Where to Buy Blank Apparel: Distributors vs Direct

The three places blanks come from

How wholesale distributors work

Many blank makers sell most of their volume through wholesale distributors rather than to the public. A distributor buys from dozens of brands, holds them in warehouses spread across the country, and sells to businesses that decorate or resell apparel: print shops, embroiderers, promotional products companies and clothing brands.

S&S Activewear is a national distributor most US buyers will meet by name. Its site lists more than 80 brands and advertises one-day delivery to most of the contiguous US from its warehouse network. alphabroder, another national distributor, is now part of S&S: S&S completed the purchase in October 2024, and alphabroder.com forwards to the S&S site. SanMar is another national distributor, and there are regional ones as well.

Warehouse locations matter because blank orders usually ship ground from the nearest warehouse that has the goods, so a well-placed warehouse can put boxes at a print shop within a day or two. Account holders see live inventory by color, size and warehouse, which is how a printer can tell you on the day of a quote whether 48 Mediums in your color actually exist. Makers point buyers to the same network: Gildan, Comfort Colors and Bella+Canvas all run "find inventory" or distributor locator tools on their sites.

Distributor accounts are for businesses. Expect to give a business name, a tax ID, and either a resale certificate or a plan to pay sales tax on purchases. Pricing is usually tiered by an account's volume, one reason a busy print shop can often buy the same blank for less than a new label can.

Resale certificates and sales tax

A resale certificate tells a seller you are buying goods to resell, so that sale is not taxed; tax is collected later, when the finished product is sold to the end customer. In California, for example, you need a seller's permit before you can issue the state's general resale certificate (form CDTFA-230), and the state's Publication 103 explains when it applies. Other states have their own forms and rules.

Two points catch new labels out. A resale certificate covers goods you will actually resell, so shirts bought for staff uniforms or free giveaways generally do not qualify. And when a printer buys the blanks for you, the printer is the buyer of the blanks, so how sales tax works on your order depends on the printer's setup and your state. Check with your state's tax agency or an accountant; this is a general explanation, not tax advice.

Buying direct from a brand

Some makers open wholesale accounts directly to businesses, often alongside their distributor network:

• AS Colour offers US wholesale pricing to printers, embroiderers and merchandise, uniform and promotional businesses, and asks for a minimum monthly spend to keep the account.
• Lane Seven invites businesses to apply for a wholesale account, with pricing and inventory shown after login.
• Cotton Heritage describes itself as mill-direct and takes orders from registered account holders.
• Shaka Wear and Made Blanks run separate wholesale sites next to their retail stores.
• WATC Studio offers wholesale registration and B2B services for labels building a line on its blanks.

Buying direct gets you the brand's full range, and sometimes colors or styles that distributors do not carry. In exchange you deal with one brand per account, ship from that brand's warehouses, and need enough steady volume to keep the account worthwhile. It makes most sense when your line is built on one maker's styles. For most merch, a printer's existing accounts reach the same products with less admin.

Case packs, split shipments and backorders

Wholesale blanks move in cartons, and a few details of how they ship affect your order:

• Case quantities. Makers pack each style in standard cartons. Cotton Heritage, for example, lists 72 pieces per case for its lighter tees and 18 to 24 for hoodies. Distributors will usually break cases and sell by the piece; some brand-direct accounts work in full cases or packs, which matters when you only need a dozen of one size.
• Split shipments. When one warehouse cannot fill the whole size breakdown, the rest may ship from a second one and arrive a day or two later. Printers plan around this, but it is a reason not to order blanks at the last minute.
• Backorders. A maker's product page may show a style out of stock with an expected restock date and an option to backorder. Treat a backorder date as an estimate, not a promise, and keep the backup style ready.
• Shipping charges. Freight on blanks is part of the garment cost. Consolidating one order into one shipment, rather than topping up size by size, keeps it down.

Retail and big-box packs

Buying blanks at retail is fine for a handful of shirts to test a fit or a feel. It is a weak plan for production: retail packs come in fixed size mixes, stock is unpredictable, and the version sold in stores can carry different labels or packaging from the wholesale style. If you test a fit at retail, confirm the exact style number before ordering a run.

Why your printer usually sources the blanks

You can buy blanks yourself and ship them to a printer, but most orders run more smoothly when the printer sources them:

• Pricing access. Printers buy through established distributor and brand accounts at volume tiers.
• Stock at quote time. The printer checks live inventory before quoting and can suggest a backup style or another warehouse when a size is short.
• Exact counts. They order the precise size breakdown your run needs.
• Timing. Blanks arrive when the job is scheduled, not weeks early in your garage.
• Inspection. Goods are counted and checked on arrival, before decoration, and shortages go back to the supplier.
• Misprint risk. If a shirt is spoiled on press, a printer that bought the blank can usually replace it from the same source. With customer-supplied garments, many printers ask for extras and do not cover spoilage, because they cannot control or replace the blank.

Customer-supplied garments still make sense for items a printer cannot buy: vintage pieces, a cut-and-sew run, or an exclusive style. Ask about the printer's policy before you ship anything. If you are weighing bulk orders against on-demand printing, see print-on-demand vs bulk.

What to ask before you order blanks

1. Is the exact style, color and size breakdown in stock now, and in how many warehouses?
2. What is the backup style if a size sells out before the order is placed?
3. Does any color in the order use a different fiber blend from the rest?
4. Who is responsible for shortages and misprints?
5. If you are supplying the garments, how many extras should you send, and where should they ship?
6. Is a resale certificate needed, and who is the buyer of record for sales tax?
7. Will the same style and color still be available for a reorder in three to six months?

Blank colors and stock risk covers backups and reorders, and how to plan a size run helps you decide the size breakdown before you ask for stock.

Useful for: clothing brands, bands, companies, events.