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Finding reliable suppliers doesn't have to be a scavenger hunt.
One of the most daunting tasks for embroiderers and screen printers who service the promotional products industry is finding reliable vendors who ship quality products at a fair price.
The old joke notwithstanding ("We offer low prices, fast turnaround, and quality service-pick any two."), how do you find reliable vendors? It's not an easy task for someone new to the industry. In trying to prevent end users from locating the suppliers, we've made it hard for new distributors to locate good suppliers as well.
There are many channels for locating vendors, but only time and experience will tell you which ones are best for your business. So, we'll start with how to find vendors, and close with how to develop good relationships.
The fastest way to locate vendors is via the Internet. It's a pretty sure bet that a company's name is also its universal resource locator (URL), or Internet address. I'd guess that at least 80% of the prime suppliers in the promotional products industry have Web sites. So it's simple to fire up the computer and find them.
However, you might have to do some creative legwork to unearth the address. For example, you might find a (fictional) company named Supply Shack online at www.splyshk.com. And then there are the abbreviations-- American Airlines becomes www.aa.com. Spend a little time on the...