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We all participate in dozens of transactions on a daily basis. From complicated to simple, every transaction has the potential to cost you more than it should in either time or money.
Here some of the most common mistakes people make that cost them time and money when purchasing logo apparel.
This is a very common way to price embroidered logo apparel, but it can also end up costing you more than it has to. It is a fairly simple concept to understand-the more stitches there are in your embroidered logo, the more time it takes on the embroider machine, therefore it costs more. That makes sense.
Where this can be dangerous is the fact that the embroidery shop controls all the information that will determine that price.
A vast majority of people purchasing logo apparel have no idea how many stitches it takes to create their logo in embroidery.
Unscrupulous embroidery shops or promotional products distributors simply increase the stitch count to raise the cost. How is the customer able to dispute that amount when they have no idea how many stitches it takes to create that logo in embroidery?
Another area that is ripe for this kind of activity is in the way logos are digitized or set-up. There is usually more than one way to digitize a logo. Some companies may set-up a logo in such a way that it takes more stitches to create thus increasing the cost. Again adding to the price and adding to their bottom line.
Stitch counts for left-chest sized logos all fall inside a fairly consistent average. That's how embroidery companies who don't price by stitch count make that work. Obviously a large jacket back design is a different animal. In those situations, stitch counts are necessary for accurate pricing.
What to do: Is this a wide-spread problem, probably not? But who knows, right?
The easy answer is to use a company that does not price by stitch count. The other option is to get quotes from 3 or 4 companies on the number of stitches in your logo. That way you can get a good idea of how many stitches it actually takes to embroider the logo.
“There is no free lunch.”
The logo set-up or digitizing process is something every embroidery company must do in order to embroider an image on a garment. It is essential to the quality of the embroidery.
Most companies in the business charge the set-up as a one-time fee. That means you pay to have the image set-up just once and you do not have to pay that again on any subsequent orders. Those fees usually range between $50 and $100.
However, some companies advertise a free set-up. Then in order to cover the cost of that process, they increase the price of their garments.
For example, if it costs a company $75 to set-up a logo, they need to increase the amount of the order by $75 to cover that cost. So on an order of 24 shirts, they have to increase the price of the shirts by $3.13 (75 divided by 24).
If you only place one order with that company, that may work. However, if you order again from them, that set-up cost is not removed from the shirt cost. Therefore, you end up paying more for that second order.
In most situations when you pay a fee to set-up the image, you own that file. So if you should decide to have another company do some custom embroidery, you may request the file from the company that first created it for you.
However, if you do not pay for the set-up, it is unlikely that company will give you the file if you request it. So then you will have to pay to have it set-up again.
What to do : Set-up costs are a basic and required part of the creating a custom embroidered product. It is best to pay the fee the first time and then not worry about it again.
The opposite scenario may play out as well. There are companies who will charge you a different set-up for each different kind of item to be embroidered.
They charge one set-up fee for a golf shirt-another fee for a woven shirt-another fee for a hat set-up-and still another fee for a bag set-up. It may not be as much as their full set-up fee, but they may call it an editing cost.
Those people will argue that the logo needs to be set-up differently for each different kind of material the image will be embroidered upon. While it is true in some cases, subtle differences in the set-ups need to be made to the image in order to get the best embroidery, there is no need to charge the customer each time those differences are applied to the image.
What to do: Don't let anyone tell you they need to do a new set-up or charge an editing fee for different kinds of material. It is not necessary. If they insist, find another supplier.
So you found a golf shirt you can have embroidered for $12. Sounds like a good deal doesn't it? It may be or it may not.
In this industry, like just about everything else in our economy, you get what you pay for. You pay for a $12 golf shirt; you get a $12 golf shirt. You pay for a $30 golf shirt; you get a $30 golf shirt.
Don't get me wrong, there are situations where a $12 golf shirt is the right choice. But I see too many people focused on the price and not on the quality of the shirt or the situation in which the shirt is to be used.
You don't have to spend a lot to get a good golf shirt. A quality golf shirt, including embroidery, can be purchased for as little as $17 (depending on the quantity you purchase).
What to do: The point here is the $12 golf shirt is a $12 golf shirt. If you seek a shirt that is durable, will hang well on your body and hold up over a couple years of washing you have to spend more than $12.
There are a number of companies and individuals who sell decorated logo apparel who don't actually do the decoration or embroidery. They are essentially brokers who sell the items and then sub-contract with a decorator to apply the embroidery.
There are 3 distinct advantages to working with a company that owns and operates their own embroidery machines.
- Expertise. These companies do embroidery everyday and on all kinds of different materials and garments. They know and completely understand the embroidery process. Therefore the customer is more likely to get the expert help and service they need for their project.
- Quality. Because companies own and operate the embroidery machines, they have total control over the quality of the embroidery. They are able to make adjustments during the embroidery process to make sure the best quality embroidery is on each and every piece. In addition, if there ever is an issue with the quality, it can be addressed quickly and easily.
- Turnaround. Companies that do their own embroidery have total control over the production schedule. So when a customer calls and needs something at the last minute, they can tell if the customer if it will work or not because they know their production schedule.
What to do: Ask the question when you are talking to that company. Do they own and operate the embroidery machines.
There can be a number of “little things” embroidery companies want to sell you as part of your order. The best example of this is individually folding and packaging (bagging) garments. Rush fees is another one. Some of these things are legitimate, some are not.
What to do: Don't be fooled. Use your common sense. If it seems excessive and doesn't pass the “smell test” find another vendor. |