6 ms·

Show HN: My weekend project, Startup Tees

58 points by zpj5005 15y ago

peteforde 15y ago
I love T-shirts. I don't love branded logo T-shirts, but many folks do. So best of luck! My advice is this: your product photography needs to improve by an order of magnitude. I am trying to give good feedback, not make you feel bad... this is key and your current photos will hurt your conversion rate.
citricsquid 15y ago
Please get a domain and a product name, using a folder under your own personal domain doesn't instil confidence. (Also I love t-shirts, I have 75 in my cupboard and ~15 currently being shipped to me, if you have good shirts I'll be purchasing lots :D)
- zpj5005 15y ago
  Appreciate the advice. We just moved to startuptees.com (thanks to Roddy)
zacharycohn 15y ago
Is this a weekend project, or a larger project? It seems a bit bigger in scope than something put together in a weekend. Either way, awesome idea. Acting as a distribution/sales channel for startups to spread their merch is a great idea. I can't imagine Dropbox wants to spend a lot of time dealing with selling shirts - outsourcing that to you guys makes a lot of sense. Good luck!
- zpj5005 15y ago
  I built the site out this weekend. The past couple weeks we've been receiving the shirts. Appreciate the support :)
seekely 15y ago
Good looking shirts are all about good fit. None of your models have a shirt remotely fitted for them. The pictures currently do a disservice for both the shirt and the model! Fun idea, though I am not convinced it will go far as a business/way to make money. I have seen this a couple of times. Sites like http://www.startupschwag.com/ http://www.startupschwag.com/ had to eventually give it up despite a good initial publicity buzz and following.
- frankdenbow 15y ago
  Why did they shut down? I couldnt find this info on the site.
  - rrival 15y ago
    roddy from StartupSchwag here. It was time for bigger and better things =)
- wmblaettler 15y ago
  I have to agree, the thing that struck me first was the poor photography (washed out, hazy photos) and second, the ill-fitting shirts -- too large and baggy on most models. EDIT: Having read your story, Go Penn State! Good luck to you.
- xiaoqmxx 15y ago
  welcometo: http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com The website wholesale for many kinds of fashion shoes, like the nike,jordan,prada,, also including the jeans,shirts,bags,hat and the decorations. All the products are free shipping, and the the price is competitive, and also can accept the paypal payment.,after the payment, can ship within short time. free shippingcompetitive priceany size availableaccept the paypal http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com jordan shoes $32nike shox $32Christan Audigier bikini $23 Ed Hardy Bikini $23Smful short_t-shirt_woman $15ed hardy short_tank_woman $16Sandal $32christian loubo utin $80 Sunglass $15 COACH_Necklace $27handbag $33AF tank woman $17puma slipper woman $30 http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com
bomatson 15y ago
I second these comments, would be great for mobile games or entertainment focused startups, where a lot of users are loyal fans and would wear the merch around proudly
ddemchuk 15y ago
How do we submit our own startups?
- hforew 15y ago
  send email to Henry at hforew@gmail.com
  - johnx123-up 15y ago
    Please have a contact form in site, that will help non-HN users too
dr_ 15y ago
If I were a startup, I'd probably just give away t-shirts for free, maybe just charge a nominal shipping fee. the person who is wearing it is advertising for you after all.
- jmjerlecki 15y ago
  Most startups don't have money to shell out free t-shirts. I would gladly pay for a t-shirt to help out a start up though (similar to what bands do).
TheHegemon 15y ago
Pretty sure you're not supposed to use the reddit logo without permission of the reddit team. I think this could cause a lot of legal problems, especially if you're not asking for permission. Otherwise looks good.
- citricsquid 15y ago
  They're official reddit t-shirts from the reddit store, I assume the startup has been given them by reddit
  - TheHegemon 15y ago
    Then completely dismiss what I said if so.
hkarthik 15y ago
If only I could get a Dropbox shirt with my referral code URL printed on it.
