Preparing for shirt batch #2.: seanan

Preparing for shirt batch #2.

Now that all T-shirts have been packed and sent, and I'm beginning the process of contacting people whose orders had issues (there were very few of them, because the shirt company I used is awesome), it's time to plan batch #2. This is less altruistic than you think: while I really don't make any money on this (mailing is expensive), I want a few more Wicked Girls shirts of my very own. So these are a few conclusions I have come to. Some are for me; some are for you.

1. Order = Pay.
This initially took so long because we had to chase down every person who said they wanted a shirt and get them to pay for it. When we do it again, we say "place your order, pay your total, and you'll get your shirt when we hit the minimum order threshold or run out of time, whichever comes later." Pros, no chasing people. Cons, some people may demand refunds if things take too long. Which brings me to...

2. Print labels.
So every step of this process was manual, including addressing the envelopes. And yeah, that added a hell of a lot of time to things. If we print off mailing labels at the local Staples and stick them on, it'll be easier to see how many envelopes we have left to go, and also easier to fill them without worrying about whether you can read the zip code. This one simple thing should reduce mailing time by 1/3rd. You know what else will help?

3. Order mailing supplies when I send in the shirt order.
Again, it seems like a no-brainer, but I was honestly surprised when I ran out of envelopes the first time. And the second time. And the third time. This time, I will count orders, figure out how many envelopes I need, and order them all from the company that sells me mailing supplies. I can be taught!

4. Make it clear that the choices offered are the only ones.
One of the issues we had in the first batch had to do with people going "I want shirt style A, but this color from shirt style B." This, well, wasn't possible, because the shirts didn't exist, but we didn't catch that until Deborah was in the final review of the list. So if we do this again, we need to be very clear on the "what you can get is what we have said was available" issue. This will also streamline shipping, by reducing the number of possibilities.

5. Set a maximum threshold.
This was a super-large order, which also slowed things down a lot. So there needs to be a "no fewer than X, but no more than Y" point.

6. Up the price for 3XL and up.
I hate this. I tried so hard not to reach this conclusion. But...it costs more to print a shirt that's between 3XL and 6XL, and we had a lot of those. I was never expecting to make money on this, and I figured, "well, if someone who orders a S is paying the same as someone who orders a 5XL, it all comes out in the wash." And it did, as far as printing costs was concerned. What I didn't do was calculate for mailing costs. It's about three dollars more to ship a larger shirt, especially if that shirt is not being mailed alone. If I want to be able to afford to print the shirts, and mail the shirts, I need to charge more for the larger ones. I'm so sorry. It's purely financial, and it annoys me deeply.

7. Print more extras.
This time, I ordered three extra shirts, and Amy, who is smart, ordered eight for her bookstore. Amy then did a brisk business selling shirts to filkers who missed the original order, and is a happy little clam. More extras would mean a happier answer to "do you have one you can sell me?" inquires.

Some of these you may have seen before, but now that I'm actually preparing for batch #2, those items bore repeating. Also, these are the three questions I got asked most during this whole process:

1. Why is this taking so long?
See above.

2. Why did you underestimate everything?
Honestly, I was hoping for the twenty-four shirts needed to hit the shirt printer's minimum order. I was overwhelmed, and stayed overwhelmed, after that. I have a nasty tendency to underestimate my own popularity. I'm working on it. Just not very hard, because I'd rather be surprised once in a while than egotistical all the time.

3. Why don't you just use CafePress?
You know what I have? Boobs. You know what lots of other people have? Boobs. Even the "girl cut" shirts on the "print your own" shirt sites tend to be small and unforgiving of boobs. Plus their sizes and colors are very limited, and their print quality isn't as good. If I'm basically "putting my name" on these shirts by using a graphic people associate with me, I'm going to make them the best shirts they can be. That's worth a little trouble.

That's all for now.

ohari

March 26 2012, 19:57:20 UTC 5 years ago

New comment

I love you

That is all.

phoenixsansfyr

March 26 2012, 20:14:33 UTC 5 years ago

Omigod. That's what I was going to say.

seanan_mcguire

5 years ago

jacylrin

orlacarey

March 26 2012, 20:21:28 UTC 5 years ago

Yay! I didn't get a chance to order one in the first batch. I'll now cross my fingers that I'll have the spare cash when the next ordering period hits. :)

March 26 2012, 21:12:10 UTC 5 years ago

Yay!

beable

March 26 2012, 20:23:29 UTC 5 years ago Edited: March 26 2012, 20:25:13 UTC

*crosses fingers that hers were in the "packed and sent" pile, and not the "has issues" pile*

(sorry for the edit to fix the unclosed asterisk but that would have distracted me FOREVER if I hadn't. And now am making damned sure to close the parenthesis!)

March 26 2012, 21:12:29 UTC 5 years ago

Yours were in "packed and sent." You'd have heard from me if not. :)

ravnsdaughter

March 26 2012, 20:23:37 UTC 5 years ago

You're awesome, and a saint for putting up with all of this.

