# pics of my catalog..... think i'm done



## Binary01

i finished my catalog last night after printing up 3 extra pages and getting some swatches figured out

the catalog is 8.5"x5.5" and open horizontally

i printed them at kinkos and the guy running my orders, he helped me and tweeked the settings and all that so i could get some good prints.... plus he is an artist too so he knows the pain...hahaha

















frosted cover with cover sheet









intro with brief bio and pic

















main shirt layout sheets....24 designs worth










intro to model pics and featured artist









featured artist and then more company info/ties to detroit









model pics...4 sheets worth

















product info










artists credits and swatch color samples









fabric sample at the end....... it's not easy cutting that material straight and keeping it from flexing


hope this helps folks


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## marcelolopez

Hey I like it, looks very professional.
What does the time at the bottom of the page means?
Nice job !


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## Binary01

: 2:37am : is my official company name.....


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## Rodney

marcelolopez said:


> Hey I like it, looks very professional.
> What does the time at the bottom of the page means?
> Nice job !


I think that's the name of his brand  (see his username and signature)


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## Jasonda

I still think it's overkill to do a full catalog.. but it turned out nice.


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## Binary01

why do you think it's an over kill........ it's not like i have an established brand yet so i have to make it seem like i have a clue here.......

i tried the typical print out a few pics and tried to give them to stores last year...... but that didnt get me anywhere.......


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## Robin

it looks very nice!! I like the size too.

Are the photos printed on the paper or are they added on after? 

Did you have a choice of papers? If so, what weight/etc did you choose.


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## Binary01

i just went with cardstock....the typical 80pound i think it was.... what ever kinkos uses for the typical cardstock prints.....

the photos might have been better on photopaper...but i wanted to keep the stiffness of the cardstock..... the images didnt turn out bad either...just had to tweek a few settings prior to printing

b


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## Jasonda

237am said:


> why do you think it's an over kill........ it's not like i have an established brand yet so i have to make it seem like i have a clue here.......


Because most stores simply need a line sheet, and an order form. The amount of $$ you spend printing a fancy catalog can go to other, more effective forms of marketing.



237am said:


> i tried the typical print out a few pics and tried to give them to stores last year...... but that didnt get me anywhere.......


Also there are a lot of other things to consider. How many stores did you send info to? I would expect to receive orders from no more than 1 in 10 as a general rule.

You have to be able to plan for that, as in:

I need X minimum number of orders per style to be able to print them cost effectively, SO..

That means I need to receive $amt of orders from X number of stores.

That means I need to send marketing materials to XX number of stores.

Once you add up how many stores you actually need to send materials to, you will see quickly that it makes a lot more sense to send something that costs $1-2 to make rather than $8-10 (I'm assuming your catalog cost about that much).

Another thing - not to be harsh, but the fact that you are not using proper style numbers (which I believe I mentioned in your other thread) is a clue to retailers that you're a newbie, and that may or may not affect your sales. Also I don't see a fax order form as part of your catalog, I hope you sending one.


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## Binary01

i'm sending the rest of the info on the order forms..... 

i'm only targeting a few stores so i wont be printing alot of these anyways......

as for order numbers..... on my order forms, everything is layed out to where all they have to do is fill out the sizes/quantities...the graphic number/order number will already be listed along side of the graphic name so there isnt any confusion...

i only added the graphic number on the catalog because i'm offering t's/long sleeve and hoodie...and these have a different number....along side to a color number/etc..... it's all readable with the order form

i am a newbie at this...... cant lie.......so i guess i'll learn more as i go........


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## marcelolopez

Rodney said:


> I think that's the name of his brand  (see his username and signature)


Thank you, I didn't look at it, just the post's title .


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## lost1

It is a very nice marketing tool. Don't mail them to every store. Use them when you go to meet buyers. 
Bet it would work well in area bars too. Nothing spends money better than a drunk.


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## Binary01

yeah..i'm just mailing to buyers.....

i'll do a smaller teaser version for local stores or so....... i just need orders to get stock going.... i have no funds to print up the shirts i have ...grrr

b


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## nution

New to this myself. So you do not have to have the $ to actually make the shirts before you start taking orders? Or you are planning that you will get enough orders to cover your minimums at the printer? Idk, maybe I misunderstood something.

The catalog looks good though. Very clean and matches your style. I would see how it would not be as cost effective unless your printing a TON of them to get the cost per catalog down, so I would target the stores you think you have the absolute best chance to sell to and some dumbed down versions to the ones that might be a harder sell but worth a shot. But yeah, as far as the catalog goes, its really nice. It will at least get them to look through it and probably wont trash it right off the bat like a flyer.


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## CUSTOM UK

Another option is to send out the catalogue on CD. Works out lot cheaper on postage.


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## Binary01

i'm setting up a pdf file that i can email if needed...... and they can print..... 

right now looking into an email/fax setup..... i dont have a fax so gotta see what my options are with that..

i figure i would take orders....then place my orders at the end of the month..... then with the profit i would order stock so i can do events and the smaller orders

b


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## Jasonda

nution said:


> New to this myself. So you do not have to have the $ to actually make the shirts before you start taking orders? Or you are planning that you will get enough orders to cover your minimums at the printer? Idk, maybe I misunderstood something.


The way wholesale sales usually work is:

1. Take orders up to a certain date, and give stores a delivery date
2. Receive signed order forms with credit card info
3. Print shirts according to orders
4. Charge credit cards when you ship the orders

So you should actually have enough money to print your orders because you won't be seeing their money come in until the order is shipped.

You may be able to get a deposit from some stores, but it depends on the store.


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## nution

thanks for that info, I never knew that. Makes it a lot easier to wrap my head around the actual process. 

What would happen in the case of say one shirt you carry is not popular with the buyers, but you get an order from one store wanting only like 10 of them. Overall, your only going to have 10 of those shirts being sent to the printer. Would that scenario not screw you over at the printer because I would assume they had a minimum per design. Would you be left holding the bill on the remaining shirts for that minimum or do printers not care about printing small runs if your ordering alot of shirts from them in the end.


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## Binary01

what if you print the shirts and the company decides that they want to cancel the order...... unless you can charge them for that.......

i think a retainer upfront is needed.......... no retainer then no product.......


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## nution

That sounds good but it may make potential buyers a bit standoffish to actually buying if this is not common practice in buying apparel. Idk personally, I am not certain how buyers or managers will view a request for retainers.


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## Jasonda

nution said:


> What would happen in the case of say one shirt you carry is not popular with the buyers, but you get an order from one store wanting only like 10 of them. Overall, your only going to have 10 of those shirts being sent to the printer. Would that scenario not screw you over at the printer because I would assume they had a minimum per design. Would you be left holding the bill on the remaining shirts for that minimum or do printers not care about printing small runs if your ordering alot of shirts from them in the end.


