6 ms·

ASK HN: Would you sign up for this service?

14 points by gghootch 14y ago

lmm 14y ago
No. A t-shirt I don't particularly like is worth approximately zero to me (you get them free at conventions), and it doesn't sound like the front will be cool enough to justify the back. Particularly since the back's probably going to be McDonalds or something.
- gghootch 14y ago
  Doesn't sound like the front will be cool enough to justify the back. What if when we presume it is? Ideally, McDonalds-like t-shirts will be the minority of the t-shirts you will be able to choose from. What if it is a t-shirt courtesy of your local Radioshack? Moreover, you'll be able to see in advance what company is sponsoring the shirt. Don't like McD? Choose another one!
  - lmm 14y ago
    >Doesn't sound like the front will be cool enough to justify the back. What if when we presume it is? What I meant is, I can't imagine a front so cool that the overall t-shirt would still be cool. (And if you came up with a t-shirt front that cool, you could sell it with a plain back for $50 and make a tidy profit without all the complexity of this idea). >Moreover, you'll be able to see in advance what company is sponsoring the shirt. Don't like McD? Choose another one! I'm not seeing that anywhere on the page. If true, that changes things; as long as the photo verification isn't too much faff I'd happily sign up for t-shirts from companies I actually like.
    - gghootch 14y ago
      I can't imagine a front so cool that the overall t-shirt would still be cool Can't please anyone, although it does not hurt to try. I'm not seeing that anywhere on the page. Pitched this idea once at some startup contest. Judges didn't get the concept. Spoke to other contestants and later stage judges that did get it; advice #1 'simplify, simplify, simplify'. Although I can talk on for an hour detailing the concept, it's best not too cause information overload.
joshstrange 14y ago
No for 2 reasons, 1) As @lmm mentioned, you can get free t-shirts from just about anywhere and it's not worth having a huge ad on your back 2) Launchrock is one of the most annoying 'Coming Soon' pages out there. Why would I share your service/product on Twitter/FB/Email to my friends and family when I haven't even ever used it
- gghootch 14y ago
  Main focus is on generating feedback right now. Concrete traction building will start in a later stage. Thanks for the responses btw :)
jstanley 14y ago
If we assume that the shirts look good, sure. I always like free stuff.
hafabnew 14y ago
Yes, but just so I had tonnes of gym/exercise t-shirts.
pavel_lishin 14y ago
I assume there's more fine print to this. What if the advertisers don't like the context in which I wear their t-shirts? If I upload three photos of myself wearing my t-shirt at a KKK rally, or being beaten by police officers at a protest, or throwing a puppy off of a bridge, will I continue to receive free t-shirts? Or would advertisers be able to black list certain frappers? For the record, I signed up, and will probably be donating most of the ones I receive (if any, I do get beaten up a lot at KKK rallies for throwing puppies of bridges) to the homeless.
- gghootch 14y ago
  Advertisers on their own in the way the content industry operates, no. Frapp the company, yes.
citricsquid 14y ago
Yes, I love t-shirts (I own over 160) and I know that a lot of people really love free stuff. As others have said there are issues like what if someone misrepresents a brand, but ignoring that I think the idea is fantastic. If you market it well (I would suggest aiming at end of high school / start of college age people) it could really take off. I don't think posting it here will get you much useful feedback, the HN demographic aren't really the sort of people this will appeal to.
- gghootch 14y ago
  I know that a lot of people really love free stuff That's what I figured. Lockerz grew enormously until it imploded due to many factors. Rethink their business model, go niche and this is where I ended up at. the HN demographic aren't really the sort of people this will appeal to But at least they are likely to provide slightly more insightful feedback than the average feedback I've received from friends/family.
huhtenberg 14y ago
No. It looks like a pyramid scheme of some kind, so I didn't even bother finishing reading the page. Sorry.
- gghootch 14y ago
  Would you care to elaborate? Why does this look like a pyramid scheme to you? The same way that 'FB is a ponzi scheme'?
  - huhtenberg 14y ago
