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Discussion Any money in feather flags???

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koz

New Member
Hey everyone, just looking for a bit of info on a topic that I find completely baffling.....feather flags. All the time I hear people talking about how cheap they are to make and how much money you can make from selling them. BUT when I do the math it doesn't seem that cheap? I've searched wholesale suppliers and found all kinds of sources - but the flag material is close to 20 cents a sf. and the liner is around 25 cents per sf. and that's not even taking into account the sleeve material that needs to be sewn on, and the two-step sublimation process with all the labor and time put into it. I see custom feather flags being sold to end users for next to nothing and I assume these companies are in business to turn a profit, so how are they selling so cheap? I'm wondering: "what am I missing here?" Can someone give me an answer to this riddle?
 
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White Haus

White Haus

Not a Newbie
I've wondered the same thing before. The only thing that I can think of is that the companies that are big enough to offer feather flags at those low prices are running huge volume which allows them to batch print these things all day long and have more buying power so they're paying less for those materials.

Even then, I've always wanted to get into dye sub but the initial investment seems to be enough of a deterrent to keep most small to mid size companies out of the game. Maybe the new HP Stitch line will help with this?
 
Texas_Signmaker

Texas_Signmaker

Very Active Signmaker
I tried to sell them but my cost to buy them wholesale is around $70-$100 with the flag & stand. Seems people don't even want to buy them for $200 so I just quit offering them.

Also, they are outlawed in many of the cities I work in so you've got that issue too.
 
S

Superior_Adam

New Member
I make decent money buying them from Showdown and re selling them. Its not going to make you a million but to make about $150 and have to do absolutely nothing is free money. 9' double sided sells for $339.50 and I can get it for $203.00 or single sided sells at $223 and I get it for $133. That is not including any art or shipping. As far as making them yourself it would be hard to compete with the big wholesale companies. As much as they sell I would imagine they are buying all the hardware straight from China cheap.
 
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bannertime

Active Member
Yup, similar to what has been said already. Unless you're running high volume and have cheap labor, it's better to out source for custom flags.

Edit: It's possible to make money off stock flags. You pretty much have to carry them in stock or else it's easier for someone to buy online.
 
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unclebun

Active Member
Most of the absurdly cheap ones are being made and shipped from China. Unfortunately these are also sold online direct to consumer, so when you try to wholesale from an American producer, you will find your wholesale cost is higher than the online retail price. So if your customer has already found those, you will never be able to compete with them on price.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: BVG
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bannertime

Active Member
Superior_Adam said:
I make decent money buying them from Showdown and re selling them. Its not going to make you a million but to make about $150 and have to do absolutely nothing is free money. 9' double sided sells for $339.50 and I can get it for $203.00 or single sided sells at $223 and I get it for $133. That is not including any art or shipping.
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Holy $***. That's pricey. Nothing against you, but wow, those are some high prices. I never believed anyone could actually sell Creative Banner/Showdown flags. We had to stop offering our "premium" flags that sold for $200 and up because no one would spend that much anymore on a single sided flag. I just sold one of their premium tents yesterday and decided to look at the rest of their stuff and it blows my mind every time.
 
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printguyjohn

New Member
bannertime said:
Holy $***. That's pricey. Nothing against you, but wow, those are some high prices. I never believed anyone could actually sell Creative Banner/Showdown flags. We had to stop offering our "premium" flags that sold for $200 and up because no one would spend that much anymore on a single sided flag. I just sold one of their premium tents yesterday and decided to look at the rest of their stuff and it blows my mind every time.
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My same exact reaction. B2Sign sells a double sided with stake and case for $99 and $10 shipping. Lol that guy is getting ripped off.

I've always said it and will continue to do so... Hayek's information problem as a factor in market economics is what allows companies to sell otherwise cheap products to unsuspecting buyers at a way higher price. And that's awesome. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_knowledge_problem
 
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printguyjohn

New Member
bannertime said:
Holy $***. That's pricey. Nothing against you, but wow, those are some high prices. I never believed anyone could actually sell Creative Banner/Showdown flags. We had to stop offering our "premium" flags that sold for $200 and up because no one would spend that much anymore on a single sided flag. I just sold one of their premium tents yesterday and decided to look at the rest of their stuff and it blows my mind every time.
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And let's not forget... There is value in ease of use and expertise. Showdown provides catalogs, design help, and vast educational resources combind with a deep distributor network acquired via ASI/SAGE, tradeshows, direct mail and cold calls.
 
J

Jeremiah

New Member
Texas_Signmaker said:
I tried to sell them but my cost to buy them wholesale is around $70-$100 with the flag & stand. Seems people don't even want to buy them for $200 so I just quit offering them.

Also, they are outlawed in many of the cities I work in so you've got that issue too.
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In southern Az. There are several retailers who sell complete with the ground spike and aluminum tubes for 65.00 that's Retail. I bought 2 for myself
 
J

Jeremiah

New Member
9 ft single sided. A friend has had one for 2 years. Still solid. But it moves quickly in the wind. I really get by with 1 sided. Mine says Custom Banners other says Sign Shop.
 
visual800

visual800

Active Member
we get ours from 4over, its the cheapest we found. 10ft single sided with shipping is $80 with ground stake. We sell them for $130 and all we do is hand to customer. We dont do a lot of these, we dont advertise it but if a customer asks this is where we order them from
 
Marquee Man

Marquee Man

New Member
ABA Visibility Products said:
Let ABA Visibility Products help you help your customers! Feather Flags and Tear Drop flags are our specialty! Give us a call at 801-305-1655 and ask for Bryan or email sales@abacatalog.com

You can also order online at abacatalog.com

Thank you!
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Hi guys, when i started to read 200 usd for a flag i thought what....then it came down to under 100, that sounds more like it. We are far away, based in South Africa, and we wholesale them to resellers for around 80 usd each. We have 30 sewing ladies, dye sub, heat press, yes, it is a crap load of labour and expenses, you need to do allot of flags per month, much easier adding your small mark up and buying from a wholesaler.
 
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