The Best Party Planning Supply Stores

Tuesday, June 6th

2023 Party Planning Supply Store Reviews

Oriental Trading

• "A+" Better Business Bureau rating
• Free shipping on any order with email subscription
• 110% lowest price guarantee
• 100% happiness guarantee

Oriental Trading has a fun, bright website that is always ready to provide customers with party products, crafting essentials, and activities for upcoming holidays. Their inventory goes way beyond just party supplies and includes things like games, toys, religious items, school supplies, stationery, novelty jewelry, and more. You can easily make Oriental Trading your one-stop shop when planning your next party.

Easy to shop here

It might seem overwhelming that Oriental Trading has so many choices for party supplies, but they make it easy to find exactly what you're looking for. You can start by selecting the type of decoration, tableware, candy, party favors, theme, costume, or occasion you've got in mind. If you know exactly what you need, you can use their search bar to get right to it. You're sure to find some unique decor to go along with your party that you didn't even know you wanted.

Unfiltered product reviews

Every product page has customer reviews. This means you can go back and give advice or feedback about what you buy here for future customers and you can read what other buyers have to say as well. When you're buying party supplies you'll probably be interested in knowing whether or not the products appear exactly as they do online, if they're durable, how quickly they were delivered, and how hard they are to assemble (if that's relevant to the item you ordered). Customer reviews are a great way to get transparency about party supplies before deciding to buy them.

Generous pricing and return policies

You know you can't go wrong when they offer both a 100% guarantee and a 110% lowest price guarantee at Oriental Trading. If you need to make a return, you can contact customer service by phone or email within 90 days of purchase to exchange or receive a full refund on your items. If you're shopping around and find an identical product from Oriental Trading at a lower cost through one of their competitors, they will beat the price by 10%. All you have to do is provide the product advertisement to prove the competitor's price.

Budget-friendly

If customers spend over $49 at Oriental Trading, they qualify for free shipping. At the time of this review, the company also offered free shipping on any order when signing up for their email subscription list. In addition, there are always sales running on the website that allow you to save up to 50% off. Oriental Trading is a good place to shop whether your budget is tight or the sky's the limit. When comparing even their non-sale prices to their competitors', Oriental Trading is affordable. You can sort categories by price if you want to stay within a certain range and not be tempted by more expensive products.

Start shopping

There are many good things we could say about Oriental Trading, but mostly we would encourage customers to dive into their site and start shopping right away. Their inventory is impressive and you'll find so many great ideas here that it will help you get even more excited for your big event. They've truly thought of just about everything you could want for any party theme. They also have an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau, and we are confident in recommending Oriental Trading as our highest-rated party supply store.

Wholesale Party Supplies

• Thousands of positive customer ratings
• Free shipping on orders of $49+
• Frequent sitewide sales

Wholesale Party Supplies has many categories of party products to fit any holiday and occasion, birthday theme, or special event. In addition to the essentials for party planning, you can get your invitations and thank-you cards here. They also have a big section of their store dedicated to selling Halloween costumes at wholesale prices. Customers report high satisfaction with shopping at Wholesale Party Supplies, making it a fantastic retailer to consider.

Fantastic selection

Customers can shop for party supplies by birthday theme, age, holiday, special occasion, color, and other categories to find what they need. More than just tableware and decorations can be found here. A handy search bar is also included if you want to quickly look up a popular character or theme. Overall, the website is easy to navigate, very organized, and clearly has a huge selection that would allow you to get all the things you need from one place.

Helpful product descriptions

In addition to the basics like tableware, balloons, banners, and invitations, Wholesale Party Supplies offers a collection of items that can be personalized for party favors. This includes placemats, activity mats, cupcake toppers, lip balm, mugs, banners, magnets, lollipops, stickers, and more. Every product description clearly provides details on how many items are included in one package, what information can appear on personalized items, price, and the size of the product.

