Customers ordering 48 shirts expect a better price per shirt than someone ordering 12, and quantity breaks are a normal part of embroidery pricing. But discounts are easy to overdo. A price break that looks modest per item can take a surprising share of your profit, and it changes how much you earn for every hour your machine runs. This guide shows how quantity discounts play out on real numbers, so you can set breaks with confidence.
How should you price bulk embroidery orders?
Offer quantity breaks that lower the per-item price as orders grow, but check them against profit per item and profit per machine hour. One-off costs like digitizing and setup are spread across more pieces on large orders, which leaves some room for a discount — but a large discount can still cut what you earn per machine hour.
What happens to profit at different quantities?
Using an 8,000-stitch design at $1.00 per 1,000 stitches, an $8 blank with a 50% markup ($20 per item before discount), $0.75 supplies and 3 minutes of labor per item, a $40 digitizing fee charged to the customer, and a machine averaging 700 stitches per minute:
| Quantity | Discount | Price per item | Order total | Profit | Profit per item | Profit per machine hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 0% | $20.00 | $280 | $123 | $10.25 | $53.81 |
| 24 | 5% | $19.00 | $496 | $222 | $9.25 | $48.56 |
| 48 | 10% | $18.00 | $904 | $396 | $8.25 | $43.31 |
Total profit rises with the order size, which is the point of bulk orders. But profit per item falls, and so does profit per machine hour, because the discount comes straight out of your stitching and blank margins while machine time grows with every piece.
Is a lower profit per machine hour a problem?
Only if your machine is busy. If you have spare capacity, a 48-piece order earning $43 per machine hour is still good business — the machine would otherwise sit idle. If you're turning work away, a smaller order earning $54 per hour may be the better use of the same time.
That's why profit per machine hour is worth checking before you set breaks. Profit per machine hour explains how to use it.
How do you set quantity breaks sensibly?
- Discount what really gets cheaper. Digitizing, setup and your quoting time are spread across more pieces on big orders. That's where your discount room comes from.
- Keep breaks simple. A few tiers (for example 12+, 24+, 48+) are easier to quote and explain than a sliding scale.
- Check the biggest tier. Your largest discount should still leave a profit per machine hour you're happy with at your busiest times.
- Watch blank prices. Suppliers often give you better prices on larger quantities too — if so, that can fund part of your discount.
Should the blank markup change on bulk orders?
Some shops reduce the blank markup on large orders instead of discounting the stitching, since handling many identical blanks is efficient. Either approach works, as long as you check the resulting profit. How much to charge for embroidery explains how blank markup and stitching combine in a quote.
It's also worth reading about whether to charge a digitizing fee.
