Seeking Advice

imported
#1

I am going to be selling Tshirts and other trail related things for the first time since I started MISS JANET"S HOUSE. I have looked at these ideas for so long that I no longer know if they are any good or not. Your advice and suggestions on designs and products would be very helpful! If you want to preview my ideas please Email me at:

themissjanet @ earthlink.net

Thank you… I appreciate your time!

Miss Janet

#2

They should be hiker friendly. Perhaps made out of duo-fold or this type of material, IMHO. Good Luck

Redbeard

#3

Hi Miss Janet

FYI… keep the designs as small as possible, decals or other iron ons can cause hot spots and stick to the skin.

Also, Pearlizumi makes excellent layer ware. They really outperform the “other” brands.
http://www.pearlizumi.com/pearlizumi/site/catalog/product.aspx?iProductTypeSubID=30&iProductID=3638&iProductColorsTB=7985

Also, consider selling biking gloves (fingerless) for blister free hiking

Spiz

Spiz

#4

Good luck on this Miss Janet.

I’d say to make it a point to ask each hiker that you run into this year, what they would like to have/need. Then carry those items if you can for them.

Thru hikers I run into are always looking for wool socks, or to get a hitch to the outfitter to buy gear or footwear because their stuff is wearing out or is too heavy or.

I’d stock a little of each the first year and see what sells. If you have trouble selling any of it to hikers, you can always sell it on ebay----what price you get for it is another item of discussion. You should be able to sell tons of Snickers bars and such.

Anyway good luck again. And keep the faith and keep up the great work. See you out there.:cheers

Maintain

#5

One size fits all, everyone has at least one, and you don’t need to deal with getting pricey synthetic shirts or whatever. I’d wear one!

Skittles 03

#6

Bandanas is a great idea. I like the idea of a T-shirt, and i don’t think it has to be hiker-friendly. Hikers only carry one short-sleeved shirt anyway, and they probably already have it. I would buy a cotton shirt and wear it back home. And I’d love to see the designs; I’ll drop you an e-mail sometime soon. PS…your card is on it’s way…and by that I don’t mean in the mail, i simply mean almost done.

Leki-Less

#7

I’m still chuckling at the “I slept with Miss Janet” t-shirt that Baltimore Jack wore to Trail Days. I think lots of folks would go for a non-cotton version. Another suggestion would be AT postcards with views from the hills around Erwin. It’s so beautiful there. I only found a few postcards that specifically said Appalachian Trail. Lots of folks have digital photos that would make great postcards. How about “Save water, shower with a friend” mini hand sanitizer or packets of liquid soap? Good luck, Rainbow

Rainbow

#8

As some one who has sold T-shirts for profit, a few suggestions:

  1. Go with a good quality cotton tee, most hikers aren’t going to want to buy your shirt just to ruin it hiking, they’ll send it home as a keepsake.
  2. Use no more than 3 colors (one or two is better). Each color in your design requires a separate screen, and therefore a separate screen setup fee.
  3. Avoid putting something on the back of the shirt. It adds too much to the cost and eats into your profit, if that’s a consideration.
  4. Profit: Don’t expect much, if any. Selling t-shirts on a small scale is more about fun and marketing than about actually making any money.

Good Luck

RenMan

#9

miss janet–great idea! definately i would second the bandana idea.

i would say try starting “miss janet brand hiking materials” or “trail rated by miss janet” or “miss janet’s comfort wear” or something of that nature. so even if its just ordinary socks or something, they can have your tag sewn into it. especially if you come up with a small decal, like a silhouette of your house or your great smiling face that would be your brand emblem.

also–perhaps car decals? something that when the hiker gets back and gets their job they can stick proudly on their car to advertise the great time they had at your hostel.

shot glasses? maybe not the image you want to spread.
shower shoes? um underwear? seems like everyone wants fashion underwear/boxers/bikinis/other types of womens underwear. dog snacks? sunglasses? what about selling your own trail foods/snacks–making your own dried apples/bananas/etc. anyway. just some ideas that were off the top of my head.

ohh-- maybe souvenier pencils and pens . people need em for their journals.

big boy

#10

Thank You ALL!

You are all giving me some great ideas! I am having fun with this and I don’t expect it to be an income increaser. I don’t want a thounsand of THOSE Tshirts hanging around for years… so I will be doing this small!

Miss Janet

#11

Hi Miss Janet!
As a keepsake, how about getting each hiker that drops in to sign the shirt design, get their name/address/billing and/or money to mail for Christmas, 2005? The, “I slept with Miss Janet” is the perfect quote. Perhaps they could sign their names in a large,block type AT or a large, block type 2005? Seniors in high school do these kinds of shirts and seem to hold onto them forever. Who wouldn’t want a reminder of their AT thru-hiker classmates?
Love from Ladybug

Ladybug

#12

The headband/bandanas are awesome. (I forget what they’re called.) Body Glide would be much appreciated by all and is often hard to find. Perhaps some Aqua Mira drops?

ladybug

#13

What you want to do is to look up Advertising-Specialty or ASI companies in your area. These companies directly deal with wholesalers and imprinters, and can allow you to buy bulk at the cheapest price. You can usually buy as little as a couple dozen t-shirts. As far as imprinting a shirt, the best thing to do is to have a friend design the artwork using a program like photoshop or adobe illustrator. These programs can provide “camera-ready” art, which is needed for the imprinting process. It’s better to do it yourself, b/c outside sources can charge 50-150 an hour to produce artwork.

You can have the most elaborate design in the world, or just simple type…if it is all 1 color, the cost will be the same to print it in one location. The price only increases with color changes.

I used to work in this field directly, Miss Janet. I can probably answer any questions you have on the “business” end of imprinting wearables, so just ask!

bearbait

#14

i know i hiked without a baseball cap, i did have in the colder times a stocking cap, although i think that would be hard to sell because by the time people get to erwin its usually pretty warm.

but when i did hike i had glasses, and if it rained, the bandana and glasses and fog on the lenses made it hard to see. did anyone out there hike with a baseball cap and would that be something possibly people might want along the way but have forgot to bring? Just a thought.

The other thing that you might run in to is that having too much stuff, poor hikers might not have the cash to purchase said items. If you have clothing, you may find you get more orders (possibly?) once people get home and you may get letters once they start working again?

big boy