JCF Store

[Newc]

Re: JCF Store

Sadly, I can't wear beefy tees either - too thick for me. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] I sweat like a pig in Summer, even in white, but in Winter I only wear black/navy blue Fruit Of The Loom pocket tees with my jacket. I don't go for that "shirt over a t-shirt" thing - too hot [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Anyways, too bad ya have to use those iron-ons straight off the printer (or they dry up you can't iron them one), or you could sell them and let us put them on (everyone's got a wife/gf/mom that can iron, right? [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] )

I suppose you could put them in an airtight bag when they come off the printer, though.
I did see at WalMart a printable fabric for inkjet printers (dont' know if it's for iron-ons or sew-ons) but they wanted $10 for one sheet [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

Anyhoo, the search continues [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

What's the cost/profit difference for screen printed shirts? Anybody check into that?

Newc

[lerxstcat]

Re: JCF Store

I just used Beefy-Ts as an example because they cost more; I was trying to bump the cost up so as to not be overstating the profit margin. Anvil shirts are good too, lighter and about $1.00 cheaper each. I also exaggerated the XXL % to 50% for that reason; it would probably be less than 20%.

After I posted here, I saw the Jackson Store thread, went to the Jackson Store and got 2 Jackson t-shirts in XXL for $15.99 each, FREE shipping. $31.98 total for 2 nice t-shirts - one black, one red.
I would've rather paid $50.00 HERE to get 2 nice JCF t-shirts, but I'm NOT going to buy something I don't want and won't wear just because I'm deemed disloyal if I don't. I'm saying, I'd like to buy JCF - HERE's what I'd like. As I said, I KNOW
it's not that big of a production because I've done it in my work before. It's less convenient than Cafe Express, but it is also worth having in the eyes of many here, or so the feedback indicates. The t-shirt is THE key swag item in the world of rock and metal; if your key item is not happening, you're not going to sell.

I said this when the store was announced, and was dismissed as an ingrate because I didn't appreciate the effort made. I DID appreciate the effort, but brought up an issue that I think was borne out by the "fizzle" factor. Nobody wants the white or gray shirts, that's all.

[ August 18, 2003, 08:03 AM: Message edited by: lerxstcat ]

[~K~]

Re: JCF Store

To date the store has sold a total of 31 items. This was $481.19 in sales for a total profit of $81. after the $81 there was $21 in expenses to cafepress for the account... you tell me how successful it is.

I'm almost at the point of either closing the cafepress store down of dropping the prices to cost .. but then the JCF loses because it still has to pay for the account every month.

One year ago I was all for doing shirts through a silk screener and selling them on the JCF. The problem with this will be no different than the cafepress store. some will want black shirts, some will want grey ... some will want tanks and some will want pockets. you can't make everyone happy and through experience here it has alaways been a if they only had syndrome I'd buy it.. I can't blame anyone ..when your dropping your money you want what you want .. We just dont have the overhead to make everyone happy ...

This would also bring into account that it would increase personal workload. I for one am not interested in making weekly runs to ship shirts,take delivery package etc etc etc. As you may or may not noticed both Sully and Myself have stepped back from the board a little over the last week to regroup. We took a beating here and throughout the web concerning the JCF and needed some minor time away.

Then there's the tax implications ..(for anyone that doesn't know me well my wife works at the I.R.S) ..so moving great somes of money would put me at a disatvantge here as I'd probably have to claim direct sales as a business every quarter. Cafepress did this for us after so many sales ...

So while I'm not out to put a damper on the party I am open to viable suggestions on how to make this place better for you guys.

[Newc]

Re: JCF Store

BAH! Ingrate! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/poke.gif[/img]

Actually after I posted, I went through Ebay for Screen Printing stuff and found some nice manually operated presses (4 and 6 color single-station units) that seem pricey, but when you think of how much you can do with them..... Plus they shouldn't be hard to modify to have more than one station (to do more than one shirt at once). Here's one that seems interesting:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=26252

Now, from what I gather, you put your screen image in the frame and attach the frame to each of those arms in the center (one frame per arm, one color per frame), and your shirt on the platform on the side. You rotate the arms/frames around and press/squeegee each color onto the shirt, lift, rotate to the next color, and do it again. So if you add a shirt platform at each color's arm, then mod the arms to come down at the same time (not hard to do), all you'd have to find is a way to squeegee each color at once. Hmmmmmm [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Thinking...... [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Newc

[lerxstcat]

Re: JCF Store

As I said before, this isn't to dog you guys, and your stats prove the point; it's not working as it is, and if you made $81.00 in profit on $481.00 in sales
that doesn't sound worth it. I'd hate to see it go, but I also think it'd be more viable if even ONLY black t-shirts were being sold. Go to a metal concert and most of the shirts are black. Again, poll everybody - force 'em to vote to log in one time - and there's your market research.

If it's all too much of a headache, that is understandable too if you want to drop the whole thing. You could always do it
by a special order and take payments until you have enough for a 100-shirt run. If it take 3 months, it takes 3 months; it's $25-$30, when you get it you get it.

