# Is there a Reasonable Fulfillment Company?



## spector5ns (Jul 22, 2017)

Hello Guys and Gals!

I want to get started quite Badly! I'm still researching, reviewing, reading, etc.. 

I need to get started with a fulfillment company, but I have to tell ya...I'm not real excited about seeing that they want to charge ridiculous prices for the services (like for me to make any profit means I have to charge close to 30 Bucks for a t-shirt...A T-SHIRT!?! ). Then all the other nightmares I've read about..so far anyhow!

So it looks like #1, Printful is a no go, then Café Press (another no), Print Aura (not too sure).

Bottom line here folks...
I have pretty basic design work with limited colors. I'm starting this business to help finance a non-profit ministry, so I'm not trying to get rich, but I also can't see asking close to $30 for a t-shirt. Has anyone come across a reasonable company?


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## aestheticdress (Dec 1, 2010)

Hey again Chuck, good to see you haven't given up.

If I might ask, what blank apparel is that $30 cost based on? Also, how many areas of the t-shirt are you trying to print?


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

If you want a high profit margin, you have to use a print method that has a low cost per unit, which means you have to buy in quantity. That requires having the funds upfront to pay for a quantity of printed garments that may never sell.

With screen printing, per unit costs go down as quantity goes up. Most fulfillment places print-on-demand with DTG as orders trickle in; the per unit cost is the same no matter how many you have printed.

I design, screen print, market, and ship my own line of designs. I use high quality blanks and inks. I price them in the low to mid 20s; I net in the mid to high teens (depending on where it sold). I get all the profits, but pay for it with my time and labor and investment in material and supplies.

My points being:

Print-on-demand is expensive per unit compared to screen printing in volume, but entails no upfront risk on your part.
Anything you don't do yourself, you must pay others to do for you--they aren't printing/shipping your shirts as a hobby or for the good of the universe, but to put food on the table.
Lowering production costs and increasing the profit potential requires investment and risk. Fulfillment PODs exist to do just the opposite: to reduce risk and investment at the expense of profit potential.


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## spector5ns (Jul 22, 2017)

Hello Erik,

Print area on t-shirt, just the front for now. The print area does not have to be massive either and there will not be many colors involved as well...think of the "Life is good" shirts...pretty basic/simplistic, kinda in that realm.

I've seen a whole host of different quotes as far as pricing goes..not really too sure on most of it yet.


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## spector5ns (Jul 22, 2017)

I realize they are in business to make money...but to what expense? I've read of poor quality, customer service and so forth. I'm just trying to see what good companies people here have come across.


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## aestheticdress (Dec 1, 2010)

Hm, if you go with less expensive blanks (i.e. Gildan, Hanes) you should be able to get a shirt like that made on-demand for around $15 or less from what I've seen. Especially if there's no relabeling, poly-bagging, etc.

And NoXid makes a lot of good points. You may want to look in to screen printing (silkscreens). Yes, you have to put up some money upfront (and your money will be "tied up" in that stock until you sell out) but ultimately you get a much lower cost per unit. Especially if you are only printing 1 color and just text/simple graphics.


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## spector5ns (Jul 22, 2017)

There was a satisfaction that came with printing my own shirts! I did enjoy it and I was even doing hats and stickers. I'm thinking of a few colors though and hand screening a few colors without a machine looks pretty daunting. At the end of the day, I just am not able to do any of it right now or I truly would. I am at the mercy of searching for a fulfillment company...and hope fully in the future I can get a place and print myself and maybe even employ some people.


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## jskelton83 (Sep 11, 2011)

spector5ns said:


> Hello Guys and Gals!
> 
> 
> 
> ...








Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## doitcoolprinting (Jul 29, 2017)

Have you tried with plastisol transfers? it might be an option for your stage to cut down the costs while maintaining moderate investmento


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## AnACustomPrints (Dec 1, 2016)

Reasonable POD/Fulfillment is out there or the small business man. You just have to search and sometimes get off the main road.


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## spector5ns (Jul 22, 2017)

doitcoolprinting said:


> Have you tried with plastisol transfers? it might be an option for your stage to cut down the costs while maintaining moderate investmento


Thank you for looking and responding, firstly!

The little money I have is going to have to pay for the legal items to get started...i.e., business license, Web site, and so forth, which is why I'm trying to figure out whom I should look to for a fulfillment company. I certainly want to take control, open my own shop and do it all myself down the road after I generate enough to do so. 

I'm trying to see if anyone else has had to start like this(or knows someone who has) with information on the best way to proceed.

The designs are on the basic side (think of "life is good" style) so there is not a need for a bunch of colors, extra large printing area, and so forth. I have done my own printing before, it's just not possible for me right now to do any of the sorts...so...Here I am


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## jskelton83 (Sep 11, 2011)

Check with thefactorytn.com they do fulfillment for several small companies. Small mom and pop with flexibility to meet your needs. Good Christian family been in business for 10 plus years. Call and talk to Mitchell. Owner and printer. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## spector5ns (Jul 22, 2017)

jskelton83 said:


> Check with thefactorytn.com they do fulfillment for several small companies. Small mom and pop with flexibility to meet your needs. Good Christian family been in business for 10 plus years. Call and talk to Mitchell. Owner and printer.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


thanks! I checked them out and sent an email, got a response, answered back...and have been waiting for a response..been quite a few days. Guess Ill try again and thank you for joining in on these issues!


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## djque (Feb 5, 2013)

spector5ns said:


> thanks! I checked them out and sent an email, got a response, answered back...and have been waiting for a response..been quite a few days. Guess Ill try again and thank you for joining in on these issues!


Why Don't you just ask for help on here since most of us are printers with our own equipment.The site rules say that no promoting your business which I dont know why. But maybe try looking.


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

djque said:


> The site rules say that no promoting your business which I dont know why.


Because it encourages people to make sales pitches. And the last thing a persons wants when they are looking for help is to inundated with those. 

"We want to encourage discussion and knowledge sharing without having to have members wade through lots of self promotional links and posts to get to the information they are looking for. We're a source for education -
not a marketplace."


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## spector5ns (Jul 22, 2017)

djque said:


> Why Don't you just ask for help on here since most of us are printers with our own equipment.The site rules say that no promoting your business which I dont know why. But maybe try looking.


Well now, that sounds like a plan, why not make some of you money, instead of some fulfillment company!!!

Who's in!?!?


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

spector5ns said:


> why not make some of you money, instead of some fulfillment company!!!
> 
> Who's in!?!?


Well, we're all fulfillment companies. Some more structured than others.

What you want is done by a lot more companies than those who have 'fulfillment' in their name. Even your local printer may do it.


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## 4C Print Shop (Sep 8, 2010)

There is self promotion almost everyday here on these forums but only a few usually get flag. In my opinion there are some bias here.


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## dres (Aug 17, 2017)

spector5ns said:


> djque said:
> 
> 
> > Why Don't you just ask for help on here since most of us are printers with our own equipment.The site rules say that no promoting your business which I dont know why. But maybe try looking.
> ...


I'm also interested in finding a reliable company to take care of my fulfillment. Happy to receive information from others, please.


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## stargraphics (Nov 20, 2007)

You must be talking really low quantities at these prices. You're not going to find a business to print just a couple of shirts for low price. Have you considered buying t-shirts from wholesalers like S&S Activewear, Broder Bros., One Stop Inc. and buying custom printed transfer from someone like VersaTrans? Then all you'd need is an inexpensive heat press and print your shirts based on demand. My experience with the custom heat transfers is that they are easy to print and look very good. But, again quantities will play a big part in producing printed t-shirts.


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