Stinky Custom Merch: A Spotters Guide

It should not be supported from a brand level and it should not be tolerated from a consumer level. Learn why you should avoid it as a brand, and how to spot it as a consumer with a few easy, no-brainer tips and takes to get you moving towards higher quality merch and making more confident and informed purchasing decisions.

If you’re more of the reading type than the watching and listening type, we got you too and have summarized (perhaps more succinctly) the points we are trying to convey and have even taken it a step further and tagged a few brands out there that we suport and recommend.

If you’re a brand who sells or is looking to sell retail merchandise, or a company who provides their staff with company workwear and customers with promotional giveayas and gifts. There is 1 rule, no matter what, make sure the product you are selling or giving away is a representation of the quality and standards that you hold your brand to. Cheap merch, cheap swag = cheap brand. (I know, duh, right?) If you’re giving away cheap swag, you are representing yourself as a cheap brand. Your goal of attracting new customers and building brand loyalty have been tarnised by the quality of your giveaway. If your staff is wearing cheap and poorly decorated workwear, they are not making the right impression on clients and are not looking like a good representation of your company while in public wearing your logo.

We understand that there are budget constraints. We have two answers: 1). There are quality budget brands out there, and there are quality decorators who can keep you, your customers, your staff, your brand looking good on a budget. 2). If your buying cheap, stinky swag, you might as well just light that money spent on fire because no one is using that cheap promotional item, and no one is wearing that cheap shirt or hat, your promitional value, your brand value = 0. Put your money back in your pocket, and do something else with it.

Consumers…. There is a lot of stinky merch out there. Learn how to spot stinky, overpriced merch with just a little bit of print and garment knowledge.

1. Know your print techniques and when/where they should be used appropriately. DTG & Screenprint are great for cotton and cotten blend graphic tees. DTF (digital transfers) can be tricky if you have a big blocky graphic print -These do not wear well unless there is space in the print for the garment to breath. All DTF transfers are not created equal either, there are many different brands, techniques, and styles of transfers out there now. Finding out more about the materials will be helpful.
   
   A few reputable transfer manufacturers: Stahls, Supacolor, Ninja Transfers. Brother GTX Pro printed DTF transfers are also great quality for a wide range of garments.
   
2. Learn more about the garment before you buy. 100% cotton garments will shrink to some extent, it is cotton… BUT construction, weight, and quality of cotton make a big difference. Most all cotton garments will be preshrunk, but even then not all preshrunk cotton tees are createed equal.
   
   Premium blanks we love: ascolour, Original Favorites, TeeStyled, VS Tees, Comfort Colors
   Quality blanks that won’t break the bank: District, Cotton Heritage, Indepdent Trading Company, Next Level Apparel, Tultex
   
   Before you buy find out as much as you can; chat with customer support, check the product description, check the FAQ section. Ask: What brand blank are you using? -find out style, fit, weight, material… What decoration techinque is being used? What is your return policy if I am not happy with the product? (mainy ecommerce stores will not take a return after you’ve worn and washed a garment if there are no actual defects (like a hole in the shirt)…

We hope you’ve found this post insightful, and informative, if not at least mildly amusing.. We are here for you, we are your resource.

Kindly at Your Service,

Model Citizen
Your Brand, in Good Hands