23-year old New Yorker makes $120K in 2 days selling "Dead Osama" t-shirts online

[Amerigo Vespucci]

23-Year-Old Makes $100K Off Osama's Death

5/6/2011 12:25 AM PDT by TMZ Staff

Osama bin Laden's body was barely in American custody -- and one savvy New York kid was already making t-shirts to commemorate the bastard's death ... pulling in over $100,000 in less than 2 days.



23-year old Maurice Harary tells TMZ, he made a beeline to his NY apartment as soon as he heard the news of Osama's death -- and started building a website to sell his "OBL is dead" t-shirts.

Maurice claims the site went live at 3:30 am on Monday -- and by Tuesday evening, he had already sold around 10,000 units at 12 bucks a pop ... meaning dude raked in approximately 120k in less than two days.

Yes, we know ... you had the idea first. Stop whining.

http://www.tmz.com/2011/05/05/dead-osama-t-shirt-seller-i-made-120k-in-1-day-bin-laden-911-maurice-harary-death/

[inademv]

1. Further proof that Americans have no taste in t-shirts.

[rfranklin]

2. sounds good but what are the expenses?

10,000 tee shirts, printing 10,000 tee shirts, mailing 10,000 tee shirts, quite a bit of labor. Maybe he can outsource it all to China?

[itsrobert]

33. Looks like he's charging/charged for shipping

n/t

[rug]

3. On the off chance that anybody in GD wants one, here's his site.

http://www.osamadeadtees.com/

[WhollyHeretic]

4. He did not make $120k. He sold $120k worth of t-shirts. Big Difference

[NeedleCast]

14. Bingo

[WinkyDink]

26. I'm sure he used expensive shirts

[KurtNYC]

5. BS

Forbes say $300K
http://blogs.forbes.com/marcbabej/2011/05/06/bin-laden-assassination-nets-23-year-old-entrepreneur-300k/

He made $120K only if the T-shirts, mailing, processing fees and a dozen other costs were all free to him. And only if he really sold 10,000 of that ugly, 4 days ago shirt.

[JohnnyRingo]

8. He'll realize that when the IRS hears about it.

The people who bought the shirts will relaize what idiots they are after the first washing and it's as current as "What you talkin' about Willis". "People who bought this item also liked "I'm with stupid"."

Now I know what the Tilt-A-Whirl operator will be wearing at this summer's local street fair.

[dkf]

9. Went to the site and it looks like a full blown operation.

A bunch of different tees along with stickers and other merchandise. Also a shipping and handling charges page.

And he takes paypal which is more than most.

I wouldn't buy this stuff, but good for him.

[KurtNYC]

28. the "Obama killed Osama" is better but what gets me

is a business magazine like Forbes confusing gross sales with net profit. The guy has no organic google position so he is buying PPC traffic. So I'm calling BS on him "making" $250K or whatever sensational number it is.

[Gold Metal Flake]

6. Teh Internets is a magic money machine!

Only if you can't count.

[dkf]

7. So a guy takes an idea works his butt off and makes a decent chunk of change

And gets not a single commendation for it?

Do we really worship the dignity of poverty that much?

Ironic considering our own erstwhile message board owners have also figured out how to make a living off their ingenuity.

Good for them all I say.

[NashVegas]

10. No, Not Exactly

He used a Social Network Design company - kind of like Cafe Press. Only much, much cheaper.

[Javaman]

11. If he actually made the shirts himself, he would have yielded a bit more...

but since he probably went to cafepress or a place like that to generate the shirts, the gross might have been 120K but his net, I can bet you (since he charged only 12 bucks a shirt) was much much much far lower.

a plain white T with a basic logo will run you, for a mens, starting at 17 bucks on cafepress.

He had to find some sort of cut rate t-shirt site.

If he sourced the shirts, did the printing himself (which it doesn't sound like he did), each shirt in bulk of a gross, would probably run him in the area of about 4 bucks a shirt.

That would be a killing, but that also doesn't take in shipping.

So long story short, guy had a money making idea, found a cut rate insta-shirt design site. Created the logo and posted it. Probably after all is said and done, made about 1.50 per shirt. In t-shirt land, that's crap.

Interesting story. Guy makes money on peoples instant gratification. THAT is the American way.

[cbdo2007]

13. Why do you all assume he is losing money on "shipping"?

I'm sure he tacked a $3 shipping charge on to each shirt for a total of $15.

