Something nice looking to me, not just because it is MRH.  I would look first at stickers then  a hat

Travel coffee mug, stickers or vinyl car decals, decal set of a 60' N scale boxcar . . .

as long as it won't cost a small fortune to bring them up here to the great white north

Instead of t-shirts, maybe a patch?  A patch can be sewn onto any polo shirt or to a hat, and you don't have to worry about sizing!

Joe, for example, the red shirt I am wearing on this month's home page?  The logo is a patch on a plain red polo shirt purchased elsewhere.  When the shirt wears out, the patch will be transferred to another shirt.

James, The patch idea is a good one. I'll never outgrow my patch... I'm all for that option.

I think if Joe wanted to sell trinkets, (which I don't think he wants to) he would get in touch with Gene Simons. He's a master at martketing that stuff.

But a sew on patch would be perfect!

Randy

A more likely course of action might be something like Cafepress, which will print anything on anything, but might not put much in the till for the MRH global empire. At least it would solve the stocking-shipping problem.

A book was published, and I appeared as a character in the book.  The character was a military person, and as part of the artwork for the book, the author had developed a patch for the military unit.

I approached the author and got his permission.  I then went to a patch company and had the patch made up - a lot of 100.  I sold them thru the author's website, after giving the author the first 2 patches. (They hang in his office to this day and he came back and bought another for his agent).

I made a few dollars (enough that my patches were free, charging $5 per for the patches, and 1$ each for postage.)  The last 20 were bought by a guy wanting to use them as door prizes at a convention the author was going to.  I cut him a deal at something like 3$ per to clean me out (I still have 2 or 3 left besides the one on my jacket).

However, my wife did spend some time packaging the orders and taking them to the post office, So Joe may not be able to make the $5 price point, but I'll bet he could make something like a $7 or $8 price point, even in small quantities.

Oh, and Joe, I would gladly go to the $10 price point for a patch, without batting an eye.  If you go the patch route, you also have to pick out a prefered color for the shirt, but you don't buy the shirts, you don't have to stock any sizes of shirts, truly 1 size fits all.

So a logo hat would be nice. I'm thinking that patch idea of James' has merit. 

BTW James - what military unit would that patch have been for, anyway? Phule's Company by any chance?

And I was killed in the book, but not before taking out 7 of the invading aliens myself.

A Print of Demand source seems like it would be the best avenue, if you found a MRH supporter who owns a T-shirt printing company...

Benny, you guessed right. That is the solution being considered. Volume has to be there to make up for the time and trouble to setup the art, MRH ordering infrastructure, etc. With only 32 yes votes so far it isn't looking very promising.

Many of us (Myself for one) will never use a print on demand shirt place.  This is caused by the simple problem that they do NOT OFFER SHIRTS in our size.  A patch bypasses that whole problem.  Patch runs of 100 patches are economical.  If my share comes to 3 patches, I can live with that.

for those who want to show their commitment, Joe F. could license the MRH logo to tattoo parlors.

There are other options than the "Print on Demand" companies that could do affordable T-Shirts that can be up to 5XL.  The question is, would there be sufficient interest to warrant the time and effort to do it, hence why the poll is so important. 

Ken L.

Having T-shirts in big and tall sizes is critical.  I cannot tell you how may times I've wanted to spend $$$ on a T-shirt only to find that they only have Small, Medium, and Large.

I'm a big guy and it would have to be available in 2XLT or 3XL in order to fit me.

Thanks,

Damin.

...at train shows, I first offered many different railroad logo's on T-Shirts up to 2XL, but had many people ask for 3XL or larger.  Now I make at least 2 - 3XL and one 4XL and 5XL of each shirt, and I sell on average 3-5 of them a show.  And the brand shirt I use doesn't shrink!  Having large sizes for any T-Shirt business nowadays is critical!

Ken L

I think you guys miss the point of "Print on Demand."

MRH would essentially create the artwork and then license or commission it to a subsidiary company to produce and mail how ever many units whoever wants made whenever it needs to be made.  The drawback to this style of business is that MRH would make less per unit and it would likely cost us more per unit as end consumers.  HOWEVER that being said, it frees MRH up from having to manage unsold stock and shipping orders.

Cafepress is one perfectly viable option.  It costs nothing to open an account and "create" merchandise.  It might be a little pricey to us, but those who want the stuff, can get it.

