Why Some of Our Products Cost Differ

Atsaq Art Tests a few U.S. Suppliers — And Why Every Item Remains Custom, High‑Quality, and Never Mass‑Produced

🪶 A First-of-Its-Kind - A Yup’ik Drop‑Shipping Store

Atsaq Art is likely the first-ever drop‑shipping website in Y-K Delta, offering such a wide variety of products infused with Yup’ik culture and storytelling from remote Bethel, Alaska — from apparel to home décor to inspired pieces.

You won’t find these designs anywhere else, with a blend of tradition and modern Yup’ik style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-mxgKfCV68

This is Yup’ik creativity carried into the digital world — reaching homes across Alaska, the Lower 48, and communities around the world. This year, we welcomed new customers originally from Cameroon, Africa, and Puerto Rico who work at the Yukon‑Kuskokwim Regional Hospital here in Bethel. They shared that they’ll be sending Atsaq Art pieces back home to their families in those places — expanding our circle even farther.

At Atsaq Art, I’m always working behind the scenes to make sure every product you receive is high‑quality, fairly priced, and true to the Yup’ik spirit that inspires everything I create. Over the past year, we’ve been testing similar products from different U.S. suppliers — including Printful in North Carolina and ArtsAdd in Queens — to compare quality, durability, and cost.

Here’s what we’ve learned, and why it matters for you.

The short answer is simple:

Different suppliers face different economic pressures, even when the quality is the same.

Let me show you what that looks like behind the scenes.

Over the past year, we’ve been testing similar products from different U.S. suppliers — including Printful in North Carolina and ArtsAdd in Queens — to compare quality, durability, and cost.

Here’s what we found:

🧵 U.S. Production: Printful (NC) vs. ArtsAdd (Queens)

We’ve compared shirts, dresses, and other apparel from both suppliers. The quality is strong across the board, but the cost structures are very different.

• Printful (North Carolina)   Higher U.S. labor costs, tariff‑affected materials, and domestic overhead make their shirts and dresses more expensive. Printful also uses some supplies sourced outside the U.S., including blank apparel from international brands and imported components like zippers, films, and accessories. And I’ll be honest — like any small business, I will have to adjust a few prices. Some items were being sold at a loss, and raising them slightly will be necessary to keep Atsaq Art sustainable. Most notably, our hoodies — so if you’ve had your eye on one, now is a good time to take advantage before prices shift again.

  
  

• ArtsAdd (Queens, NY) Lower base costs, in‑house manufacturing, and fewer tariff‑inflated components allow them to offer the same quality at a more affordable price. The legal trademark owner of “ArtsAdd” is Fujian Yijiele Electronic Business Co., Ltd. of China, with a U.S. office in Flushing, Queens, NY. This is the entity recognized in U.S. trademark records.

For customers, this means some items cost more depending on where they’re produced — but the craftsmanship never changes.

Note: Heads up, prices on my Printful Inc. supplier has raised thier cost, and I will be raising our hoodie prices soon, take advantage now: https://www.atsaq.art/alaska-native-hoodies

Shirts: Same Quality, Different Cost Structures

When I order shirts from Printful in North Carolina, their product templates - base prices usually fall between:

• $13.95 – $18.95 per shirt

Meanwhile, ArtsAdd in Queens offers similar-quality shirts for:

• $7.00 – $10.00 per shirt

Why the difference?

• Printful uses U.S. labor, which is more expensive

• Many of their blank shirts are imported and hit with tariffs

• Domestic warehousing and shipping add more cost

• But ArtsAdd keeps costs lower because they manufacture their own blanks and avoid many tariff‑inflated materials.

Result: Printful shirts cost 40–60% more, even though the print quality is equally excellent.

Dresses: The Gap Gets Even Bigger

Cut‑and‑sew garments show the biggest price difference.

• Printful dresses: $24.95 – $39.95

• ArtsAdd dresses: $14.00 – $20.00

  
  

Why?

• U.S. cut‑and‑sew labor is significantly more expensive

• Imported fabrics used by U.S. suppliers are tariff‑affected

• ArtsAdd’s vertically integrated production keeps costs down

Result: Printful dresses can cost 50–80% more for the same finished quality.

What This Means for You

I choose suppliers based on quality, reliability, and fairness — not just price. But I also know many of you appreciate affordable options, especially when gifting or outfitting family.

So here’s my commitment:

"I will always offer the same high-quality products, whether it’s produced in North Carolina, California, Queens or China. The only difference you’ll see is the price ."

Why This Matters

Tariffs, oil prices, and supply-chain disruptions affect every U.S. business — especially small Native-owned businesses like mine based in Alaska. These aren’t political issues; they’re economic realities. I am familiar with the challenges of living in Alaska.

By sharing this openly, I hope to help you understand why some items cost more and why I continue to search for the most affordable, reliable partners without compromising quality.

❤️ Quyanaa — Thank You for Supporting a Native-Owned Creative Business

Every purchase supports my family, my community, and the continuation of Yup’ik storytelling through modern design. Your trust means everything, and I’ll always be transparent about how and why I work hard for an art shop in the sky. Because this level of artistry has never existed in the Yukon‑Kuskokwim Delta until now.