How to Remove “Handling” Costs for Wholesale Baskets
Today’s Wholesaler Wisdom Guest Writer is Sarah Botchick of Pioneer Wholesale Co., Berea, OH.
Every gift basket designer needs to save money on baskets. There is one simple way to save money that many gift basket designers are not aware of – avoid buying single sized baskets with top handles!
Gift basket design magazines love to show gift baskets with top handles. And they certainly make beautiful designs. However, the top handles make baskets more expensive. Why? Because single size top handle baskets are more expensive to ship, both to the United States via the importer, then again to the gift basket designer.
Since these baskets cannot nest, only a small number can fit in each box. Basically, you are paying to ship air.
We ship our baskets all over the country and we have found that it is incredibly expensive to ship single size baskets with top handles since UPS and FEDEX have gone to charging by the cubic feet of the box instead of by the weight.
At times we have found that the freight on some single sized top handle baskets is as much as 50% of the cost of the basket!
So, what can designers do? There are three options that not only save you money, but also, as Shirley George Frazier pointed out in last week’s post, they save you on storage space in your shop.
1. Purchase baskets without a top handle.
Choose baskets without handles or with side ear handles. Don’t feel you need to sacrifice style when choosing this option – there are many baskets available without top handles in beautiful rich finishes and designs.
2. Look for a unique type of gift basket with “drop down” handles.
These handles fold down for shipping and allow the baskets to nest, but then can be pulled up when creating your designs to give you the look of the top handles, without the additional shipping cost.
3. If your designs absolutely require top handles, buy nested sets of baskets.
These save you money on shipping, as well as allow you to have a variety of sizes on hands for different design needs.
Pioneer Wholesale Co. is an experienced wholesaler and importer who can help you find the baskets you need. Visit www.pioneerwholesaleco.com or call 888-234-5400.
DESIGNERS: I encourage you to ask questions and share feedback for Sarah in the comments section. She’s happy to answer your questions!
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2 Responses to “How to Remove “Handling” Costs for Wholesale Baskets”
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Welcome, from Shirley George Frazier
Hello
I agree with using cheaper baskets and more expensive ribbon but if you shop right you actually can do both. This time of the year a lot of Christmas ribbon come in a variety of colors with glitter and shine. some of the ribbon can be used year around.The dollar stores have numerous type of ribbon its even cheaper after the holidays.
Shelby
Great points, Shelby.
Lower-priced baskets and ribbon are found in many places.
What we strive to do is strike a balance between when to use lower-cost products and when to add items of higher quality.
The ultimate gauge of this is what the customer is willing to spend.