What Makes a "Good" Supplier?
Who cares where you get your supplies from anyway? As long as the price is right and delivery is fast, then artists have a bunch of choices. New options arriving every day to make things even easier.
Just like a customer’s choice of who does their tattoo.
That is probably the most unsettling analogy to draw. Choices are much more important because all are not the same and getting that choice wrong can have unexpected consequences.
We continue our series on examining tattoo equipment, supply, regulation and current trends for discussion and debate including some of the major closures we have witnessed over the past year.
This blog article examines what makes a “good” supplier and why it’s important to be aware of what the relationship between the artist and the supplier should provide.
We hope you find it useful.
What do artists think is important?
Over the past two years we have run a survey asking artists what they thought was the most important factor when buying supplies. Asked to select one factor, from a choice of six, here are the results:
The majority of artists seek out Product Quality as their top priority. What quality means is not always clear cut. It does not mean “expensive“ since low cost items can function very well, and more expensive pieces of equipment still break.
Understanding quality comes from experience, as artists find what works best for them by experimenting and advice from mentors and colleagues. Where that is not possible, then a trusted supplier will ensure they only offer quality equipment that does the job it’s meant to.
All of these factors are important of course and the survey allowed only a single selection, so just because Shipping Speed had a top ranking from 15% of artists, does not mean the other 85% don’t think it’s important. It just means that if the equipment doesn’t work properly in the first place, then getting it to you fast doesn’t really achieve much.
The reality is that all of these priorities should set the basic hurdle for a supplier to pass in order to be eligible for consideration by artists for their business. The bare minimum.
Here are three further factors artists can consider that perhaps have the most significant weight in making their buying choices.
1. Legal Protection for your Equipment
Let’s talk about protections you have or do not have in regard to your equipment and supplies should legal action occur.
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) which holds regulatory responsibility over Australia’s Banks, insurance companies and most superannuation funds, released annual insurance statistics concerning Australian insurance activities. Recent statistics report continued climbs in professional indemnity claims and public & product liability claims both in the number of cases made and the value of claim payments made.
Source: https://www.apra.gov.au/national-claims-and-policies-database-statistics
Australian consumer law deems importers to be the manufacturer of the goods they import. The importer takes on the legal responsibility for the equipment and supplies they import. Australian law moves that responsibility to the importer, in our case the tattoo equipment distributor.
This overcomes the difficulty Australian artists would have should a legal action result where a foreign company is the responsible party for the goods or equipment. You will have an Australian based, insured supplier to assist you if such an event occurs.
Suppliers should maintain adequate Public and Product Liability insurance for this reason and establishes legal protection for you as artists.
When an artist buys from a website involving a foreign supply source, they may find themselves exposed. Should they encounter any legal process or action in relation to a tattoo they would likely have more difficulty working with that non-Australian based supplier.
Large online marketplaces such as Temu, Ebay or Amazon sellers include complexities in identifying the actual supplier of the goods you are buying from, or how they may be included in any such event.
This means that if a product you import contributes to the injury or illness of someone using or consuming your product, you could find yourself with greater responsibility for the consequences and process of such legal action by choosing to buy from sources outside Australia.
So, knowing exactly who your supplier is, and choosing one based in Australia that carries required insurance coverage for the tattoo equipment and products they offer goes a long way to protecting an artist and ensuring risks are being managed through suitable insurance coverage, and not placed directly onto their shoulders.
2. Innovation and Artist Support
When a supplier is engaged in the artist community, and loves the world of tattoo, the benefits will be obvious in comparison to one that operates a purely commercial business to sell stuff.
“Good” suppliers that support artists will be ensuring their supplies only reach those working in trained, licensed shops and conditions, preventing backyarders and kids accessing tattoo equipment. They will be attending and sponsoring your shop charity events, flash days, promoting your artists and providing financial support when they commission art or get tattooed.
Something perhaps we don’t immediately think about though is equipment development and innovation.
What does this mean?
Industry Statistics house, IBIS World valued the spend on tattoos in the USA alone as $1.6billion in 2023. That’s just in the USA. Its big business and big businesses attract attention.
Source: https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-statistics/market-size/tattoo-artists-united-states/#:~:text=Questions%20Clients%20Ask%20About%20This,was%20%241.6bn%20in%202023.
Ever notice in a supermarket when all the special brands you like start to disappear in favour of more generic, cheaper replacements? That happens allot and it is happening in tattoo. It is a fact that the majority of the larger, long existing tattoo brands are no longer independently owned and have been purchased by investment houses.
