Why 50 bags can cost barely more than 25

Nothing new launched in the range this week, so this issue is about a number that is already on every product page and is easy to misread.

The price per bag does not slide down smoothly as you add bags. It steps down at set quantities. Which means the quantity just above the one you had in mind sometimes costs very little more in total.

Two examples from the site today, both with a one-colour print on one side, excluding VAT:

On the classic tote, there is a second thing worth knowing. The price per bag is the same at 25 and at 50, so 50 bags cost you no more per bag than the minimum order does.

This is not a discount, and it is not an offer. It is how the print setup cost spreads across the order. The screens, the setup, and the handling are charged once, so every extra bag after that is mostly fabric and ink.

Why this matters if you are ordering for an event

Most people guess their quantity, and most guesses come in low.

A better way to count, for a trade fair or a conference, is to count conversations rather than visitors. People at the stand, times conversations per hour, times opening hours, times days, plus 10 to 15% for partners, press and colleagues.

Two people over three days at six conversations an hour each is about 288 conversations, so an order of about 325 bags. Our new guide to how many tote bags a trade fair stand needs walks through the full calculation with a table.

And running out is the expensive outcome, not ordering 25 too many. Leave the date and the stand number off the print and the leftovers go to the next fair, into welcome kits for new colleagues, or out with customer orders.

How to check it yourself in half a minute

Open any product page, set your quantity and the number of print colours, and the price per bag updates. Then set the next quantity up and compare the totals. No quote request needed to see either number.

Orders start from 25 pieces per design, all prices exclude VAT, and delivery across the EU is included. You approve a digital proof before anything is printed.

One date to keep in mind

Production takes 10 to 15 working days after you approve your digital proof, plus delivery. Friday 6 November is the last comfortable order date for Christmas gifts delivered before mid-December.

The dates and the reason the clock starts at the proof rather than at the order are in last week's issue.

Not sure how many you need? Email sales@printsandbags.com with what the bags are for, roughly how many people you expect and when you need them, and we will come back with a quantity and a bag.

You can also compare the sturdier options in the 220 g/m² gusseted collection or browse all cotton bags with custom print.