    That was my first impression from skimming the page. Now that I have looked at it again, it's obviously not what it seemed to be. The pattern of "Get one, give back 3, receive something back" is the pyramid/Ponzi pattern. Basically your copy needs to change, it's heavy. Drop the numbered list, get to the point faster and more succulently. Also, somewhat related. Have you seen this - http://www.iwearyourshirt.com http://www.iwearyourshirt.com ?
    - gghootch 14y ago
      Ah yes, the get one, give back 3, receive one back does indeed look a lot like a pyramid scheme at first glance. Copy definitely needs work. I'll be trying some different things in the future. Thanks for the tip :) Hadn't heard of iwearyourshirt, very interesting proposition. Thanks again!
- altrego99 14y ago
  Doesn't seem pyramid scheme if they go by 'order one free t-shirt' as the first step, with no strings attached. But that sounds like loss making venture to me - to give away the first free t-shirts to anyone who would order. That said, I doubt if I would do this as collection of garments does not excite me. But if this means free t-shirt, I definitely know some who will do this.
heelhook 14y ago
I would, and once I get my shirt I would wear it or not, depending on what's in the back, my advise to you would be to allow people ordering the shirts to pick what company or design they'll have in the back, I might have a problem wearing merchandise of companies that don't sit well with my lifestyle (e.g. as a vegetarian, I wouldn't wear the shirt of a company that primarily sells meat, like McDonald's). Offering the people that are wearing the shirts a mix of back designs (say, three different ad designs to pick from for Whole Foods or any other advertiser) would be a plus to improve adoption.
- gghootch 14y ago
  3 different advertisers requires mass customization => extra overhead. You'll get to choose advertiser + t-shirt combos; not sure if added flexibility will make up for the increase in price, but I'll keep it in mind!
  - heelhook 14y ago
    As an advertiser, I would definitely like to be able to be allowed to A/B different designs for the ads, it sounds pretty simple for an advertiser to be able to provide a few different designs and let people choose from them, or are you referring to a different cost?
- mbell 14y ago
  I agree. At the very least I'd have to be able to opt out of market segments, e.g. no fast food (McDonalds), sexual aids (viagra), political/religious groups, etc.
kschua 14y ago
It depends on the advert. If it was a cool brand which I would like to associate with, then yes, I would wear and photograph myself in it. If it was a brand which I don't intend to associate myself with, then no, I wouldn't wear it much less have a photo of me in it
angry-hacker 14y ago
I wouldn't but I know a lot of people who would. If your startup is able to be profitable like that I believe it's an excellent idea...
dshlos 14y ago
I think it's a good idea. Not everyone will wear any type of t-shirt, so maybe you should find a way to match people to brands. For example, I'd wear a t-shirt advertising technology companies whose products I use, but I wouldn't wear a Ford t-shirt because I am a Toyota/Honda guy. Someone launched a similar site years ago where they would give you giant stickers to put on your car doors and pay you $200 per month as long as you drive 20+ miles per day.
- gghootch 14y ago
  Do you happen to know what site that is?
dholowiski 14y ago
I would sign up for this service, on both ends... to get a t-shirt and to advertise on t-shirts (provided I could get in on a very small scale - a few t-shirts). As others have said, whether I would wear the shirt depends on the ad. It would be great if I could see the ad before the shirt was sent. Also, the word 'order' almost turned me off. it immediately suggests I'd have to pay.
- gghootch 14y ago
  Cool to hear that you'd sign up for advertising! Ad will be completely visible before the shirt is sent. Thanks for the tip on order. Hadn't thought of it that way. Is receive better? Feels like it's less clear on how that t-shirt will end up at your place.
127001brewer 14y ago
