Why does the price per piece fall as I order more?
Two effects, both real. Setup costs — screens, digitising, label origination, laying the cutting table, running the first pieces — are fixed whatever the order size, so they spread thinner across more pieces. And our margin narrows deliberately as volume rises, because a larger run is more efficient for us to make. Both push the unit price down; the difference between 50 and 500 pieces is substantial.
Where the setup goes
A screen costs the same to expose whether it prints 50 shirts or 500. Digitising a logo is the same job for one cap or a thousand. A woven label carries a one-off origination whether you order 200 labels or 2,000. At 50 pieces each of those is a visible slice of the per-piece price; at 500 it is a few cents. That is the first curve, and it is steep between 50 and about 200.
Where the margin goes
Beyond setup, a large run is simply more efficient: the cutting table is laid once for more plies, the press runs longer without a changeover, packing goes by the carton. We pass that on as a narrower margin at volume, on a curve rather than in steps, so there are no cliffs where 199 pieces costs more in total than 200 — but the curve is steepest early, which is why 50 to 200 saves more per piece than 500 to 650.
How it looks on a hoodie, from the calculator
| Quantity | 500 gsm hoodie, one-colour chest screen print, setup included |
|---|---|
| 50 | ≈ $32.40 per piece |
| 100 | ≈ $30.85 |
| 200 | ≈ $29.50 |
| 500 | ≈ $27.80 |
| 1,000 | ≈ $26.50 |
Related questions
- Is there a bulk discount?
- The whole price curve is the bulk discount: it is continuous, not a coupon. The calculator shows it live at any quantity.
- If I am close to a threshold, should I round up?
- Often, yes — the extra pieces can cost less than the saving on the rest. Ask and we will show both numbers.
- Does a reorder get the volume price?
- A reorder is priced at its own quantity, but with no setup, which usually makes it cheaper per piece than the first order at the same size.
- Does the setup have to be paid again on a reorder?
- No — patterns, digitising and artwork are kept; screens are re-exposed from kept separations for a small charge.
Where to go next
More questions on pricing and payment
How much does custom clothing cost to make?
It depends on three things: the garment and its fabric weight, how it is decorated, and how many you order — which is why we quote rather…
When do I pay for a custom clothing order?
In two parts: a production deposit before the sample is made, and the balance before dispatch. Nothing is charged before you have a price…
Do you charge for samples?
Not with an order: a pre-production sample is produced free of charge with any production order, once the production deposit is received.…
Ask us the rest
Send the garment, the quantity and any date you are working to. A real price and a mockup come back, usually within a working day.
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