Hello everyone and thank you for taking the time to check this out. I mentioned a little while back that I was looking to start launching presales for some of the designs coming up for The PRFCT Line, so I wanted to give you a rundown of what that means for you, for me, and for the organizations that we support through the sale of trail tees at TPL. 

What is a pre-sale?

A pre-sale is where you buy something before it is made available to the public. In this case, you would be buying something before it even goes to print, which is usually a 2 to 3 week turnaround. It is not any more complicated than that, but it does offer you, me, and the clubs we all appreciate and support, a little extra help in supporting the trails we love.

More options for you to choose from & less styles for me to stock

At the core, I want to be able to provide you with options for each design released through TPL. That could mean more colours, and/or styles to choose from. I’ve explored doing both from time to time, and love providing you with all of these options, but the truth is that stocking all of those styles, tracking inventory, and finding storage space in my house keeps things a little more complicated than I would like, while trying to keep everyone happy.

I also know that everyone has their own preferences when it comes to styles and colours. I’ve had many conversations with some of you looking for something more specific than what was in stock. If I stock a design in black, someone wants it in a more colourful option. If I stock a more colourful option, people want it in black (lol!). And for those of you who like white t-shirts like me? You are out of luck as I have yet to stock white, although I do order one for myself from time to time, but you should be able to get white, too! 

The presale is a way for me to provide more styles and colour options to those of you looking beyond what I would normally stock. Moving forward I am looking to only carry only t-shirts with maaaaaybe the odd exception from time to time. This means that items like hoodies, sweatshirts, ¾ sleeves, or tank tops will only be guaranteed during the presale. 

Getting real customer feedback is super valuable in making decisions

One of the benefits for me is that I get a better understanding of what the popular styles and colours are during the presale, which allows me to put together an order using real customer data. It sounds silly, but one of the hardest parts of all of this is trying to finalize a colour for each design. As outlined above, it is really hard to please everyone and I like to see a variety of colours used throughout the lineup. 

Social media polls, likes, and comments are great, but the real data comes from how people choose to spend their money. Your purchasing habits will allow me to double down on the popular colours for each design. That’s the hope, anyways.

More money will be donated to organizations during the presale

I have always wanted to find a way to donate more money to clubs and organizations, so for all trail-specific items sold during the presale, I am committed to donating $5 from each item sold at regular price. If you choose to use a promo code during the presale, the default 5% will be donated. Ultimately, the goal is to celebrate the trails we love to ride and support those who build and maintain them.

When I first launched The PRFCT Line, I would donate funds based on what I printed instead of what I sold. This meant that I took money out of my own pocket with the hope that I sold out of each design at full price. That does not happen. This also meant that no new designs meant no new donations for a period of time. 

I am changing how and when donations will be made. At the end of each presale, $5 from each item will be donated to that charity or organization for all presale items sold. Beyond the presale, 5% from each item sold will be donated once a year based on the price it sells at. That means that the biggest donation made per shirt will be from items sold during the presale, which I hope is a plus for you, me, and the organizations. 

What about returns and exchanges from a presale?

I never want anyone to get stuck with something they don’t like or that does not fit. I will always accept returns and exchanges, but the details will vary a bit based on what you buy during the presale. 

Returns on presale items that I stock (style and colour) are the same as usual with a full refund and no questions asked. 

Returns on super limited edition items will be accepted with a store credit (gift card) being given for the full price of the item. 

Exchange rules are not affected by presale items, but if you select a style or colour that I do not stock, I cannot guarantee that you will be able to get it in a different size. 

Timelines

There is currently no set schedule for when pre-sales will launch, but I am committed to making sure that there is enough time for people to find out about them and think about what they want. Each presale will last about a week and be launched on Instagram, Facebook, and through the newsletter. This is all a test right now, so I will adjust accordingly based on what I see and hear.

Once a presale ends, it will be about two to three weeks before the printed pieces are in my hands and orders start going out the door.  

Let’s see how this goes

I am excited to start launching pre-sales for some new and old designs and I am looking for your support in helping to spread the word. Share this post with anyone you think might be interested and when a presale launches, tag your friends who should know about each design being launched. 

This is all a test right now, so your questions, comments, and support will go a long way in shaping the future of pre-sales and how they operate. Please reach out through social media or email me at rich@theprfctline.com with any feedback you may have.

Thanks again for taking the time to read this. Stay tuned!

- Rich Auger