Local is lekker

Many South African’s romantise the products coming from the far East, UK or the USA. They imagine that they are getting better product at a better price. This simply is not the reality.

This is one story from a local retailer who came to Cards Plus looking for a realistic solution for their gift and loyalty cards- after being bamboozled by a supplier who promised cheap cards from overseas. We asked to share their story to, hopefully, save someone from the same trouble, cost and frustration.

A local retailer recently chose to import their plastic cards from China. They used a local reseller, who eventually (and reluctantly) admitted they did not produce the cards onsite but rather used an overseas manufacturer.  Their quote was a few cents cheaper than a local manufacturer and the retailer was under strict instructions to “go with the cheapest quote”.

Unfortunately, this story does not end well for the retailer.  A holiday overseas delayed the entire shipment and by the time they got the cards their launch had to be pushed back 3 weeks and they had to scramble to get everything in order. The majority of their stock came back with strange colour variations and with the fronts and backs completely upside down! They were not happy with the quality of the card stock, but what could they do?

Sadly, this is not unusual.

But, many purchasers think, “that will surely never happen to me.” And sometimes they are right. But is that a chance you are willing to take?

Buying local has immediate benefits for your business. Read more here