A debate team merch lineup is not a single shirt design. It is a stocked apparel store that gives every debater, parent, alumnus, and booster a reason to buy across the eight months of the season. The right lineup pulls $30 to $80 of margin per debater across the school year without ever asking the coach to handle inventory. Here is the complete stocking guide and what to charge for each piece.
| Item | Base Cost | Suggested Retail | Margin per Sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton team tee | $19.88 | $30 - $34 | $10 - $14 |
| Performance polo | $34.88 | $50 - $58 | $15 - $23 |
| Performance quarter-zip | $29.88 | $45 - $52 | $15 - $22 |
| Comfort Soft hoodie | $36.88 | $54 - $62 | $17 - $25 |
| Champion crewneck | $41.88 | $58 - $66 | $16 - $24 |
| Mesh snapback hat | $25.88 | $36 - $42 | $10 - $16 |
Margins above assume the VIP plan ($59/month) base cost. Free plan bases run about $4 to $11 higher per item, which compresses the margin proportionally.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.How much a typical debate program earns per season when the full six-item lineup is in the store:
| Program Size | Avg Purchase Rate | Avg Items per Buyer | Avg Margin per Item | Season Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 debaters | 80% | 2.0 | $16 | $384 |
| 40 debaters | 75% | 2.2 | $16 | $1,056 |
| 80 debaters | 75% | 2.4 | $16 | $2,304 |
| 150 debaters | 70% | 2.5 | $16 | $4,200 |
Add 25 to 40 percent for parent and alumni purchases at banquet week and gift-season peaks. The above is debaters only.
Programs that launch all six items in week one of the season see the strongest first-month revenue. The mechanic is simple: a debater shopping the store sees the polo, the hoodie, and the tee on the same product grid and bundles two or three at checkout. A store that only stocks tees on day one and adds hoodies in November loses the bundle-purchase math entirely.
For full setup steps see how to start a debate team apparel store.
Launch tees, polos, hoodies, quarter-zips, crewnecks, and hats from one free program store. Every debater orders direct, no inventory.
Start FreeSix core items hit the highest revenue per debater: cotton tee, performance polo, quarter-zip, hoodie, crewneck, and team hat. Stores with fewer than four items leave 30 to 50 percent of revenue on the table.
The Champion crewneck and Comfort Soft hoodie both pull $17 to $25 of margin per sale at typical retail prices. The performance polo and quarter-zip are close behind.
Yes. There is zero inventory cost. The store is free. Stocking six items rather than two only changes which items debaters bundle at checkout. A small program with the full lineup still outpaces a small program with only tees.
Most programs run one core design across the season and add limited-run designs at three peaks: season opener, state qualifier, and banquet week. Rotating too often dilutes brand recognition. Three to four design drops per season is the sweet spot.
Bear Grips Pro Shops