No, because I simply do not see the value of receiving a free t-shirt with advertising. Also, it seems like a relatively significant commitment from a person who signed up because you're asking them to upload three pictures of themselves in the t-shirt (for either another free t-shirt or "credit"). However, I'm interested to hear more about your business model and I hope your idea does well. Presumably,and I may be way off here, you're sub-contracting out the screen-printing of the t-shirts. And, as I understand it, the cost of producing t-shirts can be significant and you would probably have to hold a large inventory of t-shirts in various sizes. - What kind of advertiser are you trying to appeal to? - Does an advertiser pay only when there's evidence that the t-shirts are worn? Or why do you have to upload three pictures of yourself in the t-shirt? - Roughly, what kind of margins are you expecting to get? - Are you trying to focus in a local region or nationally? - What happens with any left over inventory? Lastly, I may be interested in a t-shirt that combines an advertising with "pop art", but that's just a quick idea... Edit: Clarified the first sentence.
- gghootch 14y ago
  Also, it seems like a relatively significant commitment from a person who signed up because you're asking them to upload three pictures of themselves in the t-shirt (for either another free t-shirt or "credit"). The system I intend to implement should make this relatively painless. Presumably,and I may be way off here, you're sub-contracting out the screen-printing of the t-shirts. And, as I understand it, the cost of producing t-shirts can be significant and you would probably have to hold a large inventory of t-shirts in various sizes. Entirely true. But if Lockerz story is any indication of how it can work out, inventory turnover is likely to be ridiculously fast. - What kind of advertiser are you trying to appeal to? Large consumer goods and local stores. Got a nifty solution in mind on how this'll scale. * Does an advertiser pay only when there's evidence that the t-shirts are worn? Or why do you have to upload three pictures of yourself in the t-shirt?* No, pay up front. Receive elaborate statistics afterwards. - Roughly, what kind of margins are you expecting to get? Back of napkin style; profit margins somewhere between 30%-50%. Margins on t-shirts alone 50%-75%. Are you trying to focus in a local region or nationally? International user base. Allow advertisers to segment their target users by region/age/interests. What happens with any left over inventory? Promote them to first time users. Loyal users get cooler/more shirts. Lastly, I may be interested in a t-shirt that combines an advertising with "pop art", but that's just a quick idea... Definitely a great design idea. The one that's currently on the site is a drawing an ex-girlfriend of mine made over a year ago. I thought it was pretty amazing and asked her whether I could print that instead of my own terrible attempt at a mash-up of several freely available vectors.
phamilton 14y ago
I only see this being useful in a college campus setting. My freshman year I used to have "Free T-Shirt weeks", where I would wear all the swag shirts I've received because all the shirts I actually liked were dirty and I didn't want to do laundry yet.
jazzylady 14y ago
I think it's great idea. I would at least try it. I'm not really a T-shirt person but I know many who wear them and I think some would be interested in something like this. I like your landing page as potential wearing customer, but I don't think it would attract me to advertise with you. I would only change the pictures representing what kind of pictures people upload. Here you can't see that person wears T-shirt on an event or in a day in their life, you only see T-shirt and don't get the feeling person is wering it outside of their bedroom. I think that feature of choosing what brand will you promote with this T-shirt is important. You can see that many commenters saw this as a problem. But I think that here is a problem from the side of companies who would advertise on your T-shirts as well. If I used your service for promotional purposes, I would like to know that in front side of T-shirt there would not be something opposite of what I would like my brand to be. But I think that for starters you can filter that out manually.
- gghootch 14y ago
  but I don't think it would attract me to advertise with you I wholeheartedly agree. However, this will change when an actual landing page is in place. I would like to know that in front side of T-shirt there would not be something opposite of what I would like my brand to be Manual filtering/personal design for the companies that advertise is probably the first step. Next comes incentivizing users to contribute their own design and let the smaller customers pick their company designs. I think that'll work out, though there's obviously no way of being sure.
vog 14y ago
The site currently shows an error message: > It appears that something may be broken. We apologize for the problem. If you think you have reached this page in error, please head over to our support page. Well, that's not appealing.

