Starting your clothing brand takes hard work, grit, and dedication. One of the most complicated parts of launching your brand is finding the right blank apparel for your products. You want to find the perfect wholesale blank clothing that is high-quality, easy to customize, and affordable.
Establishing a relationship with a reliable wholesaler is a vital part of achieving this goal. By buying wholesale blank apparel, you compete with the big-name competitors that used to be considered untouchable.
Thankfully, the internet has opened up access to wholesale blank apparel for small businesses in a way never seen before. As a result, you can find reliable, consistent wholesale providers like Bella + Canvas for all your wholesale hoodie and t-shirt needs.
But how do you get started? We’ve outlined the best way to buy wholesale blank apparel for your brand.
What is wholesale blank apparel?
Suppliers sell wholesale blank apparel to retailers and small business owners at a steep discount. Prices are lower because wholesale suppliers buy directly from the manufacturer. The wholesaler then passes on the savings to its clients.
Buying blank apparel in bulk is necessary for businesses to sell at a profit and be successful. Wholesalers offer almost every garment under the sun, so your options aren’t limited. Wholesale blank apparel options include hoodies, zip-up sweaters, t-shirts, tank tops, pullovers, and more.
Benefits of buying wholesale clothing online
It’s cost-effective
The price tag of placing your first wholesale order for blank apparel can be intimidating, but it will save money in the long run. Buying wholesale blank clothing is a cost-effective way to build inventory and increase your brand’s profit margin because the cost-per-unit is much lower than buying from a retail store.
Also, buying wholesale online can be more cost-effective than shopping in person. A lot of wholesale sites offer special online discounts. In addition, many suppliers offer free or discounted shipping if you place a bulk order.
There’s a massive selection of apparel
Buying wholesale makes it easy to diversify your brand’s products. Wholesalers often have a vast selection of different cuts, colors, and types of apparel. You can get your whole inventory of blank pullover hoodies or colorful t-shirts with the click of a button.
In addition, wholesalers often carry unique apparel products you won’t find when shopping with a retailer. Buying wholesale can get your brand exclusive products your customers won’t find anywhere else.
The best part? It’s all at the tip of your fingers when you shop online.
It’s fast and streamlined
Buying blank apparel through a wholesaler’s website is incredibly easy and efficient. Once you establish a relationship with a wholesaler, you can bulk-order everything. It’s a considerable time and money saver.
On top of that, you can automate orders to replenish your inventory of popular items. Setting up automation for reorders and payments takes a manual task off your to-do list and streamlines the whole process.
Online stores are open 24/7, making shopping for new apparel options or automatically reordering inventory even more straightforward.
Where do you buy wholesale clothing?
There are a variety of different places where you can buy wholesale clothing. You can typically purchase apparel from three main types of wholesalers online.
Merchant wholesalers
Merchant wholesalers sell clothing at a discount to customers and retailers. This type of wholesaler is a good option for some small businesses because they usually don’t have high minimum purchase requirements or account stipulations.
However, merchant wholesalers are technically competitors to small businesses like yours because they sell products to your target customers. So even if you find a cheap merchant wholesaler, it’s probably not the smartest choice for your business.
Manufacturers
If you purchase wholesale blank apparel from a manufacturer, you go straight to the source. Manufacturers are the companies that make the blank apparel you want.
However, not all manufacturers sell products directly to retailers. It’s worth researching and finding the ones that do because it can save you a ton of money. Buying directly from a manufacturer cuts out any middlemen.
Retail wholesalers
Retail wholesalers act as middlemen between manufacturers and retailers. Retail wholesalers are the most common type of supplier, and it’s usually the most convenient option.
This type of wholesaler usually sells wholesale blank apparel at a markup but still provides small businesses with steep savings. This option is excellent because you can buy in bulk, save money, and find unique blank apparel you can’t find anywhere else.
How to buy the best blank apparel for your brand
There’s no shortage of wholesale suppliers out there. However, in the current market, each wholesaler is trying to stand out as “the best” seller of quality blank apparel. So how do you know which supplier is best for your brand?
Use these tips to know what to look for in a wholesaler.
Choose the proper fits and cuts
Find a wholesaler with blank apparel that fits your brand’s aesthetic. For example, if you have a luxury athleisure wear brand, you don’t want a consistent supply of heavy-duty cotton shirts that feel rough to the touch! Instead, you want to find wholesale products that are soft, flexible, and modern.
Shop for a wholesale supplier with a selection of modern, refined cuts that appeal to your target audience. Crop tops, racerback tees, and baggy pullover hoodies are all popular items, so keep an eye out.
Quality over quantity
More and more shoppers are starting to value high-quality clothing that will last them more than one season. Remember this when searching for a wholesale company.
Sometimes the cheapest supply of pullover fleece hoodies isn’t the best option. Strike a balance between a comfy, quality product and a reasonable price per unit. If you pay a little more upfront, you can pass those costs on to customers. You can charge more because people will pay more for quality.
Establish a wholesaler relationship
Once you’ve found the perfect wholesale blank apparel supplier, it’s time to foster a successful business relationship.
A good rule of thumb is to treat your wholesaler as you would want to be treated by one of your customers. Be polite, professional, and communicative. Just because shopping online doesn’t require face-to-face interaction doesn’t mean manners go out the door.
If you pay on time, communicate your concerns, and maintain a friendly approach, your wholesaler will offer you discounts and special offers in no time.