- mw63214 15y ago
  how about just a QR code on the back to a sign-up page with the shirt-wearers referral code?
  - hkarthik 15y ago
    Even better!
- jmjerlecki 15y ago
  This is great and something Dropbox should do. This would make for great PR. The QR code idea underneath my post would be great on the back. Just a huge QR code.
  - mw63214 15y ago
    after thinking about how to actually make the shirts, how much more per shirt would it cost(considering each QR code would be unique)?
- atamfilms 15y ago
  The Dropbox shirts comes with a TOS that they own the cotton.
renraw 15y ago
This is sick!
tejaswiy 15y ago
Sorry, but why would I wear a DropBox t-shirt? If I'm an employee there or something, it might make sense. It also makes sense if you identify yourself with a particular large company's ethos like Apple / Google, but I just can't see myself wearing any of these ...
- zacharycohn 15y ago
  Why do people wear band t-shirts? This might not be your thing, but lots of people will buy/wear shirts to promote or support an organization they like.
  - tejaswiy 15y ago
    I don't agree a person wearing a Metallica t-shirt is actually promoting them. It's more of a case of saying, "Hey world, I'm cool because I like Metallica!". It's a case of showing off your interests to the world, not an altruistic promotion of a particular interest. "I'm cool because I use a relatively obscure software tool to backup my data" - doesn't sound right. EDIT1: Also I'd rather have startup quotes presented in an artsy way than just logos like this - http://startupquote.com/ http://startupquote.com/ EDIT2: Other cool ideas instead: @adrianwaj and @bomatson
    - marknutter 15y ago
      Or how about "I'm cool because I'm ahead of the curve when it comes to technology", which, by the way, has become quite trendy lately if you haven't noticed.
rrival 15y ago
zach- I'll give you startuptees.com if you want it... drop me a line,
adrianwaj 15y ago
Allow people to print up their twitter profile - ideally verify they own the account - Icon and name on front, stats on back! Organic cotton for bonus points!
eknuth 15y ago
Nice! Are you using spreadshirts to print?
alorres 15y ago
Such a neat and simple site design and the shirts, oh god the shirts. I love you man <3
marknutter 15y ago
Why does every side project need to be done in a weekend?
- fourstar 15y ago
  It doesn't. My "side" project took years. I finally finished a couple weeks ago, but since it was a "side" project, I was never too motivated to finish it. My motivation was when I got extra time after graduating in May. http://www.hipsterorhomeless.com http://www.hipsterorhomeless.com is that project.
nickpinkston 15y ago
I'd much prefer startup-culture Tees - instead of wearing logowearz - some I've seen: - "Launch or STFU" - "Lean Startup, no Fat Pitches" - "Keep it lean, Founda"
keke_ta 15y ago
cool! love it!
desaiguddu 15y ago
No shipping for India :(
dotBen 15y ago
I'm not clear how this is better than a given startup using Printfection (or similar company) to offer print-on-demand tshirts that are fulfilled and shipped directly to the buyer. Looks like prices on Printfection would be same or even slightly cheaper than this service. It would seem that these guys have had to print up a ton of shirts, deal with inventory, fulfillment, etc. There are companies that will do this for you the same costs.
lemonad 15y ago
Looks great! Would it be possible to provide overseas shipping for a fee in the future?
geoffw8 15y ago
Does she come with the tee's? (I can't be the only one thinking that!)
Tichy 15y ago
Shouldn't the companies in question pay me for carrying around their advertising? I wouldn't mind wearing such an "ad shirt" for a company I also like, if I could get it cheaper than a normal shirt of the same quality.
wyclif 15y ago
Please branch out into stickers! I just had a conversation with a founder yesterday about where he gets all his startup stickers (by going to events, of course). But not all of us can do that.
sillycon 15y ago
I think this is a neat idea. I'm looking forward to seeing more shirts on the site. I can see why startups would gravitate to this. Why not have someone else promoting you on their site and then having the shirts distributed to the public? Small price for a lot of PR.