In that scenario you would call the store and tell them that unfortunately you didn't receive enough orders for that style in order to produce it, and that you are dropping the style.

It happens all the time, so they will not be happy but they will also not be totally surprised. Tell them what your minimum is to have it printed - they might order more to make the minimum.

If you're only selling wholesale, don't print shirts that you don't have orders for. If you are selling retail (like on your own website) and can sell the extra shirts, you might think about printing them if you're just a few short of the minimum, but don't print 100 shirts when you only have orders for 10.


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## CUSTOM UK

Trouble with dealing with businesses, rather than individuals, is getting the money off them for the merchandise. Cash flow puts more businesses in jeopardy, more than any other single factor.

Make sure your terms are stated upfront in writing.


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## Jasonda

237am said:


> what if you print the shirts and the company decides that they want to cancel the order...... unless you can charge them for that.......


They can and do cancel, and you might put all sorts of legalese on the order form to keep them from doing it, but they will still do it. It's just part of the business. You can check their credit, though, to see if they are reliable.



237am said:


> i think a retainer upfront is needed.......... no retainer then no product.......


Well good luck with it, you might find some stores that would be willing to do that. I would be careful to call it a deposit, though.. a retainer is what you give to a lawyer.


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## nution

is there any safety net for the designer in this scenario? Say you take your orders and managed to get a few good accounts but when the time comes the card from one doesn't work or they do a charge back or something to that effect. Or if they try to back out?

Can you charge the card they give you like $1 before you actually start production to at least make sure the card works? Would it be fairly common for businesses to back out or do a charge back and has anyone experienced this or something similar? 

Those would be the things I would worry most about taking this approach.


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## Rodney

> is there any safety net for the designer in this scenario? Say you take your orders and managed to get a few good accounts but when the time comes the card from one doesn't work or they do a charge back or something to that effect. Or if they try to back out?


In the end, the only safety net is legal action if a person really wants to not pay. 

You should try to set things up and do the necessary checks to avoid that, but don't stop your business moving forward because you're worried about a few bad apples.


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## Binary01

i would require a deposit and then full payment prior to shipping.....,.....sorry if that sounds stupid....but i have been in situations in a professional field where i have been burned from not receiving a retainer/deposit or a signed contract....... 

and i'm sure there some sort of signed forms that are used so buyers cant backout at the last minute.... 

i dont want to be stuck with extra product and a printer bill if a buyer bails on the order...... this is a custom product and printed on order....... thats how i look at it.....maybe i'm wrong.....

b


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## Comin'OutSwingin

237am said:


> i would require a deposit and then full payment prior to shipping.....,.....sorry if that sounds stupid....but i have been in situations in a professional field where i have been burned from not receiving a retainer/deposit or a signed contract.......
> 
> and i'm sure there some sort of signed forms that are used so buyers cant backout at the last minute....
> 
> i dont want to be stuck with extra product and a printer bill if a buyer bails on the order...... this is a custom product and printed on order....... thats how i look at it.....maybe i'm wrong.....
> 
> b


You're going to have an extremely hard time finding retailers to agree to that.

If you do happen to find some, they will be few and far between. It just doesn't work that way.

Without having the money to produce products from your orders, you're really fighting a losing battle.

Now matter how much a retailer likes your product, it's still unproven. They get terms from other proven vendors.

Part of their apprehension is that if you need a deposit, how solid can your company be. You're trying to get orders, but obviously have no money. From their perspective your foundation is very shaky.

This is part of being new, and they know it, and sadly some of them will exploit it.

You catalog is very nice. But as Jasonda said, it's really not needed. And I've had several retailers tell me that nice catalogs make you seem desperate, and that they are essentially paying for your nice catalog in higher prices that you charge.

All you need is a nice line sheet and order forms complete with style numbers *on both*.

Good luck with everything!


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## CUSTOM UK

Although it sounds awful, you can never truly trust anyone in business. The well meaning store owner might possibly have their own cash flow problems, which prevents them from proceeding with their intended purchase. Promises are empty without actual cash in the bank.

One girl I used to date worked in the accounting section of a massive international company. Her job was to deliberately defer payments till legal process was started. That was her job.


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## Binary01

i dont see anything wrong with payment terms and my catalog....really....

maybe i should just dump-down my layout and call it a day.............

if you go to the store and want a shirt...you have to buy it in full right there.....

sure i dont have the large funds to start my line....... sorry i dont have a sugar momma to give me 20g's to get started.......

case in point i was burned by an architecture firm out of 10g's about 2 years ago..... and some other projects prior to...... this was because they tookadvantage of the situation...they got a product from me and didnt pay anything up front.....in the end i was burned...


i figure if a store doesnt have to funds to "purchase" then they dont have the intentions to get the product.......... why give up a product without receiving any money and then having them not pay when they have product...then you try to do the legal thing then your out the legal fees and the rest...

maybe i'm not understanding the whole industry......but if you dont get payment until after 30 days once they receive the goods....then you mine as well do consignment and take the risk even more....


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## Jasonda

nution said:


> Can you charge the card they give you like $1 before you actually start production to at least make sure the card works? Would it be fairly common for businesses to back out or do a charge back and has anyone experienced this or something similar?


This wouldn't do much good, if they were intent on cheating you they would just cancel the card right before the delivery date.

I don't want to go into a lot of theories about "what can you do" because all the things I said here are just standard practices and there are always exceptions.


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## CUSTOM UK

If you want the payment when parting with the goods, then consider retailing the products yourself.

You have some nice designs there so don't get despondent about your opportunities. I live in Europe so don't know what retail opportunities exist in your part of the world, but I would be looking at whatever the stateside equivalent of stalls in shopping centres, upbeat markets, party plan, shows, fairs or any event where there are lots of people.


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## Comin'OutSwingin

237am said:


> i dont see anything wrong with payment terms and my catalog....really....


Not to sound rude or harsh, but that's the problem. It's just not done that way.

All of your examples are nice and fine, but just don't apply to this particular situation. I understand completely what you're saying. 

But Jasonda put it perfectly when she said that what we're talking about here are standard practices.



> maybe i'm not understanding the whole industry......


You're not really understanding the whole industry.



> but if you dont get payment until after 30 days once they receive the goods....then you mine as well do consignment and take the risk even more....


Not really. You can still get payment before shipping. 

That's *waaaaay* better than giving away your product and hoping to get paid when it sells.

I would suggest that you visit a link on the left menu bar for a site called fashion-incubator.com. If you want to learn more about the industry, the person that runs that site (Kathleen Fasanella) also has a wonderful book called "The Entrepreneur's Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing". 

It's a great place to start to learn more about the apparel industry. I'm pretty sure Jasonda has read the book, and I know that she visits the site quite often!

