Quick answer: Compare Lansing buttons at wholesale and retail. Learn how assortment, pack size, minimum order, shipping and project needs affect the real price per button.
Lansing (Blumenthal Lansing) buttons sit in the mid-to-budget tier: they’re mass-market craft and sewing buttons with solid everyday quality, wide assortments, and generally affordable pricing. For a US buyer, you’re usually looking at a few dollars per retail pack at stores like Michaels or Instacart, and meaningfully lower per-button costs once you step up to wholesale cases or liquidation lots. They’re not designer trims, but for most craft projects and basic garments they perform well enough that the question is less “are they good?” and more “is this the cheapest sensible way for me to buy this level of button?”
How Lansing Buttons Fit Into the Button Market and Your Budget
“Lansing buttons” today usually means Blumenthal Lansing–branded craft and sewing buttons. Historically, Blumenthal Lansing has been described as a manufacturer, importer, and distributor that supplied both wholesale and retail markets, with thousands of styles flowing into mass-market retail chains.
You still see that positioning reflected in where the brand shows up:
- Amazon carries assorted Blumenthal Lansing craft button packs marketed as bargain or budget-friendly assortments.
- Michaels sells Blumenthal Lansing Favorite Findings themed assortments around the $4.99 retail price point, for example its black-and-white pack of mixed buttons.Source
- Instacart listings like Blumenthal Lansing Big Fun Round Buttons show starting online prices around $4.49 per pack for US shoppers.Source
At those prices, Lansing-level buttons are clearly not luxury fashion hardware. They compete with other mass-market plastic and resin buttons: inexpensive, colorful, and convenient for small projects and kid crafts.
Compared with specialist houses like Buttonology Inc., which offers everything from horn and corozo to shell and metal in both small packs and 10,000+ piece bulk, Lansing is simpler:
- Mostly plastic/resin and basic metals
- Packaged for retail convenience (cards, bags, jars)
- Meant for general-purpose sewing and crafts rather than high-fashion or uniform spec work
If you’re running a budget Etsy shop, sewing kids’ clothes, or kitting out craft classes, that’s often exactly what you need. If you’re building a premium apparel line, Lansing is usually the wrong tier—you’d look at higher-end materials and more controlled style continuity.
What Drives the Cost of Lansing Buttons in Retail vs Wholesale
For Lansing buttons, your real cost per button is shaped by three things: pack format, channel, and volume.
Retail pack pricing: handy but high per-button cost
Take the Instacart example: Blumenthal Lansing Big Fun Round Buttons starting around $4.49 per pack for US online prices.Source Michaels’ Favorite Findings themed pack sits around $4.99.Source
If those packs hold, say, 20-40 buttons (a common range for craft assortments), your rough cost per button ends up in the ballpark of:
- $4.49 ÷ 20 buttons ≈ $0.22 each
- $4.49 ÷ 40 buttons ≈ $0.11 each
That’s acceptable for:
- A hobbyist finishing one cardigan
- A crafter making a few hair clips or bookmarks
- A small shop selling kits or finished goods where buttons aren’t the main cost driver
It’s expensive once you start thinking in hundreds or thousands of buttons.
Wholesale and case pricing: better for resellers and small brands
Wholesale channels convert Lansing’s mass-market nature into better unit economics.
TheBazaarInc, a wholesale-focused site, offers Blumenthal Lansing Small Button Collector Jars (1.5 oz of assorted buttons) with case pricing aimed at resellers.Source A case price example around $45 for multiple jars means you’re paying for bulk inventory, not just one or two retail packs.
Even without an exact button count per jar, you can see the shift:
- Retail jars or packs: ~$4.50–$5 for a single unit aimed at end consumers
- Wholesale case: a larger outlay (e.g., ~$45) that divides across many jars and many more total buttons
Wholesale programs for buttons in general often apply discounts of roughly 10%–50% off retail, depending on the button’s cost and availability.Source Lansing inventory moving through wholesale or liquidation channels tends to mimic that pattern—your per-button cost drops because you’re buying more units and the seller is pricing for resale margins.
A simple cost-per-button example
Imagine you’re choosing between:
- Retail: 10 Lansing packs at $4.99 each from Michaels for a craft class
- Wholesale: A Lansing jar case at $45 from a distributor
If each retail pack has 25 buttons:
- 10 packs × 25 buttons = 250 buttons
- 10 packs × $4.99 ≈ $49.90 total
- Per-button ≈ $49.90 ÷ 250 ≈ $0.20
If the wholesale case nets you, conservatively, 600 buttons across multiple jars:
- Total cost ≈ $45
- Per-button ≈ $45 ÷ 600 ≈ $0.075
Wholesale in this scenario cuts your per-button cost by more than half, while keeping you at roughly the same Lansing quality level. That difference is what makes volume the key driver: for low volume, retail convenience wins; for repeated use, you’re leaving money on the table if you never move up to case or bulk.
