T-Shirt Quantity Per Team at Softball Tournaments

[softball_junkie]

I'm looking into this for a business, any coaches here know on average how many tournament shirts specifically one team will order? I'm thinking of making a tournament business and I'm wondering so then my business can be successful. Thanks to all those that choose to reply!

 

[The Man In Blue]

First, you need to decide what your business model is going to be. Are you going to be a vendor or a boutique? A vendor shows up and sells things. A boutique takes orders and has some merch on hand. A boutique usually offers fewer skus and more personalization/service. A vendor sells whatever they can pick up cheap and profit on.

Personally, I think the boutique is the best route, especially if you are getting started and know nothing about the industry (which, no offense, I assume is the case based on your question).

Offer pre-orders at a discounted price. If you get 100 pre-orders, make 110 or 120 and sell the other 10 or 20 at the tournament for $5 or $10 more. This yields the least inventory waste and allows you to actually collect valuable data. This route does require more work though.

The next best option (IMO) is press-on-demand. This way you can have pre-made tournament specific designs and bulk quantities of a variety of shirts. The benefit is you eat less waste on a $5 press-on design (no, I don't know that actual cost, I am just making that up) than a $10 shirt with a $5 press-on design on it. Again, much more labor.

Don't take offense, as I am speaking from a position of ignorance here . . . maybe you are a business person already and I am talking to the wind, but if you aren't, you have a lot more to consider. Hopefully you are looking into functional commercial equipment and not off the shelf consumer products (like a Cricut). How are you going to transport and store your merch and equipment? How are you going to process payments? Are you working all weekend? Are you hiring help? Etc., etc.

 

[softball_junkie]

Thank you! I'm trying to run a tournament business so I'm just trying to figure out the shirts. I should have made it more specific that in the brand I'm using for t shirts, the more t shirts you order per order makes for a cheaper cost per t shirt. I'm tyring to find out the average amount of t shirts ordered per team so that I can get a definitive cost. The minimum i can order is 12 at $38 per t shirt so I'm wondering how many t shirts teams typically buy (this is an unsanctioned tournament and 40% of the t shirt proceeds will go to a good cause)

 

[PharmerBrown]

Thank you! I'm trying to run a tournament business so I'm just trying to figure out the shirts. I should have made it more specific that in the brand I'm using for t shirts, the more t shirts you order per order makes for a cheaper cost per t shirt. I'm tyring to find out the average amount of t shirts ordered per team so that I can get a definitive cost. The minimum i can order is 12 at $38 per t shirt so I'm wondering how many t shirts teams typically buy (this is an unsanctioned tournament and 40% of the t shirt proceeds will go to a good cause)

If you're paying $38 per t-shirt, I'd count on selling zero.

 

[NJZoo]

Sorry for being blunt, but are you just acting as a middle man? Is your business model to pay someone else to make the shirts and then resell them at a markup? The margins are very slim as a reseller, and typically the sales are less because you are only printing a specific design on a specific color shirt.

I can tell you from experience of having my daughter buy 100 tournament shirts - the vendors that do the best are those that do customized heat transfers made to order. The girls can pick their color shirt and the design the want. My daughter rarely wants a pre-made or pre-ordered tournament shirt. Good luck.

 

[softball_junkie]

Sorry for being blunt, but are you just acting as a middle man? Is your business model to pay someone else to make the shirts and then resell them at a markup? The margins are very slim as a reseller, and typically the sales are less because you are only printing a specific design on a specific color shirt.

I can tell you from experience of having my daughter buy 100 tournament shirts - the vendors that do the best are those that do customized heat transfers made to order. The girls can pick their color shirt and the design the want. My daughter rarely wants a pre-made or pre-ordered tournament shirt. Good luck.

Thanks! I just looked into your idea and that seems way better! Thanks again!

 

[The Man In Blue]

Sorry @softball_junkie . . . my consulting experience spidey-senses tells me you have a lot of thinking and learning to do . . .

 

[Vaydoe]

We pay 20 dollars for T Shirts at all the tournaments we play in. They seem to sell pretty well. Probably need to figure out your margins with this price point in mind.