I remember talking to a vendor when I first started my business and telling him that my focus was on best price. He said something that stuck with me over the years: “You are going to spend more time looking for the best price rather than spending your time doing something that will make you money.” Although this is true, we all still try to find the best price when shopping for supplies and blanks.

I thought I got a crazy-good deal on tape once. I bought a pallet of tape after spending days looking for the cheapest option. We tested the tape and it worked, so I ordered. After months of using the tape, we noticed it was taking 10-15 minutes per screen to remove the tape from them.

I paid around $2 a roll but was spending more time and money taking the tape off than I was saving. After trying several other options, we currently pay $6.50 a roll, and it takes less than a minute to rip tape off. I thought being cheap was smart but it’s quite the opposite.

Consider the Quality

When looking for supplies, I recommend finding good vendors that will take care of you. Price may be a little higher, but they are the ones that will help you in a bind, show you what’s new and different, and may even send you customers. I think we all prefer customers that are loyal to us, and so do our vendors.

Going for the cheap option may hurt more than it helps. The saying “you get what you pay for” is a real thing. For me, when we buy supplies, I look at a number of things:

1. Do we really need it?
2. How often will we need to order?
3. What other options are there?
4. How long will shipping take?
5. Is it quality?

We are all in business to make money, not break even or lose money. It is important to price based on your costs, not what your competition is pricing. If you use quality products, your pricing may be a little higher. Using those products may also make you more efficient and more profitable.

During the last few years with all of the supply issues, I think we all tried every brand of web spray, white ink, and emulsion on the market. Our business (Beeze Tees) was buying stuff on eBay when we were really desperate. Going through that reminded me to have multiple vendors that offer a variety of supplies we use.

But again, we go for loyalty and ease of use over price. When looking for vendors, we look for:

1. Is it a vendor I trust (or others trust)?
2. Do they offer more than just one thing I need?
3. Are their prices fair?
4. How long will shipping take?
5. Are they overcharging for shipping?
6. Often, we order online, so a good, easy-to-use website goes a long way (I have a few vendors I would prefer to email my order to, so this doesn’t apply everywhere).

Spending less on ink could cost you in quality prints. | Credit: Cassie Green

When I first started printing, I was using cheaper ink, which at the time was ok. But as we got busier, I realized the ink I was using was super thick and hard to pull through a screen. We would also get super oily gallons or gallons that seemed light. By spending less on ink, we were actually getting “less,” whether it was in quantity or in quality.

Think Before You Buy

I’m not saying we always buy the Rolls Royce when it comes to supplies or equipment, but we are very thoughtful on the things we do buy. I often think about our tape and how much time we wasted and what that actually cost us.

We often run into an item that gets discontinued. When that happens, you have to start all over. Or a vendor closes or merges and you have to find something new. When this happens, (seems to be emulsion for us), we order a few options and do testing to find the best option for our shop.

Although you need to keep costs in mind, quality should always be the most important part of buying materials. If you cheap out, you will end up spending more in the long run.