It's the first question almost every new merch buyer asks — and it's a good one. Order too few and you're back at square one in three weeks. Order too many and you're drowning in mediums nobody wanted. Getting the quantity right is one of the most practical skills in merch buying, and it's not as complicated as it sounds once you understand what drives the numbers.

Here's what you actually need to know.

Minimum order quantities exist for a reason

Every decoration method has a minimum order quantity (MOQ) — the fewest units a decorator can produce while still making the job commercially viable. This isn't arbitrary. Screen printing, for example, requires physical screens to be made for each colour in your design. That setup cost is real and it gets amortised across the run. At 12 units, you're paying a lot per shirt for that setup. At 50, it starts making sense.

Here's a rough guide to MOQs by decoration method:

• Screen printing: Typically 24–50 units per design, per colour combination. The more colours in your design, the higher the MOQ tends to be because each colour requires its own screen.
• Embroidery: Usually 12–24 units. Digitising your logo is a one-off setup cost, so smaller runs are more feasible than screen printing.
• DTG (direct-to-garment): Can go as low as 1 unit. No screens, no setup — the printer treats each shirt like a piece of paper. Ideal for very short runs or one-offs.
• DTF (direct-to-film): Often available from as low as 1 unit for transfers, though most suppliers prefer runs of 10+ for efficiency. Excellent for small runs with full-colour artwork.

If you're ordering for an event, a club, or a fundraiser, screen printing will almost always give you the best per-unit cost at volume — but you need to be committed to at least 24–50 pieces to make it work.

Start with a real headcount

The most common mistake is estimating. Don't estimate. Count.

If you're ordering for a sports club, count your registered members. If it's a work event, count RSVPs. If it's a school fundraiser, count enrolments in the relevant year groups. Real numbers give you a real baseline. From there, you can build a size run.

A typical size run for an adult unisex tee in Australia looks something like this:

• XS: 5%
• S: 15%
• M: 30%
• L: 30%
• XL: 15%
• 2XL: 5%

That's a starting point — not a rule. If you know your audience skews larger or smaller, adjust accordingly. A women's gym class will look very different to a tradie crew.

Always add a buffer

Once you have your headcount and your size run, add 10–15% as a buffer. Why? Because someone will always ask for a tee after the order closes. Because a medium will get lost in transit. Because the person who said they didn't want one will change their mind when they see everyone else wearing one.

A buffer also gives you something to sell. If you're a club running fundraiser tees, leftover stock at a market stall or club day is easy money. Don't cut your run so tight that you have nothing to show new members.

Understand your cost curve

The economics of custom tees work in your favour the more you order — up to a point. Here's the general shape of it:

• Under 24 units: Screen printing often isn't viable. DTG or DTF is your best option. Per-unit cost is higher.
• 24–50 units: Screen printing becomes available. Per-unit cost drops noticeably. One or two colour designs work well here.
• 50–100 units: Strong per-unit pricing. Multi-colour designs become more cost-effective. This is the sweet spot for most event and club orders.
• 100+ units: Best per-unit pricing. Setup costs become almost irrelevant per shirt. Ideal for large events, corporate orders, and national clubs.

There's no prize for ordering more than you need. But there's a real penalty for ordering fewer than the MOQ — you'll either end up using a different (often more expensive) decoration method, or you'll be paying premium pricing for a small screen print run.

What if you genuinely don't know how many people will want one?

Run a pre-order. Before you commit to a quantity, open a two-week window where people can register their size. Collect a deposit if you want to keep it serious. This approach is underused and extremely effective — it tells you exactly how many to order, eliminates guesswork, and often funds the production upfront.

The other option is to start small and reorder. DTG and DTF are well-suited to this approach — print 20, sell them, gauge the response, and order 50 next time. The per-unit cost will be higher on the small runs, but you won't be sitting on 40 XLs nobody wanted.

A quick checklist before you place your order

• Do you have a firm headcount or a confirmed pre-order list?
• Have you built a size run based on your actual audience?
• Have you added a 10–15% buffer?
• Do you know which decoration method suits your quantity and design?
• Do you have a plan for any leftover stock?

Get those five things right and you'll avoid the two worst outcomes in merch buying: running out before everyone gets one, and being stuck with a box of shirts you can't shift.

Want more practical merch advice delivered every week? Subscribe to Merch Smarter — Printwear's newsletter for organisers, clubs, and small businesses who need the right answer fast.