Once you learn more about why things are "standard practice" it will help you in trying to accomplish what it is you're trying to do and see why you need style numbers and why your very nice catalog may in fact be counter-productive.


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## nution

Does anyone have scans or examples of a regular old catalog. One thats just the norm? Cause I would think you would at least need to show some pictures, colors, etc. in that type of approach, especially if your not going to be in direct contact with them, just sending a catalog and hoping to get an order.

I am having trouble imagining what the normal catalog would look like.


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## stuffnthingz

This is a very informative thread, 237am, thank you for taking it in the chops as folks hash this out. As a retailer I always expect full payment up front before I even order blanks. It sounds like the wholesale side of things is a whole different ball game. I am going to be very, very cautious if I head down that path. I have been a retailer now for a couple of years and I cannot think of even one scenario where I was charged up front for product, I am always charged when it ships. I never even considered the tenuous situation that puts my wholesaler/manufacturer in. Now I have also never backed out of a deal before, however I have made changes and they were always accepted. Very good topic!


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## Binary01

c-o-s and jason

thanks for the input..... just a little ryled up over the facts i guess...... after spending 2 years trying to push the line local and then looking to get it out of detroit...then i'm dealing with the little things like numbers and payment....grrrr...

i'll read that link and go from there.......

there has to be some middle ground where it reduces liability on both ends of the order....... 

i know just in my other line of work (architecture models)...i dont lift a finger until a deposit/contract is signed and then payment on delivery........ thats just me though......

(if my typing seems harsh...it isnt..i just like to be upfront)....maybe i'll scale the font size down..hehehe

b


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## Jasonda

237am said:


> i know just in my other line of work (architecture models)...i dont lift a finger until a deposit/contract is signed and then payment on delivery........ thats just me though......


That's very common in a lot of industries. The thing that really makes a difference is that that kind of work is _custom_. If you were selling _custom_ t-shirts you would be right to demand a deposit, but if you're selling an item that is already made (or that will be made to your specs only, with the only change being quantity) then it doesn't really fit in the same category.


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## Binary01

Fashion-Incubator: Net 30 and getting deposits for orders

quick find regarding deposits and how a credit card can reverse funds even after delivery....hence take a check

b


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## Binary01

hmmm..

ok heres a cross arguement....

say i was a local guy selling my little line...... and then a big buyer wants to carry my line in some superstore..... and say i dont have the credit/funds to produce the high quantity on the small funds that i have...... will the buyer work with me or practically push me aside and say forget about it.....

i know it's a make or break deal to push a line...but there has to be some sort of "assistance" that would work out for both parties......

as much as i would like to have $10,000 worth of shirts on hand to sell, that's not an option right now.....


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## Comin'OutSwingin

237am said:


> c-o-s and jason
> 
> thanks for the input..... just a little ryled up over the facts i guess...... after spending 2 years trying to push the line local and then looking to get it out of detroit...then i'm dealing with the little things like numbers and payment....grrrr...
> 
> i'll read that link and go from there.......
> 
> there has to be some middle ground where it reduces liability on both ends of the order.......
> 
> i know just in my other line of work (architecture models)...i dont lift a finger until a deposit/contract is signed and then payment on delivery........ thats just me though......
> 
> (if my typing seems harsh...it isnt..i just like to be upfront)....maybe i'll scale the font size down..hehehe
> 
> b


No problem. I understand the frustration, believe me.

One thing that may help would be to look at it from the retailer's point-of-view.

They've never heard of you or your company. But you're wanting them to meet minimums of $1,200 for items that you say you will deliver at a date in the future, and you want payment when they order.

How do they know that you're legitimate? 
How do they know that you will actually produce garments?
How do they know that you will ship what they ordered?
How do they know that you didn't just make a fancy catalog, and actually don't have a company?
How do they know that you won't take their $1,200 and they never hear from you again?
(on a side note, probably another good reason for lower minimums)

See the problem?

If it were just as easy as make a nice catalog, take orders, get paid, then use that money to produce what was ordered there would probably be lots more success stories than failures.

The fact is that it's not that easy. You've got to prove yourself. Part of that proof is convincing them that you know what you're doing.

Expecting them to pay for an order before you ship it is only proving that you don't know how it works, and many retailers will avoid you like the plague. They've already got plenty of proven lines and don't have to worry about the kinds of demands that you're proposing. 

They don't have time for a new brand, with their new requirements. 

They just won't order.

So, even if you need to scale back your offering a little bit, try to at least get to a point where you can pay for the production of an order before you ship it. 

Then be able to charge the amount to a credit card, or factor the invoice.

But, as it currently stands, I think you're going to have a very tough time trying to make it work the way you want it to work.


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## nution

This could sound a bit over the top and complicated, but if you offer a discount off the wholesale price, you could get some deposits. It was mentioned in that article you linked. This might not be the same as proposed but heres the idea. 

Figure your cost to actually get the shirts made. Like a per shirt basis. Lets also assume your only selling one shirt, just for the sake of example, it will be easier to find the discount amount.

Say it costs you $6.00 to make one shirt. And you wholesaling it for $12.00 . Taking 1/2 your cost as a deposit you would get $3.00 upfront and that would help to make the shirts.

In this scenario you could offer an option to save 10% on the total order, if they put down a 25% deposit towards the order. Making it mandatory would scare people off, but as an option, I think serious businesses would see that as an advantage. I personally would take that option if I was serious about buying your product as it would save me 10% which means my potential for profit goes up and in turn my risk goes down slightly.

You wont make as much, but 10% isn't bad. You could even factor in that only 1/4 of the buyers would take that option and up your prices according to that estimate. They wont know the difference and you end up making the same amount with less risk.

Just an idea.


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## Jasonda

237am said:


> say i was a local guy selling my little line...... and then a big buyer wants to carry my line in some superstore..... and say i dont have the credit/funds to produce the high quantity on the small funds that i have...... will the buyer work with me or practically push me aside and say forget about it.....
> 
> i know it's a make or break deal to push a line...but there has to be some sort of "assistance" that would work out for both parties......


If you say you don't have the funds, you won't get the order. They will not "work with you". It's probable that they will laugh politely and show you the door.

In fact, big retailers like department stores are notorious for pushing you to give them a price break and they will not pay by credit card, they will insist on getting terms (and then paying later than the terms allow).

If you can't afford to produce an order, you can apply for credit from your bank or loans from your friends (if you have a signed order). This is also where a business line of credit can come in handy.

But the bottom line is, you don't take orders that you can't afford to produce.

These articles from Kathleen are very helpful on the subject:

Fashion-Incubator: Establishing payment terms

Fashion-Incubator: Factoring invoices: Financing a fashion line


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## CUSTOM UK

I think what Greg and Jasonda are trying to get across, is that it is the retailers that dictate the terms of trading, not the other way around. The retailers are the ones doing you the favour by stocking your items. If they don't sell, they're the ones stuck with your merchandise.


