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Posts Tagged ‘cheapest’

What Are The Cheapest Printed USB Flash Drives You Can Buy

Monday, September 19th, 2011

If you’re looking to buy some USB flash drives printed with your company or school logo on then no doubt one of the criteria you’ll evaluate them against is cost. Getting a price of USB flash drives supplied in bulk and printed with your artwork on is not as straightforward as going to a web site and getting a price.

Twister USB Sticks

Twister USB Sticks

Why? Well, although some suppliers do put prices on their web sites those that do tend to have particularly high prices to cushion themselves against the daily fluctuations in the market. Buying USB drives in bulk is a bit like buying other commodities such as coffee, tea, gold or oil – they are all subject to the dynamics of the market and prices can be volatile, even within a single trading day.

Suppliers of promotional USB flash drives have to adjust their prices to take into account changes in the price if flash memory, seasonal supply and demand volatility and fluctuations in the exchange rate – all USB flash drives are purchased in USD ($) so when the Pound (£) weakens against the dollar prices increase.

The fluid nature of the market coupled with the fact that most companies looking to buy printed USB drives want them within a matter of days means that the best prices tend to be quoted on a “spot” basis and are only held for 2-3 days. So, to ensure you are getting the best price you need to shop around and get a couple of quotes from reputable suppliers.

When you get your quotes back do check to make sure that all of the costs are included and you’re not going to be landed with any nasty surprises – most good companies will include the print set-up, printing, data-loading and shipping costs. You also need to make sure that a low price does not equal a sub-standard product. Get reassurances about warranties, performance, read/write speeds and the grade of the flash memory being used in the USB stick.

There are some basic things you can do to reduce the likely cost of the flash drives you’re buying:

  • Only buy the memory you need – the most popular size for promotional or give-away USB sticks is 1GB. These are normally large enough to pre-load your own sales material onto and they have enough storage on them to be used by whoever you give them to (so your brand will get on-going exposure)
  • Buy the more popular models like the Twister Flash Drive – these get sold in the millions so they tend to be the cheapest option. Don’t be put off by this, they have remained popular over the years because they are an excellent drive, they’re a good size (physical size), they don’t have a cap to lose and they come in a wide range of colours.
  • Buy a sensible number of them in one go – you can order as little as 25 at a time but if you do this expect to pay a hefty premium. It’s simply because some fixed costs (print and carriage) have to be amortised across every order so on small orders every USB stick is picking up quite a high proportion of the fixed costs.
  • Allow at least 10 days for your order to be produced and delivered – you can get USB sticks in as little as 48hrs but typically these will be printed in the UK (rather than at the factories where they are made in China) so you’ll not only pay a premium for the UK print costs but you’re pay a premium for the “rush” service to get them to you.
Twister USB Flash Drives - The Cheapest Option

Twister USB Flash Drives - The Cheapest Option

If price is an issue then buy the twister, buy no bigger than a 1GB version and give yourself 10-days for the order to arrive.

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What Are The Cheapest Printed USB Flash Drives You Can Buy

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Why Do Small Quantities of Printed USB Flash Drives Cost So Much

Monday, July 18th, 2011

In tough market conditions more and more companies are turning to USB flash drives printed with their logo on in an attempt to engage with their customers, stimulate sales or just inform prospective customer about what they do.

Typically the USB flash drives will be pre-loaded with sales brochures, white papers, price lists, product specifications, video files and links to websites. Occasionally this pre-loaded data is “locked” onto the flash drive so it cannot be deleted but typically the data can be removed (deleted) by the users once they have read it – this is the recommended approach because it ensures on-going use of the flash drive by the recipient and as a result you get on-going brand exposure.

Most companies buying printed USB flash drives will typically order between 100 – 500 pieces with the most commonly requested memory size being 1GB or 2GB. These memory sizes are large enough to carry most companies pre-loaded data and they’re big enough to ensure they get used by the recipient.

