Ribbon Quandary

[msbezly]

I was just reading (and ROTFL) at the SU SNOB thread (I too will stand up and proudly join the ranks of SU SNOBBERY! :P ) But I have been hesitant to purchase SU ribbon because of the pricing. Ribbons at Michaels & Hobby Lobby are so much cheaper, but color selection is lacking and it's difficult to find the same width as SU. Is there a difference in the SU ribbons and other's? Does anyone have a link to a reasonably priced ribbon vendor? Thanks for your suggestions!

[sherristampsalot]

I bought gingham at Walmart, only to realize later that SU!'s gingham has many more yards...so it's actually less expensive than Walmart!

[emilymomto3boys]

Well, I buy non su ribbon in colors they don't carry. I love gingham and I bought black and red from su.....then I bought about 6 other colors from walmart! I also found some totally cute polka dotted ribbon at michaels. Honestly, I don't think SU's is that much more when you work it out. I think their grosgrain can't be beat quality wise. I know there are some around here that disagree with me on this point, but I think that grosgrain ribbon I have gotten elsewhere just doesn't match up and I love the color selection.

[mahodgman]

I was also hesitant to order SU ribbon, but the price is comprable because you get so much more of it. Have you thought about ordering multiples with friends and sharing?

[spammie]

I like www.papermart.com

But really, I don't think Michael's ribbon is cheaper - the ribbon I've bought there has been 3 yds/$1 while SU's is 25 yds/$5.95 + shipping (and tax from both places.

Here's a post from the last time I bought from papermart:
Forums at Splitcoaststampers

[jm_donahoe]

I like the Michael's and Wally world ribbon too, but SU! prices are for 25 yards of the stuff. (75 yards of cording) Michaels & Wal Mart is like 3 - 5 yards. I personally don't need much ribbon at a time, but more color choices, so I do buy a lot elsewhere, but if I have a project requiring lots of one type, then I order SU! (Christmas Cards etc...)

[emilymomto3boys]

Oh, I forgot to mention the best way to do SU ribbon. Do a ribbon swap! I joined one and bought 3 rolls of grosgrain ribbon. I got 3 yards of every color back. Now, as I use up a color I go ahead and order a roll as I obviously use that color. Great way to do it, kind of like assortment packs of paper!

[kahoogstad]

Ya, I bought a whack of ribbon at Michaels, then did a price comparison later at home. Even with 10% shipping SU was cheaper on a per yard basis....

GRRRR! Shoulda stayed loyal :oops:

[roo613]

Although SU is definitely cheaper per yard, I am not a demo and would have a hard time actually using that much ribbon in one color. I order a couple SU ribbon colors that I use a lot, but other than that I would rather get a variety for my money than a whole bunch of one color.

mel

[laurelwright]

I know I have posted this before but if you have a Pat Catan's Craft store near you they have most of the organdy ribbon in both widths on the same identical 25 yd bolts. I say "most" because for some odd reason they have none of the greens and do not have the hot pink color. This is the identical ribbon to SUs.

Their price is 40% off the sticker price of.........are you ready.....$4.00 so it is $2.40 a bolt for the wide organdy and it is $1.80 a bolt for the narrow. I know that you can't get it online from them but you can see if there is a store near you online.

And the other day I saw the black and white gingham too but it seemed to me that they had other colors that we don't have...it was also on the bolts with yardage like ours.

Also, I would get you some...especially if there are not thousands of takers so shhhh don't tell everyone!...it has enabled me to have all the colors of ribbon on hand and use whatever I want! You might want to PM me if you want some...

[conniejme]

I am a stampin'up demonstrator and have recently offered a ribbon assortment to all my customers. For the narrow organdy ribbon I charged $5
and they got five feet of each of the 15 colors (plus shipping and tax of course) I only sold half of the ribbon so that I would still have the assortment for my own use. I love stampin'up ribbon and it is easier to just order it and get the credit vs. always looking for that better deal though I have looked at acmoore and michaels and have never seen a better price!
If your a customer maybe suggest to your demonstrator to offer the assortment!

[Kuchette]

I have purchased ribbon thru www.reasonableribbon.com. I love it!

[MrsAngotti]

I am in agreement with Laurel and Keri ... Pat Catan's is great. I've also ordered from reasonableribbon and was completely pleased with this company.

[row4d]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emilymomto3boys

Oh, I forgot to mention the best way to do SU ribbon. Do a ribbon swap! I joined one and bought 3 rolls of grosgrain ribbon. I got 3 yards of every color back. Now, as I use up a color I go ahead and order a roll as I obviously use that color. Great way to do it, kind of like assortment packs of paper!

I participated in a grosgrain swap, too. Aren't they great? I really wish SU! offered a sampler pack of ribbon like they do with the cardstock colors. There's definitely a market for it -- just look at how many SU! ribbon assortment lots show up on eBay.

[11Valerie11]

What I did to get the SU ribbons I wanted over time, was to just add one roll to each order I did. It kept to costs down, and over time I got the colors I used to most. I have all the grosgrain, the gingham, and the narrow organdy. I only have a few of the wide, I just don't use it all that much.

