From those just starting out in the decorated apparel industry to veterans, it’s not an uncommon practice for shop owners to search for a good deal on equipment. But what happens when a price is so low, it might be too good to be true?

Ben Robinson, chief manufacturing officer at GroupeStahl, joins us in this bonus episode of the Apparelist podcast to talk about the topic of “buyer beware.” There are a lot of red flags owners need to look for when purchasing equipment, and it often starts with rock-bottom prices. From identifying those red flags to advice on research, Ben offers apparel decorators the honest truth of what happens when you purchase cheap equipment.

Key Takeaways

• If a low price on a piece of equipment seems to good to be true, nearly every time it is
• When you research equipment brands, find a company that has a live person on the other side
• You might save a buck when purchasing cheap equipment up front, but it will cost you later in downtime caused by malfunctions, continued costly repairs, and lost business