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## nution

DREAMGLASS said:


> I think what Greg and Jasonda are trying to get across, is that it is the retailers that dictate the terms of trading, not the other way around. The retailers are the ones doing you the favour by stocking your items. If they don't sell, they're the ones stuck with your merchandise.


Very true. They are taking a decent risk as well. Both sides are risking their own $$$ on any deal so asking to much will just heighten that risk, in turn scaring everyone away.


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## Teeser

Can you get credit terms from your printer?


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## Binary01

well i guess i'm way over my head then..... 

i'll have to push my ideas with my fullfillment company and just hustle myself then...... because on the looks of it...... it seems like its a cut throat industry........

thanks for the feedback.... i think i'll just put this on the backburner for a while......


b


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## Rodney

> I think what Greg and Jasonda are trying to get across, is that it is the retailers that dictate the terms of trading, not the other way around. The retailers are the ones doing you the favour by stocking your items. If they don't sell, they're the ones stuck with your merchandise.


That's a very good way of putting it succinctly. I was reading through the thread trying to figure out how both sides sounded like they had very reasonable points. But in the end, it boils down to the retailer setting the terms.

I think there *might* be a little more wiggle room if the retailer approaches you. 

It's like someone coming to you wanting to buy your property. You already know they want to buy, and you obviously have what they want, so you can negotiate a bit more on terms.

If _you _are _going to them_, then they have something you want (a store to sell your clothing line in), and so they have the upper hand in the negotiation.

As an example, I once had a museum in Canada contact me because they were interested in carrying a couple of products they saw in my online store. They were having a related exhibit, so they wanted to carry some gift items. They asked me the price, I checked around to see what the best wholesale pricing I could get for those items, I gave them my wholesale price (making sure to include my profit) and asked for the payment up front via a credit card authorization for the dollar total. Once the items shipped, I processed the charge. 

If I would have went to them asking to put my t-shirts in their store, they probably would have told me that I need to send them the t-shirts and an invoice and that they would pay on net 30. 

I wonder if you have an exclusive line or more high end line (like affliction or rocawear) that you know sells well (is proven), if you have more ability to negotiate terms since there are probably retailers knocking down your door to be able to sell your stuff.


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## spottydog

We are working on a catalog right now for our front counter. I really like yours. I went to your youtube vid. What other stuff do you do? I want to do everything out of my shop like furniture and fabric design. Right now we do straight embroidery, screen printing signs and garments and large format printing but I want to get crazy. I'm getting kinda old and I need to give birth to some of these little babies I have in my head.


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## Binary01

i would think that if the line was up there then you could make your terms since it's selling...... 

but who has really made it big on a "street" level and didnt rely on the medium/large stores to carry their gear........ i know even ecko/etc started small...but where is the break point at to where you can push the line and have some selling power to keep it going....

it's like one of those stories where theres a homeless guy that was offered a record deal and now he travels the world........

not sure what other routes there is to make it happen..... but if i have the space, i would get my own press and start that way......

i guess it boils down to finacial backing really..... if you have the loot to create the "image" then you might make it........

b


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## nution

In most businesses it takes $ to start. Further more in most businesses it takes A LOT of $ to get started.

It would be fantastic to start a company with 0 risk and 0 money and just robing Peter to pay Paul the whole way there, but that is really not reasonable. 

Most people who start do start small. If you cannot afford to produce an order, that does not mean you are screwed. There is credit, loans, savings, etc. to consider. The good thing is you can start small and build your way up. You do not have to try to take on the world your first shot at it. It would probably be best to do a small run the first time to get a better feel for it I would imagine.

And you are at an advantage. You can take orders and after a month or 2 of accepting orders, crunch the #'s and figure out what you need. Then try your butt off to get the $ to make the shirts. If you cannot, then no harm no foul. You let the stores know that you will not be fulfilling orders this time around. They will probably never talk to you again, but no one lost any real money and you at least took a shot at it and next time know what to expect?


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## Binary01

i understand the whole need money to make money............ i've been on my own for 8 years now....

i'm just still at aww with the whole payment thing...

i think i'm going to have to sit on my line then....because the last thing i need to do is send out a few catalogs with terms and then look like an *** because i request 50%upfront......... i cant sacrific my name like that.......

nickle/dime....thats hows it's always been.......

or would taking that chance to see if anyone would work with you on the line to get it into the stores......with the payment terms listed...

b


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## Jasonda

237, why not take a chance with a few small retail orders done the "traditional" way, getting payment when the stuff is shipped. Check their credit, check everything that you can. Call the owners of the brands they represent in their store and ask how the store treats them. Give yourself X number of dollars that you can afford to lose if they ALL decide to try to cheat you and you are stuck with printed shirts and nowhere to sell them. Even if it's just $100 worth of printed shirts.

That way you can minimize your losses and still get your feet wet. Once you have your shirts in stores it will be much easier to get re-orders and grow from there.

Spending a few $$ to get your line in real stores is money much better spent then trying to act like a big shot and spend $$$ on marketing, hoping that stores will be begging for you as a customer on your terms. The only time I can imagine that stores are going to be begging for your line is that if you're a celebrity of some sort, or your company has a very good sales record (i.e. everything sells out once it hits the shelves, and you have the numbers to prove it).


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## Binary01

i have had a few local stores want to carry my stuff.... but they all want to do consignment and i cant do that.... but yet they all carry the higher end stuff like ecko/phat farm/etc but dont want to toss any loot my way for orders...... hence why i'm trying to get my line out of detroit.......

i'm actually in the process of putting my 77 vette up for sale so i have some cash to play with..... plus to get caught up on a few things......

i think i'll work on a smaller catalog/brochure and try to hustle the smaller places....... not sure what to do for the smaller setup....maybe like a brochure type or what..... i have no clue.......

b


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## pshawny

Sell that vette & chase your dream! Unless your dream is to own a vette 

If it's a decent store that wants you to put shirts on consignment then why don't you do it. Give them a dozen shirts on consignment with reorders paid on delivery.


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## sunnydayz

I was going to say the same thing, that if they are decent stores maybe try small orders consignment to get your name out there. That will give you more to negotiate with being able to name stores that carry your product, it might encourage bigger stores to have more of an interest if you are already being carried somewhere else, as you can be somewhat proven as a brand.


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## Rodney

> i have had a few local stores want to carry my stuff.... but they all want to do consignment and i cant do that.... but yet they all carry the higher end stuff like ecko/phat farm/etc but dont want to toss any loot my way for orders..


Why exactly can't you do that?

Sounds like a good opportunity. Your line next to the high end stuff like ecko/phat farm, etc. That other stuff is proven, so the fact that they are willing to include your unproven stuff *at all* is pretty cool. I don't know if you should pass that up.