The SU ribbons are so much better IMO, I have gingham in other colors from W*M but I noticed it frays pretty easily and has pretty uneven borders. The gingham can't be matched that I have found, and the organdy stays nice, doesn't seem to deteriorate when pulling through, tying, etc.

Valerie

[MSBetsyZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by conniejme

I am a stampin'up demonstrator and have recently offered a ribbon assortment to all my customers. For the narrow organdy ribbon I charged $5
and they got five feet of each of the 15 colors (plus shipping and tax of course) I only sold half of the ribbon so that I would still have the assortment for my own use. I love stampin'up ribbon and it is easier to just order it and get the credit vs. always looking for that better deal though I have looked at acmoore and michaels and have never seen a better price!
If your a customer maybe suggest to your demonstrator to offer the assortment!

Hi, Connie! WELCOME WELCOME to SCS! Love your idea about the ribbon asst., I know some of my customers would too...lol! But, I thought that goes against SU's "cash and carry" policy?

BTW, I also endorse ribbon swaps...Emily hosted the one I participated in...I know I'll always be a participant, NOT the hostess! Emily did such a great job, I know I'm just not organized enough to host my own!

[Jovi]

I love ribbon....... can't get enough of it. This site was posted a few months ago for cheap (price) grosgrain.

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/grosrib14brl.html
1/4" Poly Satin Grosgrain Ribbons 100 yards for just $4.99 and more colors coming soon

[witty5]

I used to buy my ribbon at places like ACMoores, but slowly began to realize that SU's prices were pretty good when figured out the price per foot. Also, I found it hard to find grosgrain especially in the same width as SU. I now usually by most of my ribbon through SU. I'm crossing my fingers for more gingham colors - love that stuff!!!

[Lorstamps]

Having worked for Offray Ribbon years ago...I can honestly say that the SU! ribbon is the best! Pricewise it really is a bargain when you consider the quality. It holds up so nice on the cards - the cheaper ribbons fall apart.

Oh, and don't you know that I have a ton of ribbon laying around my house (and I had boys, so I didn't get to use it!), and now I can't demo it on my SU! cards...but I can use it for my own stuff - one way to declutter!

[spammie]

Does anybody know where you can get Midori organza ribbon at a discount? It's fabulous - and fabulously expensive! The best price I've seen is 54yds of 3/4" ribbon for $25.

[wendalyn]

I have a million rolls of ribbon but recently purchased a couple rolls of SU ribbon which was 25 yards for 6.95 or something like that. However you can find it at Walmart or Michaels for like 3.99 a roll but its only half the yardage.

[pinkhedgehog]

I have to agree that SU ribbon is better....and cheaper. I used to only buy it from Michael's until I realized how much comes on a spool from SU and did the math. Even at 50% off, Michael's is more than SU per yard.

And I love the color assortment!

[mcschmidty]

Here is another company that I dealt with when I worked as a designer of hairbows a few years back- great organdy

http://www.jkmribbon.com/offray/satins.html

My 2 cents is that ..... there are only so many companies that make ribbon and other craft items for that matter. While you may find some items are exclusives, others are generic with different names/brands imprinted on them. So, don't get caught up in the brand name game, check for the quality of the item.

I do think that the offray polyester grosgrain is just like, if not the same as the SU 1/4 in grosgrain. If you order the SU ribbon, even some of the names are exactly the same as the Offray line..... You decide....

One example is the rollograph (wheel) Handles. These handles are not exclusive to anyone- the same company makes them, and then different names are placed on them. I learned this at trade shows over the years.

Whatever you decide, enjoy!!!

Shelly

[wendalyn]

Almost forgot to add - I get alot of ribbon at real reasonable rates at http://www.reasonableribbon.com I belong to a monthly ribbon club thru them for $7.00 which i think is like 25 - 40yrds of ribbon monthly. I also am in a monthly ribbon and fabric strip club monthly at http://www.greatballsoffiber.com its like $10.00 a month and both include shipping. Its kinda kewl to see all the different ribbon out there.

[toodme]

I second the caution not to get caught up in the brand name game- especially on ribbon. I've purchased rolls of the same stuff from jkm and SU and they are EXACTLY the same- same packaging, same manufactur product codes pre-printed, etc.

Think too about what you want it for. I bought a couple of the 100 yard grosgrain rolls at saveoncrafts and I use them on everything basic-particularly my "prototype" cards. The quality is comparable to anything else but still, because I paid more I save the SU, Midori andother speciality stuff for special projects


Midori is far superior to any of the other stuff. To answer the earlier poster. I've bought Midori on ebay and at impress rubber stamps. The ebay seller had it in 10 yard lengths and impressrubberstamps was offering 15% off at the time. That is the cheapest I've ever seen it.

[Candykane]

I just love ribbon on cards. I do not have alot of ribbon, I bought the white forever ago and it seems to last forever. I just recently purchased the light pink and light blue gingham ribbon from the mini. I guess I will break down and buy the black and red ones. I want to eventually get more of the ribbon, but it is hard to buy supplies when you know you could be buying a stamp set