Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Shopping at Tee Virus

1.1. What types of payment do you accept?

All major credit cards are securely accepted through our direct checkout. Or you may checkout using PayPal. PayPal is the most trusted and secure alternative if you'd like to pay with a method other than credit card or even if you just have an existing PayPal balance burning a hole in your pocket. :) Use your preferred method to pay for your awesome new Tee Virus shirts, but the one thing to note is that if you would like to supply a coupon code at checkout, you must use the Tee Virus checkout instead of PayPal.

1.2. Do you ship outside the United States?

Absolutely! Standard international shipping rates apply. Just keep in mind that international shipments usually take a little longer to arrive due to geographical hindrances and the laws of physics and space-time.

1.3. When will I receive my stuff?

For domestic U.S. orders, shipments normally arrive approximately as follows:
  • Standard Domestic: 4-9 days
  • Two-Day Shipping: 2-3 days
  • Overnight: 1 day

For international orders, shipping times are less precise and may vary greatly depending on destination:
  • Standard International: 12-14 days
  • International Expedited: 3-5 days
  • Global Priority: 1-3 days

Please note these are our best case estimates based on the number of business days en route from the time of shipping. The duration required to package and ship your order depends on the time of the day and day of the week at which your order is placed - your order may ship up to 2 business days from the time of ordering.

1.4. What are your shipping rates?

United States
Order Total: $0.00 - $24.99
Standard Domestic $6.95
Two-Day Shipping $9.95
Overnight $23.95
Order Total: $25.00 - $49.99
Standard Domestic $9.95
Two-Day Shipping $13.95
Overnight $27.95
Order Total: $50.00 - $74.99
Standard Domestic $12.95
Two-Day Shipping $17.95
Overnight $31.95
Order Total: $75.00 and up
Standard Domestic FREE!
Two-Day Shipping $6.00
Overnight $20.00
   
International
Order Total: $0.00 - $24.99
Standard International $12.95
International Expedited $26.95
Global Priority $34.95
Order Total: $25.00 - $49.99
Standard International $16.95
International Expedited $30.95
Global Priority $38.95
Order Total: $50.00 - $74.99
Standard International $20.95
International Expedited $34.95
Global Priority $42.95
Order Total: $75.00 and up
Standard International FREE!
International Expedited $14.00
Global Priority $22.00
   
Please note that international orders may be subject to additional customs fees due to your local government upon delivery.

1.5. How should I care for my new shirts?

To insure the longevity of your new Tee Virus shirt, you should wash it inside-out with a mild detergent and no bleach using cold water, then tumble dry low. Also avoid using fabric softener as it will likely "fuzz" up the design. If you follow these steps, your shirt will continue looking good as new for a very long time.

1.6. What if I don't like what you sent me?

In the unlikely event you aren't satisfied with your order, let us know then mail it back within 30 days of receipt unwashed and unworn, and we'll refund you the full purchase price less shipping and handling. You are responsible for paying any return shipping charges.

1.7. Do you ship to P.O. boxes?

At this time our shipping policy excludes delivery to P.O. boxes. Please feel free to have your order shipped to your home or office.

1.8. How often do you ship?

We ship orders every normal business day from Monday to Friday. You will receive a notification via email once your order has been shipped and is on its way to you.

1.9. Who prints your shirts?

We do! They're made by a herd of elves in our workshop and tested to wear well on our heavy duty 100% cotton pre-shrunk t-shirts (we'd never use those flimsy, lightweight shirts provided by most other online t-shirt shops). Keep in mind that although they are pre-shrunk it's still possible to shrink them a little more depending on the temperature of your washer and dryer. (See "How should I care for my new shirts?" above.)

1.10. What if I have another question?

Please feel free to contact us here. You'll find that we're very friendly (almost too friendly, if you know what I mean).

2. Submission Requirements

2.1. What are the technical requirements for my design?

Your design must be submitted in SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) format. A powerful, open source SVG editor we recommend is InkScape and can be downloaded free of charge here.

To insure the portability of your SVG file, it may not specify any font/text information. This means before you submit your file, any text objects included in your drawing must be converted to a shape or a path. (In Inkscape you can do this simply by selecting any text objects then "Path » Object to Path".)

2.2. Why do I have to submit a vector file?

You might be used to editing non-vector (also known as raster or bitmap) images, but such images are unfortunately just not able to scale to fit different t-shirts without severely distorting the original image. However vector images can be resized to very small or very large without any change in the design.

