How Much Do Pickleball Uniforms Cost?
If you are shopping for pickleball uniforms, you came to the right place!
You might think that you don’t need a uniform to play pickleball. We would tell you that you are correct, you don’t need a pickleball uniform to play pickleball, but you will be much more comfortable and you will be happier playing pickleball in a sport-specific garment. The styles, colors, cuts, materials, and other options are nearly endless. This can make the decisions that determine the cost of pickleball uniforms challenging.
You can purchase small numbers of pickleball uniforms, as well as large numbers of custom pickleball uniforms! If you are outfitting all the pickleball players in your club, you will need more pickleball unforms than a retired couple buying pickleball uniforms for themselves and a few friends.
One way to simplify your task is to decide how much you plan to pay for your pickleball uniforms, and then select the pickleball uniforms that are the best uniforms that you can afford within your budget. Researching the price for pickleball uniforms can be a daunting task. There are many variables that go into the final cost of pickleball uniforms, and a large number of the websites that sell pickleball team uniforms are not always clear when it comes to the final costs. We will provide price ranges for pickleball uniforms based on the criteria that affect costs and ultimately determine the final price.
How Much do the Cheapest Pickleball Uniforms Cost?
The cheapest way to outfit a pickleball team with uniforms is to start with normal t-shirts and have numbers applied to them, usually through a heat-transfer process. You can then buy inexpensive matching shorts, or have your players wear shorts that they already own. The cost of using t-shirts as a basic pickleball uniform will range from $15 to $25 per player. However, unless your players already have shorts and/or skorts, new bottoms will add another $10 to $30 per player to the overall cost of uniforms for your pickleball team.
How Much do More Expensive Pickleball Uniforms Cost?
Buying full matching team pickleball uniforms is a more expensive option. You would want to consider stock uniforms, perhaps with a team logo or design, and player names that could be heat transferred or screen printed onto the jerseys. With the price of a stock pickleball team uniform costing between $60 and $90 per player, the overall cost to provide uniforms to a small team of players, say a team of ten, would cost between $600 and $900 per player.
How Much do the Most Expensive Pickleball Uniforms Cost?
Buying 100% custom pickleball uniforms with your own design and logo can cost between $90 and $140 per uniform. Many teams also like to have matching socks, warm-up pants, warm-up jackets, and backpacks; these will cost between $150 and $200 extra per player. Some pickleball teams even want their players to have matching shoes!
For a 100% custom design, most uniform providers can include a unique pickleball uniform design for a reasonable charge.
What About
Sublimated Uniforms?
Sublimation is a manufacturing process whereby the entire design of the pickleball uniform and the related artwork for personalization are infused directly into the fabric.
The uniform designs themselves start out as digital images, which are then printed on wide format printers and use heat and pressure to infuse the color into the fabric. The process is called Sublimation because of the chemical and physical change from the solid colorant state directly into a gas without going through the liquid state.
Sublimated pickleball uniforms have the following characteristics:
- There are practically no limits on the designs and colors that can be incorporated into your pickleball uniforms
- Sublimated uniform fabrics are comfortable against the skin and have wicking and moisture management properties
- Sublimated uniforms are color-fast and long-lasting compared to thermal transfer and screen-printed uniform
- Sublimated uniform team emblems, graphics, numbers, etc. don’t crack, peel, or fall off, making them the ideal option for schools looking to keep the same uniforms for multiple years
- Dye-sublimated pickleball uniforms are never backordered or discontinued
The price for sublimation pickleball uniforms can vary. Sublimated pickleball jerseys range from $30 to $55. Sublimated uniform sets can cost from $65 to $130 for a basic set of pickleball jersey and shorts. Custom full sublimation team packs can range from $215 to $300 which includes pickleball jerseys, pickleball bottoms, warm-up pants and jackets, and a pickleball bag or pickleball backpack.
