you so much! I really appreciate all the valuable information. Thanks for that, very good to know.


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