Ordering promotional products or “customized products” can often be a confusing and daunting experience for those tasked by a boss to purchase stuff with the company logo on it. The words “custom” and “customized” and often used by the industry and customers alike. These words are a bit misleading because the vast majority of products you see on any given promotional products website cannot be altered in any way.
These products are pre-made and considered “stock products”. Depending on the product it may be available in multiple stock colors. What is customizable about them is that you can imprint your logo onto the stock item. One of the most frequent questions we get asked is “Can I change the color of the stress ball itself?” The answer is: yes and no. For the vast majority of customers the answer is no. This is because it is possible to change the color of a stock stress ball shape but this is done abroad at the point of origin for the product. The factory has a mold for the product and can change the product color. However, there is a minimum order quantity to do this type of order which can range from 1000 units to 2500 units. Most customers usually want to order less than this quantity. Additionally, orders done abroad take much longer to process than orders done domestically. The average order done abroad can take twelve to sixteen weeks. This is due not so much to the time it takes to do the custom color order, but the shipping of the order from the factory abroad to the domestic factory is done via ocean. Customers with a generous budget can pay additional costs to have their order air shipped versus ocean shipped. This can cut four to six weeks off the lead time.
For customers looking to do a fully customized stress ball shape additional costs will apply. The factory charges a processing fee to create a custom mold. This fee can run anywhere from $650-$800 dollars. The customer does not retain the rights to the shape. The production time is also twelve to eighteen weeks. In addition to the processing fee, the customer also incurs the usual order charges such as unit cost, decoration charges and shipping. The unit cost is determined based on how easy or difficult it will be to create a specific shape. Customers interested in receiving a quote for a custom stress reliever shape should have at least one very good image or picture of the shape they wish to make into a stress ball.
Another common question we receive from customers pertains to mix & matching stress ball shapes at low quantities. Promotional products are not retail products and therefore the minimum order quantity will also be high. We do sell stress reliever shapes from multiple suppliers. Each supplier has their own order parameters. Therefore, you may find one stress ball you like with a minimum order of 75 pieces, while another stress ball you like may have a minimum order of 150 pieces. Unfortunately you cannot order less than the minimum quantity shown for any shape. Because our products are sourced from various suppliers, the customer may have to pay multiple set-up charges for imprinting and ship charges as well.
If a stress shape is offered in multiple colors than you can order assorted colors for the same item. However, your total order quantity must still meet the minimum order quantity for that shape. If a minimum quantity for assorted colors is required we will note this on the webpage. Fifty pieces is usually the minimum color quantity. For example: if you want to order a football stress ball for a total order quantity of 250 units: you can order five different color footballs. It is important to note that you must choose all product colors that will look good with the same imprint color. If you order both dark and light colored stress balls, you will likely incur an additional imprinting charge called an ink change charge. This charge applies if the supplier needs to print half of the balls with a black imprint and half of the ball with a white imprint, for example.
A final inquiry we often get is whether you can order stress balls without and imprint. The answer is: yes. This type of order is called “blank goods”. You must still order the minimum quantity shown for that product but in this order scenario your costs would be the unit cost plus shipping costs. Blank goods normally ship in 1-2 business days from order date.