Minimum order quantities, explained

Most branded products carry a minimum order quantity, and it isn't a sales tactic. It covers the fixed cost of setting up a print screen, digitising a logo for embroidery, or running a short production batch. Below the minimum, the setup cost per item gets too high for a supplier to quote sensibly.

The minimum comes from the decoration method and the product, not from us. A different method, or a different product in the same category, will often carry a lower one.

Why the number sits where it does

Screen printing needs a separate screen for every colour, and that cost is the same whether you order 20 items or 200. Embroidery needs the logo digitised first, which is another one-off. Spread across a short run, that setup can cost more than the products themselves.

Blank, undecorated stock almost always carries a lower minimum than the decorated version of the same item, because none of that setup applies.

• Screen print: usually set per colour, with a moderate minimum.
• Embroidery: a one-off digitising cost, then a minimum that varies by garment.
• Digital or transfer print: often lower, since there is less physical setup.
• Pad print and engraving: minimums vary by item and surface.

Is your number fixed or flexible?

Work out whether your quantity is genuinely fixed, like a confirmed headcount or a guest list, or flexible enough to round up. A fixed small number has real constraints. A flexible one has options.

• Whether the exact quantity is fixed, or can round up to a minimum.
• Whether it needs decorating at all, or a blank item would do.
• Whether you want spares for new starters, damage or a later event.
• Whether the budget can carry a small premium to avoid a bulk order sitting in storage.

When your number doesn't fit

There is usually more on the table than ordering the minimum or walking away. The right call depends on your deadline, your budget, and whether the shortfall is worth solving now or later.

• Order the minimum and keep the extras for spares or new starters.
• Switch to a decoration method with a lower minimum on the same product.
• Go with a blank item, or one that needs less decoration.
• Combine it with a related order so the two reach the minimum together.
• Look at a different supplier or product line in the same style.

What people get caught by

Most of the frustration comes from assuming every product and every method shares one minimum. A supplier's headline number on one product tells you nothing about the rest of their catalogue.

We check the minimum for the exact product and method you want, rather than the headline figure, and compare the alternatives when a small quantity doesn't fit cleanly. If a slightly different product or method solves it, we'll tell you.

• Assuming one minimum covers an entire supplier catalogue.
• Forgetting that screen printing sets minimums per colour.
• Ordering to the exact headcount, with nothing spare for damage or new starters.
• Expecting setup costs to scale down for a shorter run.