14 points by gghootch 14y ago

lmm 14y ago

No. A t-shirt I don't particularly like is worth approximately zero to me (you get them free at conventions), and it doesn't sound like the front will be cool enough to justify the back. Particularly since the back's probably going to be McDonalds or something.

gghootch 14y ago
Doesn't sound like the front will be cool enough to justify the back. What if when we presume it is? Ideally, McDonalds-like t-shirts will be the minority of the t-shirts you will be able to choose from. What if it is a t-shirt courtesy of your local Radioshack? Moreover, you'll be able to see in advance what company is sponsoring the shirt. Don't like McD? Choose another one!
- lmm 14y ago
  >Doesn't sound like the front will be cool enough to justify the back. What if when we presume it is? What I meant is, I can't imagine a front so cool that the overall t-shirt would still be cool. (And if you came up with a t-shirt front that cool, you could sell it with a plain back for $50 and make a tidy profit without all the complexity of this idea). >Moreover, you'll be able to see in advance what company is sponsoring the shirt. Don't like McD? Choose another one! I'm not seeing that anywhere on the page. If true, that changes things; as long as the photo verification isn't too much faff I'd happily sign up for t-shirts from companies I actually like.
  - gghootch 14y ago
    I can't imagine a front so cool that the overall t-shirt would still be cool Can't please anyone, although it does not hurt to try. I'm not seeing that anywhere on the page. Pitched this idea once at some startup contest. Judges didn't get the concept. Spoke to other contestants and later stage judges that did get it; advice #1 'simplify, simplify, simplify'. Although I can talk on for an hour detailing the concept, it's best not too cause information overload.

joshstrange 14y ago

No for 2 reasons, 1) As @lmm mentioned, you can get free t-shirts from just about anywhere and it's not worth having a huge ad on your back 2) Launchrock is one of the most annoying 'Coming Soon' pages out there. Why would I share your service/product on Twitter/FB/Email to my friends and family when I haven't even ever used it

gghootch 14y ago
Main focus is on generating feedback right now. Concrete traction building will start in a later stage. Thanks for the responses btw :)

jstanley 14y ago

If we assume that the shirts look good, sure. I always like free stuff.

hafabnew 14y ago

Yes, but just so I had tonnes of gym/exercise t-shirts.

pavel_lishin 14y ago

I assume there's more fine print to this. What if the advertisers don't like the context in which I wear their t-shirts? If I upload three photos of myself wearing my t-shirt at a KKK rally, or being beaten by police officers at a protest, or throwing a puppy off of a bridge, will I continue to receive free t-shirts? Or would advertisers be able to black list certain frappers? For the record, I signed up, and will probably be donating most of the ones I receive (if any, I do get beaten up a lot at KKK rallies for throwing puppies of bridges) to the homeless.

gghootch 14y ago
Advertisers on their own in the way the content industry operates, no. Frapp the company, yes.

citricsquid 14y ago

Yes, I love t-shirts (I own over 160) and I know that a lot of people really love free stuff. As others have said there are issues like what if someone misrepresents a brand, but ignoring that I think the idea is fantastic. If you market it well (I would suggest aiming at end of high school / start of college age people) it could really take off. I don't think posting it here will get you much useful feedback, the HN demographic aren't really the sort of people this will appeal to.

gghootch 14y ago
I know that a lot of people really love free stuff That's what I figured. Lockerz grew enormously until it imploded due to many factors. Rethink their business model, go niche and this is where I ended up at. the HN demographic aren't really the sort of people this will appeal to But at least they are likely to provide slightly more insightful feedback than the average feedback I've received from friends/family.

huhtenberg 14y ago

No. It looks like a pyramid scheme of some kind, so I didn't even bother finishing reading the page. Sorry.