I still think a downloadable shirt is the best option, even if Joe charges $3 for the download

Shirt size selection is a non-issue with the better print on demand vendors. Sizes up to 5XL are available. That is the size of a bed sheet! It is when pre-printing an inventory of tee shirts does size selection become a problem. One must forecast how many of each size to make. Invariably at the end of the day there are too many of one size and too few of another. 

Patches are embroidery items which are not well suited for produce on demand. Small runs can be made but there is a cash flow impact to MRH. The whole idea is to find a product/service that meets the expressed need without MRH investment. Hence printing, which is an on demand service, is the solution being explored.

Regarding iron-on transfers, what are you waiting for? You don't need MRH to do anything. Whip up a design you like on your computer and print it on transfer material.

Those iron transfers don't work too well, and they don't last long comapred to screen printing.

Ken L

First off, no I would not buy MRH trinkets.

Joe, put your head together with Dan from PWRS and talk about a limited run of N.A.R.C. MRH custom themed cars...I'll PRE-ORDER  one of those!

As for print on demand.  The wildlife club I am a member of gets shirts, hats, license plates etc. on demand, from a local company here (in Canada).  The prices are reasonable, T-shirts to 5XL, casual shirts to 3XL and they will even print or embroider on a shirt you supply, at your own risk of course.  All you have to do is provide them with the logo you want printed.

Maybe MRH can offer digital files for download at a cost that subscribers can then use to get their own swag made?

Just thinking out loud...

Polo shirts on my Yahoo Group. Sold old the entire first run - and have a waiting list for the second already. 

If I can sell more than a dozen shirts at $45/each (these are embroidered two color logos and a nice quality shirt) then I'm sure MRH can move some merchandise. 

Marty

I would certainly buy a good quality T-shirt.

...at this point the survey is 27-42-31.  Admittedly it's a fine line between 'most definitely' and 'yes if reasonably priced' and although I voted for the former it's really about price too.  However the 'no's' is kinda high.

Please don't take this as a slam or anything, but personally I like to get a t-shirt from the concert I went to (unless the quality or the design was terrible).  I'd personally like to advertise that I'm a member here and who know's?..whilst wearing it you may just find that kindred train kindred out there at the mall/convenience store/etc!!  Maybe even a fellow MRH member!!  It's happened to me wearing a 'Gretsch Guitars' t-shirt before.

For say a Jerzees Brand T-Shirt (which I have found to be the best, compared to others like Hanes, F-T-L,, Gildan's, etc) for regular sizes (S-XL) what would you consider to be an affordable price.

And I would ask the same question for the "Plus Sizes" (2XL-5XL). 

I know for a fact the manufacturer's of the actual shirts charge $5-$6 more than compared to the regular sized shirts, so if a printed regular sized shirt goes for around $15-$16, a printed plus sized shirt is priced around $21-$23, just to cover the actual increased cost.  What I find interesting is most supplier of T-Shirts have the same flat rate increase for 2XL-5XL.  when the 5XL takes up I would guesstimate 60-75% more material than the 2XL.

Just am curious to know everyone's thoughts on what is considered affordable.

Ken L.

I suppose MRH could use the reserve system the model builders use...find a reputable T-shirt company and get a set of prices, provide a three to six month lead time for everybody to preorder what they want, and then send that order to a good reputable T-shirt company.

There may have to be a second run for everybody who didn't get one but wanted one...and this allows MRH to only print what they have sold.

I am interested in a T-shirt, mug or patches even bumper stickers. Jim

Real stuff, No! Extra virtual stuff, Yes.
Regards, John **************
Socialism does no work, because everyone wants their own stuff. >> Frank Zapa

If you haven't voted please do so and it will help Joe with his decision.

I would not object to buying a T-Shirt, mug or cap but the shipping to the UK would kill it for me

I like both ideas. Count me in. I would consider sewing the patch to a hat or shirt I already own. I'd also take another embroidered Polo Shirt (if under $40), but I'm not a big mug collector.  I don't do coffee, so they become dust collectors.  The Patch idea really is great, IMHO.

I like LARGE coffee cups  (not the demi-tasse type, but REAL MAN type coffee cups) and ball caps.  Count me in if you produce these - as longg as THE PRICE is REASONABLE!!!

How about those plastic window stickers that just attach to glass without glue? The current use of "tags" in TX use a glue, but are removable. What I refer to is like the gas stations use to post your oil change in the upper left of your windshield. Easily removable. I would put one in my rear window on each side. I suspect would be very cheap, affordable, and each of us could use a few. Rather than just one; like a cap or shirt?

