How To Get Made-in-the-USA Event Items for Less
Learn how to provide your clients with USA-made event essentials at the lowest prices possible by asking your supplier partners these 5 simple questions.
Ask your supplier …
“Where are your manufacturing facilities?”
Knowing where your supplier’s manufacturing takes place is important for multiple reasons. To start, working with a U.S.-based supplier like Ameramark often means cheaper shipping and delivery fees than from those based overseas, as products have less distance to travel in order to reach their final destination.
Another detail this information indicates is the level of control your supplier has over the manufacturing process. For example, while some suppliers manufacture products overseas but assemble them in the U.S., Ameramark operates entirely out of their facility in Orange County, California, where they can oversee every level of production. This can reduce costs by eliminating the need for products to be shipped from the manufacturing facility to the assembling facility. It can also prevent errors, which can eat into your profit margins and potentially cause clients not to return for future orders.
Ask your supplier …
“How long have you been in business?”
When weighing your options about which supplier to work with, an often-telling detail to consider is how long they’ve been in business. While this may not seem like a direct connection to cost, the two factors are often related. Consider Ameramark, who is celebrating their 20th year in business next April. It’s more likely that a supplier with a long history of operation offers reasonable prices – otherwise distributors wouldn’t continue to partner with them year after year. This question can give you useful information on how successful each supplier is and if their pricing has historically appealed to distributors with project needs and price concerns similar to yours.
Ask your supplier …
“Do you offer free shipping?”
Any cost savings you can pass down to your clients is a good thing, as they’ll remember you as the distributor who could work within their budget and identify ways to reduce their spend. One of the simplest ways to save customers money is with free shipping. Be sure to ask your supplier about any opportunities to waive shipping fees, like if your order meets a certain quantity or spend minimum. For example, Ameramark offers free shipping on all of their table covers regardless of minimums, giving you a quick and easy way to reduce costs and delight your clients.
Ask your supplier …
“Do you decorate in-house?”
While most suppliers offer decoration services, not each one handles decoration in-house. This is why it’s important to talk to your suppliers to determine if they decorate products themselves like Ameramark does or if they outsource this step to a third party. If your supplier works with a separate decorator, you may find built-in costs for products to be shipped to yet another location before they reach your clients. By choosing a supplier who handles decoration internally, you’ll likely enjoy lower costs and fewer chances for miscommunication.
Ask your supplier …
“Which product categories do you carry?”
While it may seem obvious, make sure the supplier you’re partnering with carries all of the items your clients are after. Ordering from multiple suppliers is always a possibility, but you run the risk of items not looking cohesive or facing extra costs if your order with one supplier doesn’t hit the necessary minimums. On the flip side, you could choose a supplier like Ameramark who carries all the event essentials your clients are after, such as:
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