The pickleball tournament merch booth is where the event apparel program turns into revenue. The player tee that comes with the registration is included in the entry fee, but the hoodie a spectator buys for the cold morning matches, the hat a player picks up between brackets, and the second tee a family buys for the sibling at home are all retail-margin pieces. Below is how to stock and run the merch booth for a typical pickleball tournament.
| Item | VIP base | Retail | Profit per piece |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event hoodie | $36.88 | $55 | $18.12 |
| Event crewneck sweatshirt | $34.88 | $50 | $15.12 |
| Event tee (second tee, family member) | $19.88 | $30 | $10.12 |
| Event long sleeve | $29.88 | $42 | $12.12 |
| Event hat (snapback) | $29.86 | $40 | $10.14 |
| Event hat (rope) | $29.86 | $40 | $10.14 |
| Performance polo | $34.88 | $50 | $15.12 |
| Tournament size | Inventory units | Expected sales |
|---|---|---|
| 50-player local | 40 pieces | 20-30 pieces |
| 100-player regional | 80 pieces | 40-60 pieces |
| 200-player open | 140 pieces | 80-120 pieces |
| 400-player major | 250 pieces | 180-240 pieces |
Bring inventory in the size split that matches the event demographic. Mens-heavy open tournaments skew toward L and XL. Mixed senior tournaments skew toward M, L, XL with more womens cut and adult tees.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.For multi-day tournaments, the booth runs a daily reorder cycle. The booth manager checks inventory at the end of day one, places the reorder by 6 PM, the pieces ship overnight or next-day-air and arrive at the venue on day three. This is the new tournament merch model that screen-printer-based booths could not run because of the 24-piece minimums and four-to-six week lead times.
| Tournament size | Avg merch profit per attending family | Total merch profit |
|---|---|---|
| 50 players + 80 family/spectator | $8 per family | $640 |
| 100 players + 180 family/spectator | $11 per family | $1,980 |
| 200 players + 380 family/spectator | $13 per family | $4,940 |
| 400 players + 800 family/spectator | $15 per family | $12,000 |
Per-family profit climbs at larger tournaments because hoodies and second-tee purchases scale faster than tee-only purchases at smaller events.
Hoodies, hats, second tees, crewnecks. Walk-up sales table at the registration area. Reorder mid-tournament with about a week of ship time.
Start FreeYes, the bulk booth inventory order is placed at the VIP base price. Inventory not sold at the booth can stay in the shop online for post-event purchases.
Yes. Each item is its own SKU. Sponsor pieces and event pieces can sit on the same display.
Card terminal (Square or Stripe), cash float for small purchases, and a QR-code or short URL for online shop redirect.
No, print-on-demand pieces are custom-printed for the order. Unsold inventory should be sold post-event through the shop or held for the next tournament.
Bear Grips Pro Shops