# when you make an appointment with a buyer...



## lindseypaige27 (Nov 30, 2008)

Hey guys
I have a silly little question!
First, when you call a store and make an appointment with a buyer what do you bring to the appointment? (ex. flyer, brochure, order forums)

thanks so much !
-Lindseypaige


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## red514 (Jul 21, 2009)

Ideally, the buyer wants to see the finished product. You will want to bring the catalogue/board ect.. for them to keep. The best thing is for the buyer to physically hold the samples so they can see and feel the quality.


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## mokothemonkey (Sep 21, 2009)

I agree with red. Having the finished product is a must. If you have a card give it to them. Any sales, tell them. Don't be to pushy though, be friendly and all that


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## lindseypaige27 (Nov 30, 2008)

thanks guys!
and do you leave them with order forms? or have them contact you later?


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## B_Real (Jan 6, 2010)

I am a buyer and let me write it down what I want to see in the meeting:

Sale samples
Linesheets with all details (price, colorways, etc) for further reference
Business card

Not so many things.

Orderform is not a matter for me. If I need to order thru meeting I tell my qty, color whatever to the sales rep and she/he write them down


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## lindseypaige27 (Nov 30, 2008)

thanks a lot for that!
another question to those who sell to stores. On average what do you sell your tees to them for?


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

lindseypaige27 said:


> On average what do you sell your tees to them for?


Ah yes... the million dollar question. Unfortunately, there isn't a million dollar answer.

Most people probably will not want to reveal their wholesale price here on the forum.

But you should take a few factors into consideration, including your costs and what markup you need to effectively profit enough to keep your business sustainable. And keep in mind that the retailer will expect to sell at 2-2.5 times the wholesale price. So make sure that number matches the price that you think the average consumer will pay at retail.


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## lindseypaige27 (Nov 30, 2008)

Thanks for the wisdom Tim. Yeah your right people wouldn't post wholesale prices. I guess i was looking for exactly what you told me so thanks a lot!


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## SHIROINEKO (Mar 31, 2010)

thanks for the post.


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## stimz (Apr 16, 2010)

If I am selling to a buyer, and want to sell my shirts retail for around $40-$50, is it good or bad to tell them that it is printed on American Apparel garments??? I am trying to figure out how much of a strain is put on my retail price, when I use American Apparel. I am not so much into foil, and other appliques yet, so its just the creative graphic on the shirt.

Any advice on how to promote/price when using American Apparel?


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

stimz said:


> If I am selling to a buyer, and want to sell my shirts retail for around $40-$50


You can only establish the wholesale price. You can suggest a retail price, but it's really up to the retailer to decide what to sell it to the consumer for. Every shop is different, every market is different. So just focus on your wholesale price, but allow enough room for retailers to double the price and still keep it in a reasonable range.



stimz said:


> is it good or bad to tell them that it is printed on American Apparel garments???


Bad. If you are selling to retailers, you should be rebranding/relabeling the blank shirts. Your brand needs to be professional to sell through retailers. It's best for you and the store. When a consumer sees a shirt in a store that has a branded graphic on an AA tee, it looks like a cheap knockoff and not an original, authentic branded shirt. Some retailers may accept this, but most won't.



stimz said:


> I am trying to figure out how much of a strain is put on my retail price, when I use American Apparel. I am not so much into foil, and other appliques yet, so its just the creative graphic on the shirt.


AA retails their shirts for $20. How are you justifying a $40-50 price tag? In my opinion, it's a problem when consumers can see you're trying to sell a $20 tee for $40. Even if you relabeled the shirts, $40 is too much for an unknown brand.



stimz said:


> Any advice on how to promote/price when using American Apparel?


When selling direct to consumer, I think there's value in promoting using AA. When selling through retailers, you need to create perceived value by relabeling.

When keeping AA labels in the shirts, it's important to price similar to AA's retail pricing. Since people know the value of AA at retail, why would they pay more? But when relabeling, you have more freedom to set your own price. But understand your market. Start modest and grow from there. And like I said before, let your retailers set the retail price. You focus on the wholesale price, which should be based on your cost to produce.


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## stimz (Apr 16, 2010)

I was planning on detagging the AA shirts and burning ours in, but is it still required that I tell the retailer where I got my shirts origianlly. So once I rebrand the shirt with my tag, then the fact that it is an AA shirt is forgotten, and i can raise the price?


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## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

It is not required to tell anyone where you got the shirts. Once you relabel, it's yours. And you can sell it for whatever you want.


On a separate note, when relabeling, make sure you read up on the requirements: Threading Your Way Through the Labeling Requirements Under the Textile and Wool Acts


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