Price Factors Specific to Lansing: Assortments, MOQ, and Use Case
Lansing isn’t just selling single-style shirt buttons; the brand leans heavily on assortments.
Assorted jars vs specific styles
Products like Blumenthal Lansing Collector Jars are assorted: mixed sizes, colors, and styles packaged in a single container. For crafting, that’s a plus—you get variety for collage work, scrapbooking, or mixed-media projects.
For apparel production, it’s wasteful:
- You may use only 30%–50% of the jar on actual garments.
- The rest becomes dead stock or craft scrap, which you still paid for.
If your use case is:
- Crafts/classes/DIY kits: Lansing assortments can be excellent value—variety is part of the product.
- Apparel or accessories: Paying Lansing prices for assortments when you need coordinated sets of identical buttons (e.g., 300 matching 18 mm black 4-hole buttons) is inefficient. A specialist like Buttonology or a generic bulk supplier gives you tighter control over style and waste.
Minimums and scale
Lansing’s historic business model was built around selling both to mass retailers and wholesale accounts, so minimum order quantities (MOQs) tend to show up on the wholesale side, not the consumer side.
- Retail: 1 pack or jar, no MOQ beyond store stock.
- Wholesale/cases: minimum case or carton quantities, designed for resellers or small distributors.
By contrast, specialist sites like Buttonology Inc. openly serve buyers from ~12 pieces up to 10,000+, shipping worldwide. That makes them more flexible if you know exactly what you want and need either very small or very large runs.
When Lansing-level spend is smart—and when it isn’t
Smart spend scenarios:
- Local sewing and craft classes where students share assortments
- Etsy or marketplace sellers producing unique, decorative items that don’t require exact button repeats
- Repair/mending kits for general household use
Wasteful scenarios:
- Fashion brands that need precise matching and replenishable trims
- Uniforms or workwear where durability and spec’d materials (metal, horn, corozo) matter more than assortment
- High-volume ecommerce where margins are tight and every cent on trims counts
If your work falls in the second bucket, Lansing’s convenience-focused packaging and assortments become a hidden markup relative to more targeted bulk sourcing.
Comparing Sourcing Channels for Lansing and Lookalike Buttons
The same Lansing-level look and quality can be sourced through several channels. Here’s how they stack up for US buyers and small ecommerce shops.
| Channel & Typical Example | What You Actually Get | Cost Profile (per button) | Best For | Key Tradeoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big-box retail (Michaels, Walmart via Instacart) | Branded Lansing packs or small jars (Favorite Findings, Big Fun, etc.) | Roughly $0.10–$0.25 based on ~$4.49–$4.99 packs and typical assortment counts | Hobby sewing, low-volume craft projects, emergency mending | Highest per-button cost but lowest friction; predictable quality; limited styles per visit |
| Domestic wholesale/distributors (TheBazaarInc cases) | Lansing jars/cards sold by the case for resellers | Often 10%–50% below equivalent retail on a per-unit basisSource; exact per-button cost depends on jar contents | Craft stores, class organizers, small brands using assorted trims | Requires larger upfront spend; assortment means some waste for apparel use |
| Liquidation/secondary market (eBay Lansing lots) | Vintage or discontinued Lansing cards and mixed lots, often at discount | Per-button cost can be low, especially in large mixed lots, but varies by seller | Resellers flipping vintage cards, crafters who like older styles | Stock is inconsistent; styles and quantities are irregular; no brand-level continuity guarantees |
| Cross-border generic buttons (e.g., Cross-border multi-seller resin/metal lots) | Generic resin or metal buttons in bulk lots, no Lansing branding | Example listings show 10-100 piece resin lots around $18–$19, and lapel/coat buttons in the ~$1–$3 per-lot range, so per-button cost can drop well below typical US retailSourceSource | Apparel and craft sellers prioritizing low cost per button and style variety over brand name | Must confirm current price, lot size, and materials on each listing; longer lead times and import friction; style continuity depends on individual suppliers |
For cross-border examples, DHgate illustrates the generic option:
- A listing titled “Size: 9~25mm, 10-100Pcs/Lot, 4-2 holes, White Black Transparent Resin Buttons…” sits around $18–$19 per lot as observed on 2026-09-16.Source
- Another “High-Quality Resin Lapel Buttons for Casual Jackets” listing shows lapel button lots in the roughly $1.01–$1.87 range.Source
Because these are generic resin and lapel buttons rather than Lansing-branded cards, they’re useful if your priority is cost per piece and style variety, not brand continuity. You need to check each listing for current price, quantity, and material specifics, and decide whether cross-border sourcing fits your timelines and import comfort level. If you’re comparing such marketplaces with others, this overview of DHgate vs AliExpress, Alibaba and Temu can help frame broader platform differences.
