BlackMesa 0 Posted June 12, 2009 I have ordered from them three times. The third order came today. Out of the three, two have been wrong and I have had to wait, in turn making customers wait. The whole "buying by the yard" thing is handy, but when you order nothing but 651 and get nothing but 631, well then I guess things have to change. Just a word of warning. By the way, check out the Vinyl Swap section, I'm posting up some of the 631 since I don't use it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tlzimmerman 11 Posted June 12, 2009 Another one bites the dust......... Good suppliers are harder and harder to come by I have decided. I am starting to try fellers and so far they have been great, they sell by the yard as well. Some people have had bad experiences I have read about but they have been a+ to me so far. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swaneejuggalo 0 Posted June 12, 2009 I absolutely loved fellers they had been so great to me, the only reason i switched suppliers was due to the fact i found i local place here in town that i hadn't known about so now all i use is my local wensco and they are ultra friendly peeps too... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Benr98 40 Posted June 12, 2009 Great customer service has been dying.....when will these companys figure it out??? Customers WILL go elsewhere! :- Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tlzimmerman 11 Posted June 12, 2009 Great customer service has been dying.....when will these companys figure it out??? Customers WILL go elsewhere! :- I hope USCutter is listening......my last order was not so good, and I am nervous about them going down hill. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted June 12, 2009 I've been with EARLMICH.com from the git go, 3 years. ..I purchase 50yrds rolls....great customer service,,, I live in Northern Indiana, they are up by Chicago, about 4 12/ hours away, I always get my product next day, UPS ,as I do order early in the day, they are great with making sure the vinyl and app tape is packaged great.. And they put plastic caps in the roll ends so the vinyl doesn't slip off... I will stay with a tried and true company... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest LoungeLover Posted June 13, 2009 That's unfortunate of your experiences with VO . I've ordered twice from them of Oracal 631 and thus far, everything they've sent was correct. Thanks for sharing about Earlmich.com, never hurts to have a backup supplier of product. I recently setup an account with Fellers but haven't made a first order yet. The setup was quick and hassle-free. If you're interested, make a call and tell them you want to setup an account. Two companies I like dealing with are Axiom America and my local Nazdar office, as both of these companies ship and allow pick-up on site. (Axiom is family-owned and I met the sons in '07 at Printwear. Very good people!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
99v8miata 3 Posted June 13, 2009 I've been with EARLMICH.com from the git go, 3 years. ..I purchase 50yrds rolls....great customer service,,, I live in Northern Indiana, they are up by Chicago, about 4 12/ hours away, I always get my product next day, UPS ,as I do order early in the day, they are great with making sure the vinyl and app tape is packaged great.. And they put plastic caps in the roll ends so the vinyl doesn't slip off... I will stay with a tried and true company... I live right by the EARLMICH plant. So I stop in there at least 2 to 3 times a week. Very nice people and everyone in an a good mood. The President of the company will come out shoot the shit with you also. They are a very laid back group. I love having my supplier local and being able to just stop in and get what I need. Dave Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MisterEd65 2 Posted June 14, 2009 Just My 2 Cents Worth: I've found a supplier in North Carolina called Phase 2 Sign Supply. It is a small Mom/Pop type place, and they deal mainly with MacTac, which I've found to be pretty darn good for what I do, which is decals, small signs, and some vehicle decals/trailer decals. They will sell it to you by the foot/yard/roll, and their prices aren't too bad either. They also are helpful to newbies like me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stormy 5 Posted June 14, 2009 I've dealt with Phase 2 a few times before. They have great prices on specialty and holographics. Havnt used them for a while, but was very satisfied with them. Ya know, I've tried to get hooked up with fellers a few times before and I just must be doing something wrong. How do you order through them? Are they just a storefront or can I call in an order? Do I have to set up an account? I just want to see some prices but I don't even know how to do that. My main supplier right now is N&F Supply. They've got a warehouse about 20 mins from me, so not having to pay shipping is a big plus. They'll also sell by the yard. Great place, I'm not sure if they have their online store back up yet or not but its www.nfsupply.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Schramm Posted June 15, 2009 Vinyl by the yard??? Dear God please just buy a roll. I have been ordering from Fellers with really good luck. Each time you buy by the yard and it comes in wrong it costs you more of a chance of loosing a client over a tiny little savings. Where is the limit on being cheap? Sorry not picking on you but after being in business for myself for 23 years I have watched tons of businesses crumble due to thinking they were smart and frugal when the real word was just cheap! If you buy a roll and you ever need the color again you will have it. I just dont get trying to save a buck at the cost of a job, but that is me. I dont agree that good suppliers are hard to find either, I have had great luck with Fellers, Sign Warehouse, Denver Signs and others. I read the post here and dont get me wrong as I really like everyone that comes here but read over the posts and you will see what I am saying... Everyone wants it cheap OR free! Everyone here is good people but you have to spend money in order to make money and for the most part it seems like a cheese line in the ghetto! Dont get me wrong there is nothing wrong with free (or needing help or seeing if someone has something you are looking for) but when you start substituting quality for crap and always ask and never try yourself you get what you get... It really is that simple. This is not pointed at one person, I know times are tough but when they are you just need to be tougher. Cheap and free rarely ever come to you without a cost... You will find out eventually it will cost you a job. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowhunter012004 4 Posted June 15, 2009 Signwarehouse.com all the way. Always fast, always perfect. Huge selection Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tlzimmerman 11 Posted June 15, 2009 Vinyl by the yard??? Dear God please just buy a roll. I have been ordering from Fellers with really good luck. Each time you buy by the yard and it comes in wrong it costs you more of a chance of loosing a client over a tiny little savings. Where is the limit on being cheap? Sorry not picking on you but after being in business for myself for 23 years I have watched tons of businesses crumble due to thinking they were smart and frugal when the real word was just cheap! If you buy a roll and you ever need the color again you will have it. I just dont get trying to save a buck at the cost of a job, but that is me. I dont agree that good suppliers are hard to find either, I have had great luck with Fellers, Sign Warehouse, Denver Signs and others. I read the post here and dont get me wrong as I really like everyone that comes here but read over the posts and you will see what I am saying... Everyone wants it cheap OR free! Everyone here is good people but you have to spend money in order to make money and for the most part it seems like a cheese line in the ghetto! Dont get me wrong there is nothing wrong with free (or needing help or seeing if someone has something you are looking for) but when you start substituting quality for crap and always ask and never try yourself you get what you get... It really is that simple. This is not pointed at one person, I know times are tough but when they are you just need to be tougher. Cheap and free rarely ever come to you without a cost... You will find out eventually it will cost you a job. Just remember....not every person here does this as their main job or occupation, there are alot of hobbyists and part timers....what makes sense for you probably doesn't make sense for them. Also in rebuttal of quality suppliers hard to find, I am not saying a supplier that does everything free or cheap is a quality supplier. All I want is tracking numbers when I order hundreds of dollars of material, so that I know where it is and I can make arrangements to pick it up. Some suppliers send the wrong stuff repeatedly and have a hard time correcting a name on your shipping....Ask sign warehouse why they ship to me as "Frank" when my name is "Tom" after I asked them to change it 5 times.....and was assured 5 times it was changed? How about having something shipped when you say you were suppose to have it shipped....or telling you that you would drop ship one product one week, and then 2 weeks later not doing it again, completely changing policy. Anyways, I have had what i consider less than good with several suppliers now, tracking numbers not sent, orders still showing pending on a website over a month after I receive the vinyl....its just bad business to have issues like that persisting and it makes me nervous. I ship thousands of dollars of computer equipment on a regular basis with my other job, and I guess I just hold these vinyl companies to high standards...I will keep searching til I get someone who lives up to those expectations...and that will not simply be the cheapest one! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlackMesa 0 Posted June 15, 2009 Vinyl by the yard??? Dear God please just buy a roll. Why should I? The vast majority of my business stays within three colors. I keep 10 yard rolls of five colors and I have one off yards of some other colors. That's my business and it works for me, your mileage may very but I'm not keeping full rolls of colors that might see one decal cut out of it once a month. I don't have the room for it. This is part time for me and if I ever grow the business to a point where it's my main supply of income, then I will run it like a real business. I just do this to expand my part time stuff into other areas like t-shirts and will be getting into tactical gear soon and to pay for my nasty habits of dirt bikes and 4x4's. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Schramm Posted June 15, 2009 Vinyl by the yard??? Dear God please just buy a roll. Why should I? The vast majority of my business stays within three colors. I keep 10 yard rolls of five colors and I have one off yards of some other colors. That's my business and it works for me, your mileage may very but I'm not keeping full rolls of colors that might see one decal cut out of it once a month. I don't have the room for it. This is part time for me and if I ever grow the business to a point where it's my main supply of income, then I will run it like a real business. I just do this to expand my part time stuff into other areas like t-shirts and will be getting into tactical gear soon and to pay for my nasty habits of dirt bikes and 4x4's. If I have to tell you why you should then math must not be part of your business. You buy a yard that cost $3-5 plus shipping and then it comes in (in your words and it is WRONG), so then you need to re-order and hope and pray that they do better the 2nd time then the 1st... hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Fellers sells 10 yard x 15" rolls for like $18 and if you work your order up to $75 then it is free shipping as well! Maybe you dont need all that vinyl right now and that is fine but do you need the wrong orders and the waiting? I read what you write about companies screwing you with incorrect shipping and how these companies are not doing any justice. What you are missing is what I am saying... If you order by the yard when you get an order and that company screws up and ships the wrong thing, then you are mad at them but at the same time YOUR CUSTOMER feels the same way you do as you are holding them up! I am not saying buy 1000 different rolls of 1000 different colors I am just saying have in stock the colors that you are selling and OFFER the others but in doing so explain that they are special order colors. If you do that the customer will be more understanding and things will not be so bad! As far as being a hobbist vs running this as a business that is ok but dont you want to be able to cut when you get an order? Just a question... Everybody knows their business better then I do but I cannot stand it when people complain about things that could be handled differently as apparently this is not the first problem that BlackMesa had with this company as you normally do not get mad if it only happens once! