What promotional products actually cost
Three numbers decide the bill: the piece, the decoration and the freight. Here is how each one is calculated, with the arithmetic shown, so you can check a quote from anyone.
1. The piece
Unit price falls at quantity breaks, and every break is published on the product page rather than hidden behind a quote request. Across the market, all in at 50 pieces, the medians we track run $2.25 to $82.90 depending on the item.
Typical prices at 50 pieces
Under $10 a piece
Light Brown Laserable Leatherette Pen Sleeves
$2.40 each at 50, plus about $2.50 to engrave
660 in stock · 3in x 0.63in imprint area
Natural Bamboo Cutting Board with a Handle, 9" x 6" x 3/8"
$6.60 each at 50, plus about $26.50 to engrave
1,000+ in stock · 7.5in x 7.5in imprint area
Polished Silver Key Ring
$7.68 each at 50, plus about $3.25 to engrave
1,000+ in stock · 2in x 2in imprint area
$10 to $25 a piece
Black Certificate Holder with Clear Plastic Cover
$15.20 each at 50, plus about $43.25 to engrave
1,000+ in stock · 10in x 9.25in imprint area
Full Color Plaque with Black Edge, 8" x 10" x 5/8"
$20.40 each at 50, plus about $3.25 to engrave
1,000+ in stock · 2in x 2in imprint area
Clear Crushed Ice Acrylic Paperweight
$19.20 each at 50, plus about $2.50 to engrave
692 in stock · 1.8in x 1.35in imprint area
$25 and up
Solid Walnut Plaque with Gold Aluminum Star and Black Brass Plate
$108.00 each at 50, plus about $35.75 to engrave
122 in stock · 7.5in x 10in imprint area
Cherry Finish Plaque with Sapphire Marble Plate, 7" x 9"
$76.80 each at 50, plus about $20.00 to engrave
307 in stock · 5.5in x 7.5in imprint area
Oak 5" x 7" Photo Plaque with Plate
$67.20 each at 50, plus about $3.25 to engrave
175 in stock · 2in x 2in imprint area
2. The decoration
This is the part nobody publishes, so here it is. Laser engraving is priced from the area, not from your logo being "complex":
- Take the personalization area on the product, in square inches.
- Multiply by $0.55 and round up to the next whole dollar. That is full coverage.
- Multiply by how much of that area your artwork actually covers.
- Add a one-off $20.00 setup per job at the factory, which we absorb.
Worked example. The Black Polar Camel 22 oz. Skinny Tumbler with Slider Lid has a 2.5in x 4in personalization area. That is 10 square inches, so full coverage prices at $4.25 a piece. A logo covering half of it costs $4.25 a piece at the factory. At 50 pieces the piece is $16.20 and the engraving adds about $8.00, so $24.20 all in, with no setup and no art charge.
You do not have to take our word for the coverage: upload your logo on any product page, size it inside the engraving area and watch the price change as you do.
3. The freight
Ground freight is free over $250.00. Below that it is priced from the destination ZIP on the greater of actual and dimensional weight, which is how carriers bill, and shown before you pay rather than after. Long pieces such as 24 by 48 inch sheet stock carry the carrier's oversize handling even on a free-freight order, because that charge is real and we would rather name it than bury it. Orders ship blind, with no supplier paperwork or pricing in the box, and rush air is quoted on weight and date rather than guessed at.
The fees we do not charge
The median setup fee across 1,900 competitor listings is $50.00 an order. On 50 pieces that is $1.00 a piece before anything is engraved. We charge no setup, no art fee for usable artwork, no proof fee and no small-order fee.
What moves the price, and what does not
Four things genuinely change what you pay. Two things that feel like they should, do not.
Quantity, which is the big one
Price falls at published breaks rather than by negotiation. The Black Polar Camel 22 oz. Skinny Tumbler with Slider Lid runs $20.25 at 1, $18.63 at 12, $17.42 at 24, $16.20 at 48, $14.99 at 96. Ordering one more piece to reach the next break is nearly always cheaper than stopping one short of it.
Material and weight
Stainless steel, crystal and hardwood cost more than plastic and resin, and they also survive longer. That is the trade you are making, and it is the reason our crystal sits above the market median while our keychains sit below it.
How much of the area your artwork covers
A wordmark in one corner costs a fraction of a full-panel design on the same product, because the factory charges by the area it has to burn. This is the single lever most buyers do not know they have.
Freight, which is weight and distance
Fifty tumblers are heavy; fifty keychains are not. Ground freight is free over $250.00, and air freight for a tight date is quoted on the real weight rather than estimated.
What does not change the price
Colors in your logo do not, because laser engraving is one color by definition: the material's own mark. Neither does a rushed proof. We do not charge for speed on our side of the job.
How to read a quote from anyone
Ask these four questions and quotes become comparable in about a minute.
- Is setup included? If not, add it and divide by the quantity.
- Is that price at my quantity, or at the highest break? Published ladders remove the argument.
- Is decoration included, and for how much coverage? A price "from" a small imprint is not a price for your logo.
- Is freight in there, and what date does it assume? Ground to the far coast is not two days.
Tax, resale and purchase orders
Sales tax applies where required. If you are tax exempt or buying for resale, send the certificate before you order and we will apply it to the order rather than refunding it afterwards. Purchase orders and net terms are available for schools, municipalities and established accounts: ask and we will set it up before you need it.
What do people actually ask?
How is engraving priced?
By area. Take the personalization area on the product, multiply the square inches by $0.55 and round up to the next whole dollar: that is the price for artwork covering the whole area. Cover half of it and you pay half. A one-off setup of $20.00 an order applies at the factory, which we absorb rather than passing on.
Why do promotional product sites hide their prices?
Because decoration is quoted per job, so a single published number is always wrong somewhere. We publish the quantity-break price on every one of our 14,887 products and calculate the engraving from your actual artwork before you pay. Most product pages also carry an all-in table: piece, engraving and order total at each quantity break.
What is a typical setup fee?
Across 1,900 competitor listings we captured, the median is $50.00 an order. Ours is zero at every quantity. On a 50 piece run that median adds $1.00 to every piece, which is why comparing per-piece prices without setup understates what most suppliers charge.
When is freight free?
Ground freight is free on orders over $250.00. Below that it is calculated at checkout by weight to your ZIP, and a long or oversize piece can carry a handling charge that the cart names before you pay. Rush air freight is quoted separately, because it depends on the weight and the date.
Do you charge sales tax?
Yes, where the law requires it, and the tax appears as its own line at checkout rather than inside the product price. If you are tax exempt or buying for resale, send the certificate before you order and we will apply it, so the exemption is on the invoice from the start rather than refunded afterwards.
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