Competitive prices

At the time of our review, Wholesale Party Supplies was offering 20% off everything in their inventory. This made their already affordable products even less expensive. You're definitely getting wholesale prices here and buying in bulk is a great option since many of the plates or other party supplies come in sets of 50 or more. You can be confident that you're getting high-quality products and prices are very competitive. If you spend $49 or more, you'll also get free shipping.

15-day return policy

Returning items to Wholesale Party Supplies is available to customers returning within 15 days of purchase. In addition, you should expect to pay for your own return shipping and a 12% restocking fee on everything you send back. Returns are typically processed within two weeks of Wholesale Party Supplies receiving your package. Restrictions on returns include special order items, mascot costumes, edible items, helium tanks, used or worn items, and personalized merchandise.

One of your best options

You'll find a terrific selection of party goods at Wholesale Party Supplies. We especially like that customers have options to personalize some party products as well as buying thank-you cards and invitations here. Pricing is reasonable, shipping will likely be free, and the best part is that the retailer has extremely high customer reviews. People say orders ship right away (which is important if you are shopping last-minute for a party), prices are great, everything came exactly as expected, and they liked browsing the website. This is easily one of the best places to buy party supplies.

Zazzle

• "A-" Better Business Bureau rating
• Get 20% off your order with email signup
• Fully customizable party supplies
• 100% satisfaction guarantee
• Supports small businesses/artists

Zazzle focuses on creativity, customization, and connection through products and designs. They are a global online marketplace where people can create designs of their own and sell them through Zazzle's platform. They allow customers to personalize and purchase products that reflect their unique interests and preferences. The product categories available at Zazzle are invitations and cards, business supplies, personal care, craft and party supplies, and electronics, just to name a few.

Fully customizable

You'll find options for decorations, favors and packaging, tableware, and stationery in the party supply category at Zazzle. You can customize balloons, paper hats, banners, confetti, invitations, and more. You'll be able to add your own text, image, and logo to any given product to make it your own. Some products already have a bit of design to them while others are blank and you can start from scratch.

Plenty of product details

When you choose a product you're interested in, you can learn who the designer is and view their other items on Zazzle. You'll also get plenty of information about the size of the product, how it's shipped, price, an estimated arrival date, and other relevant details. Customers can leave unfiltered reviews about the party supplies here, which is extremely helpful when making a decision, especially if you're going to the effort to do customizations. Most products are made to look like they have a lot of high reviews, but we noticed when you click on the actual star-ratings, there are usually only a couple, if any.

Costs add up

Any time you're customizing a product, it will always cost more than if you weren't. You could easily get a balloon that said, "Happy Birthday" or "Congratulations" for $3 or less at most party stores, but if you're customizing one on Zazzle, you'll pay nearly $15. Instead of getting a big pack of party hats for a couple dollars, you'll pay $1.70 per hat here. This may be worth it for some things, but customizing all your supplies will add up quickly. One perk was that Zazzle was offering 20% off sitewide at the time of this review. Zazzle doesn't offer free shipping, so you'll pay a minimum of $7 for standard delivery and as much as $25 for express.

Time-consuming

Zazzle is a great place to find a few unique products that you can personalize like balloons and banners, but it would be a lot of work to customize every single thing you're using at your party. Think invitations, napkins, plates, cups, backdrops, confetti, and party hats. That would take quite a bit of time and probably be overkill. We also noticed they don't have things like cutlery, party favors, tablecloths, and some other essential items you would need.

100% satisfaction guaranteed

It's uncommon for a company that offers personalized products to offer returns, so we were impressed that Zazzle allows you to send items back you are unsatisfied with. Regardless of customization, you can return your purchase for a replacement, credit, or refund within 30 days. Refunds usually take 7-21 days to appear in the account that you used to make the purchase.

