Many employees, partners and contributors at LiteFarm are interested in “representing” LiteFarm.

T-shirts are a standard for the tech industry and may have benefits for company culture, teambuilding and recognizing contributions. This was passionately discussed in a 2010 blog post https://adamnash.blog/2010/11/29/why-t-shirts-matter/.

However there are some downsides to t-shirts. I myself have received maybe too many t-shirts and I would imagine there are many who have worked in the tech industry with closets that look like this:

It has also been proposed that t-shirts are not the true “unisex” they seem to be. The second half of the article https://hollycummins.com/fashion-and-programming-ii/ discusses their personal issues with the t-shirt which are worth taking into account when thinking about how to allow all persons to represent the company comfortably.

No one can deny t-shirts are fun and great but lets asks some questions make sure were not creating waste and we are delivering value to our Mission at LiteFarm.

Requirements

We have ~50-100 persons who we would like to show our gratitude to or would like to represent LiteFarm in a visible way.
Our preferred way is t-shirts

Questions

How does this seek to meet our mission: "To meet farmers where they are and equip them with the tools they need to make informed and responsible decisions about the health of their farm, their livelihood, their community, and the planet”.

Employees & Partners - During trade shows and for branding generally -- being identifiable allows farmers who know us to find us more easily. And to farmers who don’t know us branding and pseudo-uniforms provide a professional look that allows them to have confidence in our platform.

Contributors - By recognizing contributions to LiteFarm we put value on the work done by volunteers as greater than the cost of a t-shirt. By recognizing the contribution we believe the farmer will be more likely to benefit from further/continued contributions to LiteFarm.

How do we want to distribute and organize swag such as t-shirts?

Option A: Make a bulk order. Store and distribute from LiteFarm Office.
Pros: Can use local (Vancouver) business, may be a cheaper option (per shirt)
Cons: Cost must also include a shipping package and postage. Storing and shipping the items constitutes extra work

Option B: Use a “drop shipping” style swag service.
Pros: Takes care of most of the work for us, can get a variety of swag options, could be used to make an online store too
Cons: Would likely have to source internationally (USA).

Are t-shirts good for everyone?

What one wears may or may not be highly personal depending on the person. Can we provide different options at the very least? For example:

polos
long sleeves
hats
smaller or alternative placement logos
for acknowledging contributions: is uniform style swag necessary? Alternatives like sticker, notebook etc?

Cost Analysis

Method

Cost Estimation

Options

Bulk Purchase
+Local
+Manual fulfillment

**Will have extra shirts

Regular T-shirt cost (~$12(>100) or $24)
International Shipping Cost (~$15 max consumer rate)
Gas + Labelling + Time ($1)
Total cost ~$28 or $40 per

Actual cost for 75 shirts = $3000
Actual cost for 100 shirts = $2800

https://coastalreign.com/custom-products/custom-clothing/t-shirts/short-sleeve - Lots of reviews and good overall rating, good color options, digital ui for ordering
https://www.gomakecustom.com/printing/shop/blank-product-detail/1000682 Lots of reviews and good overall rating, some color options, digital ui for ordering
https://www.blueskyt-shirts.com/shop/# No online ordering
https://www.greatwestgraphics.com/product/atctm-everyday-cotton-blend-tee/ Looks ok online ordering but not design

On Demand + International + Managed Fulfillment

Tshirt Cost (~21)
International Shipping Cost (~$16 )
Total Cost ~$37 per (printful)

Actual cost for 75 shirts = $2775
Actual cost for 100 shirts = $3700

https://www.printful.com/ - Wifes company uses

https://ethicalswag.ca/ - fits our brand, maybe more expensive

BulkPurchase
+International
+Managed Fulfillment

**Will have extra shirts

Subscription cost $200/mo
Tshirt Cost ~$21(>100) or $23
International Shipping Cost ~$11
Total Cost ~$32 or $34 per (printfection)

Actual cost for 75 shirts = $2550 +$200subs
Actual cost for 100 shirts = $2400 +$200subs

https://try.kotisdesign.com/get-started/platform - Docker uses this and I loved the UX probs cant afford this
https://www.printfection.com/pricing/ - Top Google Result

Conclusions – WIP

Overview

LiteFarm has shared that based on the above analysis: “I liked Ethical Swag. Drop shipping seems like a better option for our volume and having a partner that aligns with our values is important. I'm OK with paying a slight premium for those two qualities”

So as further analysis I will find a few more options in the same category as Ethical Swag since they may be more than a slight premium. Then will defer for the final selection so that we can kick off a design/feedback session then to request samples of the chosen company.

In Depth Comparison*

Prices are meant to be an overestimate and based on these constants

shipping costs are typically ~$15 to Bogota Columbia (high end of shipping)
tax may not apply in some circumstances so I chose Ontario for all
In some cases there may be a non profit discount

Website	Score with note	Cost For 1 White T-shirt with logo & shipping OR MOQ	Cost For 25 White T-shirt with logo & shipping	Cost For 50 White T-shirt with logo & shipping	Cost For 100 White T-shirt with logo & shipping	Other swag options available	Eco-friendlyness link
https://ethicalswag.ca/	also have a cheaper option with a breast pocket(savings per: $2, $4, $3) have to wait til 25 swag packs ready to go multi-address bulk **emailed about mailer cost on bulk orders	MOQ 13	CAD 765 (t-shirt + mailer) + 100 TAX (13%) + 375 Shipping ($15per) Total: ~1240 Total per: ~50	CAD 1456 (t-shirt + mailer) + 190 TAX (13%) + 750 Shipping ($15per) Total: ~2396 Total per: ~48	CAD 2649 (t-shirt + mailer) + 345 TAX (13%) + 1500 Shipping ($15per) Total: ~4494 Total per: ~45	Yes - Notably Plants, Plantable paper	https://ethicalswag.ca/pages/about-ethical-swag
https://www.printful.com/	cheaper options available with less color options (~$3 per) single address warehousing available	CAD 18 (t-shirt) + 3 TAX (13%) + 15 Shipping ($15per) Total per: ~36	CAD 450 (t-shirt ) + 59 TAX (13%) + 375 Shipping ($15per) Total: ~884 Total per: ~36	CAD 900 (t-shirt ) + 117 TAX (13%) + 750 Shipping ($15per) Total: ~1767 Total per: ~36	CAD 1800 (t-shirt) + 234 TAX (13%) + 1500 Shipping ($15per) Total: ~3534 Total per: ~36	Yes	https://www.bellacanvas.com/eco_friendly
https://swag.com/product/next-level-eco-blend-t	multi-address bulk exclusive shipping rates seem a tad higher storage options starting at 1cent per product per day (bulk advantage here) **emailed about store	MOQ 24	CAD 797 (t-shirt ) + 103 TAX (13%) + 375 Shipping ($15per) Total: ~1275 Total per: ~51	CAD 1321 (t-shirt ) + 172 TAX (13%) + 750 Shipping ($15per) Total: ~2243 Total per: ~45	CAD 2005 (t-shirt) + 261 TAX (13%) + 1500 Shipping ($15per) Total: ~3766 Total per: ~38	Yes, notably plants	https://ascolour.com/social-responsibility
https://www.cloveandtwine.com/	**emailed about store
https://printify.com/make-your-own-shirt/	make a store and sell 1 at a time estimating based on .org store	30 tshirt 4 tax 14 shipping -~$14 markup $34
https://www.spreadshirt.ca/		see ^^
https://www.apliiq.com/		see ^^
https://www.tpop.com/en/		see ^^