Payment and pricing

It's the one off cost of preparing your artwork for printing, covering things like making the screens, matching the ink colours and setting up the press. It's charged per design rather than per item, which is why the price per bag falls as quantity rises. Reordering the same design later is usually cheaper, because that preparation has already been done.

Because a large part of the cost is setting up the print run, and that happens once regardless of how many bags go through it. Making the screens, positioning the artwork and setting the press costs the same for 50 bags as for 5,000, so it's divided across more units as the order grows. Prices step down at set quantity breaks, so it's worth checking the next break up before you order.

Freight, import duty at a rate set by the product's classification, import VAT at the standard rate on the goods plus freight plus duty, customs clearance and broker fees, port handling, and delivery from the port. Import VAT is normally recoverable if you are VAT registered, but it still has to be paid at the border so it affects cash flow. Beyond the invoiced costs, budget for samples, currency movement and the possibility of rework if the goods arrive off-spec.

The Full Colour Bamboo Fan starts at £1.26 per unit at a minimum order of 100. Published price bands run £1 to £3 for hand fans and £3 to £10 and above for USB and rechargeable models.

The price per shirt depends on the garment, the print method, the number of colours in the design and the number of print positions, and it falls as the quantity rises because the setup for a print run costs much the same at 50 shirts as at 500. That is why prices drop at quantity breaks rather than sliding smoothly. Every t-shirt product page shows its price at the quantity you enter, along with its minimum order and its guaranteed delivery date.

Usually yes. Business gifts are normally disallowed, but there's an exception for gifts carrying a conspicuous advertisement for your business, which is what branded promotional merchandise is. The exception applies where the item carries visible branding, isn't food, drink, tobacco or an exchangeable voucher, and the total cost of gifts to that recipient in the tax period doesn't exceed £50. This is general information rather than advice, so check your own position with your accountant.

Input VAT on goods bought for business purposes is normally recoverable, subject to your VAT position. Giving the goods away is a separate question: where the total cost of gifts to the same person in any twelve-month period goes over £50 excluding VAT, output VAT is due on the full cost of those gifts if you reclaimed the input VAT. Genuine samples given to promote a product are treated differently again. Check your own position with your accountant.

It depends on what the clothing is. Branded clothing that's genuinely workwear or a recognisable uniform required for the role is normally treated differently from a gift and is usually not a taxable benefit on the employee. Other items given to staff may fall within the trivial benefits rules, which cover small non-cash benefits that aren't contractual and aren't a reward for services, subject to conditions and a £50 cost limit. Anything more substantial is likely to be reportable as a benefit in kind.

Keep the invoice, a note of what the item was and what branding it carried, and a record of who received items and roughly what each recipient received across the year, because the limits apply per recipient rather than per order. Branded merchandise is easier to evidence than most marketing spend, since the advertisement is on the product itself and the approved artwork proof shows it. Keeping the proof with the invoice puts the evidence in one place.

There are plenty of budget-friendly promotional products to choose from. For inspiration and ideas, take a look at our [Promotional Products Under £1] article, which highlights affordable branded merchandise for events, giveaways and marketing campaigns.

Because the setup cost for a print run is much the same at any volume, so spreading it across more units lowers the cost of each one. If you're just below a quantity break, ordering slightly more can cost less in total.

Divide your total merchandise budget by the number of people you're giving to. If you have £2,000 and 500 attendees, your ceiling is £4 per unit, and that's the figure to put into the price filter.

Yes. Filter by price per unit on any category page at hotline.co.uk and you'll see only the products that fit your cost per head, before you start comparing them

Yes. Enter your quantity and print options on any pen page and the price updates as you go. Request a free Visual Proof™ and you'll get your logo on the pen with the price and delivery date, usually in around 20 minutes, and that price is locked for 14 days.

Because the setup work, such as preparing the artwork and setting up the machine, happens once however many pens go through it. Spread across more pens, it adds less to each one, and prices step down at set quantity breaks rather than sliding smoothly.

Choose a plastic pen, print your logo in one colour in one position, and compare the delivery options in your basket against your date. If you need a number just below a price break, check the price at the break above it, since ordering a few more sometimes costs less in total.

It depends on the pen, the branding method, the number of colours and positions, and the delivery option you choose. A plastic pen printed in one colour in one position keeps the cost down, while metal and recognised brand pens cost more before any branding is added. Every pen on our site shows its price for 500 when you enter the quantity, so you can compare options without asking for a quote.

We lock in your quoted price for 14 days from the moment you receive your Visual Proof™. This gives you plenty of time to review your design, make decisions, raise purchase orders, and place your order without worrying about price changes.
After 14 days, prices may change based on current rates. The only exception is if a Price Match has been applied. A Price Matched Visual Proof™ is locked for 3 days.

Absolutely! After you approve your order, you can download your receipt or BACS pro-forma invoice, depending on your chosen payment method, from your Promo Portal. We’ll also email you your VAT invoice the day after your first delivery, and you can download it from your Promo Portal as well.

If a refund is required, our Accounts team will process it within 48 hours of confirmation. For payments made by card, please allow up to 5 business days for the funds to appear in your bank account. For payments made via bank transfer, refunds will be issued back via bank transfer.

Yes, VAT is applied to all orders. If your organisation is VAT-exempt, you will need to reclaim the VAT directly through HMRC or your relevant authority. We do not ship goods outside the UK where VAT may not be applicable.

To get started, simply pay for your first order via credit card. Once your initial order is completed, you can apply for a credit account via our Support Centre, subject to approval and eligibility.

Absolutely! Simply provide an official purchase order number when placing your order online, and we’ll set up a 30-day credit account for you. Please note: All balances must be settled within 30 days of the invoice date.

Yes, after you have placed your order, go to your Portal, Order History tab and click proforma invoice

Yes, after you have placed your order, go to your Portal, Order History tab and click Download Invoice

Yes, enter your promo code in the box in your basket or in the checkout and click "Apply" to enjoy your discount.

We don’t offer specific discounts for charities, however, if you find a like for like quote we will match the price. See FAQ on Price matching

Yes! After delivery, we’ll email you a VAT invoice, you can also download a full VAT invoice from your Portal under Order History after your goods have been delivered.

Yes, our checkout is fully secure with DigiCert SSL technology. Your payments undergo fraud checks and authentication for peace of mind.

Yes! Select 'Pay by BACS' at checkout, and we’ll issue a proforma invoice. Your order goes into production once payment clears. Your delivery dates will move forward each working day if the BACS payment is not received and cleared by 4.00pm. If your delivery dates are tight we recommend you pay by credit card.

We accept MasterCard, Visa, Visa Debit, BACS and PayPal via our secure online checkout. Unfortunately we cannot accept Amex but you can link an Amex account to a Paypal account, which we do accept.