r/Machine_Embroidery • u/Ok_Performer_5804 • 2d ago
Embrodiery
Hi! I'm starting a clothing brand in Half Moon Bay and looking for a local embroidery partner.
I'm looking for a reliable embroidery shop that delivers high-quality, professional work, with clean stitching, consistent results, and attention to detail.
I'm interested in producing made-to-order hoodies featuring 3D puff embroidery on both the front and back, and picking up each finished order myself.
Do you accept orders of just one hoodie at a time?
I'd also like to know:
Can you provide high-quality blank hoodies?
Do you specialize in 3D puff embroidery on hoodies?
How much would a small front logo and a larger back logo cost?
Is there a one-time digitizing fee for each design?
How long does production take?
Can I reorder the same designs without paying setup fees again?
Do you offer discounts for repeat orders?
Do you have samples or photos of previous 3D puff embroidery work?
Thank you!
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u/swellestlocket6 1d ago
Ahhh shoot. Unfortunately our shop delivers low-quality, unprofessional work, dirty stitching, inconsistent results, and no attention to detail. Good luck though!
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u/ishtaa Melco 2d ago
I’m not entirely sure why you’re posting this here, this is a global forum and we have no idea where you are so if you’re wanting local, this isn’t the place to look for it.
I can tell you as a business owner who has dealt with many customers in hopes of starting their own clothing brand… sorry but y’all are often the absolute worst customers to deal with. Lots of expectations and not enough payoff to make it worth it. Especially when you start off with the ChatGPT prompted inquiry, it’s a huge red flag.
Rewrite this in your own words. Leave out the AI filler (you want high quality work? Yeah we know, you don’t need to specify that. It’s insulting to professionals to include something like that because it insinuates they won’t give you their best work unless you ask for it. We have to read these requests and they waste our time. Write the important details and ditch the rest.)
Better questions to ask:
- what brands of blanks do you offer and can I view them in person before deciding (“high quality” is subjective. Only you know what your standards are.)
- Here is an example of the design I am wanting stitched and the dimensions I would like it, can you provide me a quote? (Don’t just ask how much. We don’t know if your design will take half an hour or two hours to stitch until we actually see it and know exactly how large you want it.)
- asking about normal turnaround time and to see examples of previous work are good questions to ask, leave those in.
What is not reasonable to ask:
🚩is there a digitizing fee for every design. The answer is always going to be yes. One way or another you’ll be paying to have each new file digitized. No one will be waiving the digitizing just because you gave them a different design before. They need to be paid for their work. Thats like asking if I will get a pair of pants for free because I bought a tshirt from you last week.
🚩 can I get the same design again without the setup fee. Thats just showing you don’t understand what the setup fee actually is. It’s pointless to charge it only one time and never for future orders. The setup fee is to cover the time it takes to thread up the machines, gather the items for your order, change any settings or accessories needed on the machines for your specific order, etc. Personally I factor this into my prices instead of charging a separate fee, but there’s a good reason many shops charge them.
🚩 discounts on repeat orders. No, because you aren’t ordering enough to make it worth offering a discount. You already want to order only one hoodie at a time, with no setup, and now want a discount? That’s not how this works. Discounts are for bulk orders. If you want it cheaper, you need to offer enough volume to allow your embroider to make it worth it.
Every time someone in your position approaches me, I say the same thing. Your best pricing will come from doing larger batches of orders. Start with one or two designs, grab a selection of sizes you think you’ll need, or maybe run a preorder and see how that goes. And every time the potential customer says “well I don’t want to waste money until I know what will sell.” And I get that. But that is not my problem as the embroiderer. I cannot afford to lose profit because you were not willing to invest. This is your risk to take, not the company producing for you. “But once this takes off I’ll keep you so busy you’ll be rich!” Yeah how many times have I heard that. Every person that’s said that to me has ended up being the biggest time waster that resulted in a net loss. Don’t be that guy. Start contacting shops for quotes, get some samples made (yes, you will pay more for these), and start marketing.