Twister USB Flash Drives

Twister USB Flash Drives

If you order less than 100 USB flash drives at a time then you’ll notice a sharp increase in the unit price. Whilst some companies will print and supply as little as 25 USB memory sticks at this quantity level the unit cost is pretty steep. The reason for the fairly dramatic price increases when you order in small numbers is simply because there are a lot of fixed costs in the production and delivery that have to be amortised across a much smaller number of USB sticks. Examples of these fixed costs are:

  • Print set-up costs. Every print colour has an associated cost – each ink colour has to be bought and a “screen” has to be made for every colour before the USB sticks can be printed.
  • Carriage costs from the factory. Most USB flash drives are produced and printed in China and they therefore have to be shipped into the UK using carries like UPS, TNT or DHL.
  • HM Revenue & Customs charges. As the USB sticks arrive in the UK VAT has to be paid on them in addition to which there are normally associated VAT “handling” fees.
  • QA checks, anti-virus checks and speed performance tests have to be performed on a sample of every order before they are released to a customer.
  • Re-boxing – When the USB sticks arrive in the UK it is not unusual for multiple customer jobs (particularly small jobs) to be consolidated into a single box. These consolidated shipments need re-boxing after the QA checks.
  • UK shipment costs – because of the time critical nature of most USB flash drive orders they are typically sent on the final leg of their journey by next-day courier.
  • Invoicing and payment costs – every order needs a formal VAT invoice raised and of course the banks and card companies make a charge for handling any payment to clear the invoice. If payment terms are offered there can be additional costs in chasing the payment of invoices.

When the costs illustrated above are spread over an order for say 500 USB sticks they only add pennies to the unit cost but spread over say 25 USB sticks the additional cost per stick can be quite hefty!

Where possible it’s recommended that you buy your USB flash drives in quantities of 100 plus but if you do only want 25 pieces then you can buy them from USB2U

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Why Do Small Quantities of Printed USB Flash Drives Cost So Much

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Problems with Cheap USB Memory Sticks

Monday, April 11th, 2011

Promotional USB memory sticks are incredibly popular at the moment with millions being given away every year. Typically they are used to develop or promote a brand or product, to encourage sales, to build customer loyalty or they’re simply used as a convenient way to distribute large amounts of information.

Increasingly even USB sticks used as “giveaways” are pre-loaded with data (Word documents, PDFs, presentation files or movie clips) because it seems daft not to use the available storage space of the sticks to say something about the company giving them away. After all when you’re paying for a product that is fundamentally designed to store and carry data it makes sense to use the storage space.

For any company looking to buy printed or custom USB memory sticks it’s worth understanding what to avoid when shopping around for quotes and why it’s often worth avoiding the cheapest solution you’re offered:

Cheap USB Memory sticks are to be avoided because:

  • The core components might be recycled or Grade B which means they’ll have a high failure rate (if they work at all) – unfortunately the competition amongst suppliers of branded USB memory sticks and the factories that produce them is so great that some suppliers have resorted to using very poor quality and cheap components to enable them to drive the price down.
  • Even when new flash chips are used be aware that there are different grades of flash available and some will only have a working life of a couple of months.

  • They’ll be very slow – the cheaper versions of flash memory and flash memory controllers used in the manufacture of branded USB memory sticks often have read/write speeds of only 2-3MB per second. This is fine if they are only being used as “cheap and cheerful” promotional items but if you have any expectation of people using them on an on-going basis then just be aware that slow USB sticks are not popular.It’s even worse if you’re looking to load large data files onto the USB sticks yourself before they are given out – manually pre-loading data files is tedious enough with fast(ish) USB sticks but excruciating with very slow USB sticks.
  • Cheap promotional USB sticks tend to come from suppliers that are only interested in grabbing short-term business because rather than building a long-term relationship. So the sticks might look like a bargain when you buy them but will the supplier be around to fulfil any warranty obligations should things go pear shaped.
  • Promotional USB memory sticks that fail or don’t work when they are given out to your customers are worse than useless because they reflect badly on you and your brand so instead of supporting any brand building campaign they can have the opposite effect.

poorly printed usb stick

Whilst you don’t have to buy the most expensive USB sticks it is worth undertaking some basic due diligence on exactly what you’ll be getting and who you plan to buy them from before you sign off that Purchase Order!

