# Help in deciding a POD



## RMagnus (Aug 19, 2009)

I'm ramping up my plans to launch a website that sells t-shirts and I feel that I have reached a crossroad. Since I am starting out, I think that Print On Demand is the way to go for online sales. I know my ideas are great but realistically, I understand that it will take time and effort for it to generate decent income so I must limit my initial expenses. I intend to have my own website listing my products but want to have it fulfilled by a third party. I would like to have screen printing done but I don't have the resources for printing and storing the shirts. 

Now I'm having trouble selecting the right POD site. I've researched the major big ones and I feel that Zazzle would be the best fit. However, I have browsed through some of their member sites (via links posted here in Tshirtforums) and noticed that the pricing for their t-shirts is just way too high. I saw a page where a t-shirt was listed for $61!!! That's just crazy! At the most, I'd like to charge my customers $25 for a slim fitting AA shirt with one of my designs. Unfortunately, I think Zazzle charges close to that amt at cost for their AA shirts, thus forcing me to reduce my royalty. Zazzle does, however, offer such a wide variety of products that I think it might work for my designs. That's why I'm considering them. On the other hand, I'm looking at smaller POD companies that I know I can earn more per sale but I'll be limited to t-shirts only. For both options, I know I'll have to focus on marketing and building traffic and will require a lot of work. I'm prepared for that. 

So my question is: if you had to start all over again with a limited budget, which route would you take: Zazzle or smaller POD. I've been reading posts here for so long that I'm surprise that I don't clearly know which to choose but just when I thought I've decided, I get second thoughts. Any advice would be appreciated.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

CafePress also sells AA t-shirts and has a wide variety of products. 

If you charged $25 for a dark colored AA t-shirt, your commission would be $3

A few others also carry AA t-shirts.

If you want lower pricing, then you should definitely look into the smaller companies that offer a similar service. If you need specific recommendations, be sure to post in our Referrals Area here.


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## Skinbus (Jul 2, 2007)

I've been involved with zazzle for a few years & can tell you that a shirt for $61 is 1 in a million. They have a base price for a t-shirt which for a plain white the finished product is $16.95. Colors are more, & there are many different styles & qualities to choose from. You decide what price you want for the shirt, your guaranteed profit is 10% but you can charge any price you want. You can go by percentage increases, anything from 10-100% or just use a dollar amount without having to use percentages. For a plain white, depending on the time spent on the design, I normally charge $19.95-$21.95. Colors are $2 extra. If you're doing a dark color, blk. red, gray, green or others, the base price will go to $22.95 for a plain dark. Better quality shirts are of course more. They can get pricey; I've seen shirts sell for $35 but not many. The main issue for you would be that the printing is DTG, not screen. They do some screen but I think there's a minimum order for it. With DTG there's no minimum. The design center is user friendly though it takes a little time to get used to. This place at this time has 34 BILLION products for sale by a millon designers but that includes magnets, buttons, bumper stickers + many others that you can put your designs on as well as t-shirts. They also do embroidery. You products will be seen pretty much world wide as they sell in numerous countries. My most recent sale was in Japan. Also your profit will vary depending on the currency of the country sold to. Normally you'll make more on foreign sales than in the states. It's all rather involved so really all you can do is check it out for yourself to see if that's the way you want to go. I hope this helped rather than confused you. No matter which way you go, good luck with your business! M.


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## RMagnus (Aug 19, 2009)

Thanks Rodney and Mike! Most of my shirts will be printed on dark colors. I would like to offer both a standard fit shirt at an $18 - $22 price range and a slim "fashion" fit shirt with the same print for around $25. I realize that this will increase the cost but I know it'll look great on people and the price is reasonable. Hopefully, that will be enough to either get them to buy more or get their friends to buy. Is it wrong to think that I'll make up the decreased profit with increased volume? I just don't think it's right to charge over $30 for a tshirt in this economy. Mike, you brought up a great point about Zazzle's worldwide presence. I'm sure my designs will have worldwide appeal, so that is another thing I will have to consider. More research!


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> Is it wrong to think that I'll make up the decreased profit with increased volume?


It's definitely not a guarantee 



> I just don't think it's right to charge over $30 for a tshirt in this economy.


That's a decision every person has to make for themselves. Some people are and there are lots of people still buying them. Some people charge less and sell lots of t-shirts too. 

Just depends on your market and what you are comfortable with.



> Mike, you brought up a great point about Zazzle's worldwide presence


Every website has a worldwide presence  There's nothing stopping anyone from reaching a website from anywhere in the world.

CafePress also has a worldwide audience, as does Spreadshirt, Printfection, (or your own website when marketed correctly).


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