polarkiss

Building up your vinyl stock

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Just wondering how you all go about building up your stock of colors.  I can't afford to buy tons of colors all at once, right now I have the basics. Black, white, gold, yellow, blue & red.  I was going to build up gradually.

Do you attempt to have all colors in stock, or do you wait for a custom order (example pink) and then just have leftovers available after that.  I hate to tell people "I can order that", but then again...  I can't break the bank either.

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i order per job and let the customer know it will be a few days on shipping. (if i cant get it in town) then i get half the money down, order it, the other half is your profit. if its a color id like to have more of and will be a hot seller, i order a 10 yard roll as thats usually when the price break starts

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Guest Terry

I had money at the time and bought around $3000.00 in vinyl, most off ebay. FDC vinyl.

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I never pass up a deal. I use lots of black and currently have 6 rolls of 15 inch FDC in stock,which I paid  as little as $16 a roll and no more than $22. Red is the same way. I try never to have less than one full roll of the basic colors.  I have gone through an entire 50 yard roll of red in one day.

The other colors,I keep one roll...when it starts getting low,I buy another. The best way to save money is to buy in bulk to save on shipping. That(shipping) is what really drives up the price)

As for pink...I oredred a roll,for one job...now I think I'm on my 3rd roll this year. You would be surprized how many people want pink IF they know you have it.

Of course, I am only a 30 minute drive to a supplier...if I lived where YOU live I would keep at least 10 yards of every color on hand. It would break my heart to turn down a good job if the customer wanted it in a hurry.

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Guest fivestar

I do it pretty the same way carolinatinter does it.  I got a pretty good stock now, about 30 different colors, most of them I will probably never use again and end up throwing them out though.  I got through the white vinyl.  I am on my 3rd 50 yrd roll and I couldn't tell you how many 10 yard rolls.

Now t-shirt vinyl, that's different.  I buy it 5 yrd rolls at a time unless I get a huge order that requires more and I don't keep very much of it on hand because it is EXPENSIVE and it only takes 1 day to get.  I've got probably 12-15 different colors with just a few feet/yrds of each color.

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My guess is Red, Blue, Black and White. That is what I use the most of.

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I usually keep atleast 10yrds or so of the main colors, and more on black and white. I try to put in an order for material once a month to build up a little stock. If you spend more than $75 at Fellers, the shipping is free. Luckily, a co-worker at the fire dept. also purchased a cutter, so we go in together on orders.

I'm small time business/hobby here... I've only used about 25 yrds of white and about the same in black, since the first of the year.  :-

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Well I found a place that will sell me assorted colors of the Oracal matte 631 by the yard. for $2.75  (Fellers just had black, white, red & Blue). 

So I will probably be able to stock up on a few earthy colors for home decorating. 

I will keep buying the Oracal 651 for signs and decals by thse 10 yd rolls.  I thought about 50yd but the shipping kills the savings. My last order at Signwarehouse was $120, but the total was $200 after freight.  /sigh.

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I keep the basic colors in stock and order other colors as needed. You don't

have to tell the customer that you need to order it. Add in those shipping days into

the delivery time of the decals. If it will take 3 days to get the vinyl, tell them you'll have the decals

ready in 4 or 5.

I just order some vinyl from Signwarehouse and needed some gray

(076) and a few other things I needed. I bargained with them on the price.

Try looking on the web for lower prices and call SW and say I can get this for

this price and ask them what can you do for me. Maybe free shipping or a

some kind of discount on the vinyl, 10% maybe. Every thing is negotiable, 10% is

better than nothing.

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While working for a sign shop in days past, there was a back log of months for orders. The basic colors were kept fully stocked and specialty colors were ordered as needed. Rush jobs and especially with special colors were charged a premiun. Overnight shipping helps a lot here.

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Polarkiss - Is your source for the 631 someone who will sell to anybody, or are they just doing you a favor? 

I always keep soft pink, light blue, beige, black, white and copper in stock.  Some of the other colors I colors I can't justify buying a full roll for a small job.

BTW - If you haven't tried marketing to churches yet, you might want to check it out.  Bible quotes cut from 631 have been selling really well o area churches. Plus I've gotten referrals for people wanting other things for their own homes.

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So I will probably be able to stock up on a few earthy colors for home decorating.

Sorry - forgot to add, copper is one of my most requested colors for this purpose.  Has a really rich look.

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Well I found a place that will sell me assorted colors of the Oracal matte 631 by the yard. for $2.75  (Fellers just had black, white, red & Blue). 

So I will probably be able to stock up on a few earthy colors for home decorating. 

I will keep buying the Oracal 651 for signs and decals by thse 10 yd rolls.  I thought about 50yd but the shipping kills the savings. My last order at Signwarehouse was $120, but the total was $200 after freight.  /sigh.

WOW...If you buy a 50yd from fellers you get free shipping  anything over $75.... But the warehouse is only 10 minutes away from me!!!! Thats came in handy many,many times

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Fellers customer here. 75 bucks gets free frieght.

Ive only  been cutting vinyl for a few months but i've done a few jobs that were worth over 100 bucks and some that were 400 or so. I just take all my 'profits' and roll that back into stock. Race cars need lots of specialty vinyl like holographics and fluoro colors and i want to eventually have that ALL in stock. i buy lots of shinerite and that is great for race cars and is very affordable.

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If only i could find someone that would do free shipping to Canada lol. Thats the only time I regret moving to Canada is when I can only find certian things in the states and have to pay over priced shipping and sometimes brokerage fees damn UPS.  I try to buy things localy but most of the times even with high shipping cost I can still get it cheaper from the states.

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Polarkiss - Is your source for the 631 someone who will sell to anybody, or are they just doing you a favor? 

I always keep soft pink, light blue, beige, black, white and copper in stock.  Some of the other colors I colors I can't justify buying a full roll for a small job.

BTW - If you haven't tried marketing to churches yet, you might want to check it out.  Bible quotes cut from 631 have been selling really well o area churches. Plus I've gotten referrals for people wanting other things for their own homes.

I too would like to know where you are getting your vinyl from Polar

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So far just using free samples and getting stuff shipped up from Signwarehouse.

I have a local print supplier who is only carrying LG Vizuon so I might have to start going through them... but they only sell 50' rolls.

I will try to find the link for the people who will sell the matte by the yard.

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I am slowly building up and buy 50 yds at a time for the best bargain..

I just got, beige, brown, more red and 20yds of both reflective red and blue (for a job)

Im looking at light green, dark green and dark red now...

I just like to get vinyl in the mail (like it more if its free vinyl though ;D )

I guess I have around 25 different colors at this point

but definately buy when there is a good deal.

Wayne

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My local supply house has a half price table in the back stockroom . Some of the rolls are 30" but for the price I cut them down. Sometimes they have a free stuff table. I have gotten free emulsion, ink, and sign paint

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