I recently came across a new t shirt site that is a bit different from all the others. Called Shirts By Me it is set up in the well known competition style that we know from sites like Threadless and Shirt Woot. The big difference is that instead of getting votes on your design, you get investors. Yeah I know it sounds weird but stay with me as it is actually quite clever.
If people like your design they can invest in it. This starts from as little as five dollars. For that they get a tee when printed and a percentage of the profits. Great way to get a cheap shirt in my opinion. Overall 50 shares are sold for each design. I like this idea because it ensures that only the best designs are actually going to go to print. Rather than a popularity contest they are asking you to put your money where your mouth is.
Everyone involved is trying to make as many sales as possible. The money raised from the investors is used for advertising. Add to that the investors and the designer both spreading the word and you can see that this site has the potential to take off in a big way. Whether it will or not remains to be seen. As an investor the only way you can lose is if the shirt does not go into print. Your money is refunded minus a dollar processing. So at worst you may lose a buck. Not really a big deal in my opinion.
The net profit is split 3 ways. The site takes the lions share at 50%. Nothing new there and quite fair as they are doing most of the work. The designer gets 25% which is not too shabby. The remaining 25% gets split among the investors. In reality as an investor you need quite a lot to sell to make anything worth while, but hey you got a cheap tee so really it is just a bonus. Reinvest it in another design and hope you hit upon a best seller.
To check out the site for yourself just click on the picture.
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