Like most things, the lowest price promotional product isn’t always the best deal. A low price that doesn’t deliver value, meet needs, or live up to expectations can be worse than wasting money. It could cost you a lot than money.

Buyer Beware

My wife was recently in charge of a hospitality room for an international convention. She decided on branded water bottles as a promotional product. She hired a graphics artist to design the label and began searching for affordable manufacturers. She learned one of the low-end bottles contained BPA, bisphenol A, an industrial chemical used in some plastics. “Some research has shown that BPA can seep into food or beverages from containers that are made with BPA. Exposure to BPA is a concern because of possible health effects of BPA on the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children.”– Mayo Clinic  Several states have banned BPA. Had my wife not done her research she may have ended up with thousands of dollars of unusable product…or a lawsuit.

Low-end Products and Lawsuits 

Low-end specialty products made from inferior low-quality materials or that share inaccurate information can cost a company. Did you know some print processes use inks that contain lead? What if leaded ink was used on a pen? What if someone chewed on the pen? Does your insurance cover that?

Cheap products diminish your professionalism. Companies work hard at building a professional image. Why risk diminishing your brand with an inferior promotional product?

The only lasting impression cheap products make is a bad one. One of the keys to the success of promotional products is their longevity. For example, a good bag or tote can last two years or longer and in that time receive more than 5,000 impressions. Compare that to a cheap bag that rips the first week dumping your customer’s things on the ground.

Customers’ will be disappointed. I know. SWAG is free. What should a customer expect? Customers expect a product, even when it’s free, to do what it’s supposed to do, and when it doesn’t, they question the integrity of the organization that handed them an inferior product

What can you do?

To begin with, before you order any promotional product, ask a lot of questions and get it in writing. Document your specific order: how many, the price (with no hidden or add-on charges) and delivery. Only use proven, trusted suppliers and the best way to find trustworthy suppliers is to work with an established promotional product company. Many promotional product consultants have spent years finding suppliers they can trust. That’s important to specialty product providers because they want their customers to keep coming back. If you’d like to learn more contact us, we don’t share our trust with just any ole supplier, and that will save you money in the long run.