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest round2racing Posted June 15, 2009 +1 Schramm :thumbsup: I haven't started my business full time yet, but I do keep 15" rolls, 10ft long, in primary colors like yellow, green, red, pink, purple, silver, gold and blue. I keep 24" rolls of white (minimum of three of them always). Even at part time, I can accomodate an order pretty easily and have a happy customer, who refers another, who refers another. Next thing ya know, you're full time and can tell your present boss ADIOS!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Schramm Posted June 15, 2009 +1 Schramm :thumbsup: I haven't started my business full time yet, but I do keep 15" rolls, 10ft long, in primary colors like yellow, green, red, pink, purple, silver, gold and blue. I keep 24" rolls of white (minimum of three of them always). Even at part time, I can accomodate an order pretty easily and have a happy customer, who refers another, who refers another. Next thing ya know, you're full time and can tell your present boss ADIOS!!!! BRAVO!!! ;D That is exactly what I am saying!!! Happy customers take you from part time flunky to full time production! Word of mouth can either make you or break you!!! That is the facts of business! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sarconastic 29 Posted June 16, 2009 AMEN! to that. I did a Windshield shade for a girl pretty cheap, all custom designed. She had her car in the body shop today to get an estimate done, and the body shop guy told her to call me, get my card, and some flyers for his bulletin board, he wants to put me to work LOL! I LOVE word of mouth. Kevin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Schramm Posted June 16, 2009 AMEN! to that. I did a Windshield shade for a girl pretty cheap, all custom designed. She had her car in the body shop today to get an estimate done, and the body shop guy told her to call me, get my card, and some flyers for his bulletin board, he wants to put me to work LOL! I LOVE word of mouth. Kevin Kevin, I like cheap pretty girls too!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest round2racing Posted June 16, 2009 I want so bad to have my own shop, but with the economy around here like it is, I'm scared to take the plunge. The steel mills here are getting ready to lay off 700 people next month and I don't think I could support myself with the sign business. I love doing it and would love to be able to devote more time to my art (vinyl, graphics design and airbrushing). Kudos to everyone here who is making the dream come true!!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Schramm Posted June 16, 2009 5 years ago I would say just take the plunge and dont look back but these days you have to enter with some caution! While I would love to say that I am swamped with work the truth is a struggle from day to day to. My line of work is a luxury and not a neccesity which make making a living hard. I am lucky that I know a lot of people as I dont make signs but insted do mirrors, furniture, walls and ceilings with decorative finishes. Not that long ago making 10K a week was not impossible now your lucky when you make $5-7K per month. Times are hard for all and what used to be 2nd nature is now something people are fighting for. I would think that signs would do fine right now for the most part but if you have something steady keep it for now and grow a client base as having a building is great but not if you dont have business!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest round2racing Posted June 16, 2009 You know Schramm, it's really crazy. I just took orders for 4 more clients since my last post. Seriously. I have a racer wanting 5x5 decals for family and friends (qty 10) I have a woman wanting two mirrors with etched graphics. I have a van for an HVAC company who just accepted my proposal for his vans. I have a woman wanting a curtain scarf, but she wants a graphic airbrush stenciled on it in various areas. See, you're bringing me so much luck......keep talking to me.......maybe I'll have to take vacation days to start this thing up......LOL :thumbsup: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Schramm Posted June 16, 2009 My big thing is do the math.... If the numbers are good from home, then they are bound to be 10xs better in a studio! If you can have people walk in and buy you are always going to be better off. Not to mention the additional space and the walls with your art. I am opening one in about 1 month downtown about 6 blocks from my home. I have rented the building for about 7 months and never used it, but now it is time!!! I have to local furniture stores that want me to do furniture and put the pieces into their shops plus I am working on making some old sign reproductions and selling them plus the mirrors. I think it will be a huge hit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest round2racing Posted June 16, 2009 Go for it! If you have business and clients ready for you to open, then you are one step ahead of the game. That's where I feel like I am right now. I have the clientele, it's getting bigger and bigger over the past two weeks and I haven't really advertised. 90% of my business is by word of mouth. I advertised twice on craigslist and got two people from that ad, but like I said, everything else is word of mouth. I guess it doesn't hurt that I registered with the American Cancer Society as a vinyl distributor specializing in Memorials and vinyl graphics. They are having a benefit/softball game in two weeks for Breast Cancer research and I am being contracted to come out and cut memorials on the spot. I have my racing trailer that I can set up in (its 26 foot long) and they are going to provide the electrical for me. I just have to load up the computer, cutter, and vinyl. $5.00 a decal and it's made right there. They just pick the font and the color and I cut it out. Who knows how much I'll make from this two day deal. Of course, half the money goes to the charity, but WOW at the number of contacts I am going to make there. I figure I'll put up pics of cars, vans, race cars and wall words that I have done for people as well as the etched mirrors and beer steins.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
