"Wholesale apparel margins" and "print on demand margins" are calculated from different starting points, which is why they are hard to compare on a like-for-like basis. Wholesale margin assumes the whole bulk order sells at the planned retail price. Print-on-demand margin is locked in per unit the moment the reseller sets a retail price, with no assumption that a batch sells through. This breaks down the math on both models with actual base prices from the Bear Grips Pro Shops catalog.
Wholesale apparel margin looks simple on paper: buy at a bulk discount, sell at retail, keep the difference. In practice the math also has to account for the units that do not sell. Many wholesale apparel distributors set minimum order quantities between 12 and 50 units per style and color, and the full invoice is due before a single item is sold. If 20 percent of a 30-unit order does not move, the effective margin on the units that did sell has to cover that loss too.
| Product | VIP base price | Example retail | Margin per unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airlume cotton tee | $19.88 | $29.88 | $10.00 |
| Performance tank | $19.88 | $27.88 | $8.00 |
| Comfort Soft hoodie | $36.88 | $49.88 | $13.00 |
| Champion crewneck sweatshirt | $41.88 | $54.88 | $13.00 |
| Signature seamless leggings | $54.88 | $69.88 | $15.00 |
| Embroidered snapback hat | $25.86-$29.86 | $34.86 | $5.00-$9.00 |
Every unit sold carries its own margin. Nothing is bought in advance, so there is no batch of units dragging the average down.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.Take a reseller selling 40 tees and 15 hoodies in a month at the example retail prices above. That is 40 x $10.00 plus 15 x $13.00, or $400 plus $195, for $595 in margin, after a $59/mo Self-Service VIP plan fee. No unit was purchased ahead of the sale, so there is no leftover stock to discount or write off at the end of the month, and no upfront capital was ever at risk.
At very high, guaranteed, repeat volume of one exact design and size mix, wholesale bulk buying can sometimes land a lower landed cost per unit than a per-order print-on-demand base price. The catch is that "guaranteed" volume is rare for a new reseller. Every wholesale purchase before that certainty exists is a bet against unsold stock eating into the margin advantage. See which products carry the strongest margin for a full catalog breakdown.
Every Bear Grips Pro Shops signup, free or paid, also gets a built-in affiliate link. Referring another vendor pays 10 percent of that vendor's subscription forever, plus $1 for every unit the referred vendor sells, with payouts every two weeks. For a reseller already talking to other small business owners about branded apparel, that is margin on top of margin without printing a single extra shirt themselves. See the Bear Grips Pro Shops homepage for the current plan pricing.
Set your retail price, see the margin per item instantly, no bulk purchase required to find out.
Start FreeIt depends on the retail price a reseller sets, but a common range is $8 to $15 per item using the default suggested profit of $10 as a starting point.
No per-order fee is added beyond the item's base price. The only recurring cost is the plan itself: $0/mo free, $59/mo Self-Service VIP, or $105/mo Done-For-You VIP.
No. Vendors set their own retail price on every item with no platform-imposed ceiling.
At very high, proven, repeat volume of one exact SKU, yes, bulk buying can sometimes win on per-unit cost. Most new resellers cannot guarantee that volume before knowing what will actually sell.
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