April 21, 2005
t-shirt update
The t-shirt sales are trundling along nicely. I’m actually surprised they’ve sold this well. I think the real test only begins once the shirts are actually made, shipped, and people start wearing them and blogging about them.
As of 0930 GMT today:
HUGHTRAIN: 44
GOOD FOR YOU: 28
MISTAKENLY: 30
CFA: 21
TOTAL: 123 SOLD
(677 LEFT)
Of course, the thought occurs to me: if people don’t like them/hate them/feel ripped off, I am frickin’ dead. Which is why I went for the high-quality option, even if it drove the price up higher than some of my readers are used to paying [European Prices + Weak U.S. Dollar = Bad Combo.].
My great, great grandfather, Grampa Simmons, had a fairly successful department store in St Louis back in the early 1900s. His famous line (still quoted today) was, “People remember the quality long after they’ve forgotten the price.”
Amen.
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Are you counting subscribers as one sale of each, or are they seperate to those numbers?
Either way, I’d be happy with those numbers.
The numbers are not seperate. If the subscribers reach 100, then there will only be 100 shirts left available for non-subscribers.
On Pricing Quality
It’s been said before: cheap, fast, good — pick two. Hugh shares some of his great great grandfather’s wise words on that here, “People remember the quality long after they’ve forgotten the price.” And that’s true whether you’re being expensive or c…
there’s 404 on the t-shirt link hugh – should be http://www.indigotshirts.com/gapingvoid/
thanks mike. fixed =)
I still want to know what type of ‘fit’ these are – are they ‘boy’ cut only, or can you get a ‘girl’ fit (not as long and fitted).
I agree with someone that asked you to consider T-shirts in colours. If the sales go well and you want to add more limited editions with other cartoons, each edition could have its own distinctive colour.
Tara – they are unisex cut t-shirts (not fitted).
The ability to sign-up to a newsletter to keep informed about new designs has been added.
Hugh, why do you always call it “European Prices”?
It’s UK prices, that is, the same amount as in Euros (for the same products), only that a pound is more money than a Euro or Dollar (or how many
Well, stink US doller and all, my wife bought me one, and in Pacific Peso’s (oops, New Zealand Dollars), it’s about $70 landed. Given that pay rates are about the same (ie, numerically, not with currency rate changes)….. ouch.
Can’t wait to get it tho
Nic
I was one of the Yanks whining about the price of the t-shirts the other day; I wanted to further clarify and say that regardless of the quality of the shirt and the art thereon, $40 is too much to pay for a t-shirt, collectible or no.
You play football, go grocery shopping, and fix the car in them. I cut the collars off almost all of mine. I wear t-shirts when I’m doing art and calligraphy, too: ink and paint stains. If I’m in the zone and getting things done, I’m not going to stop to differentiate between the $40 “formal wear” t-shirt and the ripped up $5 wonder. 
And then the Hugh shirt will be ruined, and I will be a sad, sad otter.
Now, if it were a signed piece of art (not an original, of course; a litho or what have you) even if it were small, I’d consider $40 a pretty good deal, because I consider Hugh a pretty good artist and writer! But for a t-shirt? Not a chance.
They get washed. They get worn. They get stained. They get torn, faded, abused. They’re T-SHIRTS.
It’s not that I can’t afford it; I just refuse to spend that kind of money on it, even though I think theyre extremely nice shirts. If they were $25, I’d buy one without batting an eyelash. I just hate overpriced clothing, not least because I’m terribly cheap (the Scots blood will out) and this price fits that bill. It’s nothing personal.
And yes, the US $ sucks mightily against the pound Sterling, and almost always has. I hate that whenever I travel to the UK, but I sure love coming back and switching my money over agan.
Also, I think offering the white on black option is brilliant.
Regardless, I still say: good luck to you selling them, and happy day to those who purchase them!
Quality is important but the fact that tshirts are looking to become the first hugely custom clothing item has got to mean something. I think it means that quality will potentially become a per consumer variable.
14-18$ U.S. will get you anything you want on about any color/kind of tshirt. Right now the quality certainly isn’t high end silkscreen, but it is rapidly improving. Tshirts are becoming like books I guess.
Gaping Void Ts
One of the big blog commentators around is Hugh MacLeod. If you don’t already subscribe to his Gaping Void RSS, where have you been? The Gaping Void blog is a kind of future of ruthless advertising/branding commentary mixed with some anarchic thoughts…
perilous…heard of ebay? vintage rock concert t-shirts sell for $50 and up on ebay…these are those worn/washed shirts that someone kept until they discovered a huge market of kids that a) love old rock and roll bands b) want to have something not gap/A&F/Aeropostale, etc…
is it silly to pay that much for a 20 year old shirt, yes…but, there is demand and that’s what the market will pay….
so, Hugh…sell for what the market will pay and keep a few as in 10 years, these may be worth 10X or more….
If you’re keeping score at home
hugh has sold a nice chunk of t-shirts (buy one here)
I’m just peeved that now the CFA design arrived on a t-shirt it’s gone from the streetcards site, so I can’t order new ones. I liked the card design.
*sigh*