How to Start a Hunting Club Merch Shop: Step-by-Step Setup

A hunting club merch shop is one of the few projects a club can finish in one afternoon at the lodge. The setup takes about an hour. The shop is live the same day. From that moment forward, every member, family, and guest can order club apparel direct, the club banks the markup, and nobody has to keep boxes of leftovers at home. Below is the step-by-step from cold-start to live.

Step 1: pick the plan

Two starting options:

• Free plan: 3 live products, higher per-piece base price, no monthly fee. Right for clubs that want to test the model.
• Self-Service VIP ($59/month): 200 live products, lowest per-piece base price, full control. Right for clubs ready to run a real catalog.
• Done-For-You VIP ($109/month): same lowest pricing plus monthly design support and shop layout help. Right for clubs that want hands-off operation.

Most clubs start free, prove the concept on three products in the first month, then upgrade to Self-Service VIP.

Step 2: upload the club logo

The club logo gets uploaded one time. From that moment forward, every product in the shop gets the logo applied automatically.

File formats accepted: PNG, JPG, SVG, AI. If the only existing logo is on the lodge wall in a photo, snap a phone picture and upload it. We will clean it up. Need design help? See hunting club logo ideas.

Step 3: pick 6 to 10 starter products

The starter catalog every club uses:

1. Cotton crew tee in the main club color ($19.88 base)
2. Long sleeve tee for cool mornings ($29.88 base)
3. Comfort Soft Hoodie in charcoal or olive ($36.88 base)
4. Classic Zip-Up Hoodie ($41.88 base)
5. Richardson Rope Hat or 5-panel embroidered ($29.86 base)
6. Mesh trucker hat ($25.88 base)
7. Winter beanie ($25.86 base)
8. Sport-Tek polo for banquet wear ($34.88 base)
9. Womens cropped tee for spouses ($19.88 base)
10. Youth hoodie for kids ($36.88 base)

Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.

Step 4: set retail prices

The default profit margin: base price plus $10. For premium pieces (hoodies, polos), most clubs set base plus $15 to $20.

Item	VIP base	Recommended retail	Profit
Cotton tee	$19.88	$30	$10.12
Comfort Soft Hoodie	$36.88	$55	$18.12
Richardson Rope Hat	$29.86	$45	$15.14
Sport-Tek polo	$34.88	$50	$15.12

See full hunting club profit math.

Step 5: share the shop URL

Three places to share the URL on day one:

• Email blast to the existing member roster
• Pin on the club Facebook or Instagram page
• Print a flyer for the lodge bulletin board with a QR code

The next banquet, every table card carries the QR. See banquet apparel strategy.

Step 6: bank the markup

Members start ordering. Each sale credits the club the markup, which gets paid out weekly via direct deposit. The club treasurer just receives the deposit. No invoices, no inventory accounting, no chasing payments.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does setup actually take?

About one hour from sign-up to live shop. Most clubs do it in one sit-down at the lodge with the laptop on the kitchen table.

Do we need a website to start?

No. The shop is hosted on a Bear Grips subdomain that the club configures. No domain registration, no hosting, no web designer needed.

What if we mess up the design or pricing?

Everything is editable any time. Wrong tee color, wrong price, missing product — fix it from the dashboard, change goes live the same day.

How does the club get paid?

Weekly direct deposit. The club provides bank info during setup and the markup on each sale gets deposited automatically.