Starting a business can be a daunting process. And finding quality suppliers can feel like a huge task. Whether you&#;re building your first capsule collection or you&#;re an established brand, we&#;ve gathered a list to help you find both quality and quantity when looking for a wholesale cloth supplier. First, let&#;s explore exactly what a wholesale supplier typically offers and why a brand would work with one.
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A wholesale fabric supplier works directly with fabric mills, manufacturers, and other sources to supply fabrics to retailers. Wholesale fabric suppliers offer much lower prices than retail fabric stores as retailers will often need to increase their prices in order to make a profit. Because wholesalers sell at much lower prices, they typically sell in larger quantities. The minimum order quantity (MOQ) with a wholesale fabric supplier is usually higher than with a retail shop where customers can buy fabric by the yard. For example, Pine Crest Fabric&#;s minimum per order is typically 15 yards per style with a $500 MOQ.
A brand that is ready for larger production would find it extremely beneficial to buy in larger quantities in order to lower the cost of making their garments. Buying wholesale also proves more convenient and consistent. As a brand expands its inventory, they require greater consistency of quality across products. By purchasing fabric in bulk, they can increase their consistency of quality across their collection and stock. Now that we know why brands work with wholesale suppliers, let&#;s see some key items to look for when searching for your perfect supplier fit.
Years in the industry is not only something that companies love to flaunt. It&#;s a key indicator of leadership and expertise in the field. Longevity in business can indicate strong partnerships, experience in the industry, and proven reliability and trust with their customers. It&#;s also a sign that the business has stood the test of time. This may be the case for a number of reasons. Many of these are listed below. But it also includes other factors like strong leadership, flexibility in changing landscapes, and a deep understanding of their target customers&#; needs.
When a business offers new products regularly, it&#;s a good indicator that the supplier understands its target audience. Particularly in the textile industry, it&#;s vital for suppliers to offer products that are well ahead of the trends &#; whether fashion trends, interior decor, or beyond. This demonstrates an awareness of what their market would like to see in future collections and proves that you can expect a next-generation selection.
This may be the most important factor when deciding which supplier wins your partnership. Quality customer service goes far beyond hearing a smile over a call and can include other factors like fast turnarounds, quick response, flexibility in returns, and many more. Excellent customer service doesn&#;t only make the experience pleasant but allows you to get back to your task at hand without worrying about where your product is and if it will be up to your standards. Excellent customer service can also include expertise in their field. Is the salesperson knowledgeable? Can they answer my questions and make recommendations for what I need? Do they have specialists on the team to help with my collection?
Real customer reviews are known to have a big impact on customer decision-making, and that doesn&#;t stop at deciding which new restaurant to try. Visit your wholesale fabric supplier&#;s testimonials page or find online reviews to see what real customers are saying about the company.
Sometimes your line or collection needs something that is not currently offered, or you can&#;t find the exact fabric you need across competitors. Here is where the extra capabilities come in. Explore what the wholesale fabric supplier can offer with custom orders like printing designs on fabric, custom foil applications, selection of color options, and beyond! This is a great way to know if your fabric supplier can meet demands that may come up when you have a new idea in mind that you can&#;t seem to find on the market.
Different companies may have different requirements in order to sell to an individual or business. Please contact the supplier directly to find out exactly what to expect when ordering with them. Here are a few general things to keep in mind before you buy wholesale.
Get to Know the Minimums: Wholesale suppliers often have minimums that are higher than a retail shop. This is how they&#;re able to have competitive and low prices on larger quantities. Keep in mind that minimums can often vary from style to style within the same company.
Business License: Most wholesale businesses require proof of a business license in order to sell their product to you. In many places, it is illegal to buy wholesale and resell the product without a business license. Often, a wholesale supplier will ask for proof of business license before the transaction can go through. This can look different from company to company, so the salesperson will be able to share the requirements with you.
Get a Sample First: Always try before you buy &#; especially wholesale. With fabric, it is so important to feel the fabric, see it in person, and ensure it&#;s a good fit for your garment. Capturing a fabric&#;s texture, exact color, fiber pattern, and more with just a digital image is very difficult. Additionally, each screen can drastically alter the color of the image depending on the device it is viewed on. Therefore, it&#;s vital to see the fabric in person before placing a wholesale order. This will help to ensure you receive the perfect fabric for your garment and helps to avoid the waste associated with shipping emissions, labor, and resources as well as any additional fees that may come with a return transaction.
Wherever you are in the process of building your business, it&#;s important to be prepared when the time comes to partner with a wholesaler. This checklist is a good place to start, but always remember to compare your options and ask questions!