I have a question about the last run. I ordered a shirt in a 5XL, and the neckline on it is so snug as to make it almost unwearable for me. I'm not complaining here - I ordered the shirt unseen, un-tried-on, etc. and fully acknowledge that I ran that risk. The rest fits just fine. Fortunately, I sew, so I'm going to take the neck binding off, recut the neckline and then put it back on, because I otherwise totally love the shirt. :)

My question is actually just out of curiosity. Were the plus sized shirts men's shirts? I'm just wondering why the necks is so tiny on a 5XL - I mean yeah, obviously considering I needed a 5XL, I'm a pretty big girl, but my neck isn't unusually large or anything. And I live in turtlenecks in the winter so it's not just that I am being sensitive to something that close to my neck. Has anyone else who bought a plus sized shirt had this issue?

March 26 2012, 20:25:49 UTC 5 years ago

Also, as someone who bought a 5XL, I wholeheartedly support your decision to charge more for 3X and up. While I find it ridiculous that I would pay $50 more for a shirt in the store just because I'm plus sized, the fact is my shirts DO take twice as much fabric or more than someone who wears a medium, and are a lot heavier. No way should you be eating that cost.

briargrey

More Expand

lauowolf

March 26 2012, 21:02:30 UTC 5 years ago

I am cracking up about #3 - boobs.

I have a lovely LongCat (You Must be This Tall to attack the City!) teeshirt.
I bought in XXL, which is what I get for comfy pj shirts.
Then it came, and there was sadness.
I have to assume the sizing was perhaps for some other species, because it is tight on my dancer daughter.
Le Sigh.

It is nice when things are actually designed to fit on people.
Or at least have some relationship between the size words and the normally-accepted associated people sizes.

March 26 2012, 21:15:33 UTC 5 years ago

Seriously. I order 2XL shirts in "girly cut," and get shirts that assume I have curves (true) but no tits (untrue). I do not understand this language.

jadis17

tiferet

myuki_chan

March 26 2012, 21:18:52 UTC 5 years ago

For the record, the shirt I received is one of the comfiest T-shirts I own. So soft and definitely forgiving of boobs.

March 27 2012, 15:23:29 UTC 5 years ago

smoooom

March 26 2012, 21:21:20 UTC 5 years ago

Cafe Press!!!! Thank you for the reminder. They have my penguin tee-shirts. And they have Plebotomist tees! Just what i need to find the umph to graduate.

Plebotomist by Day
Vampire by Night

I understand why you don't want to go that route, quality can be an issue, but thank you!

March 27 2012, 15:23:40 UTC 5 years ago

No problem.

lostwind

March 26 2012, 21:38:28 UTC 5 years ago

I wore my t-shirt all weekend.
it was:
My pajama shirt Friday, when it arrived (YAY! Velociraptor flailings of JOY!)
My shirt for errand running, and the watching of Hunger Games (Because Katniss is so totally a WGSH) on Saturday
and my comfy lounging shirt on Sunday,

The only reason I didn't wear it today is that it needed washing after being worn all weekend.
Smelling like a zombie is only good if you're Bill Murray.

Anyways, YAY, and thank you for being willing to endure the growing pains of a new thing and still being willing to do it again!
I am so very excited to have the opportunity to order another few for friends who tried to steal mine!

March 27 2012, 15:23:55 UTC 5 years ago

That. Is. Awesome.

I am happy!

Deleted comment

March 27 2012, 15:24:31 UTC 5 years ago

Very welcome!

sheistheweather

March 26 2012, 22:46:41 UTC 5 years ago

Oh YAY. I will so be ordering more; I wear the three that I have a lot.

silvertwi

March 26 2012, 23:08:40 UTC 5 years ago

Yay! I'm so glad to see you're doing another print one. I missed the first one because I didn't have money to spare at the time, but I have it this time. So much love.

March 27 2012, 15:24:46 UTC 5 years ago

Glee!

warriorofworry

March 26 2012, 23:28:31 UTC 5 years ago

I was one of those awful people who ordered - but then didn't have money due to the long wait. HAPPY HAPPY! to have a second chance, and glad it'll be pay as you go this time. I don't mind the wait. Nor do I mind paying the xtra freight (as it were!) for the larger size.

March 27 2012, 15:25:20 UTC 5 years ago

Sweetie, that absolutely does not make you an awful person. The only issue was that we had to chase everyone down; a few cancellations did nothing to slow the overall batch.

vincentursus

March 27 2012, 00:32:57 UTC 5 years ago

You know, this is (one of the reasons) why we love you.

You make a post about logistic difficulties into something fun to read.