If you prefer a unique one-of-a-kind pickleball uniform design with full-color logos, numbers, and/or player names, dye sublimation pickleball uniforms offer the best value.
Exactly how does Sublimation Work?
The sublimation process uses heat-sensitive colorants to print text and graphics onto a special transfer paper. The printed paper is then placed onto a fabric pattern, and both are placed into a heat press.
Using heat and pressure, the image on the paper transfers to the fabric in a gaseous state. The gaseous colorant penetrates the structure of the fabric and permanently affixes the colors. Sublimation is always done with a 100% polyester fabric or mostly polyester fabric. Heat causes the pores of the polyester fabric to open and accept the vaporized dye. When the fabric cools, the pores close and the gas reverts back to a solid and is permanently locked into the structure of the fabric.
Sublimation doesn’t work with most natural materials, such as cotton. Natural fabrics have no pores to open and accept the gas vapor. The colorants are engineered to fuse permanently with polyester. Additionally, dark fabrics cannot be used in the sublimation process so most sublimated uniforms start out as a blank white polyester material.
Sublimated team pickleball uniforms have the following advantages over other types of uniforms:
Durability
Because the vaporized colorant penetrates the matrix of the polyester fabric, the dye actually becomes a permanent part of the fabric. Sublimated pickleball uniforms won’t fade, crack, peel, or deteriorate under normal conditions. Sublimated uniforms can last for many years with proper care.
Breathability
Sublimated pickleball uniforms are breathable. There are no embroidered logos or screen-printed numbers or graphic elements to block air exchange with the skin. The polyester fabrics used for sublimation are engineered to breathe and wick moisture away from the skin for excellent moisture management properties.
Economy
Sublimated pickleball team uniforms are an excellent value compared to screen printed or sewn twill uniforms. Adding more colors, a more intricate design, or personalization doesn’t impact the price.
No Minimums
When you need to reorder in smaller quantities, that’s not a problem. The sublimation process is a direct digital process that does not require additional set-up charges that drive up the cost of re-ordering traditional team pickleball uniforms.
No Limitations
With sublimated team pickleball uniforms there are practically no limits on the designs and colors that can be incorporated into your team’s pickleball uniforms
Team Sports Planet can help you design and manufacture custom sublimated pickleball team uniforms that will help your team stand out from the competition. We are here to help you turn your ideas into reality!
What Factors Drive the Cost of Pickleball Uniforms Up?
Quantity
The number of pickleball uniforms that you will need is a major factor that drives the cost of pickleball team uniforms up. Roster size obviously has an impact; the more players on your pickleball team, the more uniforms will be needed. This also drives overall pickleball uniform costs up.
Accessories
Adding extra items like warm-ups, socks, shorts, and even shoes will drive the per-player pickleball uniform cost up.
Rush Charges
Turnaround times for pickleball team uniforms are typically 10-15 business days, or about two to three weeks and can cost anywhere between a 20% and 25% rush surcharge. If you don’t plan ahead and allow for manufacturing time and shipping time, you may end up paying for a rush charge and for expedited shipping. Remember that sublimated pickleball uniforms are made to order, including the actual cutting, assembly, and stitching of the uniform garment and that process takes time.
Manufacturing Location
Sublimated pickleball team uniforms may be manufactured in Asia or some other offshore location. Labor costs may be lower, but ultimately costs like shipping, customs-related charges, and the time required to ship items across an ocean may add up quickly. Domestically produced pickleball team uniforms may have higher labor and material costs, but those costs are usually offset by lower costs for shipping and importation. Having to ship pickleball uniforms overseas by container ships also contributes significantly to carbon emissions and climate change.
What Factors Drive the Cost of Pickleball Uniforms Down?
Offshore Manufacturing
Having your pickleball uniforms made overseas may seem like a bargain, but by the time you pay for shipping, and the time it takes for your team uniforms to arrive from Asia or another country outside of North America, it’s not much of a bargain. When your team pickleball uniforms are manufactured in North America, they don’t have as far to travel, and North American workers are paid a fair wage and often have superior working conditions when compared to their overseas counterparts.
