# Questions about production and selling



## silverbolt (Aug 11, 2005)

Hello all,
You have all been so helpful with so many of my questions, so I thought I would throw some more out there to get some feedback. I really have enjoyed being a member of this message board. Okay, here it goes! The following are things I need help/ advice with and on.

1) We have many one-liner ideas for tees. What is the best way to get these produced? I would of course want the most economical way as possible considering we are just starting out. 

2) Some of our designs would probably work best as heat transfers or sublimation. Any ideas or thoughts on who to go to and how to get these printing most efficiently?

3) Since we are just starting out, should be go on something like Ebay for exposure? Should we think about opening up a t-shirt store first or wait and sell a few individual shirts first? Or should we pay the bucks (I have been quoted about 200 to get our website going? Does anyone have any ideas/ thoughts if this is a going rate?) 


Again, we have preprinted tees already to sell at this moment, orginal designs already created, and some heat transfer ideas. How do you all make it work selling tees in many different ways. Thanks for any advice or input you could provide. Also, please include any websites/ resources I should check out. 

To The Succes For Us All,
Silverbolt


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> Some of our designs would probably work best as heat transfers or sublimation. Any ideas or thoughts on who to go to and how to get these printing most efficiently?


You've posted this question before and got some great answers 
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/showthread.php?t=3560



> 1) We have many one-liner ideas for tees. What is the best way to get these produced? I would of course want the most economical way as possible considering we are just starting out.


Best or economical? Many times those two are mutually exclusive.

Best would probably be screen printing. Next would probably be plastisol transfers.



> 3) Since we are just starting out, should be go on something like Ebay for exposure?


If you do a forum search for ebay, you'll find a lot of great past topics about using ebay for exposure. Look for this box in the upper left hand corner of the forum:

:searchbox:



> Should we think about opening up a t-shirt store first or wait and sell a few individual shirts first? Or should we pay the bucks (I have been quoted about 200 to get our website going? Does anyone have any ideas/ thoughts if this is a going rate?)


$200 sounds a bit on the lower side, but it is possible to get a website done for that amount (depending on what all is included in that $200).

I don't see any reason for you NOT to have a website built to help sell your t-shirts. What would be your reservations about adding this additional outlet for people to buy your product?


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## printchic (Apr 3, 2006)

> 1) We have many one-liner ideas for tees. What is the best way to get these produced? I would of course want the most economical way as possible considering we are just starting out.


It appears you will be using text so you may want to consider investing in a "vinyl cutter" and "heat press". That way you can "cut out the one liners" and press them "on the shirt(s)" as you get orders.

Also, vinyl can go on "white, lights and darks" so you have the best of all 3 worlds. If done properly they are just as effective as a screenprinted garment. Now if the text is like a "multi-colored" thing then of course "sublimation" or "screenprinting" may be best if you don't want the "effect" using a digital heat transfer gives.



> 3) Since we are just starting out, should be go on something like Ebay for exposure? Should we think about opening up a t-shirt store first or wait and sell a few individual shirts first? Or should we pay the bucks (I have been quoted about 200 to get our website going? Does anyone have any ideas/ thoughts if this is a going rate?)


Ebay is a great way to get exposure however, you don't want to overlook the benefits of having your "own web presence". Ebay does offer a "web area/space" of a sort where you can place items but I'm sure you pay a fee somewhere down the line for it.

As for cost of installing a site it really depends on "how you want to do it". 

- You can hire someone to install one for you
- You can subscribe to ecommerce sites
- You can install it yourself
- or sometimes the "web host" you use already provides "a store" for you. The only thing for you to do then is to add your products, etc. 

If it's provided by your "web host" (as part of your hosting plan) you don't have any fees to pay. 

If you subscribe to an ecommerce site you may pay monthly fees, percentages, etc. but it really depends on who you choose.

I started out in 1996 and installed an "open source" free application called "Web Store" written in "cgi/perl". I didn't know the programming language but with the instructions and teach yourself cgi book I learned enough to know what i was looking at. 

Over the years I moved to other variations of Web Store which are easier to install and have more features and allow you to do most modifications by filling in a screen. So my cost to run my store monthly is $9.95 (my hosting fee) and (my merchant account month fee). That's it. I don't pay percentages, etc. on my sales to an ecommerce hosting site.

So all said it doesn't have to cost a bundle to run your own store so even if you use ebay don't dismiss having your own store on your own site.


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