Quiltingboard Forums

Quiltingboard Forums (https://www.quiltingboard.com/)
-   Main (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/)
-   -   How does Connecting Thread sell so inexpensively? (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/how-does-connecting-thread-sell-so-inexpensively-t183548.html)

solstice3 03-22-2012 04:45 AM

Love CT. Wish they could stick to made in America.

cannyquilter 03-22-2012 04:54 AM

Just to day would love to give CT a try but they do not shop international other than Canada.

sewNso 03-22-2012 05:10 AM

i like CT also. and the quality is good. i think i got quite a few CW fabric's from them for my DJ. shopping online is also an advantage when you are under the weather.

Wintersewer 03-22-2012 05:12 AM

I'm sure they DO have to pay for these things. Surely, one person does not do it ALL out of their garage.

"An internet only shop does not have to pay for: Rent, utilities, liability insurance, employees, etc."

purplefiend 03-22-2012 05:33 AM

I have ordered some of Connecting Thread's fabrics and I found it to be good quality. I love their threads, never had a problem with any of them. Customer service is wonderful too.

margee 03-22-2012 05:34 AM


Originally Posted by clsurz (Post 5078971)
I haven't bought their fabric yet but do their threads as most of us do in this area and it is a great quality thread. It doesn't break or cause messes with your machines unlike others brands out there.

Since I've never seen their fabric can't really say much about that however many others buy the fabric and love it and IMHO it has to be better than what JoAnn's, Hancocks, Walmart offers at a better price than they do.

I was in JoAnn's yesterday and was shocked to see the quality of the fabric at 9 a yard and looks very much like what Walmart offers at almost 7 dollars a yard. I can go to my LQS in a neighboring town and get alot better fabric than what these two places offer for about $5.95 a yard and if you watch the sale table get it at $3.98 a yard.

I was in JoAnns about 10 days ago & couldn't believe the poor poor poor quality of fabric at $9.99yd. I could see my hand thru the fabric. The whole store looked dull because of the fabric thinness. I have found better fabric at Wallmart for less. If I want good fabric I go to my LQS who sells most at $9.60-10.60 yd with no shipping charges.

Helena 03-22-2012 05:59 AM

I definitely agree. I have placed many orders with them and loved all.

Lynn Street in MI 03-22-2012 06:09 AM

Personally, I want to keep the LQS's in business. On the other hand, a lot of my quilts are donations and gifts, so the more I save on fabric and notions, the more I can donate. What to do? I order a lot of fabrics on line at super sales when available, getting a lot of really beautiful fabrics at $4 or $5 a yard. These are usually in the stash. When I design and select fabrics for a quilt, I try to select a few very special fabrics for pizzazz, most of which come from my LQS, then I use my stash to augment and fill in where needed. I always enjoy going into the LQS and seeing and touching the fabrics. I like giving them my business and chatting with the staff who are mostly always helpful and fun. When I need something special to add to a quilt, I visit the shop with my stash elements and work to jazz it up with shop selections. I also shop their clearance aisle and buy for my stash there. The LQS would always be my first choice, but for stash building, you cannot beat some of the online sales. I just make sure it's a really great price; if it's only a small savings, I go to the LQS first.

Rose Marie 03-22-2012 06:11 AM

In Phx. AZ there is a quilt shop that sells fabrics at reasonable prices. It is called Mulqueens on 59 ave and Northern.
Last time I checked thier fabrics were around $6.98 a yard. The fabric is good quality also. They sell sewing machines and furniture to.
So its not just online stores that sell cheaper.

jaciqltznok 03-22-2012 06:32 AM


Originally Posted by quiltstringz (Post 5078787)
Couple of things to keep in mind. They do have their fabric line and threads manufactured for them, to they do not have to go through a warehouse/distributor to order those - one less markup. They probably also buy their books directly from the publisher - one less mark up. Quilt Shops are ordering Fabrics/Books/Notions, etc. from a Distributor therefore they are paying an additional markup that in itself is a HUGE difference.

An internet only shop does not have to pay for: Rent, utilities, liability insurance, employees, etc.
While you may (or may not) get a better price on items from internet only shops - you also do not get any of their expertise: Help with a pattern/fabric choices, nor can you go in an look around when you just need to get out of the house or have some adult company who understands your hobbies and can put you in a much better mood

CT is a HUGE operation with several warehouses and MANY, MANY employees, they also have a B&M shop. TONS of overhead! Just because someone sells online people think they have NO overhead. I sold online for 10 years and let me tell you, I might have been a small, one woman operation, but I had lots of overhead. Just shipping materials alone can add a fortune to the cost of items! Then comes the insurance riders, utilities, the vehicle, the shipping, the CPA, and the list goes on! Trust me ALL businesses have overhead!


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 11:20 PM.