As for taxes, if there are no profits, there's nothing to pay taxes on, right?
If the ostensible profits are dumped back into the JCF, then it's really a not-for-profit operation.

Anyway, it came up and I posted my opinion as to how to increase sales. No big deal either way. Look what happens when you try to be nice anyway; Matt donated a guitar to give away, now he's no longer a Jackson dealer!

I'm sorry the store hasn't worked out the way it was hoped it would. Thanks for trying, regardless.

Rich

[Newc]

Re: JCF Store

Originally posted by KMaynard:
We took a beating here and throughout the web concerning the JCF and needed some minor time away.

Then there's the tax implications ..(for anyone that doesn't know me well my wife works at the I.R.S)

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hmmm, I seem to have missed Kev's post between Lerx's and mine about the screen press.

Anyhoo: Who gave you guys a beating about the JCF and why?

As for wifey working for the IRS, I was always told that IRS employees don't pay Federal Income tax - this true? [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Newc

[~K~]

Re: JCF Store

I wish it were True Newc .. I'd be sitting high .. In all actuality my taxes get a mini audit every year by them. Their belief is that the employees should be held to a higher standard than the public .. (Bah).. She really doesn't care for working there (19 yrs now) but the benefits far outweigh anything.. she gets loads of sicktime and vacation ..not to mention cash awards every year.

As far as getting a bit beaten up .. usually what happens is when one issue kicks us in the ass we become hypersensitive to all issues on the board. Which really isn't good as it tends to cloud our judgment at times and we become (for lack of a better word) Ass**les. So one major issue lends itself to a dozen perceived major issues .. note** you'll see admin folder going nuts when that happens.. [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

I'm not 100% against silk screened shirts as long as it could be done easily. I personally would not expect the admins to put in a lot more time than they already do for free .. it's really not fair to them ..and there are some cool projects going on behind the scenes witch take time ...

[ August 18, 2003, 09:38 AM: Message edited by: KMaynard ]

[Tekky]

Re: JCF Store

I'm not against changing the shop around a bit, but Kevin's right. We do have a lot of things going behind the scenes that I hope the everyone will get a kick out of. Resources are kind of stretched at the moment. I would imagine when some of these projects get completed we can tackle the shop. But right now it's not #1 with a bullet on our to-do lists.

[Newc]

Re: JCF Store

Hmm. I see. Actually I wasn't suggesting you guys splurge on the printing press and do all the work - I was just speculating (and post-wh0ring a bit [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] )

Newc

[Steve]

Re: JCF Store

Originally posted by KMaynard:
I wish it were True Newc .. I'd be sitting high .. In all actuality my taxes get a mini audit every year by them. Their belief is that the employees should be held to a higher standard than the public .. (Bah).. She really doesn't care for working there (19 yrs now) but the benefits far outweigh anything.. she gets loads of sicktime and vacation ..not to mention cash awards every year.

As far as getting a bit beaten up .. usually what happens is when one issue kicks us in the ass we become hypersensitive to all issues on the board. Which really isn't good as it tends to cloud our judgment at times and we become (for lack of a better word) Ass**les. So one major issue lends itself to a dozen perceived major issues .. note** you'll see admin folder going nuts when that happens.. [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

I'm not 100% against silk screened shirts as long as it could be done easily. I personally would not expect the admins to put in a lot more time than they already do for free .. it's really not fair to them ..and there are some cool projects going on behind the scenes witch take time ...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">hey if you want some blk printed [silkscreened] I got a place up here in canada that I could get em done for ya 12 bucks Canadian a shirt fruit of the loom shirt as well so you could charge 20 bucks a shirt [well worth it!] or 17 usa and remember a bigger run costs cheaper per shirt as well , for instance a run of 6 or 4 shirts cost me 12 bucks a shirt one sided print + 5 bucks for the screen so if you did 100 or 50 it would cost you even less alot less , if your serious I can get you a price for em , I'll post a pic of our shirts we made up soon and you can see the work he did he had to re size it and every thing and they still turned out alright. //Steve

[lerxstcat]

Re: JCF Store

[img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/band.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[Chuckracer]

Re: JCF Store

So suddenly all this talk about buying printing presses and such...jeesh!
Howsa about a mug...or a hat...or a friggen sticker?

[Tekky]

Re: JCF Store

Can't buy mugs... Chuckracer thief'd them.. [img]graemlins/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[Tekky]

Re: JCF Store

That's great Steve, but making the shirts is only half the battle.. (nod to G.I. Joe - YO!!) After that, it's all about logistics. Right now it's all handled by Cafe Shops...

At this point in time that's the best solution, because none of us have the bandwidth (non computer usage of the word) to handle this possibly monumental task.

When our respective projects are complete I'm sure we'll re-visit the situation to determine if/what changes are to be made.

[RacerX]

Re: JCF Store

Originally posted by Newc:
Hmm. I see. Actually I wasn't suggesting you guys splurge on the printing press and do all the work - I was just speculating (and post-wh0ring a bit [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] )

Newc

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ya ain't gonna catch me dude! [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]