Price Comparison Shopping – Are You Comparing Apples to Apples?
Today’s Wholesaler Wisdom guest writer is Sarah Botchick of Pioneer Wholesale Co., Berea, OH.
The world of the Internet has made price comparison shopping much easier for us all. No more driving around from store to store.
You don’t even have to go to trade shows anymore. You can do all of your comparison shopping from the comfort of your desk chair.
But online shopping can be a very dangerous thing for a gift basket designer if you are not aware of the pitfalls.
Yesterday, I went on one of my competitor‘s websites and instantly panicked. It seemed that they were much less expensive than us on a basic basket, until I looked more closely.
The basket they were selling was 3″ smaller than mine. But it LOOKED like the same basket. A 7″ basket is a very different basket than a 10″ basket!
Below I am listing seven things to watch when price comparison shopping for baskets.
1. Size
Are they really the same size? Don’t just check length and width or diameter – remember to check depth too!
2. Material
Are they both the same kind of willow? There is a difference between split willow and full willow. Split willow is a half of piece of willow. It is not as attractive or as strong as full willow.
Full willow is more attractive, sturdy and desirable than split willow. There are other materials, such as coco midrib, that are even less strong than split willow.
3. Finish
A stained basket is naturally going to be more expensive than a natural (peeled) willow, a natural willow basket is going to be more expensive than a rustic (unpeeled) willow. Be sure you are comparing equal finishes.
4. Handles
If there are handles, are they Read more
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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