Six cycles is close to a year of move-ups. Buying that far ahead is possible by ordering the packs you need, and it's rarely worth it: there are no volume discounts here, so holding a year of stock costs cash flow and storage in exchange for nothing but convenience.
There is no six-cycle pack either
One pack size, 60 tabs, $45. Six cycles is six to twelve of those depending on density, ordered as packs. We will not bundle them into a box and call it a product. The cycle-to-pack conversion
Six cycles at a six-to-eight week interval is roughly nine months to a year, so this is really a question about holding a year of stock.
It is a fair question with an unglamorous answer, and the answer is mostly no.
What a year actually looks like
| Density | Packs per cycle | Cycles a year | Packs a year | At $45 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine | 1 | 7 to 8 | 7 to 8 | $315 to $360 |
| Medium | 2 | 7 to 8 | 14 to 16 | $630 to $720 |
| Thick | 2 | 7 to 8 | 14 to 16 | $630 to $720 |
That is the recurring cost of tape-ins laid out plainly, and this is the number most people don't see before they start. It is also the number you would be paying up front to hold a year of stock.
The three arguments against
- No volume pricing. Sixteen packs cost sixteen times one pack, so the only thing bought is convenience.
- Storage conditions. A year of tabs has to sit cool, dry and out of direct sunlight for a year, and a salon is a warm room.
- Cash flow. For a stylist that is several hundred dollars sitting on a shelf instead of in the business, for no discount.
- And we publish no shelf life, because we haven't tested one. Holding stock for a year against an untested shelf life is a risk we would not take ourselves.
What we would do instead
- Hold one cycle plus a spareEnough for everyone booked in the next six to eight weeks, and one pack of margin.
- Reorder when you open the last packA simple trigger that does not require tracking anything.
- Keep it out of the warmNot the shelf above the dryers. Cool, dry, out of sunlight.
- RotateOldest packs first, even without a published shelf life. It costs nothing to be careful.
That is the whole system. It holds less stock, costs the same per pack, and means nothing sits in a warm room for eleven months.
When holding more does make sense
If you are somewhere shipping is slow or unreliable, holding two or three cycles rather than one is sensible insurance. International orders typically take seven to fourteen business days and customs can add to that, which is a real argument for a deeper buffer.
What we are talking you out of
A larger order, which is an odd thing for a shop page to do. We would rather say it than have a year of tabs sitting somewhere warm and hear about it later.
There is no discount we are withholding. The only price variation is the licensed-stylist discount on proof of licence.
And if you do hold a year, store it properly and rotate it. We have no shelf-life data to reassure you with.
What we sell for this
Close to this question
- Tape tabs, three-cycle pack. Converts cycle-count buying into pack counts and explains why a fixed cycle pack cannot exist.
- Bulk tape-in extension supplies. States the absence of wholesale tiers and covers stock-holding arithmetic for a station.
- Tape-in extension refill. Works out reorder intervals for each consumable so someone can plan rather than run out mid-appointment.
- Cost for tape-in extensions. Total cost of ownership across a full year, separating hair, labour and recurring consumables.
Questions we get asked
Can I buy a year of tabs at once?
You can order the packs. There is no bundle and no discount for doing it, so it buys convenience rather than savings.
How many packs is a year?
Seven to eight for fine hair, fourteen to sixteen for medium or thick, at seven to eight move-ups a year.
Will tabs still be good after a year on a shelf?
We do not publish a shelf life because we have not tested one. Stored cool, dry and out of sunlight, packs haven't failed for us, but that is experience rather than data.
Is there any discount for large orders?
No volume tiers. A licensed-stylist discount of around 20 percent on proof of licence is the only price variation.