Bear Grips Pro ShopsHigh School Football Apparel Cost: What Custom Gear Actually Costs
- Custom high school football tees start at $19.88 base (VIP plan). Hoodies start at $36.88. Hats from $25.86.
- Free plan base prices are $4-11 higher but carry zero monthly cost.
- Programs set their own retail price and keep the margin on every sale.
- VIP ($59/mo) pays for itself after 6-15 orders depending on product mix.
Custom high school football apparel costs less per item than most program directors expect, and significantly less than screen-printed bulk orders when you factor in the risk of unsold inventory. Bear Grips Pro Shops operates on a print-on-demand model: the base cost per item is fixed, programs set their own retail price, and the margin stays with the program. Here is what each product category actually costs and how the pricing math works.
High School Football Apparel Base Cost by Product Type
Bear Grips has two pricing tiers: Free plan (higher base, no monthly fee) and VIP plan ($59/mo or $109/mo for DFY, lower base prices). Here is the actual base cost for the products most relevant to football programs:
| Product | Free Base | VIP Base | VIP Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airlume Cotton Tee (Bear Grips) | $23.93 | $19.88 | $4.05 |
| Women's Favorite Tee (Bella+Canvas) | $23.93 | $19.88 | $4.05 |
| Sport-Tek Moisture-Wicking Tee | $28.88 | $23.86 | $5.02 |
| Next Level Premium Triblend Tee | $28.95 | $23.88 | $5.07 |
| Comfort Soft Hoodie (Bear Grips) | $44.94 | $36.88 | $8.06 |
| Classic Zip-Up Hoodie (Gildan) | $49.92 | $41.88 | $8.04 |
| Champion Performance Hoodie | $53.93 | $45.88 | $8.05 |
| Sport-Tek Quarter-Zip | $35.95 | $29.88 | $6.07 |
| Sport-Tek Performance Polo | $41.93 | $34.88 | $7.05 |
| Baseball Hat (printed, Otto Cap) | $34.88 | $29.86 | $5.02 |
| Snapback Hat (embroidery, Yupoong) | $34.88 | $29.86 | $5.02 |
All base prices include printing or embroidery, packing, and free shipping to the end customer. No setup fees, no per-design charges, and no per-color charges. The price you see is what you pay.
Typical Retail Prices and Margin for Football Program Apparel
Programs set their own retail price above the base cost. The margin is kept by the program. Bear Grips recommends a $10 default margin, but many programs charge more for higher-value items:
| Product | VIP Base | Typical Retail | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit tee | $19.88 | $30-32 | $10-12 |
| Football mom tee | $19.88 | $30-35 | $10-15 |
| Comfort hoodie | $36.88 | $50-55 | $13-18 |
| Champion hoodie | $45.88 | $60-65 | $14-19 |
| Performance polo (coach) | $34.88 | $45-50 | $10-15 |
| Printed hat | $29.86 | $40-45 | $10-15 |
At these margins, a program selling 100 items in a season at an average margin of $12 earns $1,200 with no inventory, no overhead, and no fulfillment labor.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.Free Plan vs. VIP: Which Makes Sense for Your Football Program
The free plan has a higher base cost per item but no monthly fee. VIP costs $59/month but saves $4-11 per item sold.
The VIP plan pays for itself at the following volume levels (per month):
- Tees only ($4/item savings): 15 tees/month recovers the $59 fee.
- Hoodies only ($8/item savings): 8 hoodies/month recovers the fee.
- Mixed ($6/item average savings): 10 items/month breaks even.
For most high school football programs, the season produces 80-200+ orders in a 3-4 month window. On VIP, that is $480-$1,200+ in savings on base costs alone compared to the free plan. The $59/month fee, paid for 12 months ($708/year), is more than covered by the per-item savings at typical season volumes.
Programs that are testing Bear Grips before committing should start on the free plan and upgrade to VIP before the main selling season (usually in August-September for football).
Bear Grips vs. Traditional Screen Printing for Football Programs
Traditional screen printing for high school football apparel involves:
- Minimum order of 24-50 shirts to get any reasonable per-unit price.
- Setup fees of $20-50 per color per design.
- Upfront payment before any items sell.
- Storage and distribution of the finished order.
- Unsold inventory risk: every shirt that does not sell is a direct loss.
A typical screen printer charges $18-25 per shirt for a 24-shirt order in 2 colors with a setup fee. At $22/shirt for 24 shirts, the upfront cost is $528 with no guarantee of selling out. If 8 shirts are left over at the end of the season, the effective cost of sold shirts increases to $33 each.
Bear Grips at VIP base ($19.88 for the Airlume tee) costs more per unit than a 100+ unit screen print run, but eliminates every other cost: no setup fee, no upfront payment, no leftover inventory, no storage, no distribution.
For football programs that sell fewer than 50 shirts per product and need flexibility for seasonal designs that change mid-season, Bear Grips is almost always the better economic model.
How to Maximize Football Program Revenue with Smart Apparel Pricing
A few pricing decisions that affect total program revenue:
Set margin above $10 for hoodies and parent shirts. Fans expect to pay more for a hoodie than a tee. A $14-16 margin on a $50-55 hoodie is well within normal retail expectations and adds meaningful revenue per transaction.
Personalization supports a higher price. A football mom shirt with a player's number at $35 feels more valuable than a generic tee at $30, even though the base cost is the same. Personalized products command and deserve higher retail prices.
Championship shirts can carry premium pricing. A state championship shirt at $35-40 retail is reasonable given the commemorative value. Buyers are not comparison shopping at that moment.
Keep the base entry product accessible. A spirit tee at $28-30 is the gateway purchase for families who are not sure they want to buy. Once they have one item from the shop, they are more likely to add a hoodie or parent shirt.
For full revenue strategy, see our football team merchandise guide.
See the Full Pricing at Bear Grips Pro Shops
No setup fees. No minimums. You set the retail price and keep the margin.
Start FreeFrequently Asked Questions
How much does custom high school football apparel cost?
Custom football tees start at $19.88 base (VIP plan). Hoodies start at $36.88. Hats from $29.86. These base prices include printing, packing, and free shipping. Programs set their own retail price above the base and keep the margin.
Is there a minimum order for custom football shirts?
No. Bear Grips has no minimum. One shirt costs the same base price per unit as one hundred. No bulk order required to access competitive pricing.
Is Bear Grips cheaper than screen printing for football programs?
Bear Grips costs more per unit than a 100+ shirt screen print run but eliminates setup fees, upfront payment, unsold inventory risk, and distribution work. For programs selling under 50 shirts per design or running seasonal designs that change frequently, the economics usually favor Bear Grips.
When should a football program upgrade to VIP?
The VIP plan ($59/mo) saves $4-11 per item. It pays for itself at 10-15 orders per month depending on the product mix. For most football programs, upgrading before August pre-season ordering begins maximizes the full-season savings.
