i am thinking of starting up an ebay shop selling tshirts with transfers etc on them

[nappyaddict]

How much would you pay including postage?

What would you like to see on them? I am trying to steer clear of the teddies, giraffes, mice, rabbits, dogs, snakes, diggers, cars, trains, planes, helicopters, pirates, monsters, skeletons, camouflage, grafitti, skull and bones, skateboard, surfer, football, army stuff which most people seem totally fed up of.

So far my ideas are:

lorries,
cement mixers,
monkeys,
sharks,
lizards,
crocodiles,
hippos,
rhinos,
dinosaurs,
zebras,
tigers,
lions,
insects,
bugs,
cowboys,
whales,
aliens,
spacehips,
astronauts,
rockets,
boats,
campervans

Am i along the right lines with these sort of things or are people not keen on these either? Would be helpful if you could put yes or no next to each one whether you like that sort of stuff on your kids clothes or not.

Also what colours? I am thinking
red,
yellow,
orange,
purple,
pink,
turquoise?

My ds loves trains and apart from Thomas I can never find anything.

Please include trains.

I bought an Underground Ernie iron on transfer from Ebay and it didn't stick after it had been washed and the whole thing just peeled off

I am searching at the moment for pictures to use. Would people prefer realistic or cartoony pics?

I have decided against the following pictures as you can get a lot of these already in the shops:

Caterpillars
Tools
Motorbikes
Quad bikes
Vans
Lorries
Transporters
Rescue trucks
Buses
Coaches
Black cabs
Emergency vehicles
Cement mixers
Cranes
Tractors
Combine harvesters
Boats
Campervans
Caravans
Frogs
Worms
Pandas
Koalas
Robots
Lobsters
Octopus
Fi shes
Sharks
Whales
Tortoises
Turtles
Ice creams
Bucket and spades
Monkeys
Lizards
Snakes
Spiders
Crocodiles
Hippos
Rhinos
Dinosaurs
Zebras
Tigers
Lions
Insects
Bugs
Ladybirds
Cowboys
Aliens
Chickens
Geese
Pigs
Cows
Horses
Donkeys
Sheep
Camels
Goats

Bumblebees
Balloons
Kites
Bicycles
Moose
Squirrels
Hedgehogs
Starfish
Seahorses
Crabs
Penguins
Sandcastles
Astronauts
Parrots
Peacocks
Owls
Toucans
Ducks
Swans
Cats
Deer
Rockets
Spaceships
Submarines

Hmmm had a bit of a jig around and I think I will now not be doing:

Tools
Motorbikes
Quad bikes
Vans
Lorries
Transporters
Rescue trucks
Buses
Coaches
Black cabs
Emergency vehicles
Cement mixers
Cranes
Tractors
Combine harvesters
Boats
Campervans
Caravans
Frogs
Worms
Snails
Robots
Lobsters
Octopus
Sharks
Dr ums
Guitars
Saxaphones
Monkeys
Snakes
Spiders
Crocodiles
Rhinos
Dinosaurs
Tigers
Lions
Ch eetahs
Leopards
Insects
Bugs
Cowboys
Aliens
Pigs
Eagles
Polar bears
Elephants

But I will be doing:

Zebras
Pandas
Koalas
Whales
Fishes
Tortoises
Turtles
Ice creams
Bucket and spades
Hippos
Lizards
Bumblebees
Caterpillars
Goats
Cows
Ladybirds
Chickens
Geese
Horses
Donkeys
Sheep
Camels
Goats
Balloons
Kites
Bicycles
Moose
Squirrels
Hedgehogs
Starfish
Sea horses
Crabs
Penguins
Sandcastles
Astronauts
Parrots
Peacocks
Owls
Toucans
Ducks
Swans
Ca ts
Deer
Rockets
Spaceships
Submarines

Oh and I forgot trees - I'll be doing those too.

Please please please do trains. As I said before my ds loves them. I also work in a playgroup and the trainset is out every single day (free choice). PPLLLEEEAAASSEE.

You don't get much with trains on it with the exception of Thomas.

OK maybe just for you but I'm not advertising it on the website (which I still have to get someone to help me build)

It is going to be called Untypically Cool or something alone those lines. The idea is to do unisex and unstereotypical tshirts that both boys and girls will want to wear. Trains are a bit too "boy" for my unstereotypical image.

Oh and I will also be doing rainbows, the sun, a lightening flash and clouds. One of the mums from playgroup has requested those.

www.folksy.com would be a great place to sell these, as they're handcrafted.

Children's bits always seem to sell well on there.

Thanks never heard of that site before. I was planning on putting them on Etsy.

NA - two things - there is a real lack of nice Tshirts for boys with boyish things on them that don't have logos and stuff - I think that you could do really well with a limited number of 'boyish' designs that would do well on bright colours - perhaps a steam train, some tractors/diggers etc.

