The 7 Best places to buy vinyl (and the 3 worst)

 

 If there is one thing I have learned since getting my cutting machine, it’s how many places have vinyl for you to buy. Craft stores, big box stores, countless websites, and even a local vacuum repair place (yes, really!). At first it was very confusing and I spent a lot of time either spending too much money, or just buying product that honestly, just wasn’t the best. I know there are others out there like me that are just simply overwhelmed by the amount of choices out there! So I wanted to write a post to let you all know my favorite places to buy vinyl, as well as a few places I would personally avoid. I will preface this post with a reminder that this is my own personal experience and may not reflect exactly yours. When in doubt always research and make the best decision for you! 

Here are the 7 best places to buy vinyl (and 3 of the worst)!:

 

*These are in no particular order and any Amazon link is an affiliate link which I will make a small percentage of if you click it which helps me to keep my site running! 🙂 

1. Amazon– You knew amazon was gonna be on this list right? Sometimes you just can’t beat the ease of use and that 2 day free prime shipping. The thing I love most about shopping for vinyl on amazon is that there are hundreds of different sellers all on one platform. You can always read reviews for different customers and if you need something quickly, almost everything on amazon will be at your door in 2 days or less. If you are an area that offers Prime Now, you can have it in 2 hours! A bit of caution when ordering from amazon, if the item doesn’t say “shipped and sold by amazon”, that means it’s sold by a 3rd party vender, so make sure to check the reviews and shipping time, because it will be different that amazon sellers! 
2. Midsouth Crafting Supplies– Midsouth is one of my favorite places to buy vinyl from! They have a HUGE selection of HTV, 651, and specialty vinyl. Their everyday prices are some of the best I have seen, and on top of that they do sales pretty often. Shipping time is quick as well. If you happen to live in the middle Tennessee area you can also order for pick up and pick it up from their warehouse same day, which is always helpful. Make sure to join their mailing list so you can be alerted of their sales.  
3. Expressions Vinyl– Another great online retailor  that I order from often. They are always having great sales and the selection is pretty awesome. The thing I love most about expressions vinyl is the selection of patterned vinyl that they have. So many different patterns that I haven’t seen at other places. Shipping time is usually pretty fast and they have great customer service! 
4. My Vinyl Direct– This is another solid place to buy any type of vinyl you could need for a project. What sets them apart from a lot of other vinyl retailers is that not only do they sell the vinyl, they also sell blanks (tshirts, mugs, ornaments, etc) AND digital files to use on your cutting machine! And they offer local pick up if you are in the Idaho Falls area. 
5. Vinyl Outlet– This is a website I have just recently ran across and I was impressed by their prices and I really love the different bundles that they offer. The bundles are great for beginners that want to check out all the different vinyl colors that are out there, or for small businesses that want to make sure they have lots of color options available for their customers. They also offer specialty vinyl and foils! 
6. Heat Transfer Warehouse– This is probably the most well known vinyl supply websites on this list. Their inventory is HUGE and they are reliable with pretty fast shipping times. My favorite thing about them is that they are a one stop shop. Vinyl, blanks, transfers, rhinestones, and more all available in one place. 
7. My Craft Source– Another big retailor, my craft source has a giant selection of all types of vinyl and they are fantastic for ordering in bulk. My favorite feature of this store is their overstock section. You can snag some killer deals on their overstock of products. Shipping wasn’t super fast, but it was totally reasonable! 

There you have it, my top 7 best places to buy vinyl. And you know what we are moving on to now right? 

Here are my 3 worst places to buy vinyl: 

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Now, some may disagree with me about the 3 places I avoid when buying vinyl, and that’s ok! I have bought vinyl from TONS of places and these 3 places are just well, the worst. 

1. Craft Vinyl .com- ….just don’t. You know when you see prices that look to good to be true? Sometimes they are. Now, I’m not saying that you won’t get the vinyl you order from this company, you probably will. But shipping can take anywhere from days to months. Oh, and if you email to enquire as to where your vinyl might be, he will belittle, make fun of you, post your conversations to his Facebook page, and then cancel your order. This has not personally happened to me as I refuse to support companies that treat people that way, but it’s happened to hundreds of others. Not cool man, not cool. 
2. Michael’s, Joann’s, Hobby Lobby- I know I’m going to get tons of people that disagree with me on this one. I know how convenient it is to be ale to just pop in a store to buy vinyl. There are 2 problems with chain craft stores when it comes to vinyl, one is that their store brands are AWFUL and hard to work with, and 2, the name brand items that they do sell are severally overpriced and always excluded from coupons. Try to find a locally owned craft store to buy your vinyl from if you don’t want to order online! 
3. Wish or Aliexpress– Let me preface this with saying, I love sites like Wish for other things, not for vinyl though. First, shipping can be anywhere from a few weeks, to a few months. It could be sitting out in the heat or cold for days which can warp the material, and it’s never the brand that you order, it’s a cheap Chinese knock off that 9/10 times is hard to work with. 

So, where is your favorite place to buy vinyl? What places do you avoid?