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Bulk Custom Apparel Pricing: What You Actually Pay Per Piece

March 2, 2026 6 min read By Cameron Wells
Quick Answer
Table of Contents
  1. Base price by product category
  2. Why there is no volume discount
  3. The margin math
  4. Setting your own retail price
  5. Frequently Asked Questions

Most bulk custom apparel pricing pages hide the real number behind "request a quote" forms. Here is the actual pricing, product by product, for anyone building a custom apparel shop through Bear Grips Pro Shops, plus the margin math at different order volumes.

VIP Base Price by Product Category

CategoryVIP base price rangeExample piece
Tees and tanks$19.88-$25.88Bear Grips Airlume Cotton Athletic Tee, $19.88
Long sleeves and quarter-zips$29.88Bella+Canvas Long Sleeve Cotton Shirt, $29.88
Polos$34.88Gildan Men's Premium Cotton Pique Polo, $34.88
Hoodies and crewnecks$34.88-$45.88Champion Unisex Performance Hoodie, $45.88
Joggers and sweatpants$39.88-$48.88Independent Trading Co. Midweight Performance Joggers, $40.88
Shorts$26.88-$49.88Sport-Tek Athletic 7" Mesh Shorts, $26.88
Leggings$54.88Bear Grips Signature Seamless Leggings, $54.88
Hats$25.86-$29.86Yupoong Classic Flat Bill Snapback, embroidered, $29.86

Free plan prices run $4-$11 higher per piece across the board, since the Free tier ($0/month, 3 live products) uses the higher base price bracket. VIP unlocks the lowest bracket at $59/month for 200 live products.

Why There Is No Bulk Volume Discount

Traditional bulk pricing drops as the quantity per design goes up, because the shop is spreading a fixed screen or digitizing setup cost across more units. Print on demand does not carry that setup cost, so there is no volume tier to unlock. The base price for one Comfort Soft Hoodie ($36.88 VIP) is the same as the base price for the fiftieth one sold that month. This is good news for a vendor whose sales are unpredictable: the per-unit cost is known in advance regardless of how many actually sell.

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The Margin Math at Different Volumes

Units soldBase cost (hoodie at $36.88)Retail at $10 profit ($46.88)Total profit
20 units$737.60$937.60$200
50 units$1,844.00$2,344.00$500
100 units$3,688.00$4,688.00$1,000

Because per-piece cost stays flat, profit scales in a straight line with sales. There is no need to pre-fund a big order to hit a lower per-piece cost, and no unsold-inventory risk if the volume ends up lower than planned.

Setting Your Own Retail Price

Vendors set their own retail price on every plan, there is no price ceiling or required markup. The default recommended profit is $10/item, though most vendors charge more on hoodies and leggings than on tees. Done-For-You VIP ($105/month) includes optimal retail pricing set by the Pro Shops team based on real sales data, useful for vendors who would rather not run this math themselves every month.

See Real Pricing on Your Own Shop

Set your own retail price on top of the base cost, no bulk discount to calculate, no setup fee.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does the price per piece go down if I sell more units?

No. The base cost per unit is fixed regardless of how many sell in a month. There is no bulk discount tier to unlock, since there is no setup cost being spread across units.

What is the cheapest item in the catalog?

The Bear Grips Airlume Cotton Athletic Tee, the Bella+Canvas Women's Favorite Tee, and the Next Level Ladies Racerback Tank all start at $19.88 VIP base.

How much should I mark up a hoodie?

Most vendors add $12-$20 profit on hoodies, higher than the $10 default recommended on tees, since the perceived value per piece is higher.

Is there a setup fee per design?

No. There is no per-design setup fee on any plan, unlike traditional screen printing where each new design or color triggers a separate charge.

Cameron Wells
Cameron WellsCustom Apparel and POD Industry Writer

Cameron has been writing about the custom apparel and print on demand industry for seven years, with a background in e-commerce operations. He covers platform comparisons, no-minimum vendors, and what is changing for small custom merch businesses.

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