Customer Supplied vs Wholesale Custom Apparel Pricing
Many businesses assume buying apparel themselves and bringing it to an embroidery or decoration shop will save money.
For customization production, that can be farther from the truth.
Buying Nike caps, Carhartt jackets, Patagonia apparel, polos, hoodies, or other products at retail does not automatically lower the total cost of a custom apparel order.
The product may already include retail markup. Then the customer brings that retail-purchased product into a commercial customization production environment.
Now the decoration company is being asked to accept the production risk on an item it did not source, purchase, inspect, or control.
At Inkdnylon, customers can choose between Customer Supplied Items, Inkdnylon Supplied Items, and Wholesale Contract orders of 24+ pieces.
The order path you choose can directly affect your product cost, decoration rates, and production responsibility.
Customer Supplied Apparel Does Not Automatically Save Money
Customer-supplied embroidery sounds simple.
Buy the hats. Buy the polos. Buy the jackets. Bring them to the embroidery shop.
But there is a major production cost many buyers do not consider: risk.
Commercial embroidery and customization equipment is machinery. Machinery malfunctions can happen. Customer-supplied fabrics can perform unexpectedly during setup, testing, hooping, embroidery, printing, and production.
If a customer purchases a $90 jacket at retail and supplies that jacket for decoration, a replacement may also have to be purchased at retail.
That production exposure affects customer-supplied decoration pricing.
Inkdnylon does not assume 100% of the financial risk for products purchased and supplied by the customer.
All customer-supplied items must be new. Previously worn, washed, treated, or soiled apparel is not accepted. Washed or treated fabrics can carry additional production risk when used with commercial customization equipment.
Customers selecting the Customer Supplied Items option must choose how production replacement is handled.
Choose Yes if you want supplied items replaced when damage or an item becoming unusable occurs during production. Customer-supplied production rates apply, and additional replacement costs are based on the retail price of the supplied product.
Choose No if you accept 100% of the production risk. Providing 15–20% additional customer-supplied items for production replacement may be required. Unused extra items are returned to the customer.
Supplying the apparel yourself does not remove production cost. It can transfer additional product risk into the decoration order.
Inkdnylon Supplied Apparel: Product Sourcing Plus Customization Production
This is why Inkdnylon built a different purchasing path for future business partners.
Instead of requiring businesses, marketing agencies, schools, and organizations to buy apparel at retail, Inkdnylon can source known apparel brands for customization production.
Available brands may include Nike, Carhartt, The North Face, Patagonia, TravisMathew, Peter Millar, Richardson, Port Authority, Sport-Tek, Red Kap, CornerStone, and more.
Products include polos, embroidered caps, corporate jackets, employee apparel, workwear, T-shirts, hoodies, bags, uniforms, golf apparel, and branded merchandise.
Qualifying apparel orders of 12 or more items can save up to 30% on apparel.
Decoration is quoted separately, but Inkdnylon-supplied products can also access lower embroidery and decoration rates.
Why?
Because Inkdnylon controls the sourcing path.
We know the product being ordered. We can review availability. We can build the product and decoration requirements into the production quote.
The customer does not have to buy products from a retail store and then search for a separate embroidery company.
Inkdnylon sources the product and manages customization production through one system.
24+ Pieces Unlock Wholesale Brand Access and Wholesale Contract Decoration
At 24 or more qualifying apparel items or products, every qualifying customer can access Inkdnylon's Wholesale Contract order path.
You do not have to be an apparel reseller.
You do not have to own a clothing brand.
You do not have to be another embroidery shop.
Businesses, marketing agencies, schools, nonprofits, teams, event companies, and organizations can qualify based on the order.
At 24+ pieces, Inkdnylon can pass wholesale product access into the order and apply Wholesale Contract Decoration rates based on the customization requirements.
That can include embroidered polos, corporate caps, employee jackets, workwear, uniforms, T-shirts, promotional products, bags, golf apparel, and repeat branded merchandise.
The quantity creates the purchasing power.
Instead of adding a traditional broker markup between the product source and the customer, Inkdnylon is building direct production partnerships with businesses.
Inkdnylon Is Not a Custom Apparel Broker
Inkdnylon is a production customization partner.
Our goal is not to collect an order, add a broker markup, and send the project through an unknown production chain.
Inkdnylon is building long-term production relationships with businesses that need product sourcing, custom embroidery, decoration, approved products, repeat ordering, nationwide shipping, and fulfillment.
In Chicago, this includes corporate and organization buyers in River North 60654, known for corporate offices, hospitality, and professional businesses.
The Loop 60601 supports major companies, professional organizations, and downtown business operations.
West Loop 60607 continues to attract corporate offices, marketing companies, restaurants, hospitality groups, and growing businesses.
Lincoln Park 60614 includes schools, professional services, established organizations, and local businesses.
Lakeview 60657 supports schools, teams, organizations, events, hospitality, and a large local business community.
Inkdnylon also ships nationwide and supports fulfillment for businesses outside Chicago.
Stop Assuming Customer Supplied Means Cheaper
Before buying 24 polos at retail, 100 caps online, or employee jackets from multiple stores, compare the full production cost.
Customer Supplied Items: You purchase the products and customer-supplied production requirements apply.
Inkdnylon Supplied Items: Inkdnylon sources known brands for customization production. Qualifying 12+ piece apparel orders can save up to 30% on apparel and access lower decoration rates.
Wholesale Contract 24+: Qualifying orders receive wholesale brand access and Wholesale Contract Decoration pricing.
The cheapest product at retail does not always create the lowest total custom apparel cost.
Compare the sourcing path, decoration rate, production risk, and order quantity before you buy the apparel.
Request a quote from Inkdnylon before purchasing your products.