Sometimes you have to take risks (calculated ones) to get the rewards you want.


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## mrchristie

Nice job, hope your work pays off for you!


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## Trimere_Ink

237am said:


> fabric sample at the end....... it's not easy cutting that material straight and keeping it from flexing


If it's not too late, you can easily remedy this by going to a local craft store and buying a rotary cutter and a ruler. They're made for cutting fabric. Cuts thick paper well too.


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## pukingdeserthobo

nice job, it look really good


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## CUSTOM UK

I know it's stating the obvious, but if finance is your problem, you are just going to have to do things on a smaller scale till you get established. 

Looking at some of your designs, they wouldn't be that difficult to screen print. I know someone who runs a market stall, that squats on the floor every evening with a simple screen setup and prints up her own stock. Consider the possibility of perhaps doing this yourself. Give them a real tee with your catalogue.

Business will always throw endless problems at you. The trick is finding effective ways to resolve those problems. I am sure the people that started Affliction would also tell you it was tough in the early days.


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## Solmu

Jasonda said:


> Tell them what your minimum is to have it printed - they might order more to make the minimum.


To look on the bright side, the one advantage you'd have in your favour in this case is that you could offer them an exclusive on the design.


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## Solmu

237am said:


> well i guess i'm way over my head then..... i think i'll just put this on the backburner for a while......


Wow, you're easily discouraged. If I were a competitor of yours I'd be eating this up. Since I'm not, buck up! I said it before and I'll say it again, $1200 is too big a minimum order. Start smaller, but do start.


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## Binary01

i'm gonna make some calls today to see if i can get a press and maybe get my screens from my printer.....

i appreciate the comments/etc....... healthy discussions are always good.....

i do have shirts...just need to print....so i guess i'm half way there...heheh.... and i have my tags ......

as for the vette.... it was a dream car...i bought it...rebuilt it... drove it.... lost interest in it...... hahaha


now the question is...... what type of mini catalog would work..... i guess my catalog is tooo big so i'll have to scale down a bit..... like 2 sided 8.5x11 sheet or what.......

b


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## Jasonda

237am said:


> now the question is...... what type of mini catalog would work..... i guess my catalog is tooo big so i'll have to scale down a bit..... like 2 sided 8.5x11 sheet or what.......


Once again I'd say veto the catalog entirely. A color line sheet and order form are all you need. If you really want to, you can simply include an additional sheet of photos (or do double sided with the line sheet).

Even if you print your photo sheet on nice shiny paper, with that plus an additional color sheet for your line sheet, and one black and white for your order form, you will be looking at less than $1.50 per mailout, including envelope, business card and postage stamp. You can always follow up with something a little more unique later on, once you have some sales coming in.


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## wormil

237, you're being stubborn for no good reason. If you go into business you're going to get burned, more than once I promise. And you can take precautions but you won't stop it from happening. If you're not willing to take risks then you might as well start punching a clock and convince yourself its for the best, tell yourself the business world is full of crooks and thieves and you won by not letting them take advantage of you. OR, you could take some advice from these good folks that have successfully done what you want to do and go sell some shirts. Once you have the orders, walk into a bank with your order forms and explain to the loan manager that you have orders to fill and you need a line of credit. The first bank will say no, so will the second but one of the banks will give you the money. Then you hire the printer, sell the shirts, use the money to finance the next round of orders, buy your vette back and pay off the bank. If it were easy or safe, everyone would be doing it.


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## Binary01

not really being stubborn..... just raising issues....

i understand that being burned is out there....but it's really a matter of trying to avoid it and cut your loses....

i figure that the more these issues are discussed, the more we can learn ........... 

from presentations to everything else....its a battle..... and making sure your product is presentable and you cover all aspects of your line....

i can speak on being burned......on a professional level..... so i took the precautions to make sure it didnt happen again...... and it hasnt.......so whats wrong with setting up a payment schedual that works for both ends...........and reduces any form of backing out/cancelled orders/etc.......


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## moral

At trade shows, do buyers give checks or credit cards or just place orders? What proof do we have that they're going to pay? Should we make them sign something? Our printer doesn't require payment until after production, so if they gave us information first we could probably charge the buyers once printing is done and ship the next day. Basically our situation is similar to 237am's. We don't really have the cash to print orders, and we had planned on charging up front. If the above wouldn't work, could we get a loan to produce and pay it back once we ship?


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## Comin'OutSwingin

Solmu said:


> I said it before and I'll say it again, $1200 is too big a minimum order. Start smaller, but do start.


I completely agree with this.

Lower the minimum, and maybe even cut a few designs.

Even if you could afford to offer all of the retailers terms, many won't pay $1200 for a brand new line.

It's much easier for you to produce a small order since your funds are limited, and you also increase your chances of getting an order because your minimum is smaller.

Even if your profit margin is smaller doing smaller minimums, you still get out there and get something going.

Lots of small orders add up!

Broaden your search for potential retailers.


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## Jasonda

On the FI forum there was a recent thread about the size of average wholesale orders and quite a few said their average was 10 or less. Something to think about.


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## Solmu

237am said:


> i'm gonna make some calls today to see if i can get a press and maybe get my screens from my printer.....


Doing the printing yourself is a very different step to what you've been looking at doing previously, but it might work for you. Most of your designs are pretty simple to print, so the learning curve wouldn't be killer. You've got previous experience working with your hands, which will help. Still, it's a big step.



237am said:


> i guess my catalog is tooo big so i'll have to scale down a bit.....


I think the big catalogue is still good if you're there in person. Like if you have a meeting with a buyer and are taking them through your line.


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## Robin

Trimere_Ink said:


> If it's not too late, you can easily remedy this by going to a local craft store and buying a rotary cutter and a ruler. They're made for cutting fabric. Cuts thick paper well too.


 I bought one of these and took it back  
I suggest just getting a very sharp pair of scissors and practising.


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## Robin

I still like the catalogue idea, it will be a very good tool to have in your marketing kit you should keep in your car at all times.

Maybe make up a few of them, show them during your visits, and if they ask to keep the catalogue tell them they can borrow it and you will pick it up in a couple days. Hopefully you will be picking up the catalogue with an order.


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## Trimere_Ink

Robin said:


> I bought one of these and took it back
> I suggest just getting a very sharp pair of scissors and practising.


Why did you take it back? Are you sure you were using it correctly? Although...I can't even think of how someone couldn't use it correctly.


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## COEDS

Solmu said:


> Wow, you're easily discouraged. If I were a competitor of yours I'd be eating this up. Since I'm not, buck up! I said it before and I'll say it again, $1200 is too big a minimum order. Start smaller, but do start.


 I agree you need to lower your sights a little and you will attract more customers.I would rather sell to 3 or 4 at a lower quantity and spread my name out a little more.this will help you get the sales needed to survive. ..... JB


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## Robin

Trimere_Ink said:


> Why did you take it back? Are you sure you were using it correctly? Although...I can't even think of how someone couldn't use it correctly.


