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Thread: What a week!

  1. #1
    Senior Member AdamB's Avatar
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    What a week!

    This week has seen some up's and downs and has been (probably) the busiest week I've had - so apologies for any PM's I haven't answered (I have now though), and anything I have promised to do for anyone and haven't.

    Some members may know that I do a bit of stuff for charities that I work with and this week saw one of those charites decide to go with someone else who is now supplying them with very basic products at an unbeliveable price!

    The items I was doing had little (or none, compared with the work involved) profit in them so I was a little supprised when I found out someone had 'under-cut' my prices. I also created all the designs for the products with no charge.

    I mean, they are now supplying them with a personalised mug (made to order) for less than £2 each and embroidered polo shirts for less than a tenner each. Some weeks you will have over a 100 mugs, other weeks you will have 3 so it's not that the volumes work into the costing (i.e you have to work at a worse case scenario).

    It infuriates me that someone is now doing this stuff and obviously not using the correct ink, materials etc and the quality of the items will go down-hill due to the cost - I mean come on, the new supplier is not going to do something out of pocket so what are they doing them for!

    It amazes me that even those involved in charites cannot see the bigger picture. Yes, cheaper products will get more funds for the cause (and I'm all for that) but the items reflect the charities mission so need to be of a high quality .............. or am I wrong?
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  2. #2
    Senior Member Stitch Up's Avatar
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    I've often purchased 'stuff' from a charity and to be honest, probably never used it and I had no real interest in what it was let alone the quality. I guess the important thing for me was that my money was going to a good cause, the product didn't matter. Not sure what the psychology is here!
    Last edited by Stitch Up; 25-06-2011 at 09:02 PM.
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    Hi Adam,
    A personalised mug for under £2.00 - ask the guy who runs the charity to pop one through a dishwasher and leave it at that. He'll soon be back buying from you, that's if you want his business back.

    I can understand the polo shirts though as there are a lot of large embroidering companies now competing for the same business. Over the years I've noticed the fall in cost but I think its in their interest to keep the machines busy - if the machines aren't stitching, they'll have to lay folk off.

    I don't employ anybody, just me and the wife, so if work is slow my prices remain the same, but I won't switch on the dryer - pointless working for pennies and being a busy fool in my opinion.

  4. #4
    Senior Member JSR's Avatar
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    I think Stitch Up is right. Many people will pay a higher price for cheap items from a charity because (i) they've "done their bit" and donated, and (ii) they have an item that proves that they've "done their bit".

    If all they really wanted to do was to donate, they'd donate the same amount of money without putting the charity through the hassle of paying for mugs (or whatever). So it's all to do with getting something, anything, to prove that they've "done their bit".

    It's like all those celebrities who donate millions to charity "anonymously" - but they want everyone to know that they've done it anonymously.

    I have done some work on behalf of charities before and, while I will give them an extra discount because they are a charity, I treat the transaction as any other business order. After all, I can't pay my bills with good intentions. If my customer service isn't good enough to bring them back, then that's fine with me. I've had enough people come to me after being fed up with the cheap fly-by-night shysters, that it works out about equal in the grand scheme of things.

  5. #5
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    As time goes on I find myself getting less wound up with people undercutting. I realise no matter how much you tyr and explain quality some people just don't take it and the ones doing the undercutting are quite clearly more experienced than me at bullshit :)

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    the ones doing the undercutting are quite clearly more experienced than me at bullshit :)
    Now that's a classic quote

  7. #7
    Senior Member Ian M's Avatar
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    I was involved with a charitable trust just a few years ago & had the grand tiltle of director of marketing. I was coming up with new ideas all the time of new products that would bring the money in & we were averging around £3,000 per month which amazed even me. We needed to raise around £20,000 per year to pay for the cost of running the charity & we were easily achieveing this just from sales.

    In fact this is how I got into doing dye sub as it opened a whole new market we could easily make even greater profits from as we already had the market to sell in.

    After a couple of years one of the trustees thought his wife could do a much better job then me & I was quickly pushed out. They soon realised she wasn't that good at the job & sales soon started to go down very quickly as she or the others didn't have any idea on new products. In fact sales quickly went down to around £50 per month if they were lucky. The only new product they came up with was a set of 10 postcards which they sold at 50p each.

    Whilst I was there I had talked to 3 major companies about sponsorship in the guise of an annual donation to the trust & this would have brought in around £75,000 over just 5 years. It would also have raised the profile of the trust through advertising with 2 of the companies as we had access to things they wanted to use for adverts. On top of this I had another simple idea which also would have netted another £10,000 per year which needed very little work. All this was lost when the trustes decided to push me out & not one of them got in contact with me to try to follow any of my ideas up.

    The trust is now on the point of folding as they don't have hardly any funds coming in now. I have been in touch with them several times now & offered my services & even offered to run the sales side of things & nobody ever comes back to me to say yes or no. One of the trustees who has his own business was amazed when he found out that we were averging profits on most items of between 75% - 100% & wish he could do that in his own business.

    I now just sit back & think well I did my best but, they decided to go lay in another bed which was just a bit too lumpy.

    I have found that some people involved with charities have their heart in the right place but, not many have a decent business brain.

  8. #8
    Senior Member AdamB's Avatar
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    John (Stitch Up): I can see your way of thinking, and can see others would also think this - but I don't know, to me - it's a reflection of the charity themselves as products are unique to them (i.e not just selling poppies or badges).

    John G: I know ref the mugs that they're probably not dishwasher proof and when it was suggested to members they didn't comment (i.e can't see it a problem if it isn't mentioned). Ref the polo shirts price, I see what you mean but I know that a member of this forum converted the image for me and it was 12/13 colours and looked really good when finished. Now they (from what I have been told) are using one with only six colours? (to do the image justice you would need the full colours). Ref 'wanting the business back' like I said, it wasn't something that brought in extra cash but got my name into other pockets (I put a business card in each mug), I have wished the charity the very best for the future and said that if they need anything then I am only a call away (I'm not bitter, just find it the way of thinking very strange).

    JSR: I know what your saying and will someone complain if the item is of low quality? (probably not) but I still believe that you'll get more cash if somone actually gets something worthwhile for their donation (especially in this day and age).

    accdave: Yes - that is a classic .............. might have to use that on a t-shirt! (is it copyrighted?).

    Ian M: Thank for that mate, and I totally agree that the heart may be becoming before the brain in some cases. Thing is I don't blame the person concerned because they are a good 'egg' and they are doing what they can in their own time (not being paid for it). To them, the main aim is to raise money for the cause ............ and you can explain about dishwasher proof and quality till your blue in the face but the bottom line will be that if something can be got cheaper but sold at the same price then it's good business (and in a charities eyes it would probably make even more sense to go with it).
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    Is it fact that it is poor quality? People on here seem to assume sublimation can't be done cost effectively enough to produce a decent printed run at the above prices. I know I am going to be the odd one out but for the right company it's easy to print a decent quality mug with real inks for a run of 100 for example and still make a decent profit.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Stitch Up's Avatar
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    I wasn't considering sublimated stuff, could have been a ball point pen I give a fiver for. 10 minutes later I discover it doesn't work - I wouldn't even think of taking it back! I gave the fiver for charity, the pen was of no consequence. If it was a mug that had a crack ...............
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