Ask a swag vendor one question before you look at a single price: does the turnaround count from the day you approve the proof or the day you pay? Two vendors can both say "two weeks" and ship days apart.
Most buyers of corporate promotional products and custom apparel compare price per piece first. That number matters, but it is the easiest one to compare and the least likely to sink a trade show or a rollout. This checklist covers the questions that do.
The checklist
1. Find out who decorates the order
Some vendors print in their own building. Others take your order and send it to a shop you never talk to. Ask which methods they run in-house and which they send out. When something goes wrong in a chain of vendors, nobody owns the fix.
2. Get the turnaround rule in writing
Ask when the clock starts and what moves the date. At The Swan Brothers, standard turnaround is under two weeks from payment, and rush production is available in as few as 5 business days for a quoted rush fee. If art approval runs late, the ship date moves out by the same number of days. For trade show merchandise, count back from the show date.
3. Compare minimums and repeat pricing
Ask the minimum per item and per design, and whether a reorder starts from zero. Recurring swag orders should get better pricing over a year than one-off buys. Ask if the vendor offers annual pricing based on projected volume.
4. Test brand guideline compliance before you sign
Send your guideline PDF and your hardest logo, the one with the thin type or the exact color match. Ask how they proof it before production and who keeps the art on file. A vendor that skips proofs on small orders will skip them on yours.
5. Ask how multi-location corporate ordering works
If you have offices in five states, someone has to collect sizes and split boxes. Ask whether each office or remote employee can order their own size and get it shipped direct. We wrote about this in how one swag store keeps every location on-brand.
6. Ask where leftover stock lives
Trade show teams and onboarding programs always end up with extra. Ask if the vendor stores it, reports stock levels, and ships from storage to the next show or new hire.
7. Check your industry's gift rules
Financial services firms have a rule to plan around. In FINRA Regulatory Notice 26-05, FINRA raised its Rule 3220 gift limit from $100 to $300 per person per year, effective March 30, 2026. Gifts are valued at cost, without tax and delivery. Promotional items of nominal value that show the firm's logo, such as tote bags or shirts, fall outside the limit. Ask your vendor for per-unit pricing on every quote so your compliance team can log it, and check the rule with that team before you order.
8. Pick blanks people will keep
The ASI 2019 Ad Impressions Study found people keep a promotional product for about a year on average, and that quality and utility are why they keep it. In the PPAI 2016 consumer study, 83% said they are more likely to do business with brands that gave them a promotional product. A cheap shirt that shrinks after one wash throws that year away.
Questions to ask on the first call
- Which decoration methods do you run in your own building?
- When does the production clock start, and what pushes the ship date?
- Do I get a proof on every order, at every quantity?
- Can each office or employee order their own sizes and get them shipped direct?
- Can you store our leftover stock and ship it later?
- Does the per-unit price on the quote include setup and art?
- What pricing do repeat orders get over a year?
Red flags
- A turnaround quote with no start date.
- Art fees that show up after you approve.
- No proof on small or rush orders.
- A vendor that cannot say who decorates the order.
- One price for the first order and no answer about the second.
What fits fast-growing tech companies
A company that hires every week needs company culture merchandise that does not depend on one office manager. An always-on swag store lets new employees order their own gear, and products can be added or swapped without rebuilding the store. For employee swag programs, ask if onboarding kits can sit in standing inventory and ship on a new hire's start date.
Where The Swan Brothers fits
We run screen printing, embroidery, digital printing and laser engraving in our Pittsfield, MA facility, and nothing is outsourced. Volume pricing starts at 12 units with no maximum. Production-ready art setup is included at no charge, and every design goes out as a proof before production. Swag stores are free to set up with no monthly fee. Our 3PL warehouse stores your inventory and ships it to each office or straight to the show. We also ship internationally.
Bring your guideline PDF and your next event date to a free 15-minute call, or send us a message. The consultation with The Swan Brothers is free, and there is no commitment.