The 7 Biggest Mistakes Gym Owners Make With Apparel

After 17 years and over 30,000 completed orders, we have seen every apparel mistake a gym owner can make. These are the seven that cost the most money, waste the most time, and are the easiest to fix.

Mistake 1: Ordering Bulk Inventory Without Confirmed Orders

This is the original sin of gym apparel. You guess how many mediums and larges you need, commit to a quantity, and cross your fingers. Inevitably, you end up with a box of XS and XXL shirts nobody wants, sitting in a back closet for the next three years.

The fix:

Switch to a preorder model. Only produce what has already been paid for. Zero guessing, zero leftover inventory.

Mistake 2: Pricing Too Low

Many gym owners sell shirts at cost or close to it because they think of merch as marketing rather than revenue. A shirt you sell for $15 when it costs $10 to produce gives you $5 in profit. That same shirt sold at $28 gives you $18. Your members will not balk at the higher price if the design and quality are good.

The fix:

Target 70-100% margins. Price based on perceived value, not cost. A well-designed premium tee is worth $25-30 to your members.

Mistake 3: Spending 3 Weeks on Design and 3 Minutes on Marketing

You finalize the perfect design, open the preorder, post once on Instagram, and wonder why only 8 people ordered. Marketing is where sales live or die. The design gets people interested. The promotion gets them to click, select a size, and pay.

The fix:

Plan 5-7 marketing touchpoints per drop: announce the design, show samples in class, post on social, send an email, make a class announcement, create a countdown, and send a last-chance reminder.

Mistake 4: Not Sending Sizing Samples

When members are uncertain about fit, they do not order. It is that simple. Uncertainty about whether a shirt runs small, whether the women's cut is true to size, or whether the hoodie is oversized kills conversions. Every time.

The fix:

Have sizing samples at your gym for every drop. Let members touch the fabric, try on sizes, and order with confidence. This alone can increase order volume by 20-30%.

Mistake 5: Running Too Few Drops Per Year

One or two drops per year is not a program. It is an afterthought. Members forget about apparel between drops, and you miss seasonal windows where buying intent is highest.

The fix:

Plan 4-6 drops per year aligned with seasonal events. Create a calendar at the start of the year and stick to it.

Mistake 6: Offering Too Many Options Per Drop

When you offer 8 products in 4 colors each, you scatter your members' attention and dilute your order volume. Instead of 40 people buying the same tee, you get 5 people buying each of 8 different items.

The fix:

Keep each drop tight: one or two tee designs, one premium item like a hoodie, and optionally one accessory. Scarcity and simplicity drive higher conversions.

Mistake 7: Treating Apparel as a One-Time Project Instead of a System

The biggest difference between gyms that earn $1,000 a year from apparel and gyms that earn $10,000+ is consistency. One-and-done drops do not build momentum. A repeatable system with planned timing, proven promotion, and predictable results does.

The fix:

Build a system. Same cadence, same process, same promotion playbook, improved each cycle. Apparel should feel like a scheduled part of running your gym, not a side project you squeeze in when you remember.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which mistake costs gym owners the most money?

Pricing too low. It is the silent killer. A gym running four drops per year that underprices by $5-8 per unit is leaving $2,000-$5,000 on the table annually.

How do I know if I am making these mistakes?

If your preorders consistently convert less than 15% of members, if you have unsold inventory, or if your profit per drop is under $500, at least one of these mistakes is in play. Start with the fix that matches your biggest pain point.