"How much should I charge for custom shirts" is the most common question from anyone launching a merch line for the first time, and there is no single right answer because it depends on the base price of the item and what your audience will actually pay. This breakdown uses the real base prices from the Bear Grips catalog so you can see the actual math instead of a rule of thumb pulled from nowhere.
Every product has a VIP base price, which is what you pay before your markup. That number already covers printing, packing, and free shipping to the customer. Your retail price is the base plus your profit.
| Product | VIP base price | Typical retail | Profit per item |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airlume Cotton Tee | $19.88 | $29-35 | $9-15 |
| Premium Cotton Crew Tee | $23.88 | $34-40 | $10-16 |
| Comfort Soft Hoodie | $36.88 | $55-65 | $18-28 |
| Champion Performance Hoodie | $45.88 | $70-85 | $24-39 |
| Signature Seamless Leggings | $54.88 | $75-90 | $20-35 |
| Rope or Snapback Hat | $25.86-$29.86 | $35-40 | $9-14 |
Bear Grips defaults every new product to a $10 profit margin, which is a safe starting point on lower-priced items like tees. Most vendors raise that number on higher-ticket items. A hoodie that costs $36.88 to produce can carry a $20-25 profit and still land at a retail price customers expect to pay for a quality pullover. A $10 flat markup on every product regardless of base price under-prices your premium pieces.
Setting your own price is straightforward on paper but hard to get right without data. Price too low and you leave margin on the table across hundreds of orders. Price too high and conversion drops. On the Done-For-You VIP plan, your advisor sets the retail price on each product using real sales data across the platform, aiming for the price point that produces the best mix of sales volume and total profit, not just the highest sticker price. You can still adjust any price after the shop is built.
| Item | Units/mo | Profit/unit | Monthly profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tee | 10 | $12 | $120 |
| Hoodie | 6 | $22 | $132 |
| Hat | 4 | $10 | $40 |
| Monthly profit | $292 | ||
That is roughly $3,500 a year from 20 sales a month with no inventory carried at any point. Scale the unit counts up as your audience grows and the same math holds.
Done-For-You VIP prices every product from real sales data, or set your own margin on any plan. You always keep the profit.
Start FreeYou can set any retail price at or above the base price. There is no forced markup, though pricing at $0 profit means you make nothing on the sale.
No guarantee on a specific number, but pricing is set from real sales data to balance volume and profit rather than a flat guess.
Yes. You can adjust any product price at any time, even on the Done-For-You plan.
Yes, the pricing model is the same. The free plan has a higher base price per item, which narrows your margin compared to either VIP tier.
Bear Grips Pro Shops