Wholesale Youth & Team Apparel: The Buyer's Guide
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Buying decorated apparel for kids? Anything printed or embroidered for children twelve and under is a children’s product under federal law, and the decorator — not the blank supplier — is the manufacturer of the finished product. Start with our CPSIA compliance hub for custom kids’ apparel, and browse youth and toddler blanks.
Schools, leagues and camps buy differently than companies do: more sizes, tighter deadlines, and a parent audience that notices quality immediately. Here is how to spec a youth and team order that actually fits and arrives on time.
Youth Sizing, Simplified
Youth apparel generally runs XS through XL, mapping roughly to ages 4 through 20. The trap is assuming a youth XL is close to an adult small. It usually is not: it is cut shorter and narrower, and a tall twelve-year-old is often happier in an adult small.
- Toddler and infant: for family and sibling shirts alongside a team order.
- Youth XS to XL: the core of any league, camp or elementary school order.
- Adult S to 3XL: coaches, parents, staff and the older end of a high school roster.
- Women's and ladies cuts: worth adding for coaches and booster volunteers who will actually wear the shirt again.
Order overlap on purpose. Carrying both youth XL and adult S removes almost every sizing complaint you would otherwise field after delivery.
Blanks That Work for Schools and Leagues
- Cotton and cotton-blend tees: the budget backbone for camps, field days and fundraisers. See our wholesale t-shirts page.
- Performance tees: for on-field use, practice jerseys and warm-weather sports.
- Youth hoodies and fleece: the highest-margin item in almost every team store. Our hoodies and fleece page lists the styles that run true across youth and adult.
- Caps and beanies: one-size items that need no size run at all, which makes them ideal add-ons.
Children's apparel is a regulated category in the United States. Products intended for children 12 and under fall under CPSIA rules covering testing and tracking labels, described by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. We source youth blanks from major mills that supply compliant garments and can pass documentation along on request.
Running a Team Store or Fundraiser
- One design, three or four products. A tee, a hoodie, a cap and one extra is plenty. More options split the order and raise your per-piece cost.
- Collect sizes before you order. A simple form beats guessing, and it turns a fundraiser into a pre-sale with no leftover inventory.
- Set the retail price with margin built in. Decide the fundraising goal first, then work backward to the price.
- Plan names and numbers early. Roster deadlines, not garment stock, are what usually push a delivery date.
We handle school, league and corporate programs through our team and uniform program, with reorders at wholesale program pricing so the second season costs less than the first.
REQUEST A WHOLESALE QUOTE
Blanks or fully custom. No minimums, shipped nationwide from Nevada. Same-day quotes.
Related Wholesale Categories
Stock the team with our wholesale t-shirts, hoodies & fleece, hats & caps, bags & totes, polos, jackets & outerwear.