Brendhan:
I've mulled over the Tee-Shirt Idea for a long time as a good FUND RAISER and come up with several great (my opinion of course) ideas, but never put them to print. The cost of printing small quantities, or made to order drop shipping has been the obstacle most often.
I have a "spin-off" catch-phrase (someday I reveal :-P ) that would be a hit (I'm positive) among this group and any beekeeper - that with a simple logo, or the various ones I've drawn up on the PC would truly sell nicely, but when shirts cost at about what you MIGHT get selling it, it gets down to whether it is worth it or not.
I've been to cafepress and priced tees and the best deal I found (with bulk discount) is $9 even. Not to forget the extra $3 for double X and larger. There IS room for profit, but then again, that is sticking with JUST ONE SIZE and buying in bulk, to have a selection of sizes and get a bulk rate would be very expensive, creating inventory, etc..
I hope this comes out right, it is meant kindly: I like your "Nuc" theme very much, nice double entendre if I ever saw one, but I really can't endorse products (well.... I'm sure I can) but although the exposure is nice, I'd really prefer NOT having Beemaster.com on the shirts. Of course, that doesn't mean you CAN'T do it, it's just my preference. Again, if the numbers ever crunched, tee-shirts would be a great fund raiser, but the layout of money for quantity creates a very costly "sale" value - I don't think many people would pay $20+ for a tee-shirt, which would barely cover the cost of the product and the cost of shipping. Selling shirts at or near cost is a kind gesture, but very labor intensive, and I know the drop shipping options, but still lots of work.
I'd like to see a "number cruncher" figure a way to balance all this out, but it reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer and Newman drive the mail truck out of state to cash in on recyclable cans and bottles, the math just don't work unless you take it to extremes. I don't doubt there are local print shops willing to meet a more sensible price, but I don't think Cafepress (or similar online printers I've looked at) are willing to meet logical pricing. Seems cafepress is ideal for bowling leagues, other sports teams and groups heading for THE PRICE IS RIGHT, but they really scalp you on the resale markup, no matter what your goals.
Great logo and tee-shirt idea, but I just can't endorse beemaster.com on it, please don't take that any way other than meant - I really strive for commercial free, you know that and I'm a stubborn old cuss :roll: Thanks though for thinking about us, exposure is a great thing, but I think the best exposure might be simple printed business cards (I'll post my jpg which has 10 cards per sheet) for anyone willing to hand these out at beekeeping clubs and organizations. Something as simple as that is likely to gain more membership than most other ideas and the cost is just a few sheets of paper and the cost (those rip-off artists) "ink" for a printer and a pair of scissors.
I'll get looking in the PC here and find the Beemaster Card Template for anyone interested :)