Why I Stopped Chasing the Cheapest Greeting Card Vendor (And What I Do Instead)

Here's my take: the "always find the cheapest option" approach to ordering greeting cards is costing your company more than you realize. I know that sounds counterintuitive. But after managing office supplies and holiday card ordering for a 120-person company since 2020—roughly $8,500 annually across 6 vendors—I've learned that the sticker price on boxed Christmas cards is maybe 30% of the actual cost equation.

Let me explain why I think this way now. Because I didn't always.

The Invoice That Changed Everything

In 2021, I found what looked like an amazing deal on boxed Christmas cards. We're talking $2.40 less per box than American Greetings was offering at the time. I ordered 45 boxes for our client appreciation mailing. Felt pretty good about myself, honestly.

The vendor couldn't provide a proper invoice. Handwritten receipt. No itemization. Finance rejected the expense report. I ate $324 out of the department budget and had to explain to my VP why our holiday mailing was delayed by two weeks while I scrambled to reorder from a legitimate supplier.

I still kick myself for not verifying invoicing capability before placing that order. If I'd spent five minutes asking about their billing process, I'd have saved myself a month of stress and a chunk of budget.

What the "Cheap" Price Actually Hid

It's tempting to think you can just compare unit prices on greeting cards. But identical specs from different vendors can result in wildly different outcomes. That discount vendor's cards? The print quality was noticeably worse—colors looked washed out, card stock felt flimsy. Several clients actually commented on it. Not the impression we were going for.

The "always get three quotes" advice ignores the transaction cost of vendor evaluation and the value of established relationships. When I factor in my time spent researching, ordering samples, chasing customer service, and dealing with issues? The "savings" evaporate fast.

Three Reasons I've Become a Boring, Loyal Customer

First: predictable invoicing saves everyone's sanity. Look, I'm not saying budget options are always bad. I'm saying they're riskier when you need clean documentation. Our accounting team processes maybe 200 vendor invoices monthly. They don't have time to chase down missing information or reconcile weird formats. A vendor like American Greetings that integrates with standard ordering systems and provides proper itemized invoices? That's worth something real.

Second: consistency matters more than I initially thought. When our company expanded to 3 locations in 2023, I had to consolidate greeting card orders for 400 employees across different offices. Using American Greetings' online ordering system—yeah, the one with the printable cards option—cut our ordering time from about 6 hours to under 2 hours. Plus it eliminated the "why does the Chicago office have nicer holiday cards than us" complaints we used to get.

Third: promo codes and coupons actually add up. Here's the thing: most of those hidden fees from sketchy vendors are avoidable if you work with established suppliers who run legitimate promotions. I've saved probably $600-800 annually just by timing our large orders around American Greetings sales. The promo codes are real discounts, not bait-and-switch situations.

But Wait—Aren't You Just Being Lazy?

Fair question. Some people would argue I'm leaving money on the table by not constantly shopping around. And yeah, maybe occasionally I am.

But between you and me? The best part of finally getting our greeting card process systematized is this: no more 3am worry sessions about whether the holiday cards will arrive on time. No more awkward conversations with Finance about rejected expense reports. No more apology emails to clients about delayed mailings.

What was best practice for me in 2020—aggressively hunting for the lowest price on every single order—doesn't apply in 2025. The fundamentals haven't changed (get good cards at reasonable prices), but my execution has transformed completely.

What I Actually Check Now

Three things, in this order:

Can they invoice properly? Do they have consistent quality I can count on? Is their customer service reachable when things go wrong?

Price comes after those three. Not before.

According to USPS pricing effective January 2025, a First-Class Mail large envelope (1 oz) costs $1.50, with $0.28 for each additional ounce. When you're mailing hundreds of boxed Christmas cards, those postage costs dwarf any per-card savings you might find from a discount vendor. Better to spend your energy optimizing postage batching than chasing a $0.15 difference on card stock that might disappoint your recipients anyway.

The Real Bottom Line

There's something satisfying about a perfectly executed holiday mailing. After coordinating orders, personalizing cards for key clients, and managing the logistics—seeing everything arrive on time and looking professional? That's the payoff.

I'm not saying you should never look for deals. I'm saying the cheapest greeting card vendor is usually cheap for a reason. And when that reason shows up as a rejected expense report, a delayed mailing, or cards that embarrass you in front of clients—suddenly that 12% discount doesn't feel like such a win.

Real talk: your time has value. Your company's reputation has value. Your sanity definitely has value. Factor those in before you chase the lowest number on the screen.