Overseas vs.
the local NJ press.

Don't frame this as "who's cheaper." China wins on unit cost and always will — the US blank alone costs about what a finished China tee costs landed. The real axes are volume and certainty. Each corner has a natural home.

Local earns its premium in three corners; China owns the bottom-right. The projection below lets you put dollars on that split.

Pulled from your invoices. China's price arrives retail-ready (poly-bagged, barcoded, folded). The NJ rate bundles the US blank and the print, but folding and barcoding land on your team — so that labor is part of the honest all-in.

—

Set your volumes, prices, and how much of production you route to NJ. The model compares three paths — all China, your hybrid, and all local — on raw gross profit and on profit adjusted for the two things overseas quietly costs you: dead inventory and sales missed while winners are out of stock for 30–40 days.

Dead-stock and missed-sales penalties apply only to overseas-sourced units — that's the financial form of local's speed and small-batch flexibility. Working capital reflects a 40% deposit on overseas orders, cash that's locked before you sell a thing.

The unit-cost gap isn't the whole story. China asks for a 40% deposit and ties up cash for 30–40 days before goods arrive. Local pays on pickup, week 1. Against a real $8,908 checking balance (current QBO), a single $58k China deposit isn't just expensive — it's a financing decision. This timeline models 12 weeks of cash impact under each path for a representative reorder.

—