gghootch 14y ago
Would you care to elaborate? Why does this look like a pyramid scheme to you? The same way that 'FB is a ponzi scheme'?
- huhtenberg 14y ago
  That was my first impression from skimming the page. Now that I have looked at it again, it's obviously not what it seemed to be. The pattern of "Get one, give back 3, receive something back" is the pyramid/Ponzi pattern. Basically your copy needs to change, it's heavy. Drop the numbered list, get to the point faster and more succulently. Also, somewhat related. Have you seen this - http://www.iwearyourshirt.com http://www.iwearyourshirt.com ?
  - gghootch 14y ago
    Ah yes, the get one, give back 3, receive one back does indeed look a lot like a pyramid scheme at first glance. Copy definitely needs work. I'll be trying some different things in the future. Thanks for the tip :) Hadn't heard of iwearyourshirt, very interesting proposition. Thanks again!
altrego99 14y ago
Doesn't seem pyramid scheme if they go by 'order one free t-shirt' as the first step, with no strings attached. But that sounds like loss making venture to me - to give away the first free t-shirts to anyone who would order. That said, I doubt if I would do this as collection of garments does not excite me. But if this means free t-shirt, I definitely know some who will do this.

heelhook 14y ago

I would, and once I get my shirt I would wear it or not, depending on what's in the back, my advise to you would be to allow people ordering the shirts to pick what company or design they'll have in the back, I might have a problem wearing merchandise of companies that don't sit well with my lifestyle (e.g. as a vegetarian, I wouldn't wear the shirt of a company that primarily sells meat, like McDonald's). Offering the people that are wearing the shirts a mix of back designs (say, three different ad designs to pick from for Whole Foods or any other advertiser) would be a plus to improve adoption.

gghootch 14y ago
3 different advertisers requires mass customization => extra overhead. You'll get to choose advertiser + t-shirt combos; not sure if added flexibility will make up for the increase in price, but I'll keep it in mind!
- heelhook 14y ago
  As an advertiser, I would definitely like to be able to be allowed to A/B different designs for the ads, it sounds pretty simple for an advertiser to be able to provide a few different designs and let people choose from them, or are you referring to a different cost?
mbell 14y ago
I agree. At the very least I'd have to be able to opt out of market segments, e.g. no fast food (McDonalds), sexual aids (viagra), political/religious groups, etc.

kschua 14y ago

It depends on the advert. If it was a cool brand which I would like to associate with, then yes, I would wear and photograph myself in it. If it was a brand which I don't intend to associate myself with, then no, I wouldn't wear it much less have a photo of me in it

angry-hacker 14y ago

I wouldn't but I know a lot of people who would. If your startup is able to be profitable like that I believe it's an excellent idea...

dshlos 14y ago

I think it's a good idea. Not everyone will wear any type of t-shirt, so maybe you should find a way to match people to brands. For example, I'd wear a t-shirt advertising technology companies whose products I use, but I wouldn't wear a Ford t-shirt because I am a Toyota/Honda guy. Someone launched a similar site years ago where they would give you giant stickers to put on your car doors and pay you $200 per month as long as you drive 20+ miles per day.

gghootch 14y ago
Do you happen to know what site that is?

dholowiski 14y ago

I would sign up for this service, on both ends... to get a t-shirt and to advertise on t-shirts (provided I could get in on a very small scale - a few t-shirts). As others have said, whether I would wear the shirt depends on the ad. It would be great if I could see the ad before the shirt was sent. Also, the word 'order' almost turned me off. it immediately suggests I'd have to pay.

gghootch 14y ago
Cool to hear that you'd sign up for advertising! Ad will be completely visible before the shirt is sent. Thanks for the tip on order. Hadn't thought of it that way. Is receive better? Feels like it's less clear on how that t-shirt will end up at your place.

