How Much Do Promotional Products Cost?
We are often asked what promotional products cost and we have to say, it varies. As you’d imagine, the scope of promotional products is enormous. This long list of items ranges from the plastic fantastic to the luxury bespoke, so the variance in price is also enormous. So how much are you really likely to spend?
Even when items are the same, the way we decorate or package and even ship them will influence the cost. We’ll try to break down the costings for the most common promotional products below. Note that all prices are in AUD.
Swag
You’ll usually purchase these small items in bulk, which drives their cost down. The more you buy, the cheaper they are per unit.
Pens are one of those trickier items because they can be cheap and cheerful in plastic or they can be a high-quality luxury item complete with presentation box. The decoration options on a pen are printed one or more colours, or engraved (if the surface allows). That being said, a plastic pen with a one colour and one position print, will start at $.50, while a top of the line pen in a presentation box can set you back upwards of $100.
Stress balls are simpler to price. The easy sphere stress ball with a one colour print in one position will cost you around $1 per unit. Then, if the ball is not interesting enough, there are a myriad of shapes to squeeze the tension away. These include stars, hearts, trucks, tools, doctors, sheep and many others. Alternative shapes cost about $2.50 per unit.
Drink bottles are a common swag addition that may actually be more expensive than you first thought. Plastic drink bottles with a simple one position print are priced from $3. Metal and glass drink bottles, however, are favourites because of their higher perceived value. These can be etched and engraved, as well as printed. All of which up the unit price to around $12 per unit.
Wearables
There are so many different options for wearables that it is extremely difficult to put a number to them. Below are the most common and what determines their price.
Hat pricing begins with the hat’s quality and style. The decoration type (print or embroidery), decoration size (embroidery is priced by the number of stitches e.g. the bigger the logo, the more stitches, the higher the price) and decoration placement (where the logo is positioned and the number of positions) also play a big part. All of these variables combined put a simple promotional hat at around $9 per unit.
The same variables make pricing shirts just as difficult, except the logo placement option are much greater. Clients also often require multiple logos or artwork on a single shirt. Various sizes and the difference between men’s and women’s shirts can also be a factor. Considering all of these, a one-colour tee-shirt with a multi-colour print in one position is around $10 while a simple, medium quality polo with one embroidered logo in one position is about $15 per unit.
Bigger Products
It can be hard to guess at the price of larger promotional items because while they are big, they’re often bought in higher quantities. Shipping plays a role in pricing large items because the cartons (boxes they’re shipped in) are larger or don’t fit as many products. However, the quality of large items is always the highest contributing factor when pricing these promotional products.
Golf umbrellas are big items. Their quality varies and therefore so does their price, ranging from between $10 to $60. Decoration and manufacturing will also have an impact on what you’ll pay for a branded dry day on the links. Golf umbrellas come in aluminum or fibreglass ribbing, with fibreglass being the more durable. They can be printed on 1, 2, 4 or all 8 of the panels. As per decoration pricing, you’ll pay per colour, or slightly more for a full-colour print.
Trade show and promotional signage is another larger item where the cost can be tricky to guess. It is primarily dependent on the quality of materials that make up the base, stand or fabric of the sign. We’ve all seen low quality examples that have been torn to shreds in the wind, or drooping under their own weight. Indoor pull-up banners can cost you upwards of $180, while smaller feather banners will be under that and wall event banners will be much more.
Technology
Tech items may be small, but the engineering in them increases their cost. When they’re bought in bulk, the cost goes down but they may still not be as cheap as you’d think. They also range in quality.
USBs can set you back between $5 and $15 depending on the storage capacity and decoration (more colours or engraving will be more expensive than a one-colour print). Impact only supplies A-grade chips so the quality is always guaranteed. USBs are a fun item to customise in terms of shape, and the options there are endless.
Branded portable speakers range incredibly in price due to their variable quality. Basic Bluetooth speakers start at around $10. Higher-end speakers with fabric and wood accents can cost over $100.
Earphones are also variable based on quality. Simple corded earphones will set you back $5 per unit and the promotional, Bluetooth versions are more in the range of $60.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of the many promotional products out there and their corresponding prices. This is a snapshot of what you may be looking at forking out when you go to order custom, branded merchandise. We hope this is helpful to you as you begin your quest. You should now have some insight about what goes in to the promotional products you come in contact with.
If you’d like help narrowing down your options based on your budget, sourcing requirements and audience needs, complete our Merch Matcher™ and we’ll find the right product together.
