Fundraising with Custom Bobble Head Dolls

By Jeff Baer, Editor for TeamBoosters.com

Sponsored by:

www.bobblefactory.com
1-800-437-4517

Custom bobbles are a very popular fundraiser for schools, churches and organizations of all sizes. Some of the reasons this item is so successful are:

• It's New. Unlike t-shirts, candy, gift-wrap, etc. it's most likely that it has never been sold by smaller fundraising groups to your audience.
• It has an attractive retail sales price. Most bobbles retail from $15-$20.
• Potential earnings are high. A group that sells 1000 bobbles for $15/ea can expect to earn over $10,000.
• It appeals to everyone in the community. Teachers, alumni, students, parents, residents of the community are all potential donors. Everyone knows what a bobble is!

Fundraiser Overview

This is a very simple fundraiser. You design a custom bobble head of your team mascot, favorite coach or church pastor for resale. You make money by selling each bobble for more money than you pay.

What and where do bobbles come from?

Most bobbles are made in China and imported to the United States. The advantage to direct importing your bobbles from China, is the low price and high quality of the product versus what the same product would cost if manufactured in the U.S.

Bobbles are manufactured from poly-resin, which has a ceramic quality to it. Because of the nature of poly-resin, manufacturers can offer very detailed designs, each hand-painted.
The down side to importing from China is the time it takes from start to finish. Typically to import a bobble head takes 100 days from start to finish. 30 days is required to make the mold (1st piece), 30 days for production, and another 30 days to ship by boat.

How do I make a bobble?

Unless you are an importer with an established business and contacts in Asia, you most likely don't. Companies in the Far East like to conduct business with those who have experience in dealing with U.S. Customs, international shipping, tariffs and international banking.

More likely is that you find an importer of the merchandise you want to buy, and you purchase the product from them. Let the importer deal with the factory overseas, and make the importer responsible to you.

Where do I find an importer?

It's always best to use word of mouth. Find out from other schools, who they used and if they were happy with the process. Another source would be to use a keyword search on your favorite search engine. Typing "Custom bobble head" or "bobble fundraising" should return some relevant results.

A reputable importer will always supply you a free sample of their product for you to review before you purchase.

How much money can I make?

Your profits are determined by how much you buy. The lower quantity that you buy, the higher price you will pay per unit. If you buy in volume, your price paid per unit will decrease dramatically per unit.

The selling price remains the same regardless of what you buy. The suggested retail of a bobble is $19.99. If you buy in volume, your price will be lower and as a result you will make higher profits per unit.

If you buy 500 bobbles for $5.00/ea and you sell them for $20.00/ea, your group will earn $15.00 per bobble, or $7,500.00

What about sponsorship & bobbles?

Professional sports teams pioneered the sponsored bobble program. Typically when a Major League Baseball Team has a bobble head giveaway day to the first 5,000 fans attending a game, a sponsor picks up the entire tab. Soft drink companies, banks, grocery stores or other interested parties bid on the right to have their logo on the base of the bobble head doll.

Because these bobbles are always produced in limited quantities, demand is high and in most cases when a team gives them away, tickets sell-out in advance. In most cases a professional team can not only recoup the cost of the bobble, but also make a profit over the cost of the whole project.

Assume they can buy 5,000 bobbles @ $3.00/ea, they may charge a sponsor $5.00/bobble. In this case they have earned over $10,000 for giving something away!

Sponsorship can also work at the school level. Although you may not be able to earn $10,000 like the case referenced above, you may be able to sell a sponsorship for $500 - $1,000 to a local car dealer or bank. Remember there is usually no extra cost for adding this feature to a bobble, so this money can go directly to your bottom line.

How long does it take to make a bobble?

Most bobbles take 90 days minimum to be delivered to your door. The steps involved are as follows:

• Have a 3 dimensional piece of art created for your bobble subject. (One week)
• A clay mold of your bobble is hand carved. (One -Two weeks)
• Your final clay mold is painted to your specifications. (Three days)
• If time permits, a sample is sent via International FedEx for final approval. (One Week)
• Upon sample approval production begins. The size of your order will determine the production time. (Two-Four Weeks)
• Your bobbles are consolidated and shipped in a container to the United States by your importer (One Month)
• Bobbles clear customs and are shipped to the final destination. (One Week to Ten days)

Bobble Packaging

This is a very important component of the bobble head. When producing a bobble in low quantities, the typical box used is plain white. Some manufactures wrap the bobble in a "bubble bag", while others use a styrofoam insert. The Styrofoam insert is always preferred as this protects the bobble better.

When production quantities increase, you can get a 4-color box with clamshell insert. This type of packaging is more closely associated with bobbles sold at retail. Although this is not necessary, you may find that it is available to you at no additional charge.

Bobble Shipping

There are two components to shipping a bobble. First is the shipping from Overseas to the United States (estimated time is 30-35 days), second is the shipping from the importer to the final destination (estimated at one week to 10 days).

When importing bobbles, most suppliers combine different orders into the same container. This helps keep the cost down on a per bobble basis. Once bobbles reach the United States, they must be delivered to people who ordered them. The ship method will depend on the quantity ordered. 250 pieces or less are typically shipped via Federal Express or UPS Ground service. This is the most economical and reliable way. Large orders are shipped by truck, where the bobbles are usually shrunk wrapped to pallets to insure safe travel.

When buying bobbles, always determine who is responsible for paying the freight.

Paying for your bobbles

Different suppliers offer different financial terms. As a rule of thumb, most direct importers require a 50% down payment with your order and the balance due before final shipment. This is how they insure they get paid.

In some cases you may find a supplier who will offer your group credit terms. Credit terms are where you pay for your merchandise after you have received it. A common phrase of Net 30 means that you invoice is due 30 days from the date your merchandise was shipped and invoiced.

Selling Your Bobbles

Ok, it takes 90 days to get your bobbles, when can you start selling? Well if you're group is organized, you will have arranged for a presale order form from your bobble importer. A presale order form will allow you to start selling your bobbles well before you receive them.

In most cases you will have about 60 days from the time you approve your bobble sample, to when the merchandise is received. Many bobble fundraisers find that they can pre-sell 100% of their bobbles prior to delivery.

Conclusion

A custom team bobble head if properly planned can be an excellent fundraiser. In most cases it has never been done before at the local school level.

Bobbles are a hot commodity. What was once only for the Big Leagues, is now available for "little guy". Your team can now earn Big League Profits with custom bobble head fundraising.

This FREE how to guide is sponsored by bobblefactory.com, an importer and manufacturer of custom bobble head dolls. They offer minimums as low as 144 pieces, and the lowest prices in the industry. For more information visit www.bobblefactory.com or call toll-free 1-800-437-4517.

The information provided in this How-to fundraise with custom bobble heads is generic in nature. Your experiences may differ. Please contact our sponsor for more details and specific information regarding you fundraiser.

How-to Fundraise with Custom Bobble Heads:
Jeff Baer, Editor and Publisher
TeamBoosters.com
3116 Greenwood Ave.
Highland Park, IL 60035
877-564-5646
info@teamboosters.com

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