A great addition to your party decor

Zazzle is an excellent place to purchase customized products of all kinds. They have an "A-" rating from the Better Business Bureau and thousands of glowing customer reviews. Their customer service is incredible to work with, photo uploads turn out "flawless" on finished products according to buyers, colors are accurate, and shipping is fast. You won't regret shopping here, that's for sure. The reason Zazzle hasn't earned a higher rating for party supplies from us is simply because they aren't the best place to buy everything you need. Look into getting a few, fun customized accessories here, but plan on shopping at a second store to complete your decor.

Ultimate Party Superstore

• "A+" Better Business Bureau rating
• Free shipping on orders over $49
• 30-day return policy

Ultimate Party got its start in 2008 as a storefront of party supplies and balloons in Tennessee. The company grew to include wedding event rentals like chairs, tables, concession machines, and bounce houses (for people in the Nashville area). They now have a big online inventory of party items to cater to any event. The company has an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau and high ratings from satisfied customers.

Easy to browse website

When shopping online at Ultimate Party Superstore, you can shop for specific party supplies or by holidays, occasions, and themes. No matter how you go about it, you'll find a solid selection of everything you would need for your party. You can get all types of balloons, tableware, decorations, party favors, and more. The inventory of each theme or holiday category is sufficient, but we'll admit it isn't quite as thorough as the highest-rated party supply sites we've visited.

Popular theme categories

Some of the party themes include summer party, carnival, tea party, casino, Hollywood, retirement, sports, graduation, wedding, boho girl, vintage happy birthday, sweet 16, and others. There aren't many wildly unique themes, but we like that they stuck to some of the basics and narrowed it down to party ideas that are generally popular among kids and adults.

Fair prices

The prices for party supplies from Ultimate Party Superstore are competitive and what we would expect to see. There aren't a ton of items on sale and you can't get a discount code through email sign up like some retailers offer, but we imagine most customers will still feel that the pricing here is fair. Also, if you spend $49 or more on their site, your order will ship to your home for free.

30-day return policy

If you have extra or unwanted party supplies that you purchased from Ultimate Party Superstore, you have 30 days to return them from the date you received it. All returns will be credited to the original form of payment used and will be refunded the full purchase price as long as they are unused and unopened. Party kits can only be returned if they are fully intact. Ultimate Party Superstore will not accept partial components or individual returns of items from a kit.

Pleased with this company

With a professional, intuitive website and solid selection of party supplies, Ultimate Party Superstore is a great place to shop. Customers agree that their customer service is professional, they provide high-quality products in a timely manner, and the company's organization makes it easy to find what you want. If you happen to live in the Nashville area, their rental service is a fantastic option for big events as well. Overall, we are pleased with what this company has to offer and have given them a high rating.

Party City

• Free shipping on purchases of $45+
• 30-day return policy
• New email subscribers take 15% off next online purchase
• Return in-store or by mail
• Curbside or in-store pickup available

One of the draws to Party City is the convenience of being able to pick up items purchased online in one of their stores. They have over 800 brick-and-mortar locations for in-store pickup throughout the United States. You have likely visited one of these stores around Halloween time, since aside from birthday party supplies, Party City is well-known for going all out during the Halloween season with costumes, props, decor, and more.

Big inventory with high ratings

Within the category of party supplies, Party City has plates and napkins, decorations, balloons, themed backdrops, yard signs, large banners, and more. They have a rainbow of different colors and shades for most of their items so you can mix and match everything exactly how you like it. Customers can review all the products and most of them have extremely high ratings. It's not uncommon for a product to have thousands of reviews, which signals that this is a very popular place to buy party supplies.

Free shipping on orders $49+

If you spend at least $49 at Party City, you'll get your items shipped to you for free. Without the free shipping deal, customers can expect to pay anywhere from $7.99 to $34.99 for ground shipping depending on how fast they want it to arrive and the quantity of products in the order. Periodically, Party City will run big sales where customers can save a significant amount of money on their purchases. This is ideal since the cost of some things here is higher than we've seen through some competitors. However, their products are high-quality for both party supplies as well as Halloween costumes, so if you choose to shop here, you'll find that it was worth it.

