A big buzz has been brewing in the Shirt-o-Sphere about The TShirt Vault, a new contest site promising designers big rewards for creating standout designs and generating sales.
How big are the rewards?
1st Place – $5,000 cash prize + $3 Commission on each shirt sold.
2nd Place – $2,000 cash prize + $3 Commission on each shirt sold.
3rd Place – $1,500 cash prize + $3 Commission on each shirt sold.
4th Place – $1,000 cash prize + $3 Commission on each shirt sold.
5th Place – $500 cash prize + $3 Commission on each shirt sold.
** Winning designs are determined by number of shirts sold. **
Even if you are not one of the top 5, you can still earn pretty good money.
All other participants will receive $3 Commission on each shirt sold.
You can find more information about the site by visiting the FAQ section
Since it’s a new venture, I figured that people are going to have questions, so I decided to go to the source for answers. I asked the following questions to Ron, the man behind The TShirt Vault, and here is what he had to say:
How did you get involved with selling t-shirts?
I first started selling t shirt when I owned a live music venue. We had
thousands of bands come through and most of them were in need of good
quality merchandise with fast production so it could be shipped to next
city on their tour. I saw the need and wanted to fill it. So I turned the
basement of the club into a factory.
How are you involved in the industry?
I have been in the apparel business for many years. Everything from
manufacturing to sales. I currently have three apparel related businesses:
A clothing liquidation company, designing and manufacturing jeans and The
T Shirt Vault. Between the first two we ship thousands of garments each
day.
Why did you start TheTshirtVault.com?
I have been throwing around the idea of hosting a t-shirt design contest
for over a year. Other t-shirt design contests are great for the company
making and selling the shirts and if the artist wins it is good for them.
But I noticed three major cons with their business models: there are tons
of great designs that never get printed, the artist get nothing if their
design does not win & the site holds the design for up to four months even
if does not win. I went to work fixing the cons and enhancing the pros of
other design contests. This is what I came up with:
-All designs chosen to participate will be available for purchase for
$19.99 with free U.S. Shipping and will be printed on American Apparel
shirts.
-Make the prize money higher and add 5 places for winners.
-Give all artists $3 royalty on each shirt sold.
-If a design does not win allow the artist to remove their design quickly
and retain full rights.
How will The T-Shirt Vault stand out from the other sites in the
Shirt-o-Sphere?
I think we have covered all the bases to create the best t-shirt design
contest model. We are offering the artists amazing prize money and
royalties and offering the customer a quality product at a great price.
I’m an artist, what can I expect from your site?
Your design will be printed with great quality and you have a good chance
of earning some great money for your artwork.
Is there anything you would like to add?
Deadline for artists submissions is Monday Feb 22nd at 11:59pm. If anyone
has any questions of comments please email me at submit@thetshirtvault.com
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For the most part, the Shirt-o-Sphere has responded with positive anticipation. Many are waiting for the launch so they can start working towards that $5000 first place prize. Word on the net is that a wide range of familiar designers are going to take a chance and try to get the money. Since it’s a new venture, it’s wide open on who can win, so don’t feel like you’re out designed already. Submit and see!
As with any venture, there are some concerns and skepticism. The following are some of the major concerns and my opinions about them:
The site is new and unproven and is going to scam the community.
I don’t know Ron from Adam. I also don’t personally know the owners from any of the other site owners, yet I still send them money for shirts and designers send them designs for printing.
All sites were new at some point and needed the opportunity prove that they were going to legitimate players in the industry. You can go back to the beginning of the Majors and find that you could’ve applied some of the concerns you have for this site to them.
Concerns about the quality of DTG -vs- printing.
The major problem with DTG printing is not the concept, it’s the equipment. Low-end DTG printers, while costing around $10k, do not produce great results. Most DTG prints that we see on the street are from lower-end printers and tend to contribute to the negative opinions about the medium.
High-end production DTG machines cost in a range from $75k- $250K and produce amazing prints.
I’m not sure what type of machines The TShirt Vault will be running, so it remains to be seen what kind of quality they will produce. I just think it’s premature to dismiss the quality without seeing an actual shirt.
Why do you have to submit Hi-Res artwork on submission?
Unlike most contests, where the shirts are pre-sold and then printed in batch, the vote/sale is immediately put into production and shipped. All submissions will be available for sale on day 1 (March 1, 2010), so the Hi-res production image needs to be available to print the shirt.
Submitting a design does not mean that you give up your rights and copyright law grants you some protections if your design is printed without your permission. Until you accept any prize money, you still own your design.
If you are still on the fence or have any questions about the site, I would strongly suggest that you send them an email and base your opinion on how they respond.
If you are holding onto your only design, I can see how you might be concerned, but if you are sitting on a few unsold designs, Why not take a chance and give The TShirt Vault an opportunity to earn your business.
I can think of $10,000 reasons.
Remember, the submission period for this contest ends on Monday, Feb. 22, 2010 and you can’t win if you don’t enter. Grab a design template here and then submit your design here.
The first contest starts on March 1st and runs the entire month, so there is plenty of time to build your own buzz and increase your chances of winning a top prize.
Good luck to everyone and I’ll be checking out those designs.
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FCC DISCLAIMER: The government would like you to know that the site featured in this article has purchased advertising that is currently running on PopCultureTees.com. While I appreciate the support, it has not influenced my opinion or writing and hope you too can see that this statement is merely a formality.
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