What's The Attraction To Rubber Bracelets?

Every once in a great while, a new fashion trend comes along that appeals to nearly everyone, regardless of age, gender, or class. These days, I would have to say that the latest products to earn this kind of distinction are rubber bracelets (also called wristbands). You can see these brightly-colored accessories gracing the wrists of people from all walks of life, from celebrities in Hollywood to average folks in small towns and big cities all across the country. The trend started a couple years ago with the Lance Armstrong Foundation's hugely popular "LiveStrong" bracelets, and has really exploded from there. Now rubber bracelets are commonly available in a variety of colors that support a whole range of causes.

If you are thinking of putting together a fundraiser for a school or a charitable cause, then selling rubber bracelets would be a sure-fire way to quickly generate some cash. These are perfect items to sell because they are very cheap to manufacture (and therefore purchase) in large quantities and because they are wildly popular. There are many companies out there that will customize these wristbands for you, meaning you can get them imprinted with any logo or slogan you want and in any color you want. So if you need to raise money for your high school, you can get rubber bracelets made in your school colors with your mascot, year of graduation, or school name on them. If you want to raise money for a charity, you can get the wristbands in colors typically associated with the cause. For example, you'd choose pink for breast cancer awareness, red for AIDS awareness, etc.

Rubber bracelets are obviously very simple products, so there aren't many things that can go wrong. Nevertheless, you should keep an eye out for a couple of things before placing your custom order. First, check the dimensions of the bracelet being offered by the manufacturer. Although these products are designed on the "one size fits all" principle, there are youth and adult versions available. Obviously you'll have to choose the size that best meets the needs of your target audience. In addition, not all of the rubber bracelets out there have the same material thickness. Some are very thin and flimsy, while others are thicker and sturdier. The LiveStrong wristbands that I mentioned above are about 2mm thick, which is the standard that you should aim for. Anything less than that would likely end up snapping in half after being stretched repeatedly.

A second thing you should do is ask the manufacturer if you can see a sample of one of their finished products. That way, you can check the item for things such as shape (you want it to be round rather than oblong), clarity and readability of the logo or slogan, and whether or not there are visible seams. Quality rubber bracelets are manufactured from a single round mold and should not have any seams present.

Depending on the quantity that you order, you can get custom rubber bracelets for as little as 40 cents a piece -- or even less. And when you consider that they routinely sell for anywhere between $1 and $5, you can that you'll be able to raise a great deal of money for your cause. So get a catchy slogan ready and order your own wristbands today!