58 points by zpj5005 15y ago

I love T-shirts. I don't love branded logo T-shirts, but many folks do. So best of luck! My advice is this: your product photography needs to improve by an order of magnitude. I am trying to give good feedback, not make you feel bad... this is key and your current photos will hurt your conversion rate.

citricsquid 15y ago

Please get a domain and a product name, using a folder under your own personal domain doesn't instil confidence. (Also I love t-shirts, I have 75 in my cupboard and ~15 currently being shipped to me, if you have good shirts I'll be purchasing lots :D)

zpj5005 15y ago
Appreciate the advice. We just moved to startuptees.com (thanks to Roddy)

zacharycohn 15y ago

Is this a weekend project, or a larger project? It seems a bit bigger in scope than something put together in a weekend. Either way, awesome idea. Acting as a distribution/sales channel for startups to spread their merch is a great idea. I can't imagine Dropbox wants to spend a lot of time dealing with selling shirts - outsourcing that to you guys makes a lot of sense. Good luck!

zpj5005 15y ago
I built the site out this weekend. The past couple weeks we've been receiving the shirts. Appreciate the support :)

seekely 15y ago

Good looking shirts are all about good fit. None of your models have a shirt remotely fitted for them. The pictures currently do a disservice for both the shirt and the model! Fun idea, though I am not convinced it will go far as a business/way to make money. I have seen this a couple of times. Sites like http://www.startupschwag.com/ http://www.startupschwag.com/ had to eventually give it up despite a good initial publicity buzz and following.

frankdenbow 15y ago
Why did they shut down? I couldnt find this info on the site.
- rrival 15y ago
  roddy from StartupSchwag here. It was time for bigger and better things =)
wmblaettler 15y ago
I have to agree, the thing that struck me first was the poor photography (washed out, hazy photos) and second, the ill-fitting shirts -- too large and baggy on most models. EDIT: Having read your story, Go Penn State! Good luck to you.
xiaoqmxx 15y ago
welcometo: http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com The website wholesale for many kinds of fashion shoes, like the nike,jordan,prada,, also including the jeans,shirts,bags,hat and the decorations. All the products are free shipping, and the the price is competitive, and also can accept the paypal payment.,after the payment, can ship within short time. free shippingcompetitive priceany size availableaccept the paypal http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com jordan shoes $32nike shox $32Christan Audigier bikini $23 Ed Hardy Bikini $23Smful short_t-shirt_woman $15ed hardy short_tank_woman $16Sandal $32christian loubo utin $80 Sunglass $15 COACH_Necklace $27handbag $33AF tank woman $17puma slipper woman $30 http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com http://www.fullmalls.com

bomatson 15y ago

I second these comments, would be great for mobile games or entertainment focused startups, where a lot of users are loyal fans and would wear the merch around proudly

ddemchuk 15y ago

How do we submit our own startups?

hforew 15y ago
send email to Henry at hforew@gmail.com
- johnx123-up 15y ago
  Please have a contact form in site, that will help non-HN users too

dr_ 15y ago

If I were a startup, I'd probably just give away t-shirts for free, maybe just charge a nominal shipping fee. the person who is wearing it is advertising for you after all.

jmjerlecki 15y ago
Most startups don't have money to shell out free t-shirts. I would gladly pay for a t-shirt to help out a start up though (similar to what bands do).