Return in-store or by mail

Party City accepts returns or exchanges within 30 days of purchase on any items that are in new condition that you still have a store receipt or copy of an order confirmation email for. Returns are credited to the original form of payment within 2-5 days after processing. You can either return your order in-store if you live nearby or download a return label through Party City's website and send it through the mail.

Don't rule them out

Overall, we are impressed with Party City and the vast amount of products and services they offer. Party rentals are a fantastic addition to their inventory and a good go-to for big celebrations. We were surprised that they only have a "C-" rating from the Better Business Bureau and most of their customer reviews are bad. However, many of them relate to in-store experiences during busy holidays or problems with delivery. Because of this, we recommend doing in-store or curbside pickup to make sure you get your party supplies right away and nothing is missing from your order. You will definitely have luck getting amazing party supplies here, so don't rule them out.

For Your Party

• Take 10% off your first order with email signup
• Free standard shipping on orders over $199
• Customize your own party supplies

For Your Party was launched in 2004 by its founder, Sari Mintz. She saw a need for personalized, unique party accessories that customers could see designed in real time. At For Your Party you can choose from a huge selection of products and customize them to perfectly fit the theme of any party you're throwing. Their selection includes napkins, masks, bags, barware, gifts, and supplies just to name a few.

Fully customizable

You'll find a lot of classy party supply options at For Your Party that could fit any occasion. These include plates, napkins, drinkware, invitations, and more. You can browse a range of designs for any given product and customize them or select a predetermined design. You can change the color and foil combinations to coordinate all your party accessories to match or fit a theme. To make things easier, you can shop by event and choose supplies for a wedding, birthday, bridal shower, engagement, graduation, baby shower, anniversary, retirement, holiday party, religious ceremony, and a long list of other celebrations.

Caters to big events

It's hard to say just how much money you should expect to spend at For Your Party since that depends entirely on how many different products you choose to order and the quantity of each. This company caters to people throwing big events and many of the party favors and accessories come with a minimum of 25-50 items. You could qualify for free shipping from For Your Party, but you'll need to spend at least $199. That shouldn't be too hard since you're going to be buying large quantities of customized items that are going to be slightly more expensive than your run-of-the-mill cheap party store.

Be flexible with processing times

Once you place an order, you can expect production time to take about 5-7 days before being shipped. If you're uploading your own art, it may take longer since the order needs to be proofed beforehand. This is definitely not a place to buy party supplies if you're in a huge rush for your order to come. However, once you submit an order you can track it through their website so you have an idea of when it might arrive.

No returns for personalized items

Since nearly everything you buy from For Your Party is personalized in some way, they don't accept returns on most things. Unprinted/non-personalized products can be returned under some circumstances but you'll need to get authorization from the company by sending them an email or giving them a call. If your return request is accepted, you'll need to send your items back within 15 days of the invoice date to receive any credit. On top of this, a 15% or $10 restocking fee (whichever is greater) will be applied to all refunds.

Hard to find unfiltered feedback

There are thousands of customer testimonials on For Your Party's website that attest to the reliability of the company as well as the quality of individual products. This is fantastic, but we aren't completely buying into them since not a single one is less than 5 out of 5 stars. This is unrealistic and most likely the company is filtering reviews. We have no doubt that many people are happy with this company and the customization they offer, but it's hard to know where their weaknesses are since they aren't allowing honest feedback across the spectrum. Because of this and the slightly higher pricing and product quantities than what some people might need for a basic party, For Your Party has earned an average rating from us.

Discount Party Supplies

• In-stock orders ship the next business day
• Free expedited shipping on orders over $16.99
• Lots of kids birthday party themes

Discount Party Supplies is a leading online retailer of all things party supplies. Their goal is to make it easy for busy people to host fantastic parties that are easy, fun, and affordable. They pride themselves on their vast inventory of party themes so that customers have a lot of choices when it comes to choosing products, although we found that this wasn't necessarily the case. Discount Party Supplies doesn't give customers much information about their history or growth over the years, but they seem to be a legitimate, reliable place to shop online.

