If you run a craft shop, a sewing studio, a costume department or a school program in Canada and need more than a handful of tubes, you buy Speed-Sew in bulk through the company’s wholesale and distributor channel, not a retail checkout. Speed-Sew sells one product in several case-pack configurations. The stocked option is 144 tubes packed in inner 6-packs. Wholesale pricing isn’t published; you request the distributor price list by email. For smaller or one-off needs, retail multi-packs are often the simpler choice. This guide covers how to decide between the two routes, what each packaging option suits, how to ask for pricing, what to confirm about delivery, and how schools and makers can plan quantities and use fabric glue sensibly.

Wholesale or retail: which route fits your order size

The deciding question is volume and how regularly you’ll need it. A direct case order makes sense if you buy full cases (120 or 144 tubes), restock on a schedule, resell the glue, or put tubes into kits. Retail makes more sense if you need a dozen tubes for one term, one workshop or one costume build.

For reference, Speed-Sew’s approximate Canadian retail prices run about CAD 6–22 CAD for a single tube, depending on size, and about CAD 28–55 CAD for multi-packs on Amazon.ca. Prices vary by retailer and change over time, so treat these as a rough benchmark. Retail options in Canada include Walmart Canada (walmart.ca), Amazon Canada (amazon.ca), Michaels Canada and Fabricland. Stock at individual stores varies.

Some buyers fall in between: a community centre running several sessions a year, or a small boutique testing whether customers will buy the product. For them it can be worth asking for wholesale terms before committing to a full case. Compare the per-tube cost from a retail multi-pack (pack price divided by tube count) against the wholesale figure once you have it. Also weigh the work each route creates. Retail means more frequent purchases and receipts. Wholesale means an account setup, case storage and a delivery to receive.

What packaging options are available for larger orders

Speed-Sew states that it has a single SKU with multiple packaging options. Every case contains the same glue. What changes is the number of tubes in a case and how they’re grouped into inner packs. The distributor page lists these configurations:

The 144-tube case with 6-pack inners is described as stocked, so it’s likely the most straightforward order. The 12-pack configuration is marked as a custom order, so ask about lead time before you plan around it. The 120-tube, 3-pack option appears on the same page, but the listing doesn’t say whether it is stocked, so confirm its status.

Retail-ready packaging and bilingual instructions

Speed-Sew’s packaging page says each tube is blister packaged on card stock and packed 144 to a case, with English, French and Spanish instructions. This matters in a few practical ways:

• For shops: blister cards are a common format for hanging display, so individual tubes can go straight onto shelves or hooks without repackaging.
• For schools and programs: English and French instructions on the package help in French-language, immersion and bilingual classrooms, and the Spanish text is there for families who read it.
• For kit builders: each tube arrives individually packaged with instructions, which helps if it goes into a kit and leaves your hands.

Why inner pack size matters

Inner packs determine how easily you can split a case. A school with several art rooms might hand one 6-pack to each teacher and keep the rest sealed in storage. A shop selling three-tube bundles might prefer 3-pack inners so it doesn’t have to break larger packs apart. Sealed inner packs also make stock counts easier, because you can count bundles instead of loose tubes.

How bulk pricing works

Speed-Sew doesn’t post wholesale prices publicly. Its distributor page refers to a confidential distributor price list, which you request by emailing sales@speed-sew.com. The same page links to a wholesale inquiry route and a credit application for buyers who want an account.

Because those figures aren’t public, this guide can’t quote a per-case price. These questions will help you get a complete picture when you write in:

• The price per case for each configuration, and whether the custom 12-pack option costs more
• Any minimum order quantity, and whether a single case is accepted
• Whether larger or repeat orders get price breaks
• Whether terms differ for resellers and end users such as schools
• Which currency the price list uses, and whether freight is included or quoted separately
• Payment options for buyers who don’t want to open a credit account

For schools, procurement rules may decide some of this for you. Many institutions need a written quote, a supplier set up in their system, or a purchase order before anything ships. Tell the sales team what your process requires in the first email so the paperwork matches.

Placing a wholesale order, step by step

These steps are in order because each one depends on the one before it.

1. Estimate your need. Count your users (students, workshop seats, or expected unit sales) and the number of projects or sessions per term or season. If you don’t have past usage data, run a small pilot with retail packs first and note how quickly tubes are used.
2. Choose a configuration. Match the inner pack size to how you’ll distribute the glue: by table group, by teacher, by kit or by shelf.
3. Request the price list. Email sales@speed-sew.com with your organization name, your expected volume, the configuration you want, and your delivery location.
4. Set up payment. Complete the credit application if you want account terms, or confirm another payment method that works for your institution.
5. Confirm logistics in writing. Agree on lead time, freight cost and delivery address before you approve the order (see the next section).
6. Check the shipment on arrival. Count cases against the packing slip, open one inner pack to check tube condition, and report damage or shortfalls promptly.

