Why go with an experienced clothing brand for your volleyball uniform?
Over the course of the years I have come across some clubs that shop solely on price or promises. Volleyball Uniform shopping is different than shopping for personal goods. Uniforms are custom made to order pieces that absolutely have to be on time, look right, and have the correct sizing. Custom orders breed mistakes and it’s the brands ability to deal with those mistakes that puts the right product in your hand when you need it.
Experience counts
Just like in sports, the experienced brand (or player) is the best bet for a play that needs to work. You set the hitter that has the best percentage when you need the play to work. Choosing an inexperienced brand that promises special product or lower pricing is like setting the new big kid on game point. Maybe it will work, but there’s no way of knowing. Why would you do it? I have lost accounts to competitors that are obviously bidding on price alone. They are new brands that want the business and don’t understand the costs or margins. When crunch time comes they are learning the ropes, on your order. Product comes late, incomplete, or worse. Mistakes and corrections were not written into the game plan, so they were not accounted for, and they don’t happen in a timely manner. Invariably you the customer ends up unhappy and you go with another brand next year which ultimately creates more work on your end with unhappy parents. That’s why you see volleyball brands come and go so much. Club business paying big money for inexperience that ultimately fails.
Where is the Inventory?
Most new brands, especially sublimation jersey ‘manufacturers’ are really just ordering from China. The factory in China is easy to find on Alibaba. They promise on time delivery of a great product. There are several issues with this; international shipping always has problems. The factory has no idea what USA volleyball is about- fit/color/sizing/etc. Sizes are off for Americans. Colors and styles don’t translate properly and when there is a problem they don’t understand why. I’ve been working with these factories for 20 years and can say with authority that they cannot handle small orders. It’s the wrong tool for the job. Uniforms need to be inventoried and made in the USA. It costs more and is well worth it if you plan on having a solid professional volleyball program.
The big brands
Most of the time a confused customer will end up going back to the big brands. Most of the time those guys are selling you their leftover inventory. They have whole divisions just to handle team sales- and they are good at promising big and closing sales but the salesman isn’t involved in the production or inventory. The problem is that its hard to track leftover inventory and many times things ship late or incomplete. Its big business with lots of customers, so there is no customer service. I handle our customer service directly and don’t take more than one club per region so I can make sure and do things right.
Why Plastic?
In our 20 years of business the goal has never been to grow into a household name. Our goal is a create better products for the volleyball community. My sense of accomplishment and reason for working comes from doing a good job at what I set out to do, every time. I don’t over promise, I deliver. That’s the way to live, and it’s the way to run a business. If you agree make sure and contact me to talk about your program. Thanks for reading!
