Importing Vinyl From China

[REMISLAD]

Thanks so much … I completely Understand and appreciate your candor . I have been going direct for the last 15 years , Up until now i was careful on what to get . With that being said i will bring in samples and try them out . If all goes well Ill gamble $10,000 to save $100,000


Below is a list of Suppliers that Fellers imports from .

Look them up they are a large wholesale distributor of Vinyl

This is all information that is available legally from many websites that offer import records .


View attachment 162342

 

[letterworks]

I have a customer that does this, event floors and such. Truely quality isn't the issue from a traditional sign shop perspective (which is how long it lasts / adheres). These guys want cheap, low adhesive (because peeling the stuff off is more work than putting it down), and if the printing doesn't come off in the one night, they are good. I think he is importing too, but can't find (anywhere, here or there) a mfg that will put basically pre-mask adhesive on a printable vinyl film.

From what I gather, the first company to do that even if at premium pricing, would win this particular niche of business.

 

[REMISLAD]

If you do find a good reliable supplier, I will respectfully say that you should not pass the discount on to save your customer a buck. Yes, be competitive but not drop your pants. Your homework should be your reward and kept for yourself and your employees. Importing stuff is an investment.

Thanks my friend
We are all in Business to turn a profit .

We can lower our price by 15-20% on some jobs and make 30% more . This my friend is one of the best scenarios that one can have . Everybody wins ..

 

[letterworks]

I'll just add to this that I haven't found Chinese suppliers to bait and switch (but vinyl is certainly easier to do so than the acrylic sheet I bring in), but do not ever, under any circumstances, ask them to lower their price. They don't have tiers or profit margins like here and 1 cent less in cost is a product that is worth 1 cent less in ways you might not appreciate!

One more thing that is also vinyl related. Asheet of 1" komacel where I am? $500 (CDN). Komatex? $400. China expanded PVC that is probably a little less dense than either but close to komatex? $42 (before freight). I am getting some in with acrylic sheets to test. The seller's other comment though? Gov't doesn't like us selling PVC as much, too little contribution to GDP.

 

[victor bogdanov]

general formulations has very reasonable prices and you can get significant discounts buying in bulk. Made is USA

 

[REMISLAD]

I have a customer that does this, event floors and such. Truely quality isn't the issue from a traditional sign shop perspective (which is how long it lasts / adheres). These guys want cheap, low adhesive (because peeling the stuff off is more work than putting it down), and if the printing doesn't come off in the one night, they are good. I think he is importing too, but can't find (anywhere, here or there) a mfg that will put basically pre-mask adhesive on a printable vinyl film.

From what I gather, the first company to do that even if at premium pricing, would win this particular niche of business.

Thanks We print around 300 dance floors per season . Each ranges from 625 to 1200 sq feet . Below are examples of printing that we do for events . Bars Tables Floors Giant Photos . 95% of the printed material gets tossed after the event . THe black and white Marble floor is Printed .

 

[REMISLAD]

general formulations has very reasonable prices and you can get significant discounts buying in bulk. Made is USA

Hi Victor We used 408 rolls of this last year . THe quality is great but the prices have gone up exponentially . I would love to find a supplier that will give us a sharp price . OUr opening order would be No less than 100 rolls .

 

[REMISLAD]

If you do find a good reliable supplier, I will respectfully say that you should not pass the discount on to save your customer a buck. Yes, be competitive but not drop your pants. Your homework should be your reward and kept for yourself and your employees. Importing stuff is an investment.

Thanks so much For the advice . I think there are ways that the client can get a better price we can improve margins and everyone is Happy in the end . THE WIN WIN

 

[victor bogdanov]

Hi Victor We used 408 rolls of this last year . THe quality is great but the prices have gone up exponentially . I would love to find a supplier that will give us a sharp price . OUr opening order would be No less than 100 rolls .

Have you talked to a gf rep? if you buy from lets say fellers have you asked grimco to beat that price etc? I use that vinyl too and don't remember the price going up by more than 10%

If you are printing that much get rid of the rolands and buy a colorado 1650, will pay for itself in ink savings. I went from 3 rolands to a colorado and my ink spend is 1/3 of what it used to be

 

[Splash0321]

I am currently trying different samples from China regarding vinyl for my Roland Printers.

I have imported two sets of vinyl from China as samples.
I have shipped these air freight so it was quite expensive but of course this is in preparation for a larger order that will be shipped on a pallet via sea freight.
Sea freight shipping is approximately 5 to 8 weeks.

Freight estimates are around 25%.

I found vinyl that I have used and was $50.00 a roll.

With that being said I am still trying to find a 5 mil roll of removable printable low tack vinyl.

Is anyone importing ?

There are tons of suppliers on alibaba.com.

Honestly, I am doing this because the prices of vinyl have gone up significantly more than the inflation rates.

