# successfull operations utilizing cafepress



## mrmagic2713 (Jan 30, 2006)

i am looking to hear from anyone who has found success using the cafepress fuffillment system! what are the pros and cons, and more importantly (without offending anyone from cafepress) how can you confirm that you are getting paid for actual sales? what if you move 500 shirts and get paid for only 50? is there an independent checks and balances system to prevent this kind of missunderstanding?


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Hey there. I've been using CafePress since 1999 and I've had success using their service.

It's just like any other business. You have to have the right designs and the right promotion to make sales.

You get sales notifications of each sale and you can check your stats at any time.



> how can you confirm that you are getting paid for actual sales? what if you move 500 shirts and get paid for only 50?


Not even an issue or concern. They are a solid reputable company (I've been to their offices, had lunch with them, looked them in the eye ) Good people over there.

Pros: print on demand, zero or low startup costs. No inventory issues. Good print quality on most designs. You can have an idea for a t-shirt and have it to market and in front of buyers eyes in less than 10 minutes. That's a pretty neat concept if you really think about it (and has made a lot of money for people using it to their advantage)

Cons: still a bit of stigma about heat press. Some would say their "base prices" are a bit high, although for all that they are providing, it's not bad at all. Not screen printing , Limited product selection and print location options, especially when it comes to colored garments.

Bottom line. You can make sales with any fulfillment service (cafepress, spreadshirt, printmojo, zazzle, etc). They each of their merits and challenges. The biggest thing is what *you* put into them.


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## mrmagic2713 (Jan 30, 2006)

well one thing for sure rodney, when you consider the fact that they handle the production, shipping and monetary transaction for the product, you really cant complain about the base price per peice.you can still set a retail price that will give you a decent profit margin per unit sold! i was actually looking at them not so much for the t-shirt sales,(i think i want to handle that in-house) but i think it is an excellent way to provide your customers with other products that yyou dont have the desire to make, like the mugs or posters and so forth.


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## skibum (Feb 19, 2006)

mrmagic2713 said:


> i was actually looking at them not so much for the t-shirt sales,(i think i want to handle that in-house) but i think it is an excellent way to provide your customers with other products that yyou dont have the desire to make, like the mugs or posters and so forth.


I think that is one of the greatest advantages of Print-On-Demand technology. With T-shirts and other products that come in a huge variety of colors and sizes the amount of SKUs (unique inventory items) gets really big, really fast. Imagine trying to screen print 10 different colors of t-shirts, in sizes Kids XS - 5XL. That's 10 products * 12 sizes = 120 inventory items.

It's a lot cheaper to get things screen printed, but then you have the problems of trying to keep all of that in-stock. A good Print-on-demand company can alleviate you from the inventory hassle and allow your customers a greater variety of choices. You probably won't make as much on each sale (compared to screen printing) but you might make more overall because your customers have more selection.

Just my 2 cents


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