How I Turned $40 into $3500 with 15¢ Transfers
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Hey friends, Chloe here!
Although I'm the newest member of the 613 Originals team, I'm not new to transfers! Read on to learn how I was able to 10X my profit using transfers on a real client project!
Before I joined the 613 Originals team, I started off as a customer. This led me to discover not only how much easier it is to work with transfers but also how much bigger my profits could be. I was stoked to find a partner who cared - and now I'm part of the team team whose quality and collaboration I can attest to firsthand.
If you’re in the t-shirt decorating business, you know that every penny counts. Finding a cost-effective yet high-quality solution can be a game-changer. Especially when you're ordering and making things on behalf of clients who (understandably) have their own bottom line to attend to.
Today, I'm breaking down how I used one of our most affordable formulas—the 15 cent screen printed heat transfer—to turn a teeny investment into a big profit!
Setting It All Up
My clients consider me a "one-stop-shop" when it comes to graphic design and production. Whether I'm printing my designs myself or outsourcing it to a trusted company in my network, I love to alleviate my clients' stress by cutting out the need for managing several vendor relationships.
And yet, as someone who has been in the creative industry for a while, I’m always on the lookout for materials that offer great quality without breaking the bank.
Bringing a digital design to (print) life
When a longtime client came to me inquiring about a t-shirt design based on a design we'd created for digital print a few years before, I thought, "this should be easy enough – let's do it."
Then she followed up with, "You can print them too, right?"
"Me? Screen print? Oh...about that..." 👀
I explained to her that it was just outside my comfort zone and that I'd happily shop around for somewhere to order her shirts once the design was settled.
The quotes we received for 100 shirts were, to put it simply, bananas. Between set up fees, various ink colors, mark ups on garment blanks, and delivery costs – we'd be set to spend almost $45 per shirt!
It was enough for me to almost break out my now-retired vinyl cutter until I considered all of the teeny tiny letters in the design. Frustrated, I kept thinking, "there has to be a better way".
These are just a few of the things I typed into the search engine before I stumbled upon 613 Originals and their wide selection of transfers:
- How to order shirts without knowing exact quantities we'll need of each size?
- Is drop shipped Direct-to-Garment really the same quality as screen printing?
- How to organize product inventory in a small apartment (no, seriously – where would I even put them?!)
Then, the internet put 613 Originals in my path!
Transfers were the solution - duh!
After hours of searching for a solution, it took just 5 minutes of skimming their website to register for an account, secure a free sample pack, and upload my client's design to see how easy the ordering process would be.
After a couple of days, I received my sample pack, tested the color swatches on our selected garment, and let my client know we were in business! This is a breakdown of our costs for decorating 100 shirts:
Cost Breakdown
- T-Shirt Blank: $514 ($5.14 per shirt)
- Heat Transfers: $40 (15¢ per transfer + $25 setup)
- Application Time: 7 seconds per shirt (your time = money!)
- Total Cost: $554 or just $5.54 per shirt!
The Process
Using the heat transfers was incredibly simple. After receiving my order, I followed these steps:
- Prepare the T-Shirt: Place the t-shirt on the heat press.
- Apply the Transfer: Position the transfer on the t-shirt.
- Press: Set the heat press to the recommended settings and press for just 7 seconds.
- Finish: Remove the transfer backing and admire the vibrant, durable design.
The entire process took less than a minute from start to finish, making it incredibly efficient. 100 applications later, my client's shirts were in the mail.
Here's How Varsity Could be Your Secret Sauce:
Unbelievable Everyday Value: For just 15 cents, you get a high-quality, vibrant, and durable screen printed heat transfer that is manually inspected before it makes its way to you. We're confident it's the best deal in the industry!
Effortless Excellence: Our transfers are designed to be easy to use, so you can focus on creating stunning designs without the hassle of traditional screen printing.
Boost Your Business: With such an affordable option, you can offer competitive prices to your clients while maintaining excellent profit margins – win, win!
Be Original and Impressive: Deliver top-notch prints that your clients will love, making you their go-to decorator for all their apparel needs.
I hope this brings some perspective as to how Varsity could be a game changer for you. We can't wait to see what you make!