March 27 2012, 15:25:28 UTC 5 years ago

glam_k

March 27 2012, 01:51:20 UTC 5 years ago

My beautifully-awesome shirt arrived right before the weekend... SQUEE!! It is, officially, FAB, and I'm sending you a thousand "mwahs" for all your hard work. (I spent the last month mailing a bleedin' ton of custom t-shirts, hoodies, and sweatpants, so I know...)
And, a little word to the wise whenever anyone sees something labeled a "girl" shirt: it's literal. (Think pre-pubescent girls, still in that kind of gangly stage, and you'll have an idea what the pattern model is based on.) Or, to put it another way, just remember that "girl" shirts don't actually take into account your girls... so order at least one size up, regardless of any measurements listed. ;)

March 27 2012, 15:25:42 UTC 5 years ago

Hooray!

morvab

March 27 2012, 02:21:07 UTC 5 years ago

Cheese & cake! Very excited to have a chance to order as I missed the first one! Also, HAIL! HAIL the Celebration of the Boobs!

March 27 2012, 15:25:52 UTC 5 years ago

HAIL!

labelleizzy

March 27 2012, 03:03:34 UTC 5 years ago

Got my shirt last week, and I've worn it to work twice already (under a sweater, as I work in an elementary school and don't care to explain to six-year olds what it's about.)

Love it, thanks so much for this project!

March 27 2012, 15:26:05 UTC 5 years ago

Very welcome.

kat_merle

March 27 2012, 04:01:53 UTC 5 years ago

I had wondered why you were doing so much of the work by hand. Given the quality of the shirt I now know why you chose to do it this way. Thank you thank you thank you for taking the time to do the research to find a quality product I LOVE my shirt. I was astonished to find it actually fit right in the chest and was long enough for me to be comfortable wearing. The fabric is super soft and nice too. Absolutely worth it for me!

March 27 2012, 15:26:45 UTC 5 years ago

That was the whole point. I hate that it takes so long, but wow is it worth it to have a shirt that you can wear over and over without it falling apart, or ripping because you take a deep breath.

muffin_song

March 27 2012, 04:47:57 UTC 5 years ago

Oooh, I may have to order one in the next round.

I apologize if this question gets asked frequently, but is there any chance the Wicked Girls posters will be offered again?

March 27 2012, 15:27:24 UTC 5 years ago

They still are, actually! They're $20 for standard, $25 for signed and numbered, plus three dollars domestic/five dollars international for postage. Did you want one?

munin

ladymondegreen

paksenarrion2

March 27 2012, 06:01:28 UTC 5 years ago Edited: March 27 2012, 06:02:00 UTC

Got my shirt a couple of weeks ago and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. The quality is super and I got a lot of comments on it. :D

I definitely support paying $5 or a bit more for a larger size. Seems fair. In fact, seems a lot more than fair.I will be ordering one for my sister the next go ;round.

March 27 2012, 15:27:32 UTC 5 years ago

peachtales

March 27 2012, 13:54:11 UTC 5 years ago Edited: March 27 2012, 13:56:22 UTC

I just hope that next time, I manage to get a shirt, and not miss the window. :)
Yay on not using cafepress or somesuch. I've bought from them before, and the choice is usually between getting a shirt that might fit me when I was 12, or getting a regular shapeless crew neck (I LOATHE those standard crew necks - they always sit too high up) t-shirt.
I have seen some decent colors on zazzle, but their prices even for pastels are insane (to me, at least). It added up to $11 extra for a 3x that was light pink instead of white. Plus, their girl cut shirts were still made for skinny people only. *sigh*

March 27 2012, 15:28:00 UTC 5 years ago

Exactly.

I would rather take a little longer, and let ALL my wicked girls come to the party.

azurelunatic

March 28 2012, 04:08:15 UTC 5 years ago

Hooray! I have my package pickup slip!

I am slightly terrified that since my apartment complex office has taken to returning packages if not picked up within three days (and my mailbox is in a really stupid place where going down the stairs is the *less* painful option) that it may be returned.

If it is returned, please let me know so we can work something out; I am not averse to paying for shipping (and shipping appropriate to the actual costs, as mine is one of the larger ones) again, and I regret fiercely if this causes any inconvenience to you whatsoever.

March 28 2012, 15:40:38 UTC 5 years ago

If it is returned, we'll definitely have to discuss your paying additional postage, but I promise, it won't be some huge inconvenience to me. It'll just make me sad that you still don't have your shirt.

March 30 2012, 07:24:51 UTC 5 years ago

Verity (who lives with me now) is envious of my shirt and we are both glad you're doing another run. I might get another one and she definitely wants one.

I hope that you will continue to offer the v-neck juniors/babydoll cut even though it's a little confusing (particularly since the XXL juniors and the 2XL ladies' plus are not the same size, and the latter would be a tunic on me) because I freaking love mine. It's as closely fitting as I wanted it to be but it is also really soft and stretchy and not the least bit binding. I really hate having to choose between unflattering loose shirts and too-tight binding shirts at places like Hot Topic and Cafe Press; I would own a LOT more tees if I could get this shape of shirt in this fabric reliably :)

April 1 2012, 05:54:26 UTC 5 years ago

I am planning to continue to offer that style; I know it can be confusing, but that's why I have links straight to the T-shirt manufacturer, and just trust people to know their own measurements.

March 30 2012, 16:07:34 UTC 5 years ago

I consider those alternate universe posts.
No, it was a lovely longcat shirt, sigh.
I will trust in attention to real sizes and order a batch two shirt.

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