What Company Swag on Next Level Tees Actually Costs a Small Business

June 29, 2026 7 min read By Eli Goldberg

Quick Answer

Company swag budgets usually get planned per person, per new hire or per event attendee, not per shirt, so the real question is cost per person.
Next Level VIP base prices in the Bear Grips Pro Shops catalog run $19.88 to $25.88 for the tee and tank styles, and that price already includes printing, packing, and free shipping to that person's address.
A 20-person new-hire swag batch on the Premium Cotton Crew Tee runs about $477.60 at VIP base, with no separate shipping or setup line item added on top.
Vendors can charge employees a subsidized price instead of giving shirts away free, recovering part of the cost while keeping the perk.

Table of Contents

Why swag budgets are per person
Cost per style
Budget scenarios
Free vs charging employees
Which plan fits a small team
Frequently Asked Questions

Whoever owns the swag line item, whether that is a founder, an office manager, or someone in People operations, is really trying to answer one question: what does this cost per person, all in. Because Bear Grips Pro Shops bakes printing, packing, and shipping into one base price per item, the math for a Next Level company swag order is simpler than it looks.

Why Swag Budgeting Works Per Person, Not Per Shirt

A swag line item usually gets sized to a headcount: how many new hires this quarter, how many people attending the offsite, how many booth visitors expected at an event. Because the VIP base price is fixed per item regardless of order size, the per-person cost is just the base price for the style chosen, with no separate shipping or handling fee to add.

What Each Next Level Style Costs Per Person

Style	VIP base	Free plan base
Ladies Racerback Tank	$19.88	$23.93
Premium Cotton Crew Tee	$23.88	$28.95
Men's Premium Triblend Crew Tee	$23.88	$28.95
Women's Premium Cotton Tee	$23.88	$28.95
Premium CVC Jersey Tee	$24.88	$29.95
Women's Premium Triblend Tee	$24.88	$29.95
Women's Premium Triblend Racerback Tank	$25.88	$31.93

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

Budget Scenarios by Headcount

Scenario	Headcount	Style	Total at VIP base
Founding team	5	Premium CVC Jersey Tee	$124.40
New-hire batch	20	Premium Cotton Crew Tee	$477.60
All-hands offsite	100	Men's Premium Triblend Crew Tee	$2,388.00

These totals cover printing, packing, and shipping. There is no separate freight or setup line to add on top.

Giving Shirts Away Free vs Charging a Subsidized Price

Vendors set their own retail price with no restrictions, which means a company can list the tee at $0 markup so employees pay only the base cost, offer it fully free by covering the invoice separately, or charge a partial price to recover some of the spend. All three models run through the same shop with no extra setup.

Which Plan Fits a Small Company

The Free plan ($0/mo, 3 live products) works for a company just testing one or two Next Level styles. Once ordering becomes routine, Self-Service VIP ($59/mo, 200 products) unlocks the lowest base prices shown above. Done-For-You VIP ($105/mo, 250 products) adds a personal advisor and full shop build-out for companies that want the setup handled for them.

Plan Your Swag Budget

See VIP base prices on every Next Level style before you set your swag budget.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is shipping included in the price shown?

Yes. Free shipping to the recipient's address is built into the VIP or Free base price shown for each style.

Does the per-unit price drop at higher headcounts?

No. The per-unit price is set by plan tier (Free, Self-Service VIP, Done-For-You VIP), not by order quantity.

Which plan should a 20-person startup use for regular swag orders?

Self-Service VIP ($59/mo) typically pays for itself quickly once a company is ordering swag regularly, since it unlocks the lowest base price on every style.

Can a company charge employees only part of the cost?

Yes. The vendor sets any retail price, including a partial charge that offsets some of the base cost.

Eli GoldbergSmall Business Branding Writer

Eli writes about small business and startup branding. He spent eight years in B2B marketing before going independent and covers how small companies use apparel for swag, conferences, hiring events, and team building.