# $30 per shirt ... or Secrets to selling shirts for more.



## EricTheRed (Sep 30, 2010)

There a lots of people selling shirts for $10. And lots of posts about reducing costs. I currently sell white shirts with one color ink for $20. I have seen some printers selling two color shirts for over $100 each. While $100 is rare, there are printers that consistently get over $20 per shirt.

Also, A&F gets $40 per shirt for really boring shirts just with the letters A&F on them. A lot sold to young girls. 

So ...

What markets do you sell to, where you can get $25+ per shirt. $30 per shirt? ... more.

Really like to hear from people selling at higher prices.

Thanks Eric


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## crowflower (Jun 10, 2010)

The sales people at my day job always stress the importance of "perceived value", or giving the customer reasons for wanting to pay the extra 10.00 for your product. Let them know more about the quality of your blanks, and describe your process in a way that shows you put extra care into the way you produce your garments.


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## PositiveDave (Dec 1, 2008)

No one pays $30 for a tshirt, they pay $30 for the kudos that they believe the shirt will give them, the membership of an exclusive group. Sell in exclusive surroundings, make it look rich.


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## Sevens (Apr 1, 2011)

It is amazing to find shirts at Wally for $10 bucks that have way more going on than a $65 or so shirt at trendy stores with nice lights and sounds. That being said, there is still room for actually selling your product. I am very new at the print business, but come from the world of sales. I think the most important thing is the "idea" of what your product provides..whatever that may be.


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## TheBradley (Feb 21, 2011)

One company I work for sells their standard tee right at $30, and do very well with it. There stores are in Hawaii in high traffic, but very nice shopping centers. Even though they arren't a huge name company from a brand recognition standpoint, it helps when you are surrounded by Lacoste, Gucci, Armani, and other high end retailers. Customers percieve you as a higher value commodity as well even if they aren't familiar with you. Their designs are also very simple for the most part, but they do very nice water based prints on heavy weight pigment dyed shirts. They also tie all their designs in to historical relevence and have a history hang tag accompanying every garment. It adds to the exclusivity and uniqueness of the product. A great design is one thing, but having a story that goes with it is bonus points. It's a tough market, especially if you don't have brand recognition, but it can be done.


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## EnMartian (Feb 14, 2008)

A&F gets $40 for their shirts because they're selling a brand and a name. They've put a lot of time and effort into building up that brand and name, and that's why they're able to get the prices they do for their shirts. People aren't necessarily buying the shirt, they're buying the name and what they think it represents. 

Price is really about perception. Something is worth what your customer thinks it's worth, and it's your job as the seller to make them think it's worth what you want them to pay. Quality does play a part here, but a lot of it is how the product and brand is perceived and what story is being told about the brand. If you can tell the right story to the right people, you can probably get $40 per shirt yourself.


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## ReggieTees (Mar 14, 2011)

Almost any time someone pays an exorbitant price for something that should be a reasonable price, they're buying image...


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## EricTheRed (Sep 30, 2010)

Thanks for the feedback so far. This is all really helpful.


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## rayc (Apr 8, 2011)

impluse shopping also should be taken into consideration,right ?


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## PPop (Jan 18, 2009)

I say "You get what you Play For" If you try for $10 you'll get it. If you try for $50...

BTW, my shirts are in the $20-$22 range for S-XL Mens Shirts, but we just introduced, a "deluxe" version on an American Apparel 2001 Body for $25, and guess what... People are buying them...


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## trexart (Aug 3, 2007)

Well, our shirts are way more than $30 a shirt and the stores who currently stock them say they can't keep the shirts on the shelves. I guess it is the perceived value.

We are unknown, so we are having a really hard time selling them off of the website. Most likely because people can't see them up close, feel how great the shirt really is so they don't want to spend all that money on a shirt. Since we finally were able to get them in some stores, they are going really well because they are more impressive in person then just in photos on the website.

I just can't wait until we are selling major bulk so we can finally make money off of wholesale. At the moment we aren't producing enough to really get the price to a decent level. Fingers crossed...


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## Earthdome (Feb 25, 2011)

Fast nickles are better than slow dimes


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## PPop (Jan 18, 2009)

Earthdome said:


> Fast nickles are better than slow dimes


Yeah... but that nickel really costs $0.06...


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## ReggieTees (Mar 14, 2011)

Earthdome said:


> Fast nickles are better than slow dimes



That's a good line, I'll have to remember that!


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## hannibal89 (Oct 2, 2010)

trexart said:


> Well, our shirts are way more than $30 a shirt and the stores who currently stock them say they can't keep the shirts on the shelves. I guess it is the perceived value.
> 
> We are unknown, so we are having a really hard time selling them off of the website. Most likely because people can't see them up close, feel how great the shirt really is so they don't want to spend all that money on a shirt. Since we finally were able to get them in some stores, they are going really well because they are more impressive in person then just in photos on the website.
> 
> I just can't wait until we are selling major bulk so we can finally make money off of wholesale. At the moment we aren't producing enough to really get the price to a decent level. Fingers crossed...


Your site looks great!


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## EricTheRed (Sep 30, 2010)

I think fast Dimes are better than fast Nickles.


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## ReggieTees (Mar 14, 2011)

EricTheRed said:


> I think fast Dimes are better than fast Nickles.



Well if we're gonna go with that logic then fast Benjamins are waaaaay better than fast nickles, but that's pretty obvious isn't it...?


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

trexart said:


> Well, our shirts are way more than $30 a shirt and the stores who currently stock them say they can't keep the shirts on the shelves. I guess it is the perceived value.
> 
> We are unknown, so we are having a really hard time selling them off of the website. Most likely because people can't see them up close, feel how great the shirt really is so they don't want to spend all that money on a shirt. Since we finally were able to get them in some stores, they are going really well because they are more impressive in person then just in photos on the website.


This is a good example of retail power.

On your website, people don't know the quality of the product and are unfamiliar with the brand. But in a retail store atmosphere, there is a loyalty and a level of comfort that consumers feel when making the purchase.

So while they may not make the purchase online, they are willing to make the purchase in the store, even at the $30+ price point. As your brand becomes more popular, you will start seeing better online sales. Consumers just need to start developing the brand loyalty and feel comfortable to make the purchase.


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## Paperplates (Nov 4, 2009)

When you market towards social and class status, $30 doesn't seem like a lot of money to a customer. From a psychology standpoint; the more expensive, the better the product. That goes for individuals that have never purchased a single item of a brand. Mentally those same people will put the garment on a higher pedestal as well as the person wearing it. To answer the question, people aren't buying a t shirt or an hat.. there purchasing the "luxury" brand associated with it.
-Romie


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## ventureout (Apr 5, 2009)

Perceived value is key and price is secondary. It has a lot to do with your marketing/branding. You as the designer/seller has to believe in your own product. My initial designs all had the company name apart of the design.

I am lucky to have another business that attracts a lot of professional athletes & actors. Many of them are willing to wear my shirts and that makes it easier for me to sell them for more than $30. You have to sell you and then sell your product.


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## NotAshamed (Jan 17, 2011)

Some great answers! We sell our shirts for between $15 - $35. Our site is currently being redone so we don't have the product description in full detail up yet, but it will be. That will be key. As your customer looks at the product, they need to see as much detail as possible. Starting with the material and dimensions of the blank, to the type of print ending with cleaning/care instructions.

If you are losing people before that, you need to make sure that your site, your promo campaign and your product dont look like trash. if you cant get people to stay on your site longer than 30 seconds, or cant get people to stop at your booth, then your "eye candy" is off and need to re-evaluate.

Just my opinion.


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