One of the most infamous quotes you hear when dealing with a business is, "You get what you pay for!". Have you ever experienced this to be true or false? That irresistible graphic t-shirt you purchased from that Instagram ad with the undeniable price, only to be extremely dissatisfied by the shirt quality and the quality of the print. Or that undeniable advertisement for $3 custom t-shirts that end up fading after the first wash. Or what about that Print Shop that claims to have the most amazing print quality to justify their outrageous price points?
Unfortunately, many of us have fallen victim to these enticing marketing ploys. It leaves us with buyers remorse and even worse, the inability to trust apparel providers. You ask yourself questions like, "Should I gamble on this undeniable price?"" Are their services really worth what they're charging?" You end up over-analyzing your choices and left confused with who you can trust to deliver you the quality product you spend your hard earned money for. Should we automatically assume that if we purchase a product at a cheaper price that we should expect the quality to be lower? Or conversely, if we pay top dollar for products, should we automatically expect the quality to be the best? Although I would like the answer to these questions to be a simple yes or no, we must consider the facts that make a difference in the quality you are receiving.
It's important to understand that the value system of a Print Shop makes a huge difference in the quality of products they provide. There are shops whose sole focus is to shove out as many shirts as they possibly can for as cheap as they can and there are shops that are more focused on delivering the best product they can regardless of how many opportunities they receive. Neither of these scenarios automatically reflect or justify the prices they choose to sell at. Just because one company is trying to make shirts for as cheap as possible doesn't necessarily mean that they are doing that with the intentions of charging you a cheaper price. And just because a company takes pride in the quality of their work doesn't necessarily mean that they are doing so with the intentions of charging you a fair price. The company who wants to pump out loads of cheaper shirts every day may still charge top dollar to try to create a larger margin of profit for themselves. And the company who takes pride in their level of execution may charge you super inflated prices based off of how amazing they think their prints are compared to the thousands of other prints shops in America. So if the print quality and price aren't the only determining factors for who you should choose to provide you a service, what else is left to consider?
It is super important for you to consider the level of customer service provided to you. Of course when you are spending your hard earned money, it's important that you receive a product that you are happy with regardless of how much you're going to spend on it. But the communication process between you and the Print Shop you are considering should be equally as important because it will help you solidify who you can rely on to be a source for all of your future orders.
Let's face it, it is our responsibility as Print Shops to provide you with a product you will be happy with. That should never be a selling point to you. That should be something you expect from any shop you spend your money with. What truly makes a difference is the level of clear communication between you and the Print Shop. Do they take the necessary steps to make sure that your order is exactly how you want it the first time around? Are they easy to contact? Do they respond promptly? Considering you work normal business hours, are they accessible beyond normal business hours? Are they available for questions during the weekend, when you have the most free time to cross things off of your to-do list? How will they handle issues when something goes wrong with your order, even if it's not "technically" their fault? These are all questions you should ask and consider when choosing a Print Shop ("How To Choose A Print Shop"Checklist).
I know this may seem like a lot to think about when making a decision on who's going to print your apparel but I can assure you that it will help you feel more confident about where you are deciding to spend your money. Peace of mind when taking care of apparel projects is worth more than the extra dollars you can save or the extra money you may spend choosing the wrong Print Shop. So do yourself a favor and take the extra steps to ensure that you will have a pleasurable experience. If you don't know where to start, give us a call or send us an email and we would be more than happy to answer any questions you have!