Start from your goal, not a number
There is no single correct markup for school or nonprofit merch, because pricing follows purpose. Before you set any number, decide what the store is for.
Many organizations price at cost on purpose. If the goal is participation — getting shirts on as many students, members, or volunteers as possible — leaving products at the base price keeps the cost to supporters as low as it can be. At-cost pricing is a deliberate, legitimate choice, not a failure to fundraise.
Other organizations add a markup so every sale helps sustain the program. Both approaches are valid, and you can mix them within one store — for example, keeping a core team shirt near cost while pricing hoodies or specialty items to raise funds.
How pricing works on Print Your Cause
We calculate the base (wholesale) price of each product from the product itself, the decoration method, and the number of print locations. You set the final sales price for every item in your store, and your organization makes 100% of the difference between the item cost and the sales price. There are no minimums and no inventory to buy, so pricing carries no stocking risk.
Shipping does not need to be built into your item prices. Shipping is weight-based, and shoppers choose a shipping tier — speed and price — at checkout, so your sales price only needs to cover the item and whatever margin you want.
100% of store profits are sent each quarter or at the end of a fundraising campaign; distributions are also made on request, by check or ACH direct deposit. For the full picture of how stores operate, see how it works.
Percentage markup or fixed price?
If you add a markup, there is a structural difference between thinking in percentages and locking in a fixed final price. A percentage markup keeps your margin steady if a product's base cost changes over time. A fixed sales price does the opposite: if the base cost rises underneath it, your margin quietly shrinks — potentially to nothing — without anything on the storefront looking different.
This matters more for a store that stays open year-round than for a short campaign. A few-week fundraiser can set prices once and finish before anything moves; a store that sells through the fall and again in the spring should have its prices reviewed periodically against current base costs.
A simple pricing routine
- Decide the goal for each product: participation (at or near cost) or fundraising (marked up).
- Check each item's base price, which reflects the product, decoration method, and print locations you chose.
- Set the final sales price. A clean, round number is easier to communicate to supporters, but the choice is entirely yours.
- Revisit prices on a regular schedule — for example, before each selling season — since your store can stay open as long as you want it to.
