D-Sect
02-04-2009, 11:29 PM
Let's talk about merch. Your strategies of merch, show us them. I'll show you ours:
Buying:
Shirts: We get ours from def-star. They're good and cheap: def-star (http://www.def-star.com/)
Stickers: Sticker Guy! (http://www.Stickerguy.com)
Variety:
We have 8 styles of garments in various sizes and colors.
Storage: Rubbermaid bins, labeled w/ packing tape w/ marker on them.
Shirts are rolled into a log and taped with blue painter's tape and has size written on tape.
I currently keep them in bags by size, but people don't like that system - need a new system (advice?)
Display and sales:
@ Shows: We use a light folding table and a clamp-on floodlamp. Shirts are folded on table w/ cds, and free stickers. Need a better method here (advice?). Have seen people use wire rack shelves standing on end to make a place to hang things on - may try that.
Online sales: Using free ZenCart shopping cart (ours = Hard Response Web Store, CDs, Shirts, and other merch. (http://www.hardresponse.com/store/) ) w/ PayPal as only payment method. We use a free add-on called "Stock by Attributes" (Stock by Attributes, shopping cart software | Zen Cart Ecommerce Solution (http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?main_page=produ ct_contrib_info&cPath=40_47&products_id=310)) which is great for selling stuff that has various sizes and colors.
We use CD Baby: let's find you some great new music... (http://www.CDBaby.com) to sell online & digital.
CD Making:
Big runs 1k+: CD / DVD Duplication, CD / DVD Replication, CD / DVD Duplicators, CD / DVD Printers, Blank CDs and DVDs (http://www.discmakers.com) - pro quality, free barcode.
Small runs: Kunaki -- CD/DVD manufacturing and publishing service (http://www.kunaki.com) <-- Kunaki is great. Make a cd using them and you can ask for a free proof copy to see if you want to use them. You'll be satisfied. Great way to make 1 to 1,000 CDs @ $1.75 each. We make small runs of our new EP CD. If you give good art, they look great and look exactly like a DiscMaker's CD.
Prices:
Shirts $10 - our cost ~$6-7
Hoodies $20 - cost ~$16
CD (9-song): $10 / $6 wholesale - cost ~$4.45 (incl recording)
CD (4-song): $5 / $3 wholesale - cost ~$3.75 (incl recording)
Promo:
We give a lot of stuff away to select people. We try to give CDs and stickers away since they can potentially be [consumed] by more than one person. We also give free stuff to people that buy a bunch of our stuff (+$30).
That's about it.
I'd really like to learn about better ways to display merch @ shows. We've seen a lot bands use the vertical wire shelf setup w/ shirts folded & pinned onto cardboard squares and hung, but if there's a better way, I'd like to know about it.
Buying:
Shirts: We get ours from def-star. They're good and cheap: def-star (http://www.def-star.com/)
Stickers: Sticker Guy! (http://www.Stickerguy.com)
Variety:
We have 8 styles of garments in various sizes and colors.
Storage: Rubbermaid bins, labeled w/ packing tape w/ marker on them.
Shirts are rolled into a log and taped with blue painter's tape and has size written on tape.
I currently keep them in bags by size, but people don't like that system - need a new system (advice?)
Display and sales:
@ Shows: We use a light folding table and a clamp-on floodlamp. Shirts are folded on table w/ cds, and free stickers. Need a better method here (advice?). Have seen people use wire rack shelves standing on end to make a place to hang things on - may try that.
Online sales: Using free ZenCart shopping cart (ours = Hard Response Web Store, CDs, Shirts, and other merch. (http://www.hardresponse.com/store/) ) w/ PayPal as only payment method. We use a free add-on called "Stock by Attributes" (Stock by Attributes, shopping cart software | Zen Cart Ecommerce Solution (http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?main_page=produ ct_contrib_info&cPath=40_47&products_id=310)) which is great for selling stuff that has various sizes and colors.
We use CD Baby: let's find you some great new music... (http://www.CDBaby.com) to sell online & digital.
CD Making:
Big runs 1k+: CD / DVD Duplication, CD / DVD Replication, CD / DVD Duplicators, CD / DVD Printers, Blank CDs and DVDs (http://www.discmakers.com) - pro quality, free barcode.
Small runs: Kunaki -- CD/DVD manufacturing and publishing service (http://www.kunaki.com) <-- Kunaki is great. Make a cd using them and you can ask for a free proof copy to see if you want to use them. You'll be satisfied. Great way to make 1 to 1,000 CDs @ $1.75 each. We make small runs of our new EP CD. If you give good art, they look great and look exactly like a DiscMaker's CD.
Prices:
Shirts $10 - our cost ~$6-7
Hoodies $20 - cost ~$16
CD (9-song): $10 / $6 wholesale - cost ~$4.45 (incl recording)
CD (4-song): $5 / $3 wholesale - cost ~$3.75 (incl recording)
Promo:
We give a lot of stuff away to select people. We try to give CDs and stickers away since they can potentially be [consumed] by more than one person. We also give free stuff to people that buy a bunch of our stuff (+$30).
That's about it.
I'd really like to learn about better ways to display merch @ shows. We've seen a lot bands use the vertical wire shelf setup w/ shirts folded & pinned onto cardboard squares and hung, but if there's a better way, I'd like to know about it.