# Best Craigslist Areas for Selling Custom T-Shirts



## newtb (Jul 24, 2010)

Hey everyone,

I was just surfing the different techniques people are using to market their websites and wanted to get your take on the best cities/areas to market custom apparel on Craigslist.

Recently we stayed in much bigger/well known cities like Chicago, New York and LA...

Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

Thanks in advance!


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## Enrique (Apr 27, 2011)

Speaking from experience, Craigslist isn't a good place to market professional products or services, that site is mostly overrun by amateurs or people who charge a pittance (and of course, you get what you pay for).

The kind of person who goes to Craigslist is looking for the rock-bottom price and doesn't care about quality, and that's not the kind of client you want (at least, *I* don't). They're also usually people who don't know what they want or who are working with a vendor for the first time, making them difficult to work with.

That said, however, once in a blue moon you MIGHT get a good client from Craigslist. So while I'm not saying avoid Craigslist altogether, I recommend you focus your marketing elsewhere.


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## mmoguls (Mar 9, 2009)

Not true for me. I get jobs from Craigslist every week. You will get calls from unqualified prospects, maybe more from other media. But for a free listing, the results can be quite good. Focus on local being your strong suit, this resonates with C/L users...

-dANNY8bALL

www.directtotees.com


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## jfish (Feb 26, 2010)

About 8/10 calls I get from CL are Cheap ***, hassling, mooch clients. A lot of them try to work people over for some of the money even if the job is done to 100% quality, I do jobs exactly what they ask for and even send over the proof images. With doing all this some of the CL assholes will still try to get money back or hassle you for something. I did some inkjet transfers for someone for only 10$ this included photo documenting their artwork for printing on the shirts, color correction, sizing and cropping, creating files for web and photo printing, etc All the Proof images were approved and then when I dropped the shirts off (Oh yeah delivery included and several meetings for going over options, pricing, deposit etc) they decided to knit pick every tiny detail and color etc so in the end on a $250 order for 25 shirts of 6 different artworks (about 4-5 shirts of each different painting) I lost money and had to make closer to 35 shirts because they changed their mind on the colors. I just wanted it done instead of making a bad customer experience but man you will learn over time most the people that shop CL for art and print services are the last people on earth you want to work with. 
Completely Classless trailer park trash in my opinion. 

The only problem customers I have ever had are from CL and all they ask for in money. They don't want the "Corrected" shirt in replacement and when I make it clear that I dont offer cash in return and all that I offer for customers who aren't satisfied is what they ordered in the first place - The shirts etc that they ordered. 
I will gladly re-print things if a customer isn't satisfied so they are satisfied but I will not give them cash and let them keep the shirts. Many times once I specify I need the "Bad" shirts back and I will re-print the shirts on new shirts they decide things are fine. As they are just trying to get more shirts out of the deal for them to sell as when they complain before they even try to sell them that's a red flag. This is what I do for a living and I went to art & design college I know when something doesn't look right so when some bum tries to tell me they don't like right before they even try to sell them I know exactly what they're trying to pull and it doesn't work with me. And if they knew how much I actually make on the orders I do per shirt and how much work goes into each job from Photoshop, illustrator, corrections, films, coat/expose/wash, pre print setup, press setup, color mixing and matching, lining up each shirt on the platen to be 100% correctly placed for print, etc I think they would stop trying to hassle the printers for the dollar or 4 they make. especially when they are selling the shirts for $30 each and paid $8.00 per shirt!


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## mmoguls (Mar 9, 2009)

WHEW! Bet you're glad to have gotten that out! Painful customers can come from anywhere, and are often the ones we remember best. 

Glad to hear the majority find C/L intolerable...


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## FatKat Printz (Dec 26, 2008)

You are only allowed to post in 1 general area on Craigslist. Its a direct violation if you a multiple city posting.
craigslist | about > help > faq


craigslist terms of use

_post non-local or otherwise irrelevant Content, repeatedly post the 
same or similar Content or otherwise impose an unreasonable or 
disproportionately large load on our infrastructure;

w) post the same item or service in more than one classified category or 
forum, or in more than one metropolitan area;_


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## jfish (Feb 26, 2010)

Yup, I could snap im so fed up with CL trash. Both in business and in personal sales. 

So seller beware as in CL its not longer "Buyer Beware"


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## Enrique (Apr 27, 2011)

mmoguls said:


> Not true for me. I get jobs from Craigslist every week. You will get calls from unqualified prospects, maybe more from other media. But for a free listing, the results can be quite good. Focus on local being your strong suit, this resonates with C/L users...
> 
> -dANNY8bALL
> 
> www.directtotees.com


mmoguls, how do your rates compare to others in your industry, and to others on CL? I know a handful of people who also get regular work from CL but they're charging a pittance for the work, I was never willing to charge that little, hence my experience.


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## tankueray (Apr 16, 2010)

What about posting an ad and directing them to your website for purchase? Would that help to weed anyone out? (Assuming that you have a clear return and service policy on your site...take the "flea market" aspect out of it?)


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## ElratonPrinter (Dec 22, 2011)

I've been printing from home for over a year now, and my only way of advertising online has been CL. I wouldn't say that people from cl are all that bad, it's like almost everyone of us, if they can save money they will try to. It's like everywhere, there's cheap people and not so cheap people. Many people who visit cl for service are those who have gone everywhere, and cant find a price that fits their budget and they hope to find someone that can do the job for the price they can afford. As well as many others are just sharks hunting for ridiculous deals. And it's true also that advertising on cl you're almost automatically tagged as an amateur even though you've been doing it for years, many of us who are good at it, can't risk well earned money on advertising, so we do what we have to do. I've had a lot of good customers from cl, repeat customers who, like me, are small business owners. 
I've been surprised of how many people call me from cl, some people need to see me in person, some others don't meet me, up until delivery. I have worked with customers thru emails and text messages, never heard their voices, never seen their faces.

In my own experience and opinion, cl is good to an extend. It's not my most recommended advertising venue since customer calls are not gonna rain down on you, as perhaps with other ways.

My advice.... Do your thing on CL.... Just be weary. Good luck to you all.


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## mentalcase222 (Jul 23, 2012)

big cities are best for example Los angeles, but dont ignore small cities


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## printingray (Apr 4, 2012)

Try authentic things. You must have to get help from Google for promotion. Target your cities and optimize your biz.


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## treefox2118 (Sep 23, 2010)

We do very well on Craigslist, as do our local affiliates in smaller areas.

For us, having a storefront they can visit helps close the deal.

I also keep an email list of prior Craigslist contacts and send a quarterly update for the cheapskates.


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