What’s the Average Turnaround Time for a Custom Deal Toy?

How long will it take to produce your custom deal toy? If you’ve been looking for a precise answer to this question online, you’ve probably been disappointed. You may already have seen estimates of anywhere from 1-6 weeks, which seems to provide an almost meaninglessly broad range of possibilities.

After all, getting something in a week sounds considerably different than having to wait a month and a half.

But most of these estimates, however seemingly vague, are pretty reliable. A good rule of thumb is to allot about 4-6 weeks for the entire deal toy process. Generally speaking, that will often be sufficient time for you to finalize a custom deal toy design, approve full production, and ultimately receive your pieces.

But that probably only goes so far in addressing your real, underlying concerns.

You may be hoping to approach the custom deal toy process a little more strategically.

You may want to understand where and why your order might fall at any given point in that vast 1-6-week continuum. That might require a more thorough understanding of the factors that could influence—even dictate—your eventual timeline.

And that’s especially true if you need deal toys for a closing dinner, or face some other deadline.

This post will lay out some of the factors affecting the timing of your deal toy order. The goal here is two-fold. This information will help you make better decisions regarding your options. But it’s also intended to help anyone given the responsibility for ordering deal toys better explain, and account for, those decisions to other members of your group.

Some vendors promise quick turnaround times for “custom deal toys”. They’ll then show you prefab pieces lacking any truly “custom” touches.

What Exactly is a “Custom” Deal Toy?

Some deal toy vendors use the word “custom” inaccurately, if not deceptively.

They hold out as “custom” prefab pieces that are literally pulled off a shelf and simply engraved or printed with your deal terms.

Excluding off-the-shelf items, a wide spectrum of deal toy designs could still qualify as being “custom”. A custom design could be highly intricate and complex. But that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.

There are ways of bringing creative, “custom” touches to relatively simple designs. It’s still very possible for a standard or “basic” design to incorporate distinctive elements and have high perceived value.

Not surprisingly, as with most things in life, the more complicated and involved the design, the longer a deal toy will require for production.

But again, if you’re pressed for time, your creative options aren’t completely curtailed. A simpler approach doesn’t have to result in an uninspired, generic design. (Elsewhere on this site we highlight some overlooked “basic” deal toy designs that can still have considerable cachet.)

Your choice of materials can have a significant impact on turnaround time—and for more than one reason.

How Your Choice of Materials Impacts Turnaround Time

The most significant factor in turnaround time for custom deal toys involves materials.

You should recognize that certain media, notably pewter and resin, will usually require substantially more set-up time (and expense). Both options tend to involve the creation of molds, a process that can be highly time-consuming. It’s not unusual for a custom mold of this sort to require 4-6 weeks of production time alone.

Other materials, notably Lucite and crystal, allow for quicker production times.

But here you have to be alert to the self-serving claims of some vendors that specialize in only one material.

Some factories that only offer crystal deal toys and awards, for instance, unsurprisingly often push crystal as being your “fastest” option. A vendor’s guidelines on materials should be based on your specific deadline and circumstances, and not on obvious self-interest. Be wary of any ironclad, all-purpose claims made by vendors with an agenda.

That said, once a design has been finalized and approved, Lucite orders will generally require about 10 business days for production and shipping. Crystal, on the other hand, will generally require about 14 business days for delivery after the approval of a design. Please note that your location will affect these estimates, as explained below.

Factory Locations and Shipping Times

Your selection of materials affects timing in another significant way: factory locations.

There are a handful of competent Lucite manufacturing facilities in the United States. But the best Lucite facilities—especially the ones most capable of reliably producing custom designs—tend to be in Canada. Shipping times, therefore, tend to be of the sort you’re accustomed to from businesses in North America. That means generally about 1-5 business days depending on your location and what kind of service (ground vs, priority vs. overnight, etc.) you have selected.

Shipping times for crystal are longer—and this again is due to the location of the relevant factories. The overwhelming majority of the vendors offering “custom” crystal in the U.S. and Canada are making use of stock and prefab pieces. By contrast, the factories that can fulfill small-batch, truly custom designs are located in China. Shipping times for completed orders can therefore typically range from about 4-6 business days.

A Warning about Expedited Shipping Traps

Shipping is an unavoidable factor in calculating turnaround times.

But if you’re facing a tight deadline, you should be wary of certain pitfalls in opting for expedited or priority shipping for your order.

Before you spring for expedited shipping, make sure you think through your options fully.

For instance, do you really need all the pieces in your order to be delivered by a certain date? Could some part of your order (most likely those pieces going to internal recipients) be sent by non-priority service? If so, taking advantage of that option could save you a considerable amount of money.

Custom Deal Toy Turnaround Time and Order Size

It might seem self-evident that larger orders tend to require more production time than smaller ones.

This is especially true with custom deal toys since much of the labor performed in their production is done by hand. This is largely the case whether the material is crystal, Lucite, wood, etc.

Be sure to share the expected quantity of your order with your vendor as early in the process as possible. Most estimates of turnaround time are based on a standard order size of approximately 25 pieces. If your vendor knows early on that your order will significantly exceed that number, you have a much greater chance of meeting your deadline.

Certain custom designs–such as this one incorporating an actual drug vial—may require a physical sample. Still, there are ways of streamlining this process.

Factoring in Time for a Custom Deal Toy Sample

Ordering a sample piece prior to placing the custom deal toy order is a common practice. It’s also a highly beneficial one, especially with more custom deal toy designs. A physical sample provides your deal team the opportunity to inspect and approve the design.

Admittedly, you may not have enough time to inspect a physical sample. Even so, one enduring change in the deal toy process brought about by the pandemic involves the approval of samples.

It’s now increasingly common for samples to be approved on the basis of detailed photographs sent from the production factory—rather than having the physical sample itself shipped to your location. This can save a meaningful amount of time, and still provide you with peace of mind before proceeding with the full order.

Please note that some custom designs, such as those involving Lucite embedments such as drug vials, will ordinarily require a physical sample.

Your account executive can help you determine whether a physical sample is advisable based on your specific design and deadline.

Your Custom Deal Toy Order and The Corporate Presence

Over the course of 40+ years, The Corporate Presence has gained invaluable experience and insights into streamlining the custom deal toy ordering process. We’ll be responsive in providing guidance—whether you’re looking for immediate tips on ordering rush deal toys, or simply want to understand the process more fully.

Keep in mind as well that you yourself have a good deal of control in shaping turnaround times.

For instance, you can save time at the very outset of the process by providing your vendor with specific information about your precise deadline, expected quantity, and any special shipping arrangements. Similarly, you should anticipate being asked to furnish all necessary logos in their proper, vector formats.

We’re happy to guide you through these details, and all other elements of ordering a custom deal toy. Get the process started now. Reach out to us today.

David Parry is the Director of Digital Strategy for The Corporate Presence, and for Prestige Custom Awards, a designer and provider of custom corporate awards ranging from creative employee and client recognition pieces to the N.F.L. Commissioner’s Awards, and ESPN’s ESPY awards.