Dealing With A Supplier You Can Trust

Last Updated: Monday 4th December 2017 By Brent Groot

Promotional T-shirt Printing Supplier

Promotional t-shirt is small but important part of the promotional products industry, and a very important part of the promotion and marketing of an event, campaign or a business.

Although, some marketing managers and entrepreneurs find sourcing these products very troublesome and in general would love to get a solution that is easy and worry free.

Many horror stories have been told while navigating this process and this article will help recognise the signs that will help you keep out of trouble.

Finding a Good Supplier

If you've found a provider of promotional products in general, most often these sales people are agents for a company that provides services at a wholesale level and will always add a premium to their price structure.

It's generally not hard to find these direct suppliers that do screen printing and digital printing and supply direct to the end user. Companies that use the words in-house printing are a good starting point.

Once you make contact with a printed t-shirt supplier, questions begin to build in your mind, like the feeling of trust and confidence with this supplier.

The responsiveness of the company regarding when they call back and the speed of the quoting process and the details of the quote is very important in gauging the reliability of the company.

We get stories all the time where clients call other providers and get a quote over the phone and then go ahead with the order and the price is different and they have nothing written down.

Or, if they do give the price, it was for one side of the shirt and the clients wanted and thought the price included both sides, and the problems begin to mount and causes you nothing but stress.

This is something we want to avoid, so get a detailed written quote.

Prices are not always the same

The quoting stage is important. This is where we are making the decision whether or not to use a particular supplier.

Price is not always the thing to take into consideration.

The attention to detail with the quote can mean that two prices can be as different as apples and oranges.

You don’t want to order an apple and get an orange, and have the provider say: “Hey, they are both fruit.” So, make sure to check that both suppliers are providing the same quality level of t-shirt and the same method of printing.

We have listed some reasons why prices may not be the same. In some instants the size of the print can play a part regarding the cost of the printed t-shirt.

Whether or not, a provider is a new entrant into the market, they can often lower their prices to get a customer, which is fine, but how experienced are they and if they continue with their discounts, how long will they be in business?

Talk to the supplier if there is a large difference in the price, some times there are good reasons.

Request a Detailed Order Confirmation

At this point you have decided to go with a supplier; you’re happy with the price and want to go ahead. That’s great! But at this point, this is where the work really begins. The supplier will begin to process the order.

Most supplies will want you to pay for your order before commencing work. This is pretty standard with this industry.

Generally it is easy for a consumer to get remedy by law if they have paid a deposit for a service (50%-100%) and have not received what was ordered.

There are a lot of consumer protection laws in Australia. However, the reverse is not so true. A promotional t-shirt supplier that is owed money has to peruse a stubborn client in the courts at a large expense just to get paid for something that is unique and valuable only to the client.

So many providers learn this the hard way. So don’t be concerned about this, just have all your ducks in a row prior to making your payment.

The following is a must have before making your payments.

You must have a document that contains all the details about your custom t-shirt order.

Delivery address, garment style(s), colours, sizes, print position(s), artwork proof and an image with a mock up of both sides of the t-shirt with your design in the positions you require.

There are a lot of other things that can be included, but these are the really important ones.

If your provider does not have a document for you to check over, before requesting a payment from you, think again about using them or ask them to provide one for you.

Don’t go ahead without one; this can be a huge problem if something goes wrong.

Check-list for dealing with a supplier you can trust

• Request a detailed quote in writing before you start.
• Order a sample of the product you’re purchasing. Before hand.
• Make sure you get a digital mock up of the job request.
• Require in writing all aspects of the order parameters.
• Get any changes and alterations to the final order in writing.

OK, so there you have it. Now here is the sales pitch. T-shirt printing Australia is a quality promotional t-shirt supplier that has been in the industry for more than 20 years and will be available for many more years to come.

If you have any questions please contact our professional staff to discuss your order.