The unit price on a quote is only part of the story. By the time your goods reach your door, four more cost buckets have joined it — and the buyers who plan for all five always end up ahead.
Here is the full picture, with real numbers.
The five cost buckets
1. Unit price (the number everyone sees). This depends on your quantity. Almost every product has tiered pricing — 50 pieces costs more per piece than 500. A printed t-shirt might be $8.50 at 100 pieces and noticeably less at 1,000. The unit price usually includes the decoration itself (printing, engraving, embroidery) on our standard options.
2. One-off costs. Two of them, and both are paid once:
- Pre-production samples — typically $30–80 depending on the product, so you can check the real thing before the real money.
- Tooling / moulds — only for die-struck items like metal pins and metal keychains. Typically $89–120 per mould. It's yours: reorders never pay it again.
3. Freight. From the factory to your door. The cost depends on weight and volume, not order value — 100 pins and 100 hoodies do not ship for the same money. Sea freight is cheapest, air express is fastest, express sea (Matson) sits in between.
4. Duties and import fees. Paid to your own customs, based on your country's rate for the product category. This is the bucket first-time importers forget. A good quote tells you which shipping term applies (more on that in our Incoterms guide), so you know whether this is included or comes on top.
5. The soft costs. Time spent on artwork revisions, a second sample round because specs changed late, a rushed air shipment because production started late. Most of these are avoidable — they are planning failures, not manufacturing failures.
A real example: 100 custom enamel pins
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| 100 pins @ $1.50 | $150 |
| Mould (one-off) | $95 |
| Pre-production sample | $45 |
| Sea freight, 1 small carton | $50–90 |
| Duties (depends on your country) | varies |
| Total, before duties | ≈ $340–380 |
Landed cost: about $3.50 per pin — for a product that commonly retails at $8–12. The mould is one-off, so a reorder of the same pin drops to roughly $2.20 per piece landed.
A real example: 100 printed t-shirts
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| 100 tees @ $8.50 (printed) | $850 |
| Pre-production sample | $50–80 |
| Air express, ~30 kg | $180–260 |
| Duties | varies |
| Total, before duties | ≈ $1,100–1,190 |
Landed cost: about $11–12 per shirt against a typical retail of $25–35. Switch to sea freight and you'll land closer to $9.50 — two weeks slower, three dollars cheaper per piece.
All figures are indicative, based on typical 100-piece orders in 2026. Your actual quote depends on the product, size, colours and finish.
What moves your cost up or down
- Quantity — the strongest lever. Going 100 → 300 pieces typically cuts unit cost 10–20%.
- Colours and finishes — more print colours, special plating, soft-touch coatings: all add cost. Keep v1 simple.
- Sizes and materials — a 3XL costs more than an M; thicker materials cost more to ship.
- How fast you decide — every artwork revision costs days, and sometimes a new sample.
What a good quote looks like
One number covering only the product is not a quote — it's a teaser. A proper quote itemises everything above: unit price at your quantity, tooling if any, sample cost, freight by the method you choose, and which import term applies. Nothing gets added after you've said yes.
That's how we quote — itemised, exact before production, valid in writing. For indicative prices by category, see the Pricing Guide, and for how the deposit stage works, read What a 30% Deposit Covers.
Next step: send us your product idea and quantity — we'll return an itemised quote within one working day.
Related reading: EXW vs FOB vs DDP Explained · Sea vs Air Freight