I bought it to cut my scrap/tester t's into strips. Helping with hand fatigue from the scissors. 

I did like the instructions told me, and it didnt cut even....telling me I needed super strength to get it to cut thru.  I do wonder tho, if I had one of those cutting mats if they would have worked better. But I wasnt will to fork over the $$ for the matt too.


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## tshirt0mania

237, that's some seriously good work you've done on the catalogue. 
I agree it should be used when you meet potential clients face to face. You don't need to scale it down, it's good the way it is. 
Find a more cost-effective option for the mail-outs.


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## Mark_S

I agree - the catalog is part of your brand and image - this line is not a commodity funny t-shirt line so the attention to detail in the catalog fits the brand and the marketing. Might want to check Blurb or with your photographer friend. I am planning to print my look book/line sheet on a photo brochure 10 pages (20 sides) - I get this through my pro lab not that expensive - I also think its good to have a printed book and meet people in person. We get too many emails these days. 

Also on a side note I would get another youTube video just for T-Shirts - right now its too many things going on in that video. Leverage off the local music guy you hooked up with - that would rock.


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## Binary01

just trying to think what i should do for the "basic"...... i looked at line sheets and have no clue what the difference is...... all i seen in a line sheet example was some outlines of garments and sizes...... i'm not selling a coat/etc... i'm selling a design...... so maybe just a basic quick flip book with some pics and my info if they are interested in the product......

b

thanks for the compliments..... trying to figure it out

i have a guy that will put some youtube stuff together for me...just need to get a few bucks together for him...and shoot my footage..... he does the editting...... search koneerok on youtube...hes a good friend of mine


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## wormil

Robin said:


> I do wonder tho, if I had one of those cutting mats if they would have worked better. But I wasnt will to fork over the $$ for the matt too.


I think the cutting mat is pretty much a necessity. I had one of those cutters years ago and it was okay. I didn't find it better than sharp scissors but I probably didn't do as much cutting as you.


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## wormil

237am said:


> ... i'm not selling a coat/etc... i'm selling a design...... so maybe just a basic quick flip book with some pics and my info if they are interested in the product...


You are selling a shirt with a design. The distinction may not be important to you but it could be to a buyer who will be stocking the shirt. I've never worked in clothing but I've managed retail stores and its annoying when your buyer orders stuff that doesn't fit the image of your store - the stuff just sits and sits collecting dust, taking up space that could be used for salable merchandise until eventually it gets returned.


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## Binary01

right..thats why i included both the graphical images and then pictures..... so there's no issues...

i think for my mini booklet...i'm just going to do photos and maybe a few examples of the graphics in the back.....

b


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## nution

Something like this might be more the speed your looking for. I don't know, could be overboard still but it looks good.

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/p66648-post7.html


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## wormil

237am said:


> right..thats why i included both the graphical images and then pictures..... so there's no issues...
> 
> i think for my mini booklet...i'm just going to do photos and maybe a few examples of the graphics in the back.....
> 
> b


Let us know how it turns out then.


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## Binary01

i seen the queerrep book.... nice stuff....

i'm just going to do tri-fold brochures with some pics and some graphics.....this way i can mail them and hand them out and drop them off..... just need to get prices for 2 sided color prints

i have all the info needed in my main catalog/ordersheet....... 

just need to send out teasers......

b


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## Jasonda

Your line sheet should have line drawings of the t-shirts, with the design. Not just the design. It might be obvious to you that the design goes on a t-shirt, but they are not just buying t-shirts, they are buying all kinds of apparel, and everything can have designs on it these days. The other thing the line drawing does is show the placement, which is not obvious just from seeing the design.

Photos are good as well but line drawings are an absolute must.


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## Binary01

i dont know how much more obvious i can make it.....

[MEDIA]http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/237am/tshirts/_DSC6757.jpg[/MEDIA]


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## Jasonda

237am said:


> i dont know how much more obvious i can make it.....


A line sheet typically doesn't have photos. It has line drawings. I thought you were talking about doing a line sheet showing _just_ the design, without the shirt.


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## Reckless Tees

Jasonda, 237, nution, and many others I have forgot, THIS THREAD IS AWESOME. I do have some questions though. You stated that a line sheet should always have outlines of your design with a t-shirt so they can see placement. I am in the funny t-shirt industry and am wondering if this is the norm for them too... it seems like a black and white outline of my design would not be affective without a color picture.

Second, I want to create a simple catalog (which I now realize from this thread) and also want it availalbe in .pdf format. What are the best/cost effective ways to creating a quality but simple catalog? I would like to stay away from a company fulfilling this service and can probably do it myself. Any ideas or suggestions?

Lastly, to you have to have a UPC for each design before selling to retail stores? I think I've seen some brands without them, but I would like the "official answer."


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## Jasonda

Reckless Tees said:


> Jasonda, 237, nution, and many others I have forgot, THIS THREAD IS AWESOME. I do have some questions though. You stated that a line sheet should always have outlines of your design with a t-shirt so they can see placement. I am in the funny t-shirt industry and am wondering if this is the norm for them too... it seems like a black and white outline of my design would not be affective without a color picture.


You can definitely do a black and white line sheet, but if you can at all afford it, a color sheet really does look better and it's just easier for your buyer. It will also help you by preventing miscommunication with your buyers. Color printing is usually less than .30 cents a sheet. 



Reckless Tees said:


> Second, I want to create a simple catalog (which I now realize from this thread) and also want it availalbe in .pdf format. What are the best/cost effective ways to creating a quality but simple catalog? I would like to stay away from a company fulfilling this service and can probably do it myself. Any ideas or suggestions?


Not sure what you're asking here. It's not hard to lay out a very simple catalog in any graphics program (just save as PDF) but if you want it to look really professional I would consider hiring a graphic designer to lay it out for you. There's no magic formula that we could just tell you that would make it look nice, it takes experience to learn how to do professional looking layouts.



Reckless Tees said:


> Lastly, to you have to have a UPC for each design before selling to retail stores? I think I've seen some brands without them, but I would like the "official answer."


There is no official answer.. Some stores require UPCs, some don't. If you search the forum for UPC you can find more info about getting those.


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## Reckless Tees

Jasonda said:


> Your line sheet should have line drawings of the t-shirts, with the design. Not just the design. It might be obvious to you that the design goes on a t-shirt, but they are not just buying t-shirts, they are buying all kinds of apparel, and everything can have designs on it these days. The other thing the line drawing does is show the placement, which is not obvious just from seeing the design.
> 
> Photos are good as well but line drawings are an absolute must.