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Problems with Cheap USB Memory Sticks

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Tips on Buying the Cheapest Branded USB Memory Sticks

Sunday, December 5th, 2010

If you’re working to a limited budget and you need to buy some USB memory sticks printed with your logo or brand on then its useful to know a few things that will help keep your costs down whilst at the same time making sure you don’t buy a load of cheap and nasty rubbish that is just going to fail and reflect badly on your brand or company.

Branded USB Memory sticks, also commonly referred to as USB Flash Drives, pen drives, thumb drives, and data sticks are growing in popularity all the time. Every day its seems that more and more companies are selling them and there is now a huge range of models and styles to choose from so just how do you make sure you are getting the best product and the best price.

USB Twister Flash Drives

USB Twister Flash Drives

Here’s a list of useful tips on how to secure the best deal from your supplier(s) for branded USB memory sticks:

  • Time = money.  If you know you’ve got to buy branded USB memory sticks then allow at least two weeks to source them and ideally factor a few extra days in to be on the safe side. If you do this you will give your supplier enough time to get your order manufactured, data-loaded and printed at the factories in China where costs are lower. If you leave things too late you’ll have to find a local supplier that holds blank, unprinted stock of USB memory sticks and is able to get them printed and data-loaded for you in the UK.UK labour and print costs are significantly higher than in China so expect to pay a premium for any “rush” or last minute service.  Premiums for “rush” or last minute orders can be avoided by simply planning ahead.
  • Choose the most popular model – The cheapest USB memory sticks tend to be those that are the most popular and at the moment this is the Twister USB Flash Drive. It’s a perennial favourite because it’s small, portable, has no cap to lose, comes in a wide range of colours and it takes print well. Because it is produced in such high volume it tends to be the cheapest model available so if money is an issue make sure you ask for prices on the Twister Usb Flash Drive.
  • Don’t pay for memory you don’t need – USB memory sticks come in a wide range of memory sizes starting at 64MB and going all the way up to a whopping 32GB! The trick with a promotional USB memory stick is to give away something that has enough memory to carry any data you want to load onto it and has enough memory to make it useful to the recipient. Don’t go overboard though and pay for lots of memory that won’t get used – the most popular memory sizes at the moment for promotional USB sticks are 1GB and 2GB.Smaller memory sizes like 64MB and 128MB are still available but they are only pennies less than a 1GB drive and they’re so small they don’t encourage repeat usage which means less exposure for the brand that is printed on them. Only use very small capacity sticks if your are happy for them to be thrown away after the initial use.
  • Buy a reasonable number – don’t expect a cheap price for your branded USB flash drives if you only order a handful of them. There are several fixed costs involved in the manufacture and supply of printed USB drives including print set up, printing, proofing, data-loading and freight and these costs need to be amortised across every USB stick that you order. Consequently most suppliers won’t quote for less than 50 pieces but you only start to get real economies of scale if you are buying 100+ pieces.if you have other projects at a later date that you might need USB drives for then where possible try and order for these at the same time – its cheaper to get two separate logo’s printed on a single order than it is placing two orders.
  • Buy from a reputable supplier that can supply meaningful warranties. One of the dangers buying on price is that you quality of product, level of supplier service and warranty can be ignored. This is dangerous territory particularly as you’re buying something that has your brand printed on it.  Unfortunately there a re some unscrupulous suppliers in the market that will offer fantastic prices but make sure the prices are for new, grade A flash chips and that they come with a warranty that is handled locally. Its tempting to buy from overseas suppliers but consider how you’ll deal with failures and any other issues (delays, poor print, no data loaded) if anything goes wrong.
  • Keep and eye on the currency exchange rates. All USB flash drives are manufactured in China and your suppliers will buy them from the factory in US dollars. Consequently if you are looking to buy branded USB flash drives at a time when your local currency is weak against the dollar then expect prices to be high. Whilst you can’t be expected to turn into a currency dealer over-night it is useful to understand that this one dynamic can have a huge bearing on the price you’ll pay. So, if you do buy your USB flash drives once or twice a year try and choose a time when currency prices are in your favour.
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Tips on Buying the Cheapest Branded USB Memory Sticks