(Corporate greed )

Is there anyone else importing and have you had any luck?

I routinely deal with importing products from China on alibaba so I’ll share my experience.

It’s very hit or miss. Sometimes you get a product that is comparable to US made but I find that isn’t true most of the time. There is almost always a headache involved in the process that makes the cost savings not worth it. I buy exclusively 3m vinyl for any vehicle graphics I do and even then there have been rolls of vinyl that I’ve had to ship back or get credit for due to defects. The quality and consistency of the vinyl is the cornerstone of my business. Buying vinyl on alibaba gives you no real guarantee. They can tell you it’s quality but you have no way of knowing the true reputation of the brand of vinyl like the standard brands sold here in the US. Ordering vinyl to be used for long term signage would be out of the question for me.

Aside from the potential quality issues, I have dealt with shipping and customs issues several times. The supplier incorrectly filling out customs info and my product being stuck there at the port for an additional 2 months, shipping taking weeks longer than expected, and the fact that you hope no product gets damaged while in transit for 5-6 weeks. These problems cost me too much time…and I’m a believer that time is money. If I’ve wasted time I’ve wasted money.

If you do promotional products or something similar, those would be items I’d look into getting from alibaba if you are looking for cost savings. Importing vinyl will cost you time and aggravation but only you can decide if the risk is worth it.

One last thought, using your existing equipment and staff is there a new product you can start offering that would begin a new stream of revenue rather than importing and using a material that your business’ reputation relies so heavily on?

 

[REMISLAD]

I routinely deal with importing products from China on alibaba so I’ll share my experience.

It’s very hit or miss. Sometimes you get a product that is comparable to US made but I find that isn’t true most of the time. There is almost always a headache involved in the process that makes the cost savings not worth it. I buy exclusively 3m vinyl for any vehicle graphics I do and even then there have been rolls of vinyl that I’ve had to ship back or get credit for due to defects. The quality and consistency of the vinyl is the cornerstone of my business. Buying vinyl on alibaba gives you no real guarantee. They can tell you it’s quality but you have no way of knowing the true reputation of the brand of vinyl like the standard brands sold here in the US. Ordering vinyl to be used for long term signage would be out of the question for me.

Aside from the potential quality issues, I have dealt with shipping and customs issues several times. The supplier incorrectly filling out customs info and my product being stuck there at the port for an additional 2 months, shipping taking weeks longer than expected, and the fact that you hope no product gets damaged while in transit for 5-6 weeks. These problems cost me too much time…and I’m a believer that time is money. If I’ve wasted time I’ve wasted money.

If you do promotional products or something similar, those would be items I’d look into getting from alibaba if you are looking for cost savings. Importing vinyl will cost you time and aggravation but only you can decide if the risk is worth it.

One last thought, using your existing equipment and staff is there a new product you can start offering that would begin a new stream of revenue rather than importing and using a material that your business’ reputation relies so heavily on?

Thanks those are great points . I really appreciate you sharing your experiences with me.

 

[REMISLAD]

Have you talked to a gf rep? if you buy from lets say fellers have you asked grimco to beat that price etc? I use that vinyl too and don't remember the price going up by more than 10%

If you are printing that much get rid of the rolands and buy a colorado 1650, will pay for itself in ink savings. I went from 3 rolands to a colorado and my ink spend is 1/3 of what it used to be

Thanks .. You

Have you talked to a gf rep? if you buy from lets say fellers have you asked grimco to beat that price etc? I use that vinyl too and don't remember the price going up by more than 10%

If you are printing that much get rid of the rolands and buy a colorado 1650, will pay for itself in ink savings. I went from 3 rolands to a colorado and my ink spend is 1/3 of what it used to be

Thanks … when we started we were told that Canon products were better for Photographers than print shops as they weren’t great for volume . Of course this was 10 years ago . We have 14 Roland’s 1 Hp and an Encad .. Im going to call GF. This is why i signed up to this board . I really appreciate your help . Have a awesome night ..

 

[victor bogdanov]

Thanks .. You

Thanks … when we started we were told that Canon products were better for Photographers than print shops as they weren’t great for volume . Of course this was 10 years ago . We have 14 Roland’s 1 Hp and an Encad .. Im going to call GF. This is why i signed up to this board . I really appreciate your help . Have a awesome night ..

Get 3 of these to replace the 14 rolands and cut your ink cost in half. Will also be significant labor savings operating 3 printers vs 14

Colorado 1650 UVgel Printer

High production, all-in solutionFlexible UVgel 460 inksHigher Speed, lower running costJumbo Roll & Wallpaper Factory Capabilities

www.usa.canon.com

 

[bcxprint420]

Yes Gino you are certainly that.

For you or anyone to think that the trying to save money so I can pay my staff more is a problem.

My employees have had increase of 22%.

