How to arrange personalized manufacturing?

[CaseCo]

Hello everyone, I am quite new in the pursuit of the NR and have not yet ripened into the world of business. For my muse idea I must have a way for the customer to submit their personalized work ( in this case a personal message sticker) on to my site. I need the manufacturer to be able to handle large orders of individually manufactured items. I understand the basics of finding a manufacturer but

how can I arrange individually manufactured items rather than by them in bulk?

Does it require a specialized manufacturer to do this, or can I arrange it with any manufacturer such as those on alibaba.com?

How do sites like zazzle or stickerjunkie.com do it?


I am somewhat desperate because this is the only factor keeping me from launching my muse and I'm sure others have/had the same problem, so any information would be greatly appreciated.

[kamakiri]

Where is you web site?

[CaseCo]

The site hasn't launched yet, this is the only factor keeping me from moving forward.

[officer_dibble]

CaseCo. Move forward anyway. It sounds counter intuitive but perhaps it is worth testing before you even have the facility in place. If no-one's interested it could save you a lot of time - and if lots of people are interested that could be very persuasive when you talk to possible suppliers.

Tim talks about this in the book - and wikipedia has a bit of info too:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_viable_product

[kamakiri]

Printing is one of the easiest things to outsource on the planet. There is a need for it as well. Finding a printer is the easy part of this equation though. Heck, with a bit of cash, you could buy a laser printer and do it yourself.

Getting your web site up and running and a marketing plan in place will be the far bigger challenge. You could have the greatest custom printed stickers in the world, but if no one can find you or knows about you, you will sink.

It is all about testing the viability.

[liam75005]

Alibaba will probably only get you in touch with big orders manufacturers in Asia.

You should try local ads, local company and see if it is cost effective to get the project up and running and if you can find a business model where it would work, even if it is just a commission that you would get on each sale done by the printer with this business model.

do you think you could use crowdfunding to get you started ?

[Musetester]

Sounds like you need a printer--not a manufacturer.

I suggest approaching a local screen printer in your home with a joint venture. You'll generate the sales--he'll handle the fulfillment--you guys will split the revenue based on a negotiated rate.

If you need help with the negotiation or how to set up your offer with him--let me know.

v/r

Lane

Originally Posted by CaseCo

Hello everyone, I am quite new in the pursuit of the NR and have not yet ripened into the world of business. For my muse idea I must have a way for the customer to submit their personalized work ( in this case a personal message sticker) on to my site. I need the manufacturer to be able to handle large orders of individually manufactured items. I understand the basics of finding a manufacturer but

how can I arrange individually manufactured items rather than by them in bulk?

Does it require a specialized manufacturer to do this, or can I arrange it with any manufacturer such as those on alibaba.com?

How do sites like zazzle or stickerjunkie.com do it?


I am somewhat desperate because this is the only factor keeping me from launching my muse and I'm sure others have/had the same problem, so any information would be greatly appreciated.