What is the best advice you have for finding and working with a manufacturer?
Pro Tip: Before launching your Kickstarter, you must take into account manufacturing and shipping costs of your project. Creators Adam J. Kurtz, Taryn Tuss and Jennifer Deluzio share their firsthand experiences on Campus; noting the value of Pantone swatch books and the power of Google. Read their insights and share your own in this week’s Campus Convo.
Creator Adam J. Kurtz
“I don’t do too much overseas [manufacturing], but I’ve definitely had some experiences in the last year and have learned a little bit as I went.
First things first, color matching matters so so so much. I mean, this is probably obvious, but nope, not me, I was guessing colors from photos like an idiot. Shell out the money for a Pantone swatch book so there are no surprises.
Not all factories are equal! Quality varies and materials vary and the best way to learn is to ask a lot of questions and request samples. I’m also personally a little wary of rock bottom prices. It’s hard to really know about working conditions and quality of life when ordering from places like China, but I feel better paying more per piece than some of the other factories. It’s always a difficult moral question, but when American middlemen are producing overseas anyway, going to the source just seems logical.
So yeah. Ask a lot of questions, request samples, ask for photographs from the production line before anything is shipped to you, and give yourself a shit ton of lead time because you’ll probably need it.”
Creators Taryn Tuss & Jennifer Deluzio
I simply googled everything I could think of to find lists of U.S. manufacturers. I spoke with dozens of US manufacturers in my industry (cut and sew), and was consistently baffled by how none of them seemed eager for more business. I quickly learned that if I had to be taken seriously, I had to learn the language, which was completely foreign to me. I had to get rapidly familiar with FOB, bolts, POS, pack and ship and a slew of other terms before anyone would deal with me. Also, most of the big companies would only work with a minimum contract of $150,000 or something like that — way out of my range. Luckily, I already had a prototype in hand from working with a local seamstress, and eventually, I found a manufacturer who was willing to work with me on a quote. Their prototype was beautifully sewn, and their price was great, so I just went with them. It is impossible to get guarantees on fulfillment dates though, and I’m mostly reliant on maintaining a good relationship with my liaison there to get any sort of extra attention.
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