TheHegemon 15y ago

Pretty sure you're not supposed to use the reddit logo without permission of the reddit team. I think this could cause a lot of legal problems, especially if you're not asking for permission. Otherwise looks good.

citricsquid 15y ago
They're official reddit t-shirts from the reddit store, I assume the startup has been given them by reddit
- TheHegemon 15y ago
  Then completely dismiss what I said if so.

hkarthik 15y ago

If only I could get a Dropbox shirt with my referral code URL printed on it.

mw63214 15y ago
how about just a QR code on the back to a sign-up page with the shirt-wearers referral code?
- hkarthik 15y ago
  Even better!
jmjerlecki 15y ago
This is great and something Dropbox should do. This would make for great PR. The QR code idea underneath my post would be great on the back. Just a huge QR code.
- mw63214 15y ago
  after thinking about how to actually make the shirts, how much more per shirt would it cost(considering each QR code would be unique)?
atamfilms 15y ago
The Dropbox shirts comes with a TOS that they own the cotton.

renraw 15y ago

This is sick!

tejaswiy 15y ago

Sorry, but why would I wear a DropBox t-shirt? If I'm an employee there or something, it might make sense. It also makes sense if you identify yourself with a particular large company's ethos like Apple / Google, but I just can't see myself wearing any of these ...

zacharycohn 15y ago
Why do people wear band t-shirts? This might not be your thing, but lots of people will buy/wear shirts to promote or support an organization they like.
- tejaswiy 15y ago
  I don't agree a person wearing a Metallica t-shirt is actually promoting them. It's more of a case of saying, "Hey world, I'm cool because I like Metallica!". It's a case of showing off your interests to the world, not an altruistic promotion of a particular interest. "I'm cool because I use a relatively obscure software tool to backup my data" - doesn't sound right. EDIT1: Also I'd rather have startup quotes presented in an artsy way than just logos like this - http://startupquote.com/ http://startupquote.com/ EDIT2: Other cool ideas instead: @adrianwaj and @bomatson
  - marknutter 15y ago
    Or how about "I'm cool because I'm ahead of the curve when it comes to technology", which, by the way, has become quite trendy lately if you haven't noticed.

rrival 15y ago

zach- I'll give you startuptees.com if you want it... drop me a line,

adrianwaj 15y ago

Allow people to print up their twitter profile - ideally verify they own the account - Icon and name on front, stats on back! Organic cotton for bonus points!

eknuth 15y ago

Nice! Are you using spreadshirts to print?

alorres 15y ago

Such a neat and simple site design and the shirts, oh god the shirts. I love you man <3

marknutter 15y ago

Why does every side project need to be done in a weekend?

fourstar 15y ago
It doesn't. My "side" project took years. I finally finished a couple weeks ago, but since it was a "side" project, I was never too motivated to finish it. My motivation was when I got extra time after graduating in May. http://www.hipsterorhomeless.com http://www.hipsterorhomeless.com is that project.

nickpinkston 15y ago

I'd much prefer startup-culture Tees - instead of wearing logowearz - some I've seen: - "Launch or STFU" - "Lean Startup, no Fat Pitches" - "Keep it lean, Founda"

keke_ta 15y ago

cool! love it!

desaiguddu 15y ago

No shipping for India :(

dotBen 15y ago

I'm not clear how this is better than a given startup using Printfection (or similar company) to offer print-on-demand tshirts that are fulfilled and shipped directly to the buyer. Looks like prices on Printfection would be same or even slightly cheaper than this service. It would seem that these guys have had to print up a ton of shirts, deal with inventory, fulfillment, etc. There are companies that will do this for you the same costs.

lemonad 15y ago

Looks great! Would it be possible to provide overseas shipping for a fee in the future?

geoffw8 15y ago

Does she come with the tee's? (I can't be the only one thinking that!)

Tichy 15y ago

Shouldn't the companies in question pay me for carrying around their advertising? I wouldn't mind wearing such an "ad shirt" for a company I also like, if I could get it cheaper than a normal shirt of the same quality.

wyclif 15y ago

Please branch out into stickers! I just had a conversation with a founder yesterday about where he gets all his startup stickers (by going to events, of course). But not all of us can do that.

sillycon 15y ago

I think this is a neat idea. I'm looking forward to seeing more shirts on the site. I can see why startups would gravitate to this. Why not have someone else promoting you on their site and then having the shirts distributed to the public? Small price for a lot of PR.