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Squeezing The Most From Your Promotional USB Flash Drive Budget

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

Advertising and marketing budgets have been hit hard over the last couple of years and whilst there are glimmers of the economy recovering its still early days and consequentially purse strings are still pulled relatively tight. That said businesses can’t afford to stand still and the need to advertise and promote your business and products is still of paramount importance but, where hard cash is being spent its critical that you squeeze as much as possible from your budget.

When it comes to buying promotional USB flash drives there are several factors that you should consider because they will help you to get the best possible “bang for buck”:

  • Don’t pay for unnecessary memory – USB flash drives are available in a wide range of sizes starting from 32MB all the way up to 64GB. Popular USB flash drive sizes are 1Gb – 2GB and these are normally ample for any corporate gifts or promotional give-aways. If you buy USB flash drives larger than this then the costs start to rise quite substantially. Similarly if you buy flash drives smaller than 1GB the price reduction is relatively small but more importantly the likelihood of the flash drive being used on an on-going basis is dramatically reduced. Without on-going use you don’t get the benefit of your brand being continually recalled or promoted.
  • Reduce the number of colours you want printed – Ink costs and each colour printed has a set-up cost associated
    Barclays USB Flash Drives

    Barclays USB Flash Drives

    with it. Whilst some suppliers might absorb some of these costs to secure your business its unlikely that they’ll swallow all of them. If you have a complex logo or a logo with 4 or more colours see if you can simplify it. Its not unusual for there to be various “complex” and “simple” versions of a company logo available because good designers understand that a logo will be used in a variety of way and so they plan ahead accordingly.

  • Plan ahead and order early – The vast majority of USB flash drives that are printed up with a company brand or logo are manufactured to order from factories in China. Despite the distances involved and the freight costs associated with shipping flash drives around the world it is still considerably cheaper to get flash drives this way. If you order flash drives at the last minute then you’ll pay a premium to get them printed locally and you’ll have far less choice in terms of memory size and style of memory stick.
  • Only buy gift boxes if you really need them – this speaks for itself but its worth checking that any price you are quoted does not include a charge for gift boxes (unless you want them). Most branded USB flash drives will come in individual “poly” bags or they’ll be in a free plain white box.
  • Pre-load any data during the manufacturing process – one of the best ways to offset the cost of buying branded USB flash drives is to pre-load them with your company sales brochures, media files, presentation files and so on – saving this data onto the flash drive means you won’t have to go to the expense of getting them printed. The trick though is to make sure you have the data ready early so that it can be loaded onto the flash drive at the point of manufacture (this is usually free). If you are late supplying your data then expect to pay a fee for it to be loaded post manufacture.
  • Get several quotes before ordering – we all have our own favourite or “preferred” supplier(s) but when you’re sourcing branded USB flash drives its definitely worth shopping around and getting several quotes. If you do choose a new supplier make sure you get a firm quote in writing, read any associated T & C’s and payment terms and make sure the price is a fully inclusive price. In particular watch out for print set up, print origination charges and high delivery charges!
  • Buying the cheapest USB flash drives can end up costly in the long run – before you just accept the cheapest price you are quoted its best to make sure you are comparing “apples with apples”. Some unscrupulous vendors will supply graded or re-cycled flash chips unless you specify “new”. Whilst most of these will work you can expect a much higher failure rate and much slower performance – not exactly what you want if you’re printing your brand on them! Choose your vendor carefully, check out their testimonials and if you’re at all concerned take references.
  • Avoid buying your USB flash drives during the peak demand periods – there are a couple of times of the year (every year) when the price of flash rockets and this has a knock on effect on the price of USB flash drives. The times to avoid if at all possible include the early run up to Christmas (late September and October) when many large manufacturers buy up flash chips for their Christmas manufacturing schedules and the time around Chinese New Year when there is a general scarcity in the market.
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Squeezing The Most From Your Promotional USB Flash Drive Budget

