How much do promotional products cost? (2026)

The honest answer to “what do promotional products cost in Australia” is: between forty-five cents and forty-five dollars per unit, depending on four things — the substrate, the decoration method, the order quantity, and how soon you need it. After 30+ years of quoting branded merchandise for Australian brands, we can be more specific than that. This is the 2026 price map, built from our live catalogue of 10,000+ products.

Why does the range feel so wide? Because promotional products span everything from a 45-cent pencil handed out at a school open day to a laser-engraved vacuum bottle given to a client who already owns the car. Both are legitimate briefs. The job is matching the unit economics to the moment.

The four price bands in 2026

Australian promotional product pricing clusters into four bands. Each band has a typical decoration method, a typical minimum order quantity, and a typical use case. Use this as your first filter before you brief.

Price band	Typical products	Decoration	MOQ
Under $3	Pens, pencils, lollies, stickers, stress balls	1-colour pad / screen print	250–1,000
$8–$30	Drink bottles, tumblers, travel mugs, notebooks	UV digital, sublimation, laser engrave	50–100
$15–$60	Apparel, caps, premium umbrellas	Embroidery, sublimation, digital print	50–100
$25+	Leather compendiums, premium vacuum bottles, executive gifts	Deboss, laser engrave, foil	50

Under $3: the high-volume giveaway layer

This is where pens, pencils, lollies and stickers live. Our branded pencils start at $1.63 per unit at the 250-quantity tier. A quality retractable pen like the Clarion with gold accents lands at $1.83 at 250 units. Jelly baby lollies come in at $5.81 per unit at 100 units. These are the workhorses of trade-show floors and school activations — built for reach, not for keepsake.

$8–$30: the kept-drinkware sweet spot

This is the most competitive band in 2026, because it is where a promotional product crosses from “given” to “kept.” A stainless-steel drink bottle like the Active Pop-Top 750ml starts at $26.31 at 50 units. Double-wall tumblers and travel mugs sit in the $17 range. See our branded drinkware range for the full tier — these are the pieces that ride the commute and earn thousands of impressions.

$15–$60: apparel and premium umbrellas

Branded t-shirts start at $40.43 at 50 units — see our apparel and bag range. Premium corporate umbrellas like the 75cm golf umbrella at $51.14 sit here too. The decoration method shifts: embroidery and full-bleed sublimation replace pad printing, which is why the per-unit cost steps up.

$25+: the executive gift layer

A leather compendium like the Essay A4 leather compendium at $41.16, or a black leather passport wallet at $63.02 — this is the tier where the object is the gift, not the branding. See our premium picks for the curated edit.

What actually drives the unit cost?

1. The decoration method

A one-colour pad print is the cheapest decoration and the default for pens and lollies. Sublimation (full-bleed colour) costs more because it needs a polyester-coated substrate and a heat press. Laser engraving costs more again because it cuts the mark into the surface — but it is the only decoration that survives a decade. Embroidery is priced per stitch count, not per colour. The decoration choice is usually 20–40% of the unit cost on a mid-range product.

2. The substrate

A 350 GSM combed-cotton beach towel costs more than a 180 GSM promotional towel because the material itself is heavier. A double-wall stainless-steel tumbler costs more than a single-wall plastic cup. Substrate is the base cost everything else is built on.

3. The order quantity (breakpoints matter)

How do quantity breakpoints work?Promotional product pricing is tiered: the more you order, the less you pay per unit. The standard breakpoints in our catalogue are 100, 250, 500 and 1,000 units, with further drops at 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000. The jump from 250 to 500 units typically saves around 10% per unit; the jump from 500 to 1,000 saves around 12%. This is why a brief that says “300 units” is almost always better costed at 500.

4. The lead time

Express stock product — decorated locally from our Sydney print partners — lands in 1–4 days but sits at the catalogue price. Custom-tooled or overseas-produced pieces carry a longer clock but a lower per-unit cost at scale. Lead time is a cost lever, not just a calendar one. Read our lead-times guide for the full breakdown.

The $70 setup fee — what it is and why it is standard

Nearly every branded product in our catalogue carries a one-off artwork setup fee. The most common value is $70, which covers artwork preparation, screen or pad makeready, and the first proof. Higher decoration complexity (laser engraving, sublimation, custom moulds) carries a higher setup — $160 to $180 is common for drinkware and tech, and custom-tooled pieces carry mould costs from $350 up. The setup is per-decoration-run, not per-unit, so it amortises across the order. On a 500-unit run, a $70 setup adds fourteen cents per unit. On a 50-unit run, it adds $1.40 — which is why MOQ and unit cost are linked.

How to brief to a price, not a product

The most common pricing mistake we see is a brief that names a product (“we want stainless bottles”) before it names a budget. The order should run the other way. Tell us the per-unit target and the total landed ceiling, and we will work backwards to the product and decoration method that fits. Our seven-question brief template is the document our account managers actually use — it has a line for total landed budget and a line for per-unit target, and it is built to stop you overpaying for a decoration you did not need.

Ready to cost a campaign? Start a quote with a per-unit target and a quantity, or get in touch and we will map the options to your budget. You can also browse what is on-trend right now to see what other Australian brands are spending.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest promotional product in Australia?

Branded pencils start at $1.63 per unit at the 250-quantity tier, and temporary tattoos start even lower at volume. At the giveaway end of the catalogue — pens, pencils, lollies, stickers — most products land under $3 per unit at MOQ. The trade-off is reach over keepsake: these are high-volume pieces, not premium gifts.

What is the $70 setup fee on promotional products?

The setup fee is a one-off charge per decoration run that covers artwork preparation and screen or pad makeready. $70 is the most common value in our catalogue; drinkware and tech typically run $160–$180; custom tooling runs higher. The setup is charged once per order, not per unit, so it amortises — on a 500-unit run a $70 setup adds roughly fourteen cents per unit.

How do quantity breakpoints affect the price per unit?

Promotional product pricing is tiered by order quantity. Standard breakpoints in our catalogue are 100, 250, 500 and 1,000 units, with further drops at 2,000 and 5,000. The jump from 250 to 500 units typically saves around 10% per unit, and 500 to 1,000 saves around 12%. A brief that asks for 300 units is almost always better costed at 500 — the breakpoint saving often offsets the extra units.

How much do branded drink bottles and tumblers cost?

Stainless-steel drink bottles start at $26.31 at 50 units; double-wall tumblers and travel mugs sit in the $17 range; premium vacuum bottles and glass bottles run higher. This is the $8–$30 band — the most competitive price tier in 2026 because it is where a promotional product crosses from being given to being kept.

What is a realistic per-unit budget for a corporate gift?

For a client thank-you or EOFY gift that will be kept, budget $25+ per unit — a leather compendium at $41.16 or an executive passport wallet at $63.02 is typical. For an onboarding kit or conference giveaway, $15–$30 per unit is the sweet spot. For a trade-show floor giveaway, under $3 keeps the reach high. The per-unit budget should follow the moment, not lead it.

How much do promotional products cost in Australia? (2026 pricing guide)