In reference to this quote (the bottom part), you said line drawings are "an absolute must". I know you said a color line sheet would be great, but you also said the above. I was thinking a color line sheet with t-shirts and designs on them (no line drawings). It would probably have to be two-sided because I have a good amount of products and dont want them to be too small.

In terms of the catalog, I guess what I meant to ask was where to have it made/manufactured. I do graphic design as well and will take care of that part, but what I wanted to know was where to have it made/bound into an actual catalog. Is that something I can do myself or something I have pass along to professionals?


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## Jasonda

Reckless Tees said:


> In reference to this quote (the bottom part), you said line drawings are "an absolute must". I know you said a color line sheet would be great, but you also said the above. I was thinking a color line sheet with t-shirts and designs on them (no line drawings). It would probably have to be two-sided because I have a good amount of products and dont want them to be too small.


I think you may have misunderstood what I said. When I'm talking about a color line sheet, I am talking about a sheet with line drawings that are in color. As in, a line drawing of a red shirt with yellow text, with additional color boxes next to each design to show other color options.

I am not talking about a color photograph of a t-shirt. You can also use photographs but I think line drawings are better because the design shows more clearly. Hope that clears that up.



Reckless Tees said:


> In terms of the catalog, I guess what I meant to ask was where to have it made/manufactured. I do graphic design as well and will take care of that part, but what I wanted to know was where to have it made/bound into an actual catalog. Is that something I can do myself or something I have pass along to professionals?


Any print shop can do that for you. I would recommend having them do it as they are able to print with better quality and cut all the sides evenly, something that is hard to do at home unless you have a paper cutter.


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## Reckless Tees

gotcha! Now I understand. Thanks again Jasonda. I'm going to work on it this weekend and upcoming week and I would love to share when I'm done.


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## Reckless Tees

Would









Jasonda. Would something like this work for an outline image or is this TOO simple? yes, a newbie question...im aware


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## Jasonda

Reckless Tees said:


> Would something like this work for an outline image or is this TOO simple?


It doesn't have to be fancy.. something like that would be fine.


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## Reckless Tees

OK. One last dumb question. Should the shirt itself and the design have the color inside, or just the outline of the shirt and design in color? Does that make sense?


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## Jasonda

Reckless Tees said:


> OK. One last dumb question. Should the shirt itself and the design have the color inside, or just the outline of the shirt and design in color? Does that make sense?


The shirt line drawing should look as close as possible to the actual shirt.

So yeah, if you have a red shirt, you need to have a red shirt.. not a white shirt with a red outline.


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## Reckless Tees

Thanks again Jasonda. As usual, you are very helpful and gracious.


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## Reckless Tees

Is there a limit to how many designs should be on each side? I have about 45 right now (which is too much for one side, almost too much for two sides). Should I just pick my best 20-25 and go with them?


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## Jasonda

Reckless Tees said:


> Is there a limit to how many designs should be on each side? I have about 45 right now (which is too much for one side, almost too much for two sides). Should I just pick my best 20-25 and go with them?


Are you talking about for a line sheet for retailers?

I wouldn't sell 45 styles to retailers, because you will have minimums to get shirts printed and you are going to have to get a lot of orders on each style to print all of the 45, or you will end up dropping a LOT of styles and your buyers won't be happy. It's better to have fewer styles and get more orders per style and only have to drop a few (if any) that don't get orders.


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## Reckless Tees

I guess I don't understand the entire purpose of the line sheet then. I was under the impression it was a way for you to show off all of your designs and then the buyer would choose what he/she wanted. They could choose one or all of them (as long as they met your minimum).

Is it in fact a way for you to show off ONLY what is new in your line/what sells best? 

Here's what I have so far... LINE SHEET

Sorry, it's kind of big...


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## Comin'OutSwingin

Reckless Tees said:


> Is there a limit to how many designs should be on each side? I have about 45 right now (which is too much for one side, almost too much for two sides). Should I just pick my best 20-25 and go with them?


I would not go with 45 styles, and there's a lot of reasons why you shouldn't either.

Instead of going into all of them, I will link to an article on dobizo.com by Billy Kapler who is an apparel consultant.

He explains it much better than I ever could.

The Secret of Quality Over Quantity and Why Offering Less Styles Is More Dobizo Fashion Network


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## Jasonda

Reckless Tees said:


> I guess I don't understand the entire purpose of the line sheet then. I was under the impression it was a way for you to show off all of your designs and then the buyer would choose what he/she wanted. They could choose one or all of them (as long as they met your minimum).
> 
> Is it in fact a way for you to show off ONLY what is new in your line/what sells best?


The line sheet is to show off everything you have for that season. The point I am trying to make here is that you should not have 45 styles for _wholesale_. 45 styles for retail is a different story entirely.

If you have 45 styles, even if you have minimums you are going to have trouble getting enough orders across all the styles. Your minimum is 4pc per style. How many pieces per style do you have to sell in order to meet your printer's minimums? How many pieces per style do you have to sell in order to get the price per piece low enough to actually make a profit? Figure out the answers to those questions and then remember that you will probably only get orders from every 1 in 10 stores that you contact. How many stores would you have to contact from to hit your numbers? Hundreds? Thousands? How much are you prepared to spend on marketing and hiring sales reps to hit those numbers? Think about it.

Again about dropping styles. If you don't get orders on a style, you will have to drop it (not print the orders for that style) because when you are selling wholesale _you don't print shirts you don't have orders for_. After you drop one, you then have to call the retailer and say "sorry, we had to drop that style because we didn't get enough orders". Now imagine calling to say that you had to drop 20 styles. That buyer is not going to be happy at all. They might just want to cancel the whole order.

When the buyer sees 45 styles he is going to question your ability to get enough orders for all those styles and also question your ability to afford to produce them. Think about it - even with the setup charges from your printer, times 45, can you afford that? Not to mention the cost of the printing.

If you have some other printing method where you can print with no minimums (DTG, heat transfers, etc) it might be possible to go with a larger number of styles but you still have to make sure your buyers understand how your system works so that they know they can rely on you to produce the orders.


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## Reckless Tees

Right now I have a decent size inventory of every shirt that I offer. If the retailer wanted to purchase 4-24 of one design, I have that in my current inventory (because I sell online too). If they wanted more than 24 pieces, I would print their order (unless I had that many in stock). What this means is I can offer more designs because I have most of them already. There would be no _dropping _of styles.

On the other hand, 45 does seem like too much to offer for wholesale. Too many options. Does 9 seem like too few? Should I make it double-sided and offer 18?


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## Comin'OutSwingin

Did you read the article?

The article really would help you. It really doesn't matter how many you currently have, you make it much easier for them to decide what they want.

You do want paralysis by analysis. They will have so much to consider that they may not order anything because you have so much.


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## Reckless Tees

I did read the article Greg. Do you think 9 is good then? What about 18?

In that case, which 9 do you think are my funniest?