If you&#;re interested in seeing what Pine Crest Fabrics has to offer, please visit our About page or contact a fabric specialist to get to know us. We wish you the best of luck with building your brand!
Ready to Start Your Wholesale Journey? Contact a Fabric Specialist
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Fabrics are the lifeblood of your printing business. Whether you make clothing, accessories, furniture or any other kind of product that requires fabrics, you are going to want to find the right supplier for your needs.
The problem is that every business&#;s needs are a little different. Maybe you produce on a smaller scale or for a broad range of clients or maybe you create specialty items.
The size, nature, and clientele of your business can make it difficult to find the right fabrics supplier for you. To make matters even more complex, choosing the right supplier can mean the difference between a successful business and a struggling one.
It is a tall order but we have compiled an article full of helpful tips so you can find the perfect supplier for your business.
Take a look at some of the key considerations for finding a solid supply partner.
Perhaps the most determining factor as to which supplier will work best for you is price. Economy drives everything and you will need to consider the cost per square foot of fabric of your potential supplier. Be aware that the cheapest supplier may not always be the best.
Their product could be shoddy and cost you more time and money down the road.
You will need to take into account things like shipping logistics (how far is the supplier from you) and the total cost of opportunity (will the initial price and continued business with the supplier be beneficial to you). Tying into the price is value.
The value of your fabrics will include how much use you will be getting out of them versus the price you paid for them.
For instance:
With competitive price and timely delivery, Qicai sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.
Let&#;s say you are purchasing silk from a supplier for $2 per square foot. Not a bad deal but how many products can you make with the silk?
The value, even if the price is relatively low, may not be high in this case. If you are getting the same price per square foot for vinyl, which you can use for multiple products. That would be an example of high-value material.
In the fabric manufacturing business, flexibility is important. Ask yourself and your suppliers how much they are willing to work with you. Supply deadlines are a constant reality for fabric manufacturing business owners so your supplier will have to be flexible with you and be able to make changes to orders on the fly.
At any time, one of your buyers can up their order from 200 units to 1,000. A good supplier will have the inventory, willingness and ability to accommodate any sudden changes.
It&#;s key to consider capability. Capability isn&#;t just about short-term adjustments. It is about long-term growth. After all, you don&#;t intend to keep your business the same size forever do you?
No, you want your business to grow. In the first place, you will need to make sure you order from a supplier that can handle your current fabric demands.
To save you time and effort down the road you should consider whether or not your suppliers will be able to provide more material in the future should the need arise.
Capability also goes hand in hand with quality.
Quality covers a range of areas when applied to fabrics. The quality of the fabric has to be commensurate with the product you are making and the quality that your clients demand.
The quality of shipping, labeling, and packing are key as sloppily packed or mislabeled parcels can cost you time and money. The quality of the relationship with the supplier is important too.
Are they available when you need them? Are they communicative? Do they alert you promptly when issues arise?
You should also ask questions about quality accountability. Imagine getting a shipment of fabrics and half of them to have untrimmed threads. A quality supplier will assume accountability for their mistake and rectify it promptly. Finally, you are going to want to consider business culture compatibility. This is another umbrella topic that covers multiple areas.
For example:
Does your supplier share your views on how reliable your companies should be? Do they share your businesses&#; commitment to innovation?
Consider the kinds of companies they normally supply to as well along with how detailed the quote they give you is. Ask them about their minimum order quantity and what they know about your business as well.
The goal is to work with a supplier that is as much of a match with your business size, ideals, and priorities as possible.
Now you know what to consider but how can you execute these decisions? One of the best ways to determine if a supplier is worth their own salt is by visiting their facilities on-site. This will give you an idea of what their production or import capabilities are.
To determine:
How reliable a supplier is and how culturally compatible they are with your business, ask for references from current and past clients.
E-sourcing is another powerful tool that can save you time when looking for a supplier. With e-sourcing, you choose your online outlet and describe exactly what you need and what you expect from suppliers. Different suppliers will bid on your business without you having to reach out to them one by one.
In the fabric business, one of the easiest ways to determine quality is by requesting samples. This will save you a trip to their facilities and give you an idea of the kind of product they can provide you with.
Lastly, be aware that it is generally not a good idea for your business to make up the majority of your supplier&#;s output. This makes business too interdependent. If something happens with their supply chain and you get a vast majority of your fabrics from them, you are both in trouble.
Hopefully, you are more equipped now to choose the perfect supplier for your business.
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