Mostly kids themes

You will find categories for kids' party supplies organized by theme, boy party supplies, girl parties, themes and occasions on Discount Party Supplies' website. If you aren't just focused on birthday parties, the "themes and occasions" category will be your best bet. They have options for a police academy graduation party, medical school graduation, sports, Stranger Things-themed party, glow party theme, and more. Most party themes come with a standard, deluxe, or ultimate party pack option meaning you'll be able to order a pack of plates, napkins, and cutlery for a specified number of people.

Small variety of supplies

We were slightly disappointed with the variety of party supplies available here. They have the basics like tablecloths, balloons, and what you need for eating, but not much by way of party favors, wall decor, props, photo backdrops, or anything like that. It seems like this is a good place for a small, low-key party, but if you're going all out, you'll have to search for additional decor elsewhere.

Quick shipping

If you're ordering something listed as in-stock, it will typically ship out by the next business day. You can feel confident that your order will get to you quickly since Discount Party Supplies also offers free expedited shipping when you spend at least $16.99 at their store.

30-day returns with restocking fees

If you need to make a return to Discount Party Supplies, be sure that the items qualify before going through the effort to send them back. Partial party packs, glowsticks, wholesale orders, candy and food, costumes, and a few other items are non-returnable. You'll have 30 days from the order date to submit a return form and ship them back. All items are subject to a 15% restocking fee or $4.50, whichever is greater.

Falls behind competitors

There aren't a lot of customer reviews for Discount Party Supplies. We don't have any reason to worry that they aren't a reliable company, though. Our biggest reason for not giving them a higher rating is that they don't have as big of a variety of party supplies as some of their competitors and they also don't have a huge selection of themes that would work for teenager or adult parties. If you are just looking for really basic party supplies for common themes like Baby Shark, Cocomelon, sports, Star Wars, or superheroes, then Discount Party Supplies isn't a bad place to check.

Paper Mart

• "A+" Better Business Bureau rating
• Family owned and operated
• Good for bulk buys
• 30-day return policy

Paper Mart started out in a small Los Angeles garage, then became a catalog company, and now boasts becoming the largest discount packaging supply company in the US. They are family owned and have over 100 years of experience in the industry. Paper Mart is proud to let customers know that they have over 26,000 fully stocked products. In addition to party supplies they sell boxes, bags, gift wrap, containers, shipping supplies, crafts, and more.

Small inventory of non-themed party supplies

The categories of party supplies at Paper Mart include decorations, balloons, centerpieces, favor bags, tableware, and favor boxes. Everything here is very basic, but comes in a variety of colors. For example, party decorations only consist of tissue pom pom balls and crepe streamers, but these are staple items and some of the items come in a rainbow of colors. There are only 12 results for tableware and this doesn't include paper cups or some basic items we expected to see. None of the party supplies are really themed, so they aren't going to make much of a statement.

Caters to bulk orders

For basic party supplies in bulk, Paper Mart offers good prices. You can get a few small decorations for just a couple dollars, but other items come with a minimum order. For example, the plates are only $0.21 each, but you have to buy at least 500 of them. If you sign up for Paper Mart's email list, you'll unlock a code for 5% off of purchases of $200 or more. Although this isn't the most revolutionary offer ever, it's at least something.

Cost depends on products and location

The cost of shipping depends on how much you're ordering and where you live. Once you've added the items you want to your online cart, you can go in and estimate the shipping price by providing your address. For us, economy ground shipping was about $10.58 and went up to $74.45 for overnight shipping with a lot of other options in-between.