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## Comin'OutSwingin

I think 9 is kind of small. You would be ok with 18, I think. It's enough to give variety, but no too many that would make it overwhelming.

I'm not sure which are the funniest (maybe ask in the design review section), but I would encourage you to go with a variety of different humor/designs/colors with however many you choose to go with.


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## Jasonda

Reckless Tees said:


> In that case, which 9 do you think are my funniest?


Go with your best sellers, if you're doing retail you should already know what those are.


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## Reckless Tees

Hey Jasonda, taking into account that the line sheet you saw was a rough draft, what did you think? What would you change?


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## Reckless Tees

haha...another question. What type of paper should this be printed on? Thin or stock card? Shiny? Smooth? Doesn't matter?


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## Jasonda

Reckless Tees said:


> Hey Jasonda, taking into account that the line sheet you saw was a rough draft, what did you think? What would you change?


I would consider changing your style numbers to a "number only" format. For example, T012 would be 11012. The first digit = 1 men/unisex 2 women, second digit = 1 tees, 2 hoodies, 3 hats, etc. or whatever other products you want to have later on. It gives you more room to expand later on.

I think if you want to get reviews of your line sheet or more advice on your line you should start your own thread in the design review section. Also, it's better not to direct your questions to only one forum member because there are a lot of people who can help you besides me.


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## Reckless Tees

I didn't mean it as disrespect to other people. I was just finishing a convo we started. I will add that question to the review section.


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## Jasonda

Reckless Tees said:


> I didn't mean it as disrespect to other people. I was just finishing a convo we started. I will add that question to the review section.


I didn't think you were being disrespectful. It's just that when there is a long thread like this one, your request is getting buried in the middle of it and it wouldn't be seen by many people.


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## Reckless Tees

Reckless Tees said:


> haha...another question. What type of paper should this be printed on? Thin or stock card? Shiny? Smooth? Doesn't matter?


What's your experience with this?


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## forbiddenian

That catalog is absolutely TITS!


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## zyin

did you do a digital version (pdf) to minimize expenses and maximize distribution?


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## Binary01

i do have all my layouts in pdf.... but they are stacked sheets since i used half sheets for the catalog...... i dont think it would be an issue with that...

i'm actually working on a few promo things before i start hitting up stores..... plus i'm going to limit my designs to 10...... and save the other for new releases/etc..... just an idea i think....

b


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## Comin'OutSwingin

237am said:


> plus i'm going to limit my designs to 10...... and save the other for new releases/etc..... just an idea i think....


I think that's an excellent idea.


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## Binary01

yeah.... i need a game plan here.....hehehehe...... 

ever play that football game where you turn on the electricity and the little players on the board start shaking.....well, thats me........


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## hussa

very nice catalog buddy


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## spudlauncher

good job on the catalog! looks really nice!


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## HostileClothing

i think its amazing.


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## Binary01

thanks folks.... i havent worked on it since...... had alot of ideas after the fact so this project is on the backburner right now

b


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## pokeford

hi im just starting up and i am at the stage where im looking to make a catoluoge i was looking at yours and like the pictures of the shirts on their own how do you mae them look like that as if thers a invisible body in them.


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## Binary01

i managed to find a shirt that i could work with...theres templates out there.... some photoshop work and make a few satin overlays to change the colors and your good...

b


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## intensitystudios

Very nice layout and clean design in that catalog


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## Slydaug

Reckless Tees said:


> OK. One last dumb question. Should the shirt itself and the design have the color inside, or just the outline of the shirt and design in color? Does that make sense?


Your dumb question was my dumb question Thanks for asking it!
Slydaug


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## Binary01

i havent done anything with the catalog.... i'm gonna redo it and simplify it a bit.... take out some designs...tweek a few/etc...

b


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## wormil

237am said:


> i havent done anything with the catalog.... i'm gonna redo it and simplify it a bit.... take out some designs...tweek a few/etc...
> 
> b


How is business? Did you ever move to Texas?


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## Binary01

i'm actually moving to jersey this weekend.... managed to land a job there and figured i could try to push my detroit gear in nyc.....

b


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## rockwellindustry

that is a awesome. I want to make one for my company


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## Stoic Crystal

lost1 said:


> It is a very nice marketing tool. Don't mail them to every store. Use them when you go to meet buyers.
> Bet it would work well in area bars too. Nothing spends money better than a drunk.


I agree. New to this business too, but have worked on the retail side. Even a postcard or printed page is easy enough to send to the stores to get your foot in the door. From there, you can do a follow up call to make an appointment to show them your deluxe catalog and samples. Only give them a copy if you truely think they will order or if they place an order. I remember throwing away plenty of deluxe catalogs that we never bought anything from.


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## Binary01

curious if anyone has made a digital catalog that could print pdf.....hmmmmm.....


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## kandied91z

i remember seeing a small tripod style business card of yours a year or so back somewhere. was nice looking! catalog idea looks great, a bit over the top and a bit limited at the same time but great starting point.

I really can't understand the idea of starting a buisness with absolutely nothing though but that really isn't what you started the thread about. 

good luck with it all.


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## vexx78

WOW that looks so nice!


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## jmlopez8

and who do you go to in order to make a wholesale sale to a store?


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## lburton3

237am said:


> i'm actually moving to jersey this weekend.... managed to land a job there and figured i could try to push my detroit gear in nyc.....
> 
> b


Detroit gear in NYC? LoL how exactly does that work..?


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## Binary01

if you lived in detroit you would understand

not much support for detroit in detroit.... mainly the suburbs... but people outside of detroit buy detroit stuff.........most of my online sales have been from out of the state..fyi


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## rebellioncc

that is the best catalog I seen ever 

GOOD JOBBBBB!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rebellioncc.net 


Do a dvd with that info too. it works to


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## kandied91z

That's great news that your having luck selling detroit branded items outside of detroit as even "made in detroit" has issues selling outside of detroit and they have an obviously large backer. good luck with it!


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## Binary01

i started my 'detroit' edition because i didnt like the other detroit brands that were out.....

plus i support local artists and work with them/etc...... it's about building foundations

i have more 'themes' in the mix.... i just pushed the 'detroit' stuff first


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## JOHNSY

There is a learning curve to starting a business and finding your market. I appreciate the fact you stuck to your guns and put yourself out there in a way you saw fit overkill or not. you will learn from it and also I thoink its better so shoot big and pull back as the business grows and you see what sells and what doesnt. I will just be sending a 3 fold teaser mailer and show product in person. I like what you have put together for the amount of product your offering.


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## JOHNSY

I use to be an automotive designer in Detroit and its very true support for detroit is not in detroit. every designer I knew drove a car from a foreign car company unless they had "studio" cars given to them. stick to your guns i think your on to something.


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## kingdom594

Nice work the catalog looks good. Have you tried it out yet to see what people think of it in person?


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