• dh currently out of work - he might be able to do a website for you at not too great a cost.... (sorry for the plug! )

I think I have too many designs at the moment in my yes list lol. There's almost 50 atm!! I have cut a few out that I'm not that keen on cos you can already get them a lot of places anyway and I want my selling point to be that my designs are unusual and different but I'm struggling with the rest cos I love that I've never seen a lot of them before.

YES:

Zebras
Pandas
Whales
Ice creams
Hippos
Bumblebees
Caterpillars
Goats
Cows
Ladybirds
Chickens
Geese
Horses
Donkeys
Sheep
Camels
Goats
Balloons
Kites
Bicycles
Moose
Squirrels
Hedgehogs
Starfish
Sea horses
Crabs
Penguins
Sandcastles
Astronauts
Parrots
Peacocks
Owls
Toucans
Ducks
Swans
Ca ts
Deer
Rockets
Spaceships
Submarines
Rainbows
Trees
Clouds
Sunshine
Lightening flash

Too boring I think:

Teddies
Giraffes
Mice
Rabbits
Dogs
Diggers
Cars
Trains (except for Fimbo on special request
Planes
Helicopters
Pirates
Monsters
Skeletons
Camouflage stuff
Grafitti
Skull and bones
Skateboards
Surfers
Footballs
Army stuff
Tools
Motorbikes
Quad bikes
Vans
Lorries
Transporters
Rescue trucks
Buses
Coaches
Black cabs
Emergency vehicles
Cement mixers
Cranes
Tractors
Combine harvesters
Boats
Campervans
Caravans
Frogs
Worms
Snails
Robots
Lobsters
Octopus
Sharks
Dr ums
Guitars
Saxaphones
Monkeys
Snakes
Spiders
Crocodiles
Rhinos
Dinosaurs
Tigers
Lions
Ch eetahs
Leopards
Insects
Bugs
Cowboys
Aliens
Pigs
Eagles
Polar bears
Elephants
Koalas
Fishes
Tortoises
Turtles
Buckets and spades
Lizards

My top 25ish of those:

Zebras
Pandas
Whales
Hippos
Bumblebees
Ladybirds
Sheep
Balloons
Kites
Hedgehogs
Sea horses
Crabs
Penguins
Sandcastles
Parrots
Peacocks
Owls
Toucans
Rockets
Spaceships
Submari nes
Rainbows
Trees
Clouds
Sunshine
Lightening flash

Have you already found transfers you can get of these or are you going to be designing your own?

Some I have found transfers for, some I am still looking for and here is the interesting bit .... my cousins aged 6,6 and 9 are also designing some. I think there drawings look really cool but not sure if it will be everyone's cup of tea. Got my inspiration from here

I knocked a few off, but then ended up adding a few more lol, I'm hopeless!!

YES:

Gorillas
Apes
Alligators
Zebras
Pandas
Whales
Ice creams
Hippos
Bumblebees
Caterpillars
Goats
Cows
Ladybirds
Chickens
Geese
Horses
Donkeys
Sheep
Camels
Goats
Balloons
Kites
Moose
Squirrels
Hedgehogs
Starfish
Sea horses
Crabs
Penguins
Sandcastles
Parrots
Peacocks
Owls
Toucans
Ducks
Swans
Cats
Deer
Ra inbows
Trees
Clouds
Sunshine
Bongos
Trumpets
Pianos
Keyboards
Paint/paintbrushes

Too boring I think:

Teddies
Giraffes
Mice
Rabbits
Dogs
Diggers
Cars
Trains (except for Fimbo on special request grin
Planes
Helicopters
Pirates
Monsters
Skeletons
Camouflage stuff
Grafitti
Skull and bones
Skateboards
Surfers
Footballs
Army stuff
Tools
Motorbikes
Quad bikes
Vans
Lorries
Transporters
Rescue trucks
Buses
Coaches
Black cabs
Emergency vehicles
Cement mixers
Cranes
Tractors
Combine harvesters
Boats
Submarines
Bicycles
Astronauts
Rockets
Spaceships
Lightening flashes
Campervans
Caravans
Frogs
Worms
Snails
Robots
Lobsters
Octopus
Sharks
Drums
Guita rs
Saxaphones
Monkeys
Snakes
Spiders
Crocodiles
Rhinos
Dinosaurs
Tigers
Lions
Cheetahs
Le opards
Insects
Bugs
Cowboys
Aliens
Pigs
Eagles
Polar bears
Elephants
Koalas
Fishes
Tortoises
Turtles
Buckets and spades
Lizards

there are a couple of shops near me that do this reasonably cheaply - you find an image na d, copyright permitting they print it onto various things for you like vest tops, normal T's, hoodies etc

Can't believe it's been over a year since I first posted this. Have done a little bit more research since then but not much. Most people said they were bored of the following themes:

