PPB June 2021

compiled by Danielle Renda I have a customer who buys a premium ballcap. He asks for the brand by name. When the hats are shipped, they have a large sticker on the visor of each hat, showing the brand name. My customer was not happy seeing this. He said, “I pay plenty for these hats and I don’t want to advertise for the company making them.” I now have the hats delivered to me. I remove every single sticker from every hat and repackage and deliver the hats. Every time I place an order with this supplier, I practically beg them to stop putting their stickers on the hats. They ignore my request. Yep, the hats also have the supplier’s inside label and the supplier’s brand name is on each box. TOM LYNCH Owner IdeaGuy Specialty Advertising and Promotions Salinas, California PPAI 791943, D1 There are a few rare suppliers out there who don’t brand themselves. There are others that will ship in blank boxes—wait for it—for an extra charge. I think suppliers consider blind ship as only the return address on the shipping label. (We also note blind ship on every P.O.). Order samples and have them shipped to you and you will see a lot—not only outside boxes, but individual itempackaging as well. We have no local clients as a general rule anymore, so every shipment goes direct to them. VICKIE MACFADDEN Owner PROMOrx Greenville, South Carolina PPAI 396628, D3 As a supplier, we ship with blank boxes, no info on the packing sheet and no name on the label. If a client requests blind, it should be totally blind. STEPHANIE MORALES Sales and Marketing Manager Eyevertising Miami, Florida PPAI 536045, S5 I’ve been in the industry for 16 years and I always thought “blind shipping” meant the shipping label and packing slip were to not have the vendor name, but [our advertising] instead or nothing. Most suppliers use their own boxes with their name (in huge print) on the boxes. It’s just the norm for the industry. DAWN KUHSE Owner and Manager APP Imprints Woburn, Massachusetts PPAI 486015, D3 We are all in the same business: branding. We all have our favorite suppliers and, to be honest, I remember back in the day when we asked them to build up their brand with more advertising. So, is it okay that we present lines we prefer but that supplier we love so much isn’t allowed to build their brand? I tell my customers Blind Shipping—What Does It Mean To You? If one of my supplier partners ships custom products to my clients with their logo inside the packaging, should I be concerned? Q A Distributor Asks: What do you think about your client receiving an order from a supplier that is packed in boxes showing the supplier’s logo or the logo of the original product source (such as an overseas manufacturer)? I’ve heard of suppliers who require upcharges to send products in blank boxes, but it isn’t always a guarantee. Could this affect my business with my client? I don’t typically see the boxes my clients open, so I am curious to hear others’ experiences with this. Krakenimages.com / Pixel-Shot / Shutterstock.com 12 | JUNE 2021 | INNOVATE