ThinkGeek has a long tradition of inventing and manufacturing amazing products across a whole host of categories: the ThinkGeek Electronic Rock Guitar Shirt, the Annoy-a-tron, Bag of Holding, and the iCADE just to name a few. Now, we're opening up our proven product launching process to inventors just like you with the ThinkGeek IdeaFactory!
How the ThinkGeek IdeaFactory Works
The process for submitting an idea to ThinkGeek is easy.
- You submit your idea: We'll need a written description and an image of the idea. The image can be a rendering or a detailed drawing.
- ThinkGeek will review your idea, make sure it passes the caveats, and respond within 60 days.
- If we choose to make the product and you get paid.
How You Get Paid
We believe in keeping things simple. If ThinkGeek chooses to make your idea into a real product, we'll pay you an advance of $1000 and then 10% of retail sales for the life of the product up to $1 million in Net Sales. When your product reaches $1 million (yay!), the rate drops to 5%.. Royalties will be paid quarterly. In addition, you will also have the opportunity to purchase any quantity of the product at a reasonable price just above cost (excluding shipping). You'll be free to sell that product on your own website or when you make public appearances at conventions, trade shows, or other public events. This way you can show off your genius work and point proudly to your wallet while chuckling manically to yourself.
Why Choose ThinkGeek?
Best chance for success. Zero upfront costs. 100% easy.
When you choose to go with ThinkGeek, you're placing your idea in the hands of master retailers who not only have direct access to the market but also have deep wholesale relationships and the ear of the media. You're also trusting a company with a long history and proven track record of inventing, manufacturing, and distributing unique products. Our products have appeared on the Today Show, Regis and Kelly, the New York Times, WIRED, Gizmodo, and hundreds of media outlets both online and off. We've also placed products with retailers of all sizes, from small specialty stores to the giants of traditional retail. This unique combination gives ThinkGeek a distinct advantage over other companies in today's crowded custom manufacturing market.
In addition to significant market advantages, there are no up-front costs associated with developing an idea with ThinkGeek. You do not need to pay a submission fee and there are no development costs. We take care of all prototyping, mold changes, creative, packaging, and marketing expense. There is truly zero out of pocket cost to you. Remember when we said it was easy?
What Ideas Will ThinkGeek Consider?
ThinkGeek's manufacturing capabilities span a wide range of products. If you can dream it up, we've probably made something like it at one time or another. That said, there are a few caveats about submitting ideas to ThinkGeek's IdeaFactory:
IMPORTANT: Please Read These guidelines BEFORE you submit your idea
- You must own the idea you're submitting. This goes without saying. You should creatively Google your product idea and see if anyone else has created it before. You should use Google Patent Search to check and see if your idea might infringe any outside patents. You should make sure your kid brother isn’t going to claim he came up with the idea during your fight about why all Autobots have to be ground-based vehicles.
- You may not use licensed intellectual property you do not own. (Sadly this means no Star Wars, Star Trek, Mario, Batman, etc. ideas. However, things like Zombies are fair game. Your idea has to be 100% unique or generic enough to not require licensing.) For example, lets say you came up with an idea for a USB powered desktop Bat signal. This idea would not be applicable to IdeaFactory because the Batman logo is integral to the product being successful and this requires licensing.
- You should suggest ideas for products that could be for sale on the ThinkGeek site. We encourage you to look through the site and learn more about what we sell. This means if you have an amazing idea for a new unlimited form of clean energy, please use your mad skillz to rescue our society from impending doom, but don’t pitch this idea to us.
- Software and standalone Apps need not apply. In case you haven’t noticed, ThinkGeek sells physical objects which our diligent monkey-robots ship in boxes to happy people all over the world. Hardware of some kind that has a software component to it is fine, pure software or standalone apps is not. Please note that appccessories, for iPad, iPhone, Android etc that combine hardware and software are good. Things like iCade for example.
- Printed T-Shirt design ideas are lovely, but not for IdeaFactory. ThinkGeek does have another program for you to submit your t-shirt ideas… please find it here.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/brain/customer_bounty.cgi However, if you have ideas for interactive apparel that integrates novel mechanical or electronic features, then this IS applicable to IdeaFactory. Gotcha? - You must use the official IdeaFactory submission process and agree to the terms of the contract.
Want to see the fine print?
Of course you do. Click here to read the full contract you would be required to sign if your idea is selected and you decide to move forward with ThinkGeek on the project. Please note that due to our deadly allergy to onerous legal mumbo-jumbo we cannot entertain ANY CHANGES to the contract. If you don't like it, we are very sorry to have upset you, but we still can't change it. Keep this in mind BEFORE YOU SUBMIT your idea.
And... One more thing. Directors, officers, employees, or agents of ThinkGeek or the parent company Geeknet, Inc., and/or its affiliate companies, as well as the immediate family of the employees (including spouse, and parents, children and siblings, and their respective spouses regardless of where they live) and individuals living in the same households as the employees, whether related or not, are not eligible. Mkay?