Teddies
Giraffes
Mice
Rabbits
Dogs
Diggers
Cars
Trains
Planes
Helicopters
Pirates
M onsters
Skeletons
Camouflage stuff
Grafitti
Skull and bones
Skateboards
Surfers
Footballs
Army stuff
Tools
Motorbikes
Quad bikes
Vans
Lorries
Transporters
Rescue trucks
Buses
Coaches
Black cabs
Emergency vehicles
Cement mixers
Cranes
Tractors
Combine harvesters
Boats
Submarines
Bicycles
Astronauts
Rockets
Spaceships
Lightening flashes
Campervans
Caravans
Frogs
Worms
Snails
Robots
Lobsters
Octopus
Sharks
Sandcastles
Drums
Guitars
Saxaphones
Monkeys
Snakes
Spiders
Crocodiles
Rhinos
Dinosaurs
Tigers
Lions
Cheetahs
Leopards
Insects
Bugs
Cowboys
Aliens
Pigs
Eagles
Polar bears
Elephants
Koalas
Fishes
Tortoises
Turtles
Buckets and spades
Lizards
Gorillas
Alligators
Camels
Bears
Binoculars
Cogs of a machine
Magnifying glass
Trumpets
Bongos
Toucans

But would like to see some of the following which are more unusual:

Apes
Zebras
Pandas
Whales
Ice creams
Hippos
Bumblebees
Caterpillars
Cows
Ladybirds
Chickens
Geese
Horses
Donkeys
Sheep
Goats
Balloons
Kites
Moose
Squirrels
Hedgehogs
Starfish
Sea horses
Crabs
Penguins
Ice lollies
Parrots
Peacocks
Owls
Ducks
Swans
Cats
Deer
Rainbows
Trees
Clouds
Sunshine
Stars
Moon
Raindrops
Pianos
Keyboards
Paint/paintbrushes
Igloos
Pizza
Donuts
Burgers
Chips
Milkshakes
Lollipops
Sweets
Crisps
Cans of pop

Sorry caterpillars, crabs and mushrooms were meant to be in the first list and yetis and toadstools in the second list.

Now, I am a super fussy bitch and never buy t shirts with pictures on. The main consideration for me would be the style of the T shirt. I would never buy white and I only like a fitted style (like NAS or the Scandinavian makes). I would like something with stars on, or a safety pin or something more random like that.

Oooh safety pin I like that idea.

Do you like stripes?

On that theme what about:

A button
Needle and thread
Cotton reel
Thimble

Hmm, I think they are great ideas but wouldn't buy them. Have you mentioned a camera or headphones or an iPod? I do like stripes and spots and the repetitive prints like smafolk or similar. I usually buy black or grey, but am liking mushy pea green at the mo (lots in h&m). I also like one initial, I bought one off eBay for ds2 at Christmas, that would depend on the font as to whether I would buy it. If it was the right 'sort' of top, I would probably pay up to about £18. If it was £5 I would be put off and think the quality was poor- thinking cheap, square shaped t shirt.

See now your making me think tins of mushy peas or baked beans would look great on tshirts

Ah but they would! Great idea!

What about inner city images like a tower block? I'm just trying to think a bit more 'edgy'. I am loving that etsy shop you linked to.

DS2 is only really wearing scanda stuff with h&m and DS1 is still in NAS because he is skinny. Girls are easier and DD wears a mixture but mostly h&m. I reckon I will get them all something from that etsy shop, or even from you

Lovely idea, but the big issue will be pricing. Have you costed it yet?

I was always really at what I perceived to be the high price of baby clothes and when DS was born we seriously thought about doing baby clothes (may still do it, I love the idea).

We got as far as costing it with a friend who runs an (adult) t-shirt business, and it's actually really difficult to make affordable, and still half decent quality baby clothes.

A few people here have said they think £5 is reasonable. I really wanted to do baby clothes for around the £5 mark, and am yet to find a workable way to do this.

And of course if you do end up with a more expensive price tag in your items, then obviously they'll be harder to sell.

A bit of sage advice from my mate in the t-shirt printing business was that one of the problem with selling clothes is that for every single design, you need to get it in a bunch of sizes (say 0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12 months) then if you want different colours you have to do all those sizes again. Then when you start selling them you find out that for some unknown and unfathomable reason everyone wants penguins 0-3 in green, and you run out straight away, but penguins in yellow 6-9 are just not popular and you can't shift the buggers.

If you are putting the transfers on one at a time then you get round this problem, but then that makes the process more expensive to you in terms of time (which is money at the end of the day if you're tying to run a business). If you're only doing it for pocket money / for a hobby I guess it doesn't matter much, but if you're trying to actually make a proper income out of it, then it needs some thought.

Please don't think I'm trying to put you off - far from it, I think it's a great idea! I'm just letting you know what we came up against so you can hopefully solve it and let me know!

Good luck, please let us know how you get on

What a useful post. I would pay a lot more than £5 but know a lot of people wouldn't.

How are your plans progressing beyond choosing images nappyaddict?