The traditional custom apparel world is built for teams of 24 plus athletes. Small adult gymnastics programs (the 5 person tumbling skill class, the 12 person adult rec class, the 18 athlete masters team) get squeezed by minimums that do not match the roster. Per piece print on demand fixes the size mismatch directly: one shirt is a valid order, same per piece price as 200 shirts. Here is the playbook for the small adult gymnastics program.
A program with 10 active athletes has a fundamentally different apparel economics than a program with 100. The 100 athlete program can bulk order 24 shirts every quarter and absorb sizing variance. The 10 athlete program orders 10 shirts and runs into batch minimum issues with traditional vendors. The fix is per piece print: each athlete is a separate order, individually sized, individually shipped, same per piece price across the board. The program lead does not coordinate sizing or take inventory risk on shirts that may not fit.
Free plan (3 products) covers exactly this set. Most small programs operate on the free plan for the first 6 to 12 months.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.| Athletes | Annual purchase rate | Margin per piece | Annual revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1.5 | $10 | $75 |
| 10 | 2 | $10 | $200 |
| 15 | 2 | $11 | $330 |
| 20 | 2.5 | $11 | $550 |
Small program revenue is modest but real, and crucially has zero downside: no inventory cost, no upfront commitment, no risk of unsold stock.
Free plan limits to 3 products. The natural upgrade trigger: the program wants to add a 4th piece (often leggings, a polo, or a second tee color). At that point, Self Service VIP ($59 per month) unlocks 200 products and drops the per piece base price by $4 to $11. The breakeven on the monthly fee is 6 to 8 piece sales. Small programs selling 1 to 2 pieces per month should stay on free. Programs crossing 8 to 10 pieces per month justify the VIP upgrade.
Free signup, 3 products live, no inventory, no upfront cost. Small programs welcome.
Start FreeYes. Free plan is free forever, 3 products live, higher base price per item. No trial expiration.
A 10 athlete program at $200 per year is modest, but its also $200 with zero inventory cost, zero upfront commitment, and zero ongoing time investment after setup. Many small programs use it primarily for member identity (everyone in the program wearing the same shirt) and treat revenue as secondary.
See the drop in class shirts guide for that operational model.
Yes. Plan changes either direction take effect immediately. No long term contract.
Bear Grips Pro Shops