I am not complaining as it is well deserved and helps my people make ends meet.

I’m not trying to be political I’m stating a fact that corporate profits are at record highs since all of the prices went up. Nobody wants to address that. I don’t need anybody to address it. I know what the facts are.

As well as the fact that all of our electronics, our phones are computers are laptops are iPads our printers are all made in China


Get off your soap box.

I’m not here to argue politics I’m here to discuss other options on importing vinyl

Well I agree with everything you said minus the going to china to purchase materials to save money part. Like others have said its really not going to save in the end especially for one job. But the corporate profits and the greed being at a high these days yes u are correct. Do not forget that the downfall of this country began when for whatever reason big corporations started buying all their goods from china and they gave similar reasons as you do. Get off your own box and look at yourself before judging others.

 

[REMISLAD]

Thanks so much. Corporate greed certainly was the reason the USA started using factories oversees. I certainly respect people want to purchase USA made and manufactured goods . In a perfect world that's the way it would be .


All of the American Oil companies are experiencing record profits with their Imported Oils .

For example, ExxonMobil pulled in nearly $20 billion in profit. Chevron took in more than $11 billion, Shell $9.5 billion

This is corporate greed .

The road map for goods and supplies have changed.

Either way I do my best to try to balance both sides of the argument.

You cant lower
Fuel
electric
Insurance
and labor costs (per hour)

If you are looking to tweak profit margins one way is to lower cost of goods .

This has to be balanced with the quality of the finished products .

It certainly isn't simple .

The true answer is well above my pay grade . Either way Thanks so much for your thoughts .





Why

Well I agree with everything you said minus the going to china to purchase materials to save money part. Like others have said its really not going to save in the end especially for one job. But the corporate profits and the greed being at a high these days yes u are correct. Do not forget that the downfall of this country began when for whatever reason big corporations started buying all their goods from china and they gave similar reasons as you do. Get off your own box and look at yourself before judging others.

 

[Gino]

So, rather than doing what a normal person would do, YOU wanna cut quality so you can race to the bottom for your pricing. Strange, but understandable coming from the likes of what you're said so far, both here on the board and in your plethora of PMs you've sent me. Sheesh.

If you cannot sell your product on service and quality, you wanna sell it on pricing others outta the market, by lowering industry standards. Yep, that makes perfect sense. Meanwhile, I don't wanna work harder by purchasing 1/2 faulty products. We buy what we know will work and if there are any problems, these people are right here, in this country, standing on American soil and will fix any problems. You, not so much, cause you'll be dealing with someone who will just snub ya. Yep perfect sense you are.

 

[victor bogdanov]

For example, ExxonMobil pulled in nearly $20 billion in profit. Chevron took in more than $11 billion, Shell $9.5 billion

This is corporate greed .

What's the maximum profit ceiling you have set for yourself before it becomes too greedy?

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Seems like a pretty niche business. I am surprised there is that much pricing pressure.

 

[victor bogdanov]

Seems like a pretty niche business. I am surprised there is that much pricing pressure.

I've done a couple of dance floors for weddings and events and they didn't seem too concerned with price, paid my normal sqft price

 

[JamesLam]

In both the US and Canada we import nearly four times as much junk from China compared to what they import from us. And it's not like we have trade surpluses from the rest of the world to offset this.

So who pays for this imbalance? Well of course it's you and I, the lowly tax payer. And with increasing government deficits at all levels and increasing personal and corporate debt. This is simply unsustainable and to be honest inexcusable as we watch our so-called elected & non-elected leaders guide us down a rabbit-hole of national and personal insolvency. I don't care if you buy single use chewing gum wrappers or reusable prophylactics from China there is absolutely no reason why one would want to continue to trash the North American economy for the sake of a cheap buy.

Of course the continued result of this is less money for necessities for the majority of us such as health care, education, domestic infrastructure repairs and development, local governance, policing, culture, etc. Oh, and food, yeah that's a big one.

If you have children each and every one of you will at some point sit down with your kids and try to reason with them about making prudent fiscal and budgetary decisions to help them avoid some of the mistakes we have made. Yet here we are continuing to bankrupt ourselves becasue decisions to buy cheap crap from overseas won't affect us. Duh!

In the mean time the PRC treats their workers like shite, they destroy cultures, they have little regard for pollution and the environment, and democracy is not in the vocabulary. Every statue, monument and reminder of the Tian'anmen Square protest that was on display in Hong Kong has been removed and or destroyed as if it never happened. Not to white wash what we have done here in NA but at least we seem to be trying to move forward. It seems nothing has changed or has been learned in the past 600 years since the Europeans started tromping all over the place.

If you want to use corporate greed, saving the client money, wanting to pay the staff fair wages or any other excuse to justify short term choices, well this is a WTF is wrong with you moment!