[Continental USA]

Greetings Forum members

We hope your t-shirt ventures are going well. Of course, you cannot turn on the news these days, without hearing about the diving economy (the Dow just dropped another 500 points as I wrote this - no really, I'm not kidding )

So, with that in mind ---

How important has price point become for you?

--- How much more difficult are you finding business? Are things up / down from last year for you?

It is a crazy time for sure, and we at Continental have noticed the t-shirt makers in the fashion area slow down, and like all suppliers, we want to help our buyers stay competitive, and make a profit as much as possible.

Price is key, but not the overriding issue for many we find. Quality of product, and sustainable organic manufacturing, for us at least, is the focus. Surely it is better to spend a small amount more on your blank tees, and NOT have them fall apart after 3 washes, right?

Let's hope the textile industry is the first, to completely carbon-footprint its business model. That is an initiative, we at Continental are firmly in favour of. We only have one planet, and it is in one colour, and one size fits all.

Feel free to share your views on costs of garments, and supplies.

Best!
Simon

 

[CUSTOM UK]

All the sensible people in this industry that do this as a commercial venture, are there to make good money.

I may use Chinese made presses, but I don't compromise on the quality of the tees, or other supplies that I use. I like my customers to have a good quality garment, that they are happy to wear.

 

[Dan K]

Simon. Continental is one of the best vendors out there!!!

Your prices on the Conti and Earth Positive line are great. The service we receive from the LA office from Christina and Victoria (? - I think that's her name) and Jane is outstanding.

Your garments are of outstanding quality, and the fleece is the best in the world.

Keep it up!

 

[SunEmbroidery]

Prices have increased on many types of items so I think its fair to have them raised in the garment industry. Some sectors such as the food industry have overted raising costs by offering a product in smaller packaging for the same price but that won't work in the garment industry. The few customers that are lost through a reasonable price increase are the customers that will always shop around for the lowest price. The important thing is to stress the quality and value of a product. In the case of eco-friendly products it is also essential to stress the necessity of protecting our environment while we still have it.

 

[Robin]

I think the biggest issue in cost is the shipping. I'll pay more for a shirt that I can get from a local supplier if the shipping of the cheaper garment is too high or I cannot combine my order with other things I may need that they offer.

One or the other needs to be cheaper, either the garments, or the shipping. Alternative shipping would be nice too. I may be ordering 100's of totes, have my deposit from my customer, but I dont really need them for a few weeks.......how can I get them to me cheaper? Give the customer alternatives.

 

[Continental USA]

Excellent points. Quality v Price is such a big issue. Often, price is such an over-riding concern, that our clients forget about the garments, and why they are made with quality as the primary objective, (in our case at least).

The issue of shipping is extremely valid: Oil is half what it was 3 months ago, yet do you think we will see airlines reduce fuel sur-charges? No, of course not. The fuel tax is now around a third of the cost of an average consumer air-fare.

There should be a better service, a long-haul, cheaper service that expedites in say, 3-4 weeks, and costs half the price. This would force people to think ahead on projects that can be done that way, and also save us all money. Good points. Now go an tell UPS, FedEx, TNT, DHL etc etc

Everything seems to have increased in price in the last year - so we are not the bad guys.

 

[out da box]

Continental, thanks for posting. I would like to know how inflation is calculated. I have seen prices for comodoties jump 20-35% in the past year or two- including blank tees. Used to be able to get white 5.5oz Gildan, anvil, jerzees, etc. for 1.00-1.05 on sale, they are now 1.25-1.35/pc ON SALE! Gas way up, but going down right now. Soda in gas stations up to 1.49, up from 1.29. Food up 20% or more depending on item.

Point being that the rise in real consumer costs is waaay more than 5-7-10 percent inflation or am I missing something.

 

[Robin]

Everything seems to have increased in price in the last year - so we are not the bad guys.

No you're not the bad guys.....but when we talk to customers.....we make you out to be Gotta blame somebody, and its alot easier to blame you than to get into a long drawn out explanation

 

[theprintshop]

With the economy going down and recession glooming people are changing their patterns of shopping with price being the most important factor....people are looking for cheap and cheerful.

 

[anonimol]

I look for the ways to lower my costs -I buy shirts that cost no more than $2 because I have to pay for printing,for patches,for relabeling for toys which I add to my clothes and for magnets(i make shirts with magnets -it's my own idea)So the costs of producing one shirt are pretty high...And people are saving now so for some of them my shirts are too expensive