Two large investment groups, The Body Art Alliance and Nexus Brands Group, already own TATSoul, Eternal Ink, FK Irons, Kuro Sumi Ink, Bishop, Critical Tattoo Supply, Painful Pleasures, World Famous Tattoo Ink, Eternal Ink, Perma Blend, Inkeeze. News agency, Reuters reported the possible sale of the Body Art Alliance in August 2023 with a suggested valuation of USD$1billion.
There is nothing wrong with a business owner selling their business, we are talking about what happens after. When a brand transitions from a pet project, or artist passion, and moves into a purely economic investment, it is likely to have performance hurdles to provide a return, increasing revenue or profit most commonly. That’s a common investment model, make money, and make more of it.
An equipment supplier is the main avenue artists access their equipment from, especially in Australia, where importing from the overseas brand direct can be costly as well as the insurance implications we have already mentioned.
A supplier can make a choice to stick with large and popular brands, ones that are established, understood and often ones that provides an easy ordering, delivery and warranty process. Artists know them and buy them. Simple choice.
Where does that leave the innovators? The independent artists working in studios and workshops that create something new, something better.
With a supplier supporting those innovators to get their products out in front of people, to advertise and promote them and tell their story, it is infinitely easier for that artist owned and led new business to emerge and thrive.
So, a “good” supplier has the responsibility to preserve that path for artists and innovation. A “good” supplier will always be looking for new products and developments outside of their normal brands that not only improve the equipment available, but also support artists themselves in creating those independent businesses.
As we have set out at the start of this article, Artists know Quality is a critical factor in making equipment choices. A “good” supplier will know that quality changes over time and by supporting innovation and artist led ideas, it protects those expectations as well as supporting artists building their own developments with their own hands.
Stay tuned for some very exciting announcements we have planned in this area in August 2024 and will be presenting on at the Sydney Tattoo Convention at the Sydney townhall, August 9th-11th which will be recorded and later available on YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/@industrytattoosupply>
3. Helpful Advice
We work in an increasingly convenient and commoditised world. Artists make regular choices on what equipment they wish to use, and from whom to buy from. Increased convenience comes more disposable, single use and cheaper equipment options, as well as more avenues to purchase that equipment from.
With this, it is true that some technical knowledge and machine skills concerning the tools of the artists trade is transferring away from the artist to the manufacturer or supplier.
When the majority of equipment is disposable, click and twist, pre-disbursed, cheap, manufactured by others and delivered within days or even hours, there is an argument that this skillset is largely redundant for the artist.
Shane Enholm put it well when he said “The more efficient our lives get, the dumber we get” in his book Tattoo Machine Discourse Volume II. Get these books (volumes one and two), they are excellent.
The challenge is that the responsibility for equipment has not transferred with that shift in knowledge. You as an artist are responsible for your work and equipment. A warranty is only as useful as the willingness and speed to the manufacturer to help. Unlike your car that gets a flat and you don’t want or know, how to change that tire, there is no 24hr RAC service racing to you on a telephone call to help make your tattoo machine restart when it fails.
The cost of this new worlds efficiency in equipment is the loss of some technical knowledge away from the artist.
You may be saying right now, that’s not true, I know my equipment, I can make repairs, I buy from reputable suppliers who help me if I need it. That’s true. However, just as coil users watched the slow shift to rotaries, we are now watching the next generation move to more convenient shopping solutions, like Amazon, Temu and Big W. You don’t get Amazon dropping by the studio to say hello and check in on how things are going.
This year 2024, Micky Sharpz USA has closed and the UK business is downsizing and reducing their range. After 50 years of trading, National Tattoo Supply finally closed their doors for good last month. These household names in tattoo closed following a shift away from bespoke and crafted equipment and coil machines. The impacts of reduced trading and harder operations over the COVID period was too much.
As this shift grows, it benefits the larger players and mass marketplace sellers. It can end smaller businesses unless they adapt. What a “good” supplier will be doing is ensuring they are able to provide what can be lost from these larger scale operations.
A “good” supplier provides the advice and support over the technical, repair and maintenance of your equipment and making decisions on what equipment may best suit your needs best. Often this is face to face, in the studio or at conventions, but can be through other means like these blog articles, videos on YouTube and socials.
So, look for suppliers that are present in Australia, that communicate on developments and equipment changes or support. When your supplier is there for advice or technical questions you have something valuable.
Decisions
Todays modern supplier won’t exist much longer unless they are a trusted partner for the artist, providing them value from through these key service areas of insurance and accountability, support of innovation and provision of expert and available advice. Things a larger marketplace website does not provide.
Consider how you are using your supplier and question if you getting more from them beyond the simple delivery of an order. If you are, that’s great, if not, then maybe check you are all set without them.
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So you will keep knowledge in its place, where it may rest – where it may gather its kind around it and breed. Bram Stoker