Delivery and distribution questions to settle early

The source pages describe packaging but say little about shipping logistics. Don’t assume details like dispatch location, carriers or transit times. Ask about them directly. Questions worth raising:

• Lead times: stocked cases and custom-order cases may ship on different schedules. If you’re stocking up for a school term or a holiday selling season, leave time for the custom option.
• Where the order ships from: this affects transit time and whether any import charges apply, so get it confirmed rather than guessing.
• Receiving windows: schools are often closed or short-staffed in summer and over breaks. A case left at a locked loading dock is a problem, so pick a delivery date when someone can sign for it.
• Multiple sites: a school board or a business with several locations should ask whether one order can be split across addresses or must go to a single address for internal distribution.
• Freight on small orders: on a single case, shipping can be a noticeable share of the total. Include it when you compare against retail.

Planning for schools and educational programs

Fabric glue suits classrooms where sewing machines aren’t practical, time is short, or students aren’t ready for needles. It also has limits, and it helps to teach both methods honestly.

Safety and labelling

In Canada, Health Canada regulates consumer products under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA). A “non-toxic” claim on a glue label is the manufacturer’s declaration, not an approval from Health Canada. Health Canada doesn’t evaluate or approve individual fabric glue brands for that claim. Check the product label for safety guidance, especially when children are helping with the craft or the glue is used on children’s clothing. If your school or board requires safety documentation for classroom supplies, request it along with your pricing so it arrives before the glue reaches students.

Practical classroom habits help too: follow the label directions, keep caps on tubes between uses, supervise younger students, and keep spare stock in a staff-only cupboard rather than in student areas.

Projects that suit glue, and where sewing is better

Glue works well for felt crafts, appliqué, decorative trims, patches on tote bags or banners, costume details and quick hems on low-stress items. It’s a poor fit for these:

• High-stress seams such as crotch seams, backpack straps and other load-bearing areas
• Large holes where fabric is missing and there’s nothing to bond to
• Expensive garments where an invisible repair is essential
• Clothing that will face rough play
• Stretch denim that needs to flex as much as possible
• Belt loops, pocket openings and points where several seams meet

For those jobs, sewing gives a stronger, more dependable result. A textiles or family studies unit can compare a glued sample and a stitched sample side by side, which teaches material choice better than either method alone.

Matching method to material

This table works as a quick planning reference or a classroom handout:

Estimating classroom quantities

No reliable per-student usage figure exists, because it depends on the project. A felt bookmark uses far less glue than a costume cape. The most dependable approach is to pilot the project with one class using retail tubes, note how many tubes the class used, and scale from there. Allow a margin for tubes that dry out after being left uncapped, and for students who apply too much.

Planning for craft businesses

Craft businesses generally use bulk glue in one of three ways: reselling individual tubes, adding tubes to kits, or using it in paid workshops and their own production. Each affects which configuration to choose.

• Resale: the individually blister-carded tubes suit shelf or hook display. Check current retail prices at Walmart.ca, Amazon.ca, Michaels and Fabricland so your shelf price makes sense to customers who compare. Ask the sales team whether any resale conditions apply to your account.
• Kits: smaller inner packs make it easier to pull exactly what you need for a batch. Each tube carries its own instructions, which helps once the kit leaves your shop.
• Workshops and production: a stocked 144-tube case is usually simplest. Keep opened inner packs separate from sealed ones so you know what’s in use.

Whatever you sell, describe the product accurately. Stick to what the label says: the glue is marketed as washable and is formulated for fabric. Be clear that results depend on the fabric, the application and the cure time. Telling customers when a seam really needs stitching builds more trust than overpromising, and it means fewer returns.

Application and care tips to share with students and customers

Most disappointing glue repairs come down to technique, not the product. If you’re teaching a group or selling to beginners, this checklist is worth printing:

• Apply a thin, even layer. Too thick prevents a proper cure.
• Press firmly for 30–60 seconds.
• Wipe away excess before it dries.
• Let it cure 24–72 hours before washing.
• Wash inside-out on a gentle cycle.
• Avoid high dryer heat, and check the garment care label.
• Test on a scrap of the same fabric first if you’re unsure.

For classroom projects, the cure time affects scheduling. Plan glued pieces so they can rest undisturbed before students take them home, rather than finishing them at the end of the last class.

Storing bulk stock

A case of 120 or 144 tubes may last a term or longer, so storage matters. Keep unopened inner packs sealed in the original case, store them as the label directs, and use older stock first. Shelf life isn’t stated on the source pages, so ask the sales team about it and about any date or lot coding when you request pricing. That information helps you decide whether one large order or several smaller ones suits your rate of use.

A sensible next step

Before contacting anyone, work out roughly how many tubes you’ll use in a term or season and which inner pack size fits how you hand them out. Then email sales@speed-sew.com for the distributor price list and ask the logistics questions above in the same message. If the numbers don’t justify a full case, retail multi-packs remain a reasonable way to start, and your pilot usage will make a later bulk order easier to size.

Last updated: 1 November 2026