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Where Can You Buy Cheap Branded Memory Sticks

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

We all understand the need to get the best bang for buck and to stretch budgets as far as they will go and of course everyone wants a bargain but when it comes to buying branded USB memory sticks should you do cheap? Does cheap mean going with the lowest cost provider for the same standard memory stick or does cheap mean going for something that looks like a standard USB memory stick but is in someway “cheap” in all the wrong ways?

How can you be sure when comparing quotes from different suppliers that they are all quoting for exactly the same thing? If you’re not sure of this then you are of course not comparing “apples with apples”. The danger of going with the cheapest price without first qualifying exactly what you are going to get is that you may end up with something that’s of very poor quality and with something that reflects badly on your brand and company.

When you’re shopping around for quotes for branded memory sticks there are some important questions to ask of all the suppliers before you commit yourself to an order and these are:

  1. What flash chipset will be supplied? USB flash drives come in all different memory sizes with 1GB and 2GB being the most popular at the moment. The core flash memory module inside the flash drive should be new and ideally it should come from one of the named manufacturers like Samsung, Toshiba or Hynix. If you are getting a very low price from one supplier check that they are not proposing to supply re-cycled or Grade B flash chips. This is a common way of reducing the cost of a memory stick but be aware that the failure rates on these chipsets are high and they tend to operate very slowly compared to new and branded flash chips.
  2. Masked flash chips – these are difficult to spot until the printed flash drives arrive on your desk. Companies that “mask” flash chips basically make smaller flash chips look as though they are larger so for example a 256MB flash chip might be “masked” to make it look as though it’s a 1GB. The external stickers on the flash drive will suggest it’s a 1GB and the internal labels might also suggest it’s a 1GB but when you try and load more than 256MB of data onto the stick it will fail.
  3. Are they RoHS Certified? All computer and electrical components imported into the EU must comply with the current Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) legislation. Failure to comply can lead to hefty fines. All imported flash memory sticks should be RoHS compliant and your supplier should be able to supply you with Certificates to demonstrate this.
  4. Get a sample – if you’re suspicious of the price you’ve been quoted then ask for a sample and get it in writing that the sample is representative of the memory sticks that will be supplied. It amazing how little differences in the manufacture quality and the component quality can affect the overall look and feel of a product. From photographs products like the popular Twister Memory Stick all look the same but in the hand the differences are surprising with some being much heavier and more robust.
  5. Take references – If time permits then ask for references and call them. At the very least check out the suppliers web site for testimonials and examples of printed memory sticks they’ve supplied before.
  6. Make sure the price is “all inclusive” – when comparing unit prices make sure that the suppliers have included in this all the print set up and origination costs and that any additional costs for data-loading, boxes, lanyards, and UK delivery are clearly set out. It’s amazing how these seemingly little things can add up and make a significant difference to the overall price.

Having done all of the above make sure you speak to someone at the company you’re planning to deal with and then make a final decision based on your gut instinct. Whoever you choose to supply your branded memory sticks needs to work with you during the order process and to support you in the unlikely (hopefully) event of any post sale issues so its important you can trust and work with them – gut instincts are a tremendous asset when making this judgement!

Branded Memory Sticks

Branded Memory Sticks

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Where Can You Buy Cheap Branded Memory Sticks

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