Efficiency
Pickleball team uniform suppliers that have been producing pickleball uniforms for many years will have a smooth and efficient manufacturing process that can save time and expense when compared to less experienced manufacturers.
Advance Planning
Planning the design and purchase of your team’s pickleball uniforms in advance and not waiting until the last minute will save you time and money. You won’t need to pay manufacturing rush charges or expedited shipping costs if you plan ahead and leave plenty of lead time for delivery of your pickleball uniforms.
Uniform Care
Although sublimated pickleball uniforms can last many years in normal conditions, there are certain factors that can cause the images to fade over time. Don’t use chlorine bleach when washing your sublimated pickleball uniforms. It is also advised to not use hot water temperatures when laundering sublimated pickleball jerseys and pants. Warm water will work fine. One of the most common ways to cause fading of sublimated pickleball uniform colors is to hang them outside in the bright sunshine to dry. The sun’s intense UV rays will eventually cause the deep sharp colors from the dye sublimation process to fade. The best practice is to dry them by hanging them inside-out on a clothesline in the shade. Taking good care of your pickleball uniforms will allow them to last a long time and save you money in uniform replacement costs.
Why are Some Pickleball Uniform Companies More Expensive?
In a nutshell, some companies are more expensive because they offer a higher quality pickleball team uniform than their competitors. They may offer better quality polyester fabrics, or they may provide a higher quality pickleball uniform design than other companies who sell cheaper team pickleball uniforms. They may also have better, more modern manufacturing equipment. When shopping for cars for example, a Ferrari will almost always cost more than a Fiat. If you just need a car for reliable transportation, you don’t really need a Ferrari. Be sure to ask questions during the buying process. A reputable pickleball team uniform company will be delighted to answer your questions and provide useful information to potentially save you and your pickleball club a lot of time and money.
Why are Some Pickleball Uniform Companies Less Expensive?
Some pickleball uniform companies are less expensive because they manufacture their products overseas where labor regulations are less stringent, and workers are not always paid a fair wage. They may use lower quality, cheap materials to save money on the finished pickleball uniforms they sell. Or they may be using older manufacturing equipment that has already been fully depreciated.
Conversely, some pickleball team uniform companies will be less expensive because they have many years of experience with the uniform manufacturing process, and they operate at a high level of efficiency and productivity that allows them to sell cheap pickleball uniforms for less.
Be sure to do your research and learn as much as possible about the company and the manufacturing processes they use before you make an important decision on which pickleball uniform supplier you will choose for your club.
Which Pickleball Uniform Company and Which Kind of Pickleball Uniform is Best for my Team?
The best kind of pickleball uniform company is one that has many years of experience and has a great reputation for uniform product quality and customer service. Look for a team uniform company that manufactures quality pickleball uniforms in North America, without the additional shipping time and expense that is associated with overseas manufacturers.
Check the company’s Better Business Bureau ratings and don’t spend your money with a company that doesn’t have an A+ rating.
We also believe that sublimated pickleball team uniforms are a superior product and a superior value when compared to silk-screened or embroidered pickleball uniforms. Dye sublimated uniforms look better, perform better, last longer, and are superior in just about every measure when compared to non-sublimated pickleball uniforms.
Team Sports Planet has been in business for over 20 years and has successfully supplied top quality team uniforms to thousands of teams across many different sports. We manufacture superior quality uniforms here in North America. Our prices reflect our ability to produce premium quality pickleball uniforms efficiently and cost-effectively. We highly recommend dye sublimated pickleball team uniforms as well as other kinds of sublimated uniforms for their superior durability and the ability to use intricate designs and multiple colors.
If you are ready to experience the superior quality and customer service that we provide at Team Sports Planet, please complete the contact form on this page for more information from a North American-based Team Sports Planet team uniform expert. Thank you!