127001brewer 14y ago

No, because I simply do not see the value of receiving a free t-shirt with advertising. Also, it seems like a relatively significant commitment from a person who signed up because you're asking them to upload three pictures of themselves in the t-shirt (for either another free t-shirt or "credit"). However, I'm interested to hear more about your business model and I hope your idea does well. Presumably,and I may be way off here, you're sub-contracting out the screen-printing of the t-shirts. And, as I understand it, the cost of producing t-shirts can be significant and you would probably have to hold a large inventory of t-shirts in various sizes. - What kind of advertiser are you trying to appeal to? - Does an advertiser pay only when there's evidence that the t-shirts are worn? Or why do you have to upload three pictures of yourself in the t-shirt? - Roughly, what kind of margins are you expecting to get? - Are you trying to focus in a local region or nationally? - What happens with any left over inventory? Lastly, I may be interested in a t-shirt that combines an advertising with "pop art", but that's just a quick idea... Edit: Clarified the first sentence.

gghootch 14y ago
Also, it seems like a relatively significant commitment from a person who signed up because you're asking them to upload three pictures of themselves in the t-shirt (for either another free t-shirt or "credit"). The system I intend to implement should make this relatively painless. Presumably,and I may be way off here, you're sub-contracting out the screen-printing of the t-shirts. And, as I understand it, the cost of producing t-shirts can be significant and you would probably have to hold a large inventory of t-shirts in various sizes. Entirely true. But if Lockerz story is any indication of how it can work out, inventory turnover is likely to be ridiculously fast. - What kind of advertiser are you trying to appeal to? Large consumer goods and local stores. Got a nifty solution in mind on how this'll scale. * Does an advertiser pay only when there's evidence that the t-shirts are worn? Or why do you have to upload three pictures of yourself in the t-shirt?* No, pay up front. Receive elaborate statistics afterwards. - Roughly, what kind of margins are you expecting to get? Back of napkin style; profit margins somewhere between 30%-50%. Margins on t-shirts alone 50%-75%. Are you trying to focus in a local region or nationally? International user base. Allow advertisers to segment their target users by region/age/interests. What happens with any left over inventory? Promote them to first time users. Loyal users get cooler/more shirts. Lastly, I may be interested in a t-shirt that combines an advertising with "pop art", but that's just a quick idea... Definitely a great design idea. The one that's currently on the site is a drawing an ex-girlfriend of mine made over a year ago. I thought it was pretty amazing and asked her whether I could print that instead of my own terrible attempt at a mash-up of several freely available vectors.

phamilton 14y ago

I only see this being useful in a college campus setting. My freshman year I used to have "Free T-Shirt weeks", where I would wear all the swag shirts I've received because all the shirts I actually liked were dirty and I didn't want to do laundry yet.

jazzylady 14y ago

I think it's great idea. I would at least try it. I'm not really a T-shirt person but I know many who wear them and I think some would be interested in something like this. I like your landing page as potential wearing customer, but I don't think it would attract me to advertise with you. I would only change the pictures representing what kind of pictures people upload. Here you can't see that person wears T-shirt on an event or in a day in their life, you only see T-shirt and don't get the feeling person is wering it outside of their bedroom. I think that feature of choosing what brand will you promote with this T-shirt is important. You can see that many commenters saw this as a problem. But I think that here is a problem from the side of companies who would advertise on your T-shirts as well. If I used your service for promotional purposes, I would like to know that in front side of T-shirt there would not be something opposite of what I would like my brand to be. But I think that for starters you can filter that out manually.

gghootch 14y ago
but I don't think it would attract me to advertise with you I wholeheartedly agree. However, this will change when an actual landing page is in place. I would like to know that in front side of T-shirt there would not be something opposite of what I would like my brand to be Manual filtering/personal design for the companies that advertise is probably the first step. Next comes incentivizing users to contribute their own design and let the smaller customers pick their company designs. I think that'll work out, though there's obviously no way of being sure.

vog 14y ago

The site currently shows an error message: > It appears that something may be broken. We apologize for the problem. If you think you have reached this page in error, please head over to our support page. Well, that's not appealing.