How to Buy Tattooing Supplies

When opening a tattoo shop you'll need certain supplies to get and keep your business running. By finding regular suppliers of these items and tracking the amount used each week, you can confidently supply your tattooing needs on a regular basis.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tattoo suppliers
• Cleaning product supplier
• Office supply store
• Medical supply store
• Inventory software or sheets

1. Purchase major items first. These include sterilization equipment and basic tattooing equipment such as tattoo guns, power supplies, foot switches, autoclaves, ultrasonic cleaners and tattoo furniture.

2. Find a dependable tattoo supplier. This is where you'll buy your basic tattooing supplies like needles, tubes and grips. You'll want to find a supplier that provides a variety of needles in different sizes and the tubes to fit these needles. You can also find those that sell needle and tube combos, especially if you're using disposables. For more information about needles, read the eHow article, "How to Buy Tattoo Needles."

3. Buy tattooing ink. You may find that carrying more than one brand gives you the color choices you desire. There are also different sizes available from ½ ounce up to 4 ounces and 12 ounces or larger for black inks. For more information about purchasing ink, see the eHow article "How to Buy Tattoo Ink."

4. Keep other disposables stocked. Items such as ink caps, rubber bands and grommets for your tattoo machines, barrier film for covering tattoo furniture, green soap, gloves, stencil paper and applicators.

5. Get other disposables locally. Items such as paper towels, spray bottles, petroleum jelly, plastic wrap, disposable razors, bandaging supplies can be purchased locally whenever you need them.

6. Determine which aftercare products to carry. Some shops offer more than one product, while others insist on a specific regimen of aftercare and will only supply the product they suggest.

7. Invest in biohazard supplies. In the tattoo industry there's an inherent risk of contracting certain blood borne diseases, so you should always safely store and dispose of any items that could pose a threat to you and the general public. You can find Sharps containers for needle disposal at most medical supply stores. You may also want to keep red biohazard bags to dispose of anything that may contain blood such as used paper towels and gloves.

8. Establish an account with a cleaning supply company. You can purchase cleaning products from many tattoo supply companies, but you can also find products that kill Hepatitis, AIDS and certain forms of Staph at local cleaning supply stores. By having a local dealer, you can save on shipping cost especially on items you buy by the gallon.

9. Stock your office. There are different requirements depending on the state in which your tattoo shop is located, but many require a certain amount of paperwork and record keeping. To make this job easier a computer and copier will come in handy. You'll also want some sort of filing system to keep customer paperwork, accounts payable and expense information.

10. Keep inventory sheets to help you keep track of the items used, especially those that take a while to receive. You may not want to inventory certain disposables that can be quickly replaced at local stores, but specialized items like different sizes of needles are convenient to track through regular inventory counts.

Tips & Warnings

• Tattoo flash is also a normal requirement, unless you plan on doing custom work exclusively. Flash is simply pictures of standard tattoo designs that customers can choose from or get ideas from. For more information on tattoo flash, read the eHow article, "How to Buy Tattoo Flash Art."
• A tattoo shop should be as sterile as a doctor's office. Be sure to buy tattooing supplies that meet and exceed these standards.
• An autoclave also requires the products needed to run it, such as sealable pouches, indicator strips for spore tests and cleaning solutions.
• If you have a local medical supply store, you can look into purchasing items such as gloves, barrier film, bandaging materials and such from them and save on time and shipping costs.
• Properly dispose of biohazard waste. Don't just place Sharps and items exposed to blood in the regular trash and risk infecting anyone who comes in contact with this garbage. There are companies you can mail Sharps containers to for proper disposal and companies that will come and pick up these and other wastes at your business.

Resources

• Tattoo supply info from LoveToKnow Tattoo
• Tattoo Supply Direct
• Unimax Tattoo supply
• Worldwide Tattoo supply
• Autoclave supplies
• Biohazard waste removal by Stericycle

Who Can Help Sponsored

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[MikePerris]

on 6/7/2008 Great Article. I will personally recommend my favorite shop for tattoo supplies:
http://www.JokerTattoo.net

Excellent customer service, great products, and fast shipping.