# Non Profit Start Up Looking for the Cheapest Options in the Midwest



## thealist (Jun 8, 2010)

Hi everyone!
My name is Matt and I am from a non profit start up called the A-List. We are comprised of University of Minnesota students starting a retail/snack shop in Brooklyn Park, a city near Minneapolis that has high teen crime rates and problems in the community. We aim to create a place where "teens can feel famous" by offering apparel/screen printing for low prices, snacks, tutors and college application assistance as well as fun after school activities. We want the kids to have a place where they can go in a safe environment and reducing juvenile crime at the same time. 

Why am I posting on this website? We are currently looking at the best options for t-shirts to screen print. We obviously want to find the lowest possible t-shirt price with shipping costs included. Two sources that we are looking at are OutletShirts.com and BlankShirts.com- their prices are around 1.90 with shipping included. We think that there has to be cheaper prices though- is there any way we can buy directly from a factory or something? All the factories we have found have been overseas in Pakistan, China, etc. We'll be ordering anywhere from 50-500 shirts at a time most likely, so keep that in mind when coming up with ideas. Can you guys offer any advice on cheaper shirts? We are in the Midwest region. Thanks for your time!

Matt


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## sewneat (Jun 8, 2010)

1.90 includes printing? That's a really good price for shirts without printing. I'm a small business though, I know bigger ones probably get better pricing.


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## thealist (Jun 8, 2010)

Sewneat,
That price is without printing. We are planning on purchasing a screen printing press and ink, etc. to create shirts to order (in bulk sizes from schools, teams, etc. in the area). Thanks for posting though!
Matt


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## thealist (Jun 8, 2010)

Also, don't restrict your options to the Midwest. The entire country is fine as long as shipping costs are relatively low! Thanks a lot to everyone in advance.


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## lben (Jun 3, 2008)

To get true wholesale you will need a vendor's license or your business license that labels you as a non-profit. Try www.tscapparel.com. They do offer genuine wholesale prices but again in order to those prices you will have to send them a copy of either a business license or vendor's license.


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## ChrisQInt (Jun 8, 2010)

The price of 1.90 for blank T's is a very fair price depending on the thickness and type of material of the T's they are offering. It all comes down to the quality you need basically

Though the problem is, you won't be able to order from the factory of quantities of 50-500. Its just not possible since a majority like to produce and get rid of stock as soon as possible. You would have to order in the thousands to get that price direct. So that will leave you with the middle men, or the big distributors that have warehouse space to store T's. 

So some questions would be, 

What material are you needing for the T's?
What GSM you want?

That will determine the pricing you will get, and from what place will supply it.


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## thealist (Jun 8, 2010)

Thanks a lot! This was a lot of help!


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## NateUGP (Jul 26, 2010)

hey @thealist,

I ran across this thread and wanted to point out that the company I'm interning at might be able to help you.

I checked with my supervisor and 500 shirts, 1 color imprints would be around $2.80 per piece - it seemed a little too low but I think that's what happens when you order larger quantities 

Anyways, as an Industrial & Operations Engineer (from undergrad), I figured you might be better off saving yourself the time and start-up costs of printing your own shirts and buying your own equipment if you can find a good enough price that includes printing.

Feel free to shoot me a message and I'll respond back with my email if you want to talk more.

Best,
Nate


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

:: Service request post moved to the proper Service Referrals/Recommendations section of the forum. Read more here  ::​*Quick note:* hi guys, please try to take note what "section" of the forum a post is made in. If someone is looking to hire a designer or t-shirt printer outside of the Referrals and Recommendations area, please do not offer your services in the post. Instead, it's best to hit the "report bad post" button and ask for the thread to be moved to the proper section so you may respond to it without worrying about our no self promotion guidelines. Thanks


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