Buying Fabric Banners Wholesale

Wholesale Cloth Banners

Before you invest in advertising for your business, take some time to research online banner companies because what looks like the best deal is not always the case. In addition, there is more to buying fabric banners wholesale than meets the eye. This article will show you what to search for in the best bulk pricing.

Price is King? 

Searching for the lowest price on a cloth banner is not new, but sometimes the price only tells part of the story. When buying customized products, dealers can include additional charges that, in some cases, are pumping up the price of your custom banners. So, you should always look at the out-the-door cost and see if it includes set-up fees, charging for proofs, design fees, or one of the biggest shams, expediting turnaround charges.  

Unfortunately, most dealers will require you to go entirely through the checkout to receive your final price. This means they will want your email, phone number, and shipping address before giving you the final cost of your cloth banner. However, Big Tex Banners and Flags offer “Hassle-Free Pricing,” which means you can see the final price without giving any of your personal contact info.

Set up Fees

While the number of companies charging set-up fees has dropped in recent years, many online dealers still charge a set-up fee for custom fabric banners. The only time a set-up fee is ok is when talking about screen-printed fabric banners. You must wonder why they don’t just include it in the price. So, any time you see set-up fees, be cautious that the dealer may not be dealing straight up with you.

Fabric Banner Proof and Design Fees

Most online dealers offer an online designer for designing custom products. But not everyone has the time or patience to learn how to use the designer and put together a design. While many dealers will help with cloth banner design, they will likely charge a design fee.

Another way to slide charges into a purchase is to charge for a digital proof. A digital proof is an image of the fabric banner design as it will print. You should always require a proof to confirm that the design is how you want it. With this added cost, a low price on the front end soon grows and is no longer a good value

Expedited Turnaround Charges

We have all fallen behind on a project and needed to expedite shipping or production to make a deadline. The last thing you want is hidden charges in your transaction, but these are too easy to include for some companies.

Some upgrades are legit; for example, upgrading from ground to express shipping can be legitimate unless the dealer has pumped up the shipping cost.   

One of the most common ways for a dealer to add additional cost is to offer a free/economy shipping option with slow transit time. Then offer faster options for an additional charge. I tested this, and most of the time, the economy arrives in the same amount of time as the expedited, unless express is used. I firmly believe that the same shipping method is used for both options.   

Legitimate Expedited Charges

Same day production and Express Overnight Shipping charges can be viewed as legit charges. Be sure to shop your options, but most same day production fees are legitimate.

Shipping Fees 

While most dealers offer reasonable shipping rates, some dealers will significantly pump up the shipping cost to make up for a low price on the front end. Therefore, always research and compare shipping rates when shopping for cloth banners.