Stretching Your Button Budget Without Sacrificing Quality
If Lansing-level quality feels about right—mass-market resin/plastic with decent durability—you can push your costs down without dropping into frustratingly cheap hardware.
Use this checklist as you plan buys for projects or inventory.
1. Match material to use, not just to price
DHgate’s button material guidance notes that plastic buttons tend to be more budget-friendly but generally less durable than metal, leather, or wood options.Source For Lansing-like plastic/resin buttons:
- Use them confidently for light garments, kids’ clothes, and decorative crafts.
- Consider upgrading to metal or other stronger materials for stress points (jeans, workwear, heavy coats), even if that means sourcing outside Lansing.
Paying a few cents more per button for critical garments is cheaper than dealing with returns or repairs.
2. Mix branded assortments with generics
You don’t have to choose Lansing or generics exclusively:
- Keep a few Lansing assortments on hand for visible, decorative uses (craft fronts, visible plackets).
- Fill backs, hidden closures, or internal uses with generic bulk buttons that match color and size.
That blend keeps the project looking good while shifting a chunk of volume to lower-cost, non-branded stock.
3. Time retail buys around sales—and step up to cases when you repeat
For low-volume buyers:
- Watch Michaels/Instacart pricing on Lansing packs; occasional promotions make retail more tolerable per button.
Once you notice you’re buying the same Lansing packs repeatedly:
- Price out a wholesale case or distributor jar instead of your next 10 retail packs.
- Use the simple per-button math from earlier; if your volume is a few hundred buttons per quarter or more, wholesale almost always wins.
If you’re comfortable with import paperwork and want deeper discounts, you can also consider cross-border wholesale and keep an eye on duties and taxes. To plan for that, it helps to understand customs, tariffs and import fees so the landed cost doesn’t surprise you.
4. Use liquidation lots strategically
Liquidation listings of Lansing cards or mixed jars on eBay can be a bargain source of quality buttons if you:
- Treat them as design inspiration and one-off inventory, not core trims you need to replenish.
- Sort and store them as you receive them, so you actually use the good pieces rather than letting them sit.
For small ecommerce sellers, liquidation lots can become “limited edition” runs—when the buttons are gone, that product variant retires or shifts to a different trim.
5. Negotiate MOQs and styles with wholesalers and specialists
Domestic wholesalers and specialist button houses often have flexible ranges:
- Mood Fabrics mentions wholesale discounts from about 10% to 50% off retail depending on cost and availability.Source
- Buttonology Inc. explicitly sells from small packs through 10,000+ pieces.
If Lansing assortments are close but not ideal, it’s worth requesting quotes for:
- Specific colors/sizes in bulk
- Mixed cartons that reduce waste for your particular product mix
Wholesalers may not label those as Lansing, but you end up with Lansing-level quality at a better fit and price.
6. Avoid false economies
It can be tempting to chase the absolute cheapest button lots you see—especially cross-border listings. Before you do:
- Calculate per-button cost including shipping and import fees.
- Decide where low durability is acceptable (scrapbooking, decorative items) and where it is not (customer garments, kids’ clothes).
If you’re building a real brand, staying roughly at Lansing’s mass-market quality floor and optimizing around it is usually safer than dropping to unknown ultra-cheap trims.
For additional DHgate platform context, use Find wholesale suppliers on DHgate.
Button selection card
For each option, record the diameter in millimetres, sew-through or shank construction, material, colour, quantity per pack, price per usable button, shipping and whether the supplier can maintain the same style for future repairs or production. Test a small order when colour matching, laundering or repeated use matters. Wholesale is only better value if you will use the mix of sizes and colours rather than leaving half the assortment unused.
Lansing Buttons FAQ
Are Lansing buttons cheaper wholesale?
They can be, but only after the case size, freight, assortment mix and the number of buttons you will actually use are included in the cost per button.
What should I check before ordering button assortments?
Check diameter, shank or sew-through style, material, colour consistency, quantity per size and whether the assortment fits the garment or craft project.