PRRTHS/PTC, Ferroequinologist :)

I think it will be a good idea to offer one of them to new subscribers. sabater9090

I would vote yes for tee shirts, especially if they were good quality shirts like they sell on thinkgeek. They would need to be available in really large sizes as well, sort of like thinkgeek as well. Oh, mugs would be great, too.
Not too demanding, am I? :-)

Would even be willing to pay a few extra bucks if product is made in good ole USA.

After 25 yrs in military I'm addicted to coffee so heavy ceramic mug would be nice.

Would like to see a hat and large coffee mug ! I also agree with eveyone else on the patch, but a shirt in the right size at the right price is always a great idea. Also...would love to see a hoodie for us that like the cold weather.

Possibly a patch or button to put on my train vest.

1 small t shirt. 1 XL. 1 coffee cup. 1 ball cap

I voted no because the usual run of patches, t-shirts, ball caps, and mugs are of no interest to me.  I already have plenty of that stuff in boxes down in the basement.

If you did a polo shirt with a pocket that was an attractive color - no black, orange, lime green, etc. - and an attractive design at a reasonable cost, I might be interested.  But since this is not likely, my only honest vote is no.

But I wish you good luck if you go forward with it.

Paul

I'm a hat guy, too, always looking for new ones...

Al Carter

How about a prototype styled boxcar from Walthers, BLMA, Exactrail, or some other of the more detailed shops? The Road name should be just MRH  with 2013 as the car number, and without a bunch of gaudy advertising.

Just a thought...

Dan

Hat pin, small patch, mug, tee shirt, engineers cap with logo,special run car, semi/box truck, building kit with decals,decal set lots of potential be creative keeping price in mind. I'm in 

A hat or a mug would appeal to me.  Made in the USA.

Pete

For me I want something that acts as an advertisement and conversation starter so that would be a shirt, hat, patch, or window sticker.  When I was at our club's open house this past weekend while I was there for 1-1/2 hours we had about 50 visitors.  I spoke to most all of the visitors and I would have loved to have been wearing some type of MRH graphic!

Something for the layout. A guy wearing a sandwich board. Two guys carrying a sign between them with a MRH poster. A sign saying MRH office. A billboard.

How about a boxcar that doesn't slap you in the face to go to a MRH printing plant?

Kadee had a good idea with their knuckle coupler keychain.

Sam (4 years and 1week with MRH)

Unlike a gift shop at a railroad museum, MRH has a more or less fixed user base.  Plus newcomers less dropouts.  Once you have sold one mug, or seven, it's unlikely that you will sell any more to that member. You have "inventory risk":  18 months from now you are selling off low-velocity items at a discount or even at cost.  (Sorry my [Enter] key a/k/a carriage return is not working.)  What's better?  Don't know.  One idea:  a string of cars, probably HO, like regional clubs and railroad-specific historical societies.  Maybe like a series, with your name on the bottom, not visible when car is in use.  Orphan road names, not usually featured might be ideal.  No fancy Scnabel cars, just plain vanilla.

The cost of postage from USA to Australia has gone through the roof in the last few years and my pension does not stretch much.   Electricity, water, gas, council rates & fuel all up about 8% does not help, so regrettably I must decline.

I will happily donate $10 Oz, which will add about $8.50 US to the kitty and not break my bank.   I have also donated to JMRI and a couple of other organisations.

As someone that is prone to impulse-buying, I have more "junk" collecting dust in every room in the house except the bathroom. My wife is the most understanding woman in the world and accepts my "disease" because it is low-maintenance. She has also contributed to this on several occasions. I have no room for another coffee cup and my baseball cap collection is at a point I no longer remember how many I have but a patch that is tranferable via Velcro would be something that would be great. Low-cost, and would probably be bought in multiples.

As a retirement hobby, I make wooden pens, turned on my lathe. I have recently gotten permission from Union Pacific to make a limited run of 100 pens. With each pen sale, I donate $10.00 to the EOD Warriors Foundation. The logo is a laser-inlay and the fellow that does the work is exceptional. If MRH would want to try this, it is something most folks could use. The cost is pricey because they are hand-made but the ink cartridge is replaceable and the finish is tough. The minimum order is 20 if the maker agrees to do the design. I would be happy to help out if the idea is valid. Photos of the UP are on my Facebook page.

Nick Kulp