Picking a Clothing Supplier: Charities
By The Velocity Wear Team
Judge a clothing supplier on four answers: what the minimum is and what it counts, how long production takes from artwork approval, what a sample costs and whether it is credited, and what the price does as quantity rises. Ours are 50 pieces per design, 10 to 15 working days, £150 credited against bulk, and up to 35 per cent off as the tiers climb.
What should a charity ask before ordering?
Ask what the minimum counts, not just what it is, because a minimum of 50 per design and a minimum of 50 per order are very different commitments. Ask when the production clock starts, since a quoted build time that begins at artwork approval is honest and one that begins at enquiry is not. Ask what the sample costs and whether it credits. Ask where the goods ship from and what that means for transit. Questions worth asking a manufacturer has a longer list worth taking into a call.
How do you compare two quotes honestly?
Put them on the same footing first. The two quotes in front of you are rarely for the same thing: one may include the setup and the other may add it later, one may be quoting a lighter blank, one may exclude delivery. Rebuild both as a total landed cost for the same garment weight, the same number of print colours, the same quantity and the same delivery address. A quote that looks markedly lower on the headline number often loses that gap to a setup charge and a heavier shipping bill. Landed cost explained shows the full sum.
Which answers should end the conversation?
A supplier who will not name a production window. A quote with no setup line at all, which usually means it surfaces later. A promise of next-day turnaround on a decorated garment, which is not how screen printing works. And any claim that a sample is free, because somebody is paying for that setup and it is priced into the run. For a charity that has to justify spending to trustees, a supplier who gives ranges and conditions is easier to defend than one who gives certainties.
What should be agreed before artwork is sent?
The garment specification, the decoration method, the size split, the delivery address and the date the kit must be in hand. Getting those written down turns a quote into something you can hold a supplier to, and it stops the order drifting while a committee debates a shade of blue. We work in seven invoicing currencies and deliver to the UK, the USA and Europe, which matters if your organisation operates across borders. Start at the charities and fundraising page or the wholesale overview.
How should a supplier handle a mistake?
Ask the question before anything goes wrong, because the answer tells you a great deal. A supplier who explains what happens if the delivered stock does not match the approved proof is a supplier who has dealt with it before. One who reacts as though the question is unreasonable has told you something too. What matters is that the approved proof is treated as the reference, which is precisely why the proof should be checked properly rather than signed off in a hurry.
For a charity, the practical protection is process rather than legal language. Approve a written proof, keep it, count the delivery against the order confirmation on the day it arrives, and raise anything immediately rather than a fortnight later when half the kit has been worn. Nothing in that list is difficult, and together they cover almost every dispute that arises.
It is also worth asking how a supplier behaves between orders. A charity that runs one campaign a year needs its artwork, colour references and garment specification still to be on file twelve months later, and a supplier who keeps that record turns the second order into a short conversation. One who asks you to start again has quietly handed the work back to a volunteer.
