The number of websites selling wholesale t-shirts can be overwhelming. In this article I will address some of the issues related to buying wholesale clothing. Here are some things that you should not do, and things that I would recommend. As well as guidelines that you should use to chose the correct supplier.
First of all I think we need to establish what type of clothing you are looking for.
There are 2 questions that when answered will tell you quite a bit about the type of company you are looking for:
Some companies will automatically give better prices according to the dollar amount purchased, or the quantity purchased. I believe that a company who allows the dollar amount to affect the discount is the better option. You can reach the discount threshold on a number of different products, and are not forced to buy a large number of one product when it is not needed. Either way if the company does not offer discounts then there is no benefit to buying in bulk and they are not a wholesale supplier.
There are also the brick and mortar stores that you could buy from. The pros and cons of these stores are about the same for any industry. You can go in and see the product. Feel it, try it on and of course go home with it the same day. The biggest downfall to these stores is that in most cases the overhead associated with a physical showroom prevents them from offering the kind of prices that you can find online. They have to make their lease or mortgage payment, pay their employees and stock their shelves. When you add advertising and utilities, it is almost impossible with them to compete with online stores, let alone online wholesale stores.
I have heard some people talking about the great price on t-shirts they saw at one of those big-box retailers. The prices were about $7 per shirt. This is about $5 more per piece than you will find online.
What about shipping? In many cases this is the deciding factor, and to a lot of people is a big reason why they will not shop online, second only to security. I would agree with these people. The problem is that many people keep their shipping prices hidden until the checkout process. Look for FREE SHIPPING. It does not have to be free on every order but there should be a breaking point. If I am going to spend $300 with a company I want to get my stuff shipped for free. This is not an unreasonable request. Some clothing suppliers do not offer free shipping ever. The problem is that they get free shipping from the manufacturer or supplier if the order is over a specified dollar value. Why are they not passing that on to you? I will let you answer that question. Offering good prices and free shipping on orders over a certain amount is what you should look for. This however may not apply to orders that are going to be screen printed or embroidered. This is because the company will have to ship the order 2 times. They have to ship it to themselves, so it can be altered, and then to you when it is done. They should not charge you for both of the shipping charges.
If you are going to have your clothing screen printed or embroidered, here are some suggestions.You should give yourself a minimum a two-week turn around period. If you need your apparel before 2 weeks I would recommend buying from an online supplier, and taking the clothing to a local company who has a schedule that is open enough to accommodate your deadline. You can usually get a better price from an online store than a screen-printing and embroidery shop. Some of these companies will not allow you to supply your own apparel, but in my experience most do not care. There should not be a delay when buying online. Many online merchants will ship directly to the company you have chosen to do the work.
Be careful when ordering. Online wholesalers typically do not operate a traditional store, and even if they do chances are you did not walk in to buy your merchandise. So returns and exchanges and not handled in a brick and mortar fashion. Make sure that you are happy with the size, color, quantity and model before placing your order. Or you will be subjected to a restocking fee and return shipping costs.
In conclusion buying from an online clothing wholesaler will save you money. You may not get to see the actual t-shirts or try them on. However if you are buying a brand that you are familiar with the only concern is size and color, but with color and sizing charts this can be less of a concern. Shipping time and cost should be carefully considered. Try to get free shipping where you can. Remember to look for SSL (https://) so that you know your credit card details are safe. And look for friendly toll free customer support.
Darren H is a web application developer and graphic artist who has shifted his focus to the screen printing and embroidery industry. He is currently the webmaster for Outlet Shirts where his days are spent using customer input to create an easy to use Wholesale T-Shirt website.
He can be reached through the Outlet Shirts website.