[Javaman]

17. If he does the shipping himself and doesn't get a bulk rate.

shipping kills the start biz.

He could tack on the 3 bucks but then that doesn't make it a $12 shirt does it?

More than likely, as with cafepress, the site he sells his shirts through offers some sort of shipping.

[cbdo2007]

22. Why are you arguing something that doesn't make a bit of sense?

Of course "if he does shipping himself and doesn't get a bulk rate..." - THAT"S WHY NO INTERNET BUSINESS THAT SELLS $12 T-SHIRTS GIVES FREE SHIPPING!! HAHA. That doesn't even make sense as an argument.

"He coudl tack on the 3 bucks but that doesn' tmake it a $12 shirt..." - yes it does. It's a $12 t-shirt with $3 shipping. $12 t-shirt. That's his revenue smarty.

[Javaman]

37. Look...

it doesn't make sense and none of it matters.

it's all bullshit anyway in the grand scheme of things.

I only offered my opinion because I used to make and sell t's.

that's all.

[wellst0nev0ter]

12. Have We Learned Nothing From The Dot-Com Bust?

Although to be fair, his business model is more concrete than a lot of those shell companies.

[Javaman]

19. He learned a lot. LOL

to have an actual product first of all :rofl:

[cbdo2007]

15. I admit - I wish I had thought of it and could have executed it this quickly.

Got to give the guy props. Everyone else here bashing him is just jealous too and bashing him rather than praising him is the DU way.

[Javaman]

20. Not bashing him, bashing the article for not printing the truth.

clearing 120k is nice and all but that is the gross.

[SoCalDem]

42. and what happens when the person who owns that photograph comes a-calling?

:evilgrin:

[Javaman]

44. Touche'! LOL nt

[Wait Wut]

23. +1

Give the guy a break. Good for him.

[KurtNYC]

31. People went to ground zero 4 days after the attack and were

scooping up ashes and dust in envelopes. I reminded one of them that he was scooping up the remains of dead NYers. He grunted.

Postcard vendors were selling pictures of the WTC smoking or collapsing. Then in 2004 the GOP came to cash in. Don't see this stuff as all that different from snuff films. Americans in general are so used to being spectators that when they do act it can be in a detached fantasy manner.

I think you really could sell Soilent Green these days. Burger King was selling chicken nuggets shaped like the RugRats for a while (eg. human babies that you dip in sauce and eat).

[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sufrommich]

16. There will be better, funny t shirts. This one is pretty plain. nt

[VEI]

18. goes to show that anyone with an idea can make money

[Javaman]

21. No, goes to show there is a sucker born every day.

people will buy anything with enough press behind it.

[VEI]

24. who is the sucker? not the guy who sold the shirts.

[Javaman]

36. No, the people who bought it. nt

[WinkyDink]

25. Good for him!

[Stevenmarc]

27. LOL looks like he made more than Atlas Shrugged did

[nichomachus]

47. LOL

OK you made me really laugh out loud

[Courtesy Flush]

48. And paid more taxes than GE

[ileus]

29. now that's really "winning"

[KittyWampus]

30. If he only made one dollar a shirt- selling 10,000 shirts= $10,000 profit.

[tridim]

40. Still not bad for a few hours of work.

[Shagbark Hickory]

32. And by 3am the following day, the site "Or Is he really dead .com" was launched n/t

[markpkessinger]

34. If making money is your primary goal, then by all means appeal to the lowest common denominator....

Works every time in the good old USA.

[Nailzberg]

35. "Just Dead It"? Wonder when Nike's lawyers will come knocking.

[Fire Walk With Me]

38. Alright then, I call dibs on the "Still Dead" t-shirt idea.

Abe Vigoda could cash in big-time. Just sayin'.

[ThoughtCriminal]

39. Oh - why didn't I think of that!

:eyes:

[Odin2005]

41. Why didn't I think of that? LOL!

[aj_cd]

45. I want a T-shirt of picture I saw

It was picture of President Obama with a cowboy hat on.
top of picture said "here's my birth certificate, here's Osama"
down at bottom said "can I get you anything else"

I know he is not some pretend cowboy president but this would drive some people nuts. I would enjoy that, so much. Not saying it is right, but damn it would be fun. lol

[leeroysphitz]

46. America!

Fuck yeah.