Tips on Buying the Cheapest Branded USB Memory Sticks

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.

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.