Commit-Buy-Sell (CBS) Programs

ICBA Commit-Buy-Sell Program
As an ICBA Member Store, you are invited to join the ICBA Commit-Buy-Sell (CBS) Apparel Program. Currently the CBS Apparel Program offers adult and youth t-shirts, fleece crewnecks, hoodies and pants, polo shirts, and headwear. Additional CBS Programs are in the process of being created.

CBS Apparel Program
The ICBA CBS Apparel Program continues to grow and deliver value to your store by reducing your store cost by up to 50% and more. The CBS Program products are quality products from well-known companies. They are not “cheap,” nor inferior to what you currently carry in your store.

"The ICBA Commit-Buy-Sell Program is truly one of the best programs in the industry today. It is a program that offers any size of store the opportunity to increase t-shirt sales and margins, while offering the customer a quality product. I can not imagine operating a college store apparel department without this plan." 
    ~ Mike Reed, Director, Boise State University Bookstore

Sell & Gain with the ICBA Apparel Program
The ICBA CBS Apparel Program is an easy win for all ICBA stores, no matter your store size or market. For the 2009-2010 CBS Apparel Program, the smallest commitment was 72 pieces and the largest was 25,000 pieces. Your dollar investment in the program is also accessible and manageable.

Here are just a few examples of how ICBA stores are using their CBS Apparel Program:

• Move your traditional, best-selling graphics (arch school name, seal, mascot, etc.) to the CBS t-shirt and realize the extra margin dollars
• Use the CBS t-shirt as your “everyday low price” t-shirt to improve perceived overall low prices. For example, try three for $20, two for $12. For crewneck fleece, try $14.95 and for hoodies, try $19.95.
• Use the CBS Apparel Program as your promotional shirt (example $5.00 Secret Sales for t-shirts, $10.00 Secret Sales for crewneck fleece, etc.) to bring traffic to your store, promote value and increase goodwill.
• Use the CBS apparel for campus and community group orders creating positive support for your store.
• Use the CBS apparel for donation requests without cutting into your margin and still supporting your school.

Commit to the CBS Apparel Program
As the name states, this is a committed buying model requiring you to purchase the quantity of t-shirts, fleece or other products to which you commit. Of course, you are free to buy more than your original commitment. And if the selected vendors’ proposals require a minimum order that your commitment does not meet, you are free to drop out of the CBS program without penalty.

Buy into the CBS Apparel Program
ICBA stores who commit to participate in the CBS Apparel Program submit up-front commitments for the specific product categories listed before you know which vendor will be selected. Invitations to Negotiate (ITN) are sent to all interested vendors in our industry with the total number of t-shirts, fleece and polos committed by stores. Your upfront commitments enable the Product Opportunity Task Force (POTF) to negotiate pricing and terms with the vendors from a position of strength. You will not know who the final vendor(s) is until all of the negotiations are complete. The POTF evaluates and selects vendor proposals based on the traditional ICBA evaluation criteria (quality, price, shipping, service, minimum, colors, etc.).

Once the vendor(s) is selected, ICBA stores will fulfill their upfront commitments by placing orders directly with the vendor during the program year.

History of the Commit-Buy-Sell Program (CBS Program)
In 2005 the ICBA Board of Directors created the Product Opportunity Task Force (POTF) with the wide-open charge to discover and develop innovative approaches to any and all products sold by ICBA stores. The task force continues to research new products.