Idea

Here's an example, Merch: I did a shirt for a friend; he and his buddies ordered 5 over a 24-hour period. That was evidently enough to boost the BSR high enough that the bottom feeders thought it was the latest viral meme. 48 hours after first posting the shirt, there were 36 copies of it, including P4P. It's to the point that I don't even hope for one of those "mother lode" super-viral shirts. Nothing would come my way if it happened. I am now focused on finding shirts that, with any luck, will sell 3 or 4 per year and therefore never attract any attention. We used to be thrilled when one family would buy 5 or 10 of a design; not anymore... that sort of success will kill the long-term viability of the design (for that designer).

Since this idea's lifespan is quite short, I don't mind sharing it here . I get that it's desirable for consumers to have a choice, but it's sure demoralizing to know that any hard work we put into developing a new idea will be stolen before the sun rises the next morning.