Unlike the £500 Cartier 4 GB flash drive that we wrote about on our blog last month, this drive was not cased in palladium.  Our designer couldn’t believe his eyes and even took the time to email his fellow ‘USB interested’ colleagues about his unbelievably expensive find.  A simple search online revealed that a whole host of companies were selling the exact same 32 GB USB Flash Drive for less than a third of the price of the mainstream camera retailer.

Our designer managed to save over £60 on the camera that he bought and the example of the 32 GB USB flash drive also highlights the importance of shopping around on price when spending a lot of money on a product.  Along with price, there are a lot of other aspects that need to be taken into account when shopping around.

Quality, service, speed and ease of purchase are just a few things that should be considered when buying a product, especially USB sticks.  We are always working on the quality and detail of our offering so that we can give our customers the best overall package.

More specifically, we fit the bill in each category for the following reasons:

• Quality Products:  Our flash drives are fitted with Grade A chips.
• Speed:  We respond to enquiries within two hours of reception so that you can have answers and quotes when you need them.
• Quality service:  A dedicated account manager over every job and free visual mock-ups with your company logo to see the impact of your USB flash drive.
• Ease of Purchase:  7-10 day turnaround after the reception of your artwork.
• Price:  We will always aim to price match a like for like quote.

So, no matter how much you shop around for your branded USB sticks, considering our overall service and package we are sure that you will not find a better overall offer and will certainly not find it for a third of the price.

1. Speed of Service
2. Quality of USB Memory Sticks
3. Financial Stability of Company Supplying Flash Drives
4. Reputation.

Speed of service will largely depend on the individual company’s business model. Many companies claim to have fast turnaround times, but when called to task on orders to supply large amounts of branded USB Memory Sticks, they fall short on initial promises and the turnaround times increase by 2 or 3 times. Other companies who have more control over their supply chain will live up to their promises and these are naturally the companies you’ll want to choose.

Quality control is vital for products that will end up representing your company. It is important to find a supplier that its aware of this and will not cut corners or send you defunct goods. For instance, some USB Flash Drive suppliers cut costs by using refurbished chipsets. This is generally less reliable than brand new chipsets. Initially it may save you money, but do you want the final product you’ve given to a client to fail? This creates a poor impression of your company, and once they have discarded the USB Stick, they will no longer be carrying your companies name around with them.

Financial Stability. As with any company you may be considering entering into a financial relationship with, it is always good practice to run a credit check to make sure the company is not going to go under within a month of taking an order to supply you with your goods. In the event that it does, you are unlikely to recover any of your money back. As mentioned earlier, this is a very competitive industry and with a large amount of people involved in the industry, insolvency is not that uncommon. Should your supplier face bankruptcy, not only will you lose the money you paid them, you will also miss your deadline.

Reputation speaks volumes. If a company has delivered similar sized orders of branded USB Memory Sticks within a specified time frame on several occasions, they can probably do it again and again. Don’t be afraid to ask for references and testimonials from their existing customer base. If they have provided excellent service levels, they will not be embarrassed to share their successes.