What is a deadstock vintage t-shirt? A deadstock vintage t-shirt means new old stock (NOS). It would refer to a garment that was manufactured in the past but never sold. It is in brand new condition but in fact, an old item. It could also be a shirt that was previously sold but just never worn. That would also constitute it being deadstock. The term can be applied to any manufactured item, not just t-shirts.
We’ll use the Mickey Mouse tee as our example. Your family went to Disney World in 1985 and you bought a souvenir. When you got home it went in your drawer for the next 30 years.
So it’s a brand new old shirt. It’s one of the treasures of a vintage t-shirt hunter. Finding a deadstock tee with tags. The term NOS or new old stock is also used but generally more of an automotive term. Vintage clothing sellers tend to use the term Deadstock. Although the terms are interchangeable.
How common is it to find Deadstock vintage t-shirts?
Honestly, it’s fairly common. Let’s put it this way. I would imagine that every single household in Canada and the USA has at least one deadstock vintage t-shirt. An item that was bought years ago and never worn. Sitting in a closet collecting dust. So between Canada and the USA that’s approx 140 million households. Not to mention storage facilities and old warehouses etc.
The nice part about clothing is humans have been programmed to recycle it or feel guilty if we don’t. We have donation bins and drop-offs that make it very easy to unload used and unworn garments. People rarely just throw away clothes. ESPECIALLY if its in mint condition. So deadstock items live on.
Are DEADSTOCK and VINTAGE the same thing?
Not necessarily. In order for an item to be considered vintage, it has to fit specific criteria.
For the sake of absolute simplicity, I’ll call it the year 2000 rule (am I about to coin a phrase?!) YES I AM! In order for a shirt to be considered vintage, it MUST be printed before the year 2000. As we’ve discussed before there is definitely a grey area. But just for clear consensus, we’ll say any shirt made before Jan 1 2000 can now officially be called vintage without objection.
But for an item to be considered deadstock it merely has to be old stock. A t-shirt could have been made 2 years ago and never sold and it would be considered deadstock but not vintage.
Where can I find deadstock vintage shirts?
Even though I mentioned deadstock tees are fairly common. Finding them can take a bit of craftiness. I’ve bought and sold literally thousands of NOS items. I’ll give you several examples of places to find them as well as some interesting stories of how I bought several hundred on different occasions.
- eBay/Etsy. If you don’t mind spending a few bucks you can always buy Deadstock vintage online. Purchasing bulk lots can reap deadstock items too. Lot buying is more of an advanced technique. I wouldn’t attempt it until you have a broader knowledge base and a few years under your belt. You can get hosed by crafty internet shysters. The Bob Marley pic you see at the top was purchased on eBay. I noticed a seller auctioning the Bob Marley shirts every week or so. They were authentic. I bought one for around $50. I asked the seller if he had any more. He had a couple of dozen. So I offered to buy them all for $35 each. He agreed. I ended up selling them for much more over the next couple of years.
- Thrift stores. Kind of a given. Occasionally you’ll find deadstock vintage tees. I’ve found hundreds over the years. You just have to be consistent in your visits. Hit the thrift shops once a week and be patient.
- Garage and yard sales. Get up early Saturday morning and hit a bunch of yard sales. If you don’t see clothing at the sale….ask. “Do you have any old shirts from the 80s or 90s you’d like to sell?” You’d be surprised at the stuff people don’t display because they think it’s worthless. When I used to buy musical instruments it worked ALL THE TIME. People would say, “SURE! Come in I have an old guitar and an accordion in the basement!” Another time I was jogging passed a garage sale and I spotted a Flyers NHL jersey. It had original hang tags on it. Then I noticed several other vintage hockey jerseys from the 80s all with tags. I asked how much? The guy replied. “I don’t know…gimme $25 for all of them?” Needless to say, I sprinted home and grabbed my wallet. I flipped the jerseys for about $75 each. Great find.
- Run ads. I used to run ads in my local Pennysaver for items and get great results. I guess nowadays that would equate to running a “looking for” Kijiji ad. Or making a post on Facebook.
- Screen printers. I’ve had great luck with this. Pick the oldest printers in town. Call them up and say you’re interested in buying old stock t-shirts. Stuff that’s outdated. You’d be shocked at what some of them have in storage. If they’ve been printing for over 30 years often they’ll have leftover boxes of deadstock tees and other similar gems. Sometimes old felt lettering or iron ons as well. Usually, they’re willing to sell old stock really cheap.
The first time I came across a HUGE deadstock vintage t-shirt lot!
In the very early 2000s, I designed some shirts that I was going to sell at local events. One day I was at my screen-printer picking up shirts. I had become friendly with the elderly owner and he’d allow me in the back to watch his printers work while I waited.
One visit I noticed a rack of old raglan t-shirts in the corner. So I walked over and investigated. To my surprise, it was a Deadstock vintage Ted Nugent t-shirt. Fully licensed. There had to be a few dozen various shirts. I asked the owner if he had more. He said “Yes hundreds.” He took me into a back room in the basement and there were literally thousands of old rock tees. Michael Jackson, Twisted Sister, The Jam, Corey Hart, Quiet Riot, Iron Maiden, Billy Idol, NKOTB, Bart Simpson, Strange Brew, anything that was popular between 1983 and 1990. He had printed rock tees and owned a t-shirt store for years. He closed the shop but the remaining inventory stayed in the basement at the screen printing facility.
The basement was a disaster. Many of the shirts were in bags that had gotten wet and mildewed. But the majority of the items still in good shape. I said, “If I clean and organize your basement can you give me a good deal on these shirts?” He said “Sure $2 each.” So for the following month, I was there every day cleaning up and picking DEADSTOCK GOLD.
Even as I’m writing this I’m remembering the experience and feeling overwhelmed with positive emotion. It was the first time in my life I knew I was going to make money doing something awesome. Many of those shirts I auctioned for $75USD or more. It ignited my passion for vintage t-shirts that has never diminished. I want you to have that same experience. It’s incredible.
Another GREAT deadstock vintage t-shirt find.
One day I was listing a bunch of tees on eBay (as usual). I came upon a Rage Against the Machine shirt. I looked at the tag and it said Artimonde Canada. I flipped the tag over and it had a phone number. So for fun I thought why not! I called the number and the guy said “Hello Artimonde Canada”. So I said “I have one of your shirts in front of me. Do you have others?” He said “Yes thousands”. I asked if they had any closeout tees at their warehouse. He said “Yes, I can email you a list.”
Ten minutes later I was looking at a list that seemed too good to be true. Hundreds of band shirts dating back to the late 80s and 90s. Exodus, GNR, Ministry, Mudhoney, Bone Thugs, Smashing Pumpkins (I’ve included pics above) It was incredible. I asked how much? He said, “if you buy more than 100 I’ll sell them for $3 each.” Needless to say, I bought hundreds. Probably thousands over the next couple of years. In fact, I think I basically cleaned out most of their old stock inventory. At one point they caught on to how much I was selling the Guns N Roses shirts for so they increased the price to $12. It didn’t matter cause I was selling them between $50 and $75USD a pop. The Mudhoney and Dinosaur Jr shirts sell for around $250USD on eBay now btw. Unfortunately, they’ve all been sold. I should’ve had the presence of mind to hang on to a few.
Deadstock vintage t-shirts are still out there in abundance. You just have to look in the right places.