2.3. I only know raster editing. How do I draw vector images?

Don't be discouraged if you're not yet familiar with vector images. They're really easy! Google and YouTube are great places to start as there are tons of great tutorials available. While you're getting used to editing vector images, it may help to visualize that the difference is that raster editing is like pouring sand and spraying paint on a sidewalk, but vector editing is like arranging Linkin' Logs and Legos.

2.4. How wide can my design's dimensions be?

As illustrated below, printing is limited to the horizontally center area of the t-shirt from either: 1) the upper chest to the mid stomach, or 2) the lower chest to the bottom of the shirt. If your design really calls for it, printing on the back of the t-shirt may be considered.
     
If your design is too out of proportion, it will be shrunken to fit.

2.5. What colors can I use?

At present, designs are limited to being printed only on white and other similarly light colored t-shirts. Your design should be colorized accordingly. For example, your design should not be intended for use only on dark t-shirts. If your design is mostly very light colored, it will be mostly invisible on a white t-shirt. Aside from that lightness issue, all colors available to your vector drawing are acceptable.

2.6. Are there any restrictions on design content?

We appreciate all forms of t-shirt artistry, even those that are crude and for mature audiences. The only real restrictions on your designs are that they do not include any nudity, racism, or other overtly offensive content lacking any redeeming value.

The most important thing to keep in mind regarding your design is that every bit of it MUST be 100% a product of your own creation or explicitly free to all for commercial use. You are absolutely not allowed to use any images or content that is trademark or copyright protected. You also may not use the likeness of any person without their express written consent. Any violation of these terms may result in legal action, the reversal of all commission fees earned, deletion of your account, and removal of every design you have submitted.

2.7. How does my design make it into the store?

Each design is submitted to the Community Workshop to be evaluated by other members for 1 week. At the end of that time the Tee Virus staff will manually review the design and the community's feedback. If the design is deemed quality material that is fully ready for primetime as a product in the store, it will be added.

2.8. Can I do anything to help my design's chances?

Absolutely. You should pay close attention to other members' comments about your designs. They may have great suggestions for how you can improve it. At any point you can edit your design and upload your modified image to your Workshop post. An improvement in your design may result in members changing their votes for the better.

And when your design's week of review in the Workshop ends, you can re-Workshop the same post if you'd like to continue working to improve it.

2.9. Should I give credit to members who offer lots of help? What's a Co-Designer?

If you feel a particular member has provided a great degree of help in improving your design either with advice or by actually editing your design, you can (and should) reward them for helping your chances of getting it printed. You can do this by specifying their name in your Workshop post as your co-designer. If and when your design gets added to the store, your co-designer will earn 50% of all sales commissions for the product.

3. Earning Cash

3.1. How much will I earn for my design?

If your design is selected from the Workshop and added to the Tee Virus store, you will earn 20% of the selling price of every t-shirt sold.

3.2. How will I know when my design makes a sale?

Every designer has a commission earnings listing. The listing allows you to keep track of your designs by displaying exactly how many shirts for each of your designs has been printed and how much you earned for each sale. It also details for you a breakdown for everything you've earned and been paid to date.

3.3. How and when do I get paid?

After your commission is earned, it will be held for 30 days to allow a warranty period in case the sale is reversed. Until those 30 days are up, the funds will be unavailable.

You will be paid via PayPal either at your request or automatically whenever your earnings reach the $500.00 mark. The minimum amount for withdrawal is $20.00. Each withdrawal transaction will incur a minor PayPal processing fee not to exceed $1.00.

A fantastic alternative we offer designers is to use your commission earnings toward a purchase on Tee Virus. If you do, the value of your commission will be worth 30% more plus you will receive a 20% discount on your order.

3.4. Is anyone eligible to earn cash from their designs?

Yes, most any legal adult is eligible to earn cash for their designs! There are just a few bits of information you first have to provide to become a "Certified Designer" eligible to start requesting withdrawals from your commission payments. (Members can find the details on their Commission Earnings page.)

4. About the Community

4.1. What's the deal with the little stars by some members' names?

Those represent the level of achievement that member has reached on TeeVirus. One Star Point is awarded for each time a t-shirt you designed is sold. The more your t-shirts sell, the more stars you earn. Your overall Star Level is determined as follows:
Bronze - at least 10 star points
Silver - at least 50 star points
Gold - at least 100 star points
Bronze Diamond - at least 500 star points
Silver Diamond - at least 1000 star points
Bronze Crown - at least 5000 star points