How do I search for Acrylic Cosmetic Display Shelves Manufacturers?
Displaying is an activity that is at the heart of the retail business. You want people to know what you are selling. For example, say you own a shop that sells mobile phones. How should the interior of your shop look like? Should it be a big room filled with packages of mobile phones? Racks upon racks of boxes? Of course not. You want it to look like a shop, not a warehouse.
Your shop should have displays with models of new and latest mobile phones on it, so that people can see new phones and decide if they like them or not. You should also have live demo versions of new phones so that people can check out the user interface. Your walls should have screens on which the information about the latest phones is being displayed at all times. That is how you will sell phones.
Acrylic shelves are amazing. Acrylic is a plastic material which is completely clear and transparent so looks like glass but is stronger and lighter than glass. It looks gorgeous, and with proper lighting, it makes the thing that it is displaying look gorgeous. For displaying cosmetics, acrylic cosmetic display shelve are the best, and you can get them in a variety of customizations. For example, for nail polishes and lipsticks you can get tried ones in which each successive row of items is raised about an inch and a half from the previous one, which makes it easy to choose and pick one. The possibilities are endless.
How to look for manufacturers of Acrylic Display Shelves?
Whatever you are looking for, you will most probably find it on the internet. But the question that you have to ask yourself is, what exactly do you want? Do you want a generic product that is already manufactured by a company, or do you want something more personalised and customized for your specific needs? Of course, in this case, you might want to go for the customized option since it would look great and professional if all the shelves had the name of your shop embossed or engraved on them and had a unique design that would set your shop apart from all the others.
In any case, you can search the internet for manufacturers if you want a customized product, or suppliers if you want a generic product already being made by a manufacturer on the wholesale rate. But before you go searching the internet, there are other things to consider.
The first thing is, do you want a locally manufactured product, or from overseas? There are specific advantages and disadvantages for each option, and you have to think it through clearly. Some of these advantages and disadvantages are summarised below:
Advantages of domestic manufacturing
Since the standards are very high and laws are upheld, that is why manufacturing in the homeland is of higher quality.
There is no language barrier so you can easily communicate your ideas, demands, and requirements to them, and the manufacturers could not make an excuse for not properly understanding your requirements if they are not able to deliver.
You can always boast about using local manufacturers and boosting local economy to earn a good public image and brand loyalty.
Local manufacturers can be easily verified through local agencies, and in case that they are not able to deliver or deliver faulty products, taking action against them is a lot easier.
Since the goods would be made in a place that is a lot closer, shipping time will be minimal and cheaper too, because you will be in the same country.
Payment methods will be more secure, and there will be fewer tax cuts and service charges because domestic methods will be used.
Disadvantages of domestic manufacturing
Due to higher labour standards and wages, the manufacturing cost would be higher.
There would be less variety since there are many things that are just not manufactured locally.
Advantages of overseas manufacturing
The manufacturing costs will be a lot lower overseas due to low labour standards and the dollar conversion rate which almost always goes in your favour.
In countries like China, there is a lot of variety of manufacturers, and you can choose the one which suits you the most.
Disadvantages of overseas manufacturing
The delivered quality might be lower because of lower quality standards in that country.
Sometimes overseas manufacturers practice sleazy tactics to bring down the cost of manufacturers and maximize their profits even more. Such horrible practices include child labour and forced labour. There is no way for you to know, but if word got out it would destroy your reputation as well.
It is very difficult to verify overseas manufacturers unless you are a multinational conglomerate with offices in every country. But then, if you did own a multinational conglomerate you would not be reading this article would you?
Manufacturing mostly takes place in Asian countries so there will be a language barrier. Not only will this make it difficult for you to communicate ideas and requirements, but it will also give them an excuse in case they are not able to deliver. Also, their cultural practices and the political situation might come in the way. For example, they might close their factories due to a political rally or religious ceremony and your shipment would be delayed.
Overseas shipping time will be longer and more expensive, and there is always a certain risk of accidental breakage or loss.
You will have to deal with importation and customs.
The payment methods will be less secure and prone to SEC scrutiny. There will be a lot more tax cuts and service charges so you will have to pay more.
In case the product is faulty, taking action against a company in another country is far more difficult.
Hence, think about all these things and consider your needs carefully. Think about what you need and what you can compromise on. After deciding whether you want domestic suppliers or overseas suppliers, the way forward is pretty simple as there are a lot of online directories that let you search for suppliers. In the old days you would have to search the yellow pages, but now the task is as simple as clicking a few buttons and tapping a few keys.
Online domestic directories
ThomasNet
Makers Row
MFG
Kompass
Online overseas directories
Alibaba
AliExpress
IndiaMart
Other ways
Of course, many overseas manufacturers might not be in these directories, since there are so many. So if you searched the depths of Google, you could find a lot more of these. Beware, though, since most of these websites are old and not search engine optimised, so you would have to search for them. I am talking about going to page ten of Google results and beyond!
There are many directories which are not free, and you would have to pay a hefty fee to get a membership. Or, you could just check your local libraries since many libraries have those memberships so you would just have to get the membership of the library which would cost a lot less. You can also check the social media for ads about such suppliers, or if any of your friends or relatives have ever used suppliers, you can ask them too.
There is another thing called a NAICS code. NAICS stands for North American Industry Classification System, and every product has a NAICS code. Many manufacturers list their products via their NAICS codes especially in professional directories so be sure to look for that too.
What’s next?
Once you have found a supplier, you need to communicate with him, most probably via email. Before you jump right into how much would they charge you, there are some other things that you must ask them first. First of all, you must ask them about their minimum order quantity.
Secondly, you might want to test a few samples before making a big order, so ask them about their sample pricing. After that comes production pricing. Ask for production prices of a few quantities to get an idea of how much you will save at higher quantities. Then ask for production time, since time is money and you want to save it. After that comes terms and conditions, which normally consist of a portion of the price paid in advance, called down payment, and the rest of the money is paid at the time of delivery. But payment terms vary so be sure to ask for that.
Parkway Display Products limited is one of the leading quality acrylic supplier. You should check out the products they are offering on minimal rates.
A few tips
Do not send long emails since the supplier might ignore those. Especially in your first email, be clear and concise, to the point.
Do not ask for too much information in a single email.
Do not ask for an amount below the manufacturer’s minimum order since you will be wasting your time as well as his time.
