I’ve tried every way to make shirts, except for, well, the right way! I’ve messed around with Zazzle and experimental concepts like Bonfire, all to no avail. The problem with using third-party sites like Zazzle is that shirts are way too expensive for buyers and still, the designer only gets maybe a $5 cut if they’re lucky. Then, when it comes to ideas like Bonfire, shirts don’t actually ship unless there’s enough interest first.
So, as is often the case, if you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself. After months of research, finding a printer that will work with me, and working out all the finer details (finding the right shirt and color, testing out printing and shipping, etc.), I’m finally ready to launch my own site dedicated to custom Halloween and horror shirt designs at Horror Shirts. It was tricky, but I got the price down to $15 flat, which is pretty much half or less than half of what virtually all other shirt shops charge for their shirts + shipping + tax. I hope I can keep the price point low, but we’ll see how it goes.
Why? Well, I have no illusions that I’m going to break into the scene and disrupt shops like the awesome Fright-Rags or Rotten Cotton haha. No, certainly not. In fact, I expect to make very little money at all doing this. Like most things I do, it’s about having fun. I used to make my own custom shirts when I was kid, dilly-dallied with trying all the wrong ways to share my designs with others over the years, and now, after having it in the back of my mind to do it right for so long, I’m finally giving it a shot.
Right now, Horror Shirts is nothing more than a glorified hobby and a creative way to try and bring in donations for HL. Whether it evolves into something more or not, I do want to improve the experience, introduce new designs, etc. Most horror shirt shops sell very bold, graphic-heavy, concert-like designs. While these designs are awesome and I certainly own my fair share of these kinds of shirts, my design sensibilities are much more minimalist. So while I might try stuff that’s a little fancier here and there, I want to stick to that niche. I want to keep the site and the whole experience very simple as well.
This is all a bit of an experiment, so come forth my guinea pigs! If you’re interested in the design, give it a try, submit your shirt selection, make a donation (any major card will do), and then send me feedback about the whole process (what works and what sucks), and hopefully, if you love your shirt, post pics of yourself wearing it on social media and share with me @halloween. š
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