Corporate branded merchandise prices: understanding the price grid
How much does a corporate promotional item cost? The honest answer fits in a grid rather than a figure: the price of a promotional product depends on the family chosen, the quantity, the marking and the options selected. This guide breaks this grid down item by item, explains why a pen and a polo shirt do not start from the same point, and shows you how to read the catalogue starting prices, displayed live further down.
What makes up the price of a corporate promotional item
A custom promotional product is paid for in several layers. The first is the blank product: its material, size, finish and colour. The second is the marking: the technique used, the number of colours, the number of marked areas. The third is shipping, free above a certain amount. The check of your artwork by our team before production, on the other hand, costs nothing extra: it is included in every order.
These layers do not weigh the same from one product to another. On a simple, light product, the marking can represent a significant share of the total; on a power bank or a polo shirt, it is rather the product that dominates. Understanding this balance avoids looking for savings in the wrong place: removing a colour from a logo clearly changes the price of a screen-printed tote bag, much less that of a tech product that is already expensive in itself.
Finally, all prices on the site are excl. VAT. The VAT applied depends on the country of delivery and your status; a company with a valid intra-EU VAT number falls under the reverse charge.
Why each family has its own starting point
The price block shown further down brings together ten flagship families from the catalogue: pens, tote bags, mugs, water bottles, T-shirts, polo shirts, keyrings, notebooks, power banks and umbrellas. Each line shows the lowest price in the family, read live from our management system, reached at the largest quantities and for the product alone.
The differences between families are explained by the nature of the products. A keyring or a pen requires little material and is produced in very large runs. An insulated water bottle assembles several parts around a double wall. A polo shirt involves textile, seams, a cut, and often embroidery. An umbrella combines a frame, a canopy and an opening mechanism.
Within the same family, the gap can also be wide: between the entry-level model and the premium model, the material, thickness and finish change everything. The starting price is therefore a floor, not an average. It tells you from what level a family becomes feasible, not what your specific order will cost.
Volume pricing: reading the quantity tiers
The price of each product is degressive: the unit price falls as the quantity rises. The reason is mechanical. Setting up the marking machine represents a fixed amount of work, identical for a small and a large run. The longer the run, the more this work is spread over a large number of items, and the cheaper each one becomes.
The full grid is shown on every product page. The most noticeable drops come from 100, 250 and then 500 units. Before confirming a quantity, look at the next tier: sometimes a few dozen extra items lower the unit price so much that the total barely changes. These items then become a reserve for an unplanned trade show or for the next new starters.
The minimum quantity, for its part, varies from product to product and is also shown on every page. It determines small projects: for a very limited need, it is better to choose a family whose minimum matches your volume rather than order items you will have no use for.
Marking, the second level of the grid
Once the product has been chosen, the marking adjusts the price according to several parameters. The technique first: on each product page, only the techniques actually possible on the chosen area are offered, and each has its own cost logic. The number of colours next: in screen printing and pad printing, each colour corresponds to a pass, and therefore to additional preparation and machine time. Laser engraving, for its part, applies no colour: it is the material that is marked.
The number of areas also counts: a logo on the front and a slogan on the back are two markings. And the size of the areas selected varies from one product to another, which determines the space available for your artwork. The marking techniques page presents each process in detail.
- A one-colour logo remains the most economical option in screen printing and pad printing.
- Digital printing accepts an unlimited number of colours, as solid colours, with no Pantone to provide.
- Sublimation is the only process that renders a true gradient or a photo.
Building an overall budget from the grid
The grid is used to set a realistic budget before choosing. Start from your campaign rather than from the product: how many recipients, what context for handing them out, what expected period of use. A mass giveaway at a trade show and a gift to a few key clients call for neither the same family nor the same marking.
Many companies combine two levels: an affordable product handed out in large numbers, and a higher-quality product reserved for a small circle. The low-cost promotional products page details the most economical families; the Create my pack module lets you put several products together for the same campaign.
One last reflex: compare families with an equivalent use. A mug and a water bottle occupy the same place in the recipient’s daily life, but not the same starting price. Once you have made your shortlist, the configurator calculates the exact price of each combination — model, quantity, marking — and your quote can be downloaded immediately.
Questions fréquentes
Do the starting prices shown include the marking?expand_more
No: the block shows the lowest price in each family for the product alone, reached at the largest quantities. The full price, marking included, is displayed in the configurator as soon as you choose the area, the technique and the quantity.
Why not display a single price per product?expand_more
Because the price of a promotional item depends on the quantity, the marking and the options. A single figure would only be right for one combination; the volume pricing grid and the configurator give the real price of yours.
Are the prices excl. VAT?expand_more
Yes, all prices on the site are excl. VAT. VAT depends on your country of delivery and your status; with a valid intra-EU VAT number, the reverse charge applies.
Is the starting price available for a small order?expand_more
Rarely: it corresponds to the largest quantities in the grid. For a small run, check the grid on the product page, which shows the price at each tier, as well as the minimum quantity.
How do I pay for my order?expand_more
By bank card, with a card pre-authorisation when you order: the card is only charged once the proof is approved. Public bodies can pay against a purchase order.