30 days for returns

Any returned merchandise will be accepted by Paper Mart for a refund within 30 days from the date of receipt if it is still in 100% saleable condition and comes with a return authorization number from customer service. Customers are responsible for return shipping and the returned items may come with restocking fees.

Great customer reviews

Paper Mart has excellent customer reviews. They allow feedback on their individual products as well, but we noticed that very few people take advantage of this. Overall people say their items are good, prices are fair, and shipping is fast. For the most part, there are thousands of people who would give the company a 5 out of 5 star rating. This is incredible and we are happy to see that so many buyers have had a good experience with this company.

Party supplies aren't their specialty

This is definitely a great place to shop if you want packaging-type items, since this is their specialty. Unfortunately, their party supply selection is weak compared to higher-rated retailers. The company isn't trying to present itself as a party store, so it makes sense that their choices of supplies in that vein aren't very impressive. Because of this, they've earned an average review from us.

Private Island Party

• Free shipping on orders of $100+
• 30-day return policy
• Lots of unique party favors
• Extremely low prices

Private Island Party's website screams low quality. Their website is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, it doesn't look like it has been updated in years, and the flashy pictures and pop-ups are unprofessional. There is no "About Us" page on this website, only a long description of why the company thinks people should buy from them. This includes promises of fantastic customer service, an intuitively designed website (we laughed at that one), the highest quality of items, a passion for doing good business, and everything else a company would want customers to think.

Smorgasbord of categories

The categories of products at Private Island Party are random. They include bulk sunglasses, costume accessories, holidays, political facemasks, cheap party supplies, children space (an odd name for an inventory of costumes, party favors, candy, and party supplies for kids), novelties, seasonal products, costumes, and more. The cheap party supplies section includes:

• Tableware
• Party favors
• Gift bags
• Party decorations
• Gift boxes
• Birthday party supplies
• Personalized party goods
• Costume accessories under $2
• Inflatables
• Barware
• Face masks

Lots of themes, but few matching items

We'll give credit to Private Island Party for their long list of party themes they have supplies for and the inventory of trinkets, decor, and essentials needed for throwing a party. However, not every theme has a full selection of items that match. For example, if you're throwing a mermaid party, you'll find a bunch of party favors like bracelets, bubbles, notebooks, and pencils, but not tableware, balloons, or decor to match. You'd have to buy plain colors from the "cheap party supplies section" to go along with the theme.

Unusually low prices

One thing Private Island Party claims is definitely true: they are cheap. You can get a 50 pack of napkins for just $1 or 100 balloons for $6. If you want giant angel wing accessories for your party, a 12 pack is only $18. Full Halloween costumes can be purchased for under $20 here. We love low prices just like the next person, but sometimes they are too low and it makes us skeptical of quality and delivery. Sometimes prices really are too good to be true and we wouldn't be surprised if this is the case here.

Free shipping on orders over $100

If you spend $100 or more, you'll get free shipping from Private Island Party. At most any other store, spending $100 would be easy, but you would have to buy quite a bit here to reach that point. For just a few items, shipping that takes a week or so to arrive will be about $7 and can be as much as $24.50 for 3-day shipping.

30-day returns with restocking fees

You can make returns to Private Island Party as long as you fill out their return authorizations form online first. You'll have 30 days from when your order was delivered to send back your items. Returns come with a 30% restocking fee and the cost of return shipping, so this is less than ideal. However, you can get 100% of the product price in the form of a store credit if you choose that instead. Private Island Party says that you can't return sunglasses simply because you're unhappy with quality and anything that has touched the body cannot be returned.

Poor ratings

The "C" rating from the Better Business Bureau was actually higher than we imagined Private Island Party's rating would be. They have very few customer ratings, but all of the ones we found were bad. In short, people say their customer service, shipping speeds, and quality are poor. We gathered that this was probably the case from the first 3 minutes of being on the website, so it's unfortunate that customers have paid money for things that didn't turn out as they hoped. Private Island Party has earned our lowest rating.