How under $1 compares
The table below shows what your dollar buys you at Under $1 compared to the closest two bands. Compare typical products, branding options, and minimum orders.
| Under $1 | Under $2 | Under $5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical products | Basic plastic pens, pencils, paper stickers | Plastic pens, keyrings, basic stress balls | Metal pens, basic drinkware, hi-vis caps |
| Branding included | 1-colour pad print, 1 position | 1-colour pad / screen print | 1-2 colour print, laser engraving |
| Typical MOQ | 500-1000 | 250-500 | 100-250 |
| Materials | Plastic, paper | Plastic, light fabric | Metal, stainless steel, fleece |
| Perceived value | Low (mass giveaway) | Low-medium (event swag) | Medium (kept for months) |
| Best for | Mass-mailer drops, festival handouts | Trade shows, school fundraising | Conference giveaways, client touch-points |
| Browse | You are here | Under $2 → | Under $5 → |
What buyers use under $1 products for
Election campaign door-knocks
Branded pens and stickers for letterbox drops and door-knock pads. At $0.34 a pen, even a 5,000-unit order fits a small ward budget.
Promotional pens →Festival giveaway tables
Sub-$1 items survive the crowd density of a festival booth. Print includes the festival name plus your URL.
Conference & events →School open days
Activity pencil sets and branded pencils as take-homes for prospective families. Cheap enough to give every child a kit.
Children’s range →Mass-mailer additions
Bundle a branded keyring with a letter and the recipient remembers the brand the next time they reach for keys.
Keyrings & badges →Top 10 Promotional Products Under $1 in Australia for 2026
Aero Pen — $0.34
A lightweight plastic ballpoint with a smooth blue-ink refill and a wide barrel that takes a sharp single-colour logo print. The default choice for high-volume event handouts; minimum order 500.
3 1/2 inch Pencil — $0.48
A short 3.5-inch graphite pencil sized for activity packs, score cards and kids’ tables. Pre-sharpened, with a clean print panel along the barrel.
Alicante Pen — $0.51
A slim plastic pen with a comfortable grip section and a glossy barrel finish. The smooth surface gives a crisp logo print, and it ships from 250 units.
Carpenter Pencil — $0.67
A flat oval-section pencil that won’t roll off a bench — built for hardware stores, trade counters and construction-site handouts.
Alfa Pen — $0.68
A budget ballpoint with an extra-wide print panel, so longer brand names and a URL both fit. Strong value for events with heavy foot traffic.
Allbirds Highlighter — $0.68
A chisel-tip highlighter in a translucent barrel. More useful on a desk than a pen, which keeps your logo in view well past the event day.
Nitro Pop Top Opener Keytag — $0.75
A plastic keytag with an integrated bottle opener. A practical everyday-carry item that stays on a keychain far longer than a pen survives a pocket.
Budget Key Ring — $0.78
The most affordable keyring in the range — a simple split-ring tag with a flat printable face. Durable enough to stay in daily use for years.
Accord — $0.90
A metal-look plastic pen with a chrome-effect trim that reads as more premium than its sub-$1 price. A good pick when budget items still need to look the part.
Foam Earplugs with Case — $0.92
A pair of foam earplugs in a printed snap-shut case — a genuinely useful handout for construction sites, festivals, motorsport and live events.
How To Order
Browse products and trends on our website
Add items to your cart and get a quote
Send us your logo/artwork then we’ll send you a proof
Review and approve your proof
Confirm your order
That’s it! Your custom products are delivered to your doorstep
Frequently asked questions
What’s the cheapest fully branded product I can order?
The Aero Pen at $0.34 is our cheapest fully-branded product. The price covers a 1-colour print of your logo. Minimum order: 500 units.
Are these prices inclusive of branding?
Yes. Each price covers a 1-colour pad or screen print of your logo in one position. Artwork setup is free. Extra colours or positions push items into the Under $2 band.
Why are MOQs higher in this band?
Per-unit margins under $1 are thin, so suppliers require larger orders (typically 500-1,000 units) to make production economical. If you need fewer units, the Under $2 band has MOQs from 250.
How long does delivery take?
Production runs 7 to 10 business days from artwork approval. Delivery adds 1 to 2 days to metro Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane, or 3 to 5 to regional addresses.
Can I see a sample first?
Yes. We send a free digital proof before production starts. Physical pre-production samples are available on request; the cost is credited back against your order.
Are sub-$1 products Australian-made?
Most are imported and locally branded at our Melbourne and Sydney facilities. Australian-made promotional products typically start around $3 — see our AU-made range.
When budget caps reach matters most
At the sub-$1 price point, the maths is brutally simple. You can put your brand in 2,000 hands for $700 or in 100 hands for $700. For street campaigns, election door-knocks, festival drops, and conference welcome tables, the cheaper option wins on impressions per dollar every time.
These items are not heirlooms. A $0.34 pen lives in a visitor’s pocket for the 30 seconds it takes them to scribble down your URL, then it ends up in a kitchen drawer or a backpack pocket. That brief moment is the impression you’re buying, and at sub-$1 you can afford to buy a lot of it.
What sub-$1 branding looks like
Every item under $1 uses pad print or 1-colour screen print, applied once on the body of the product. Multi-colour or full-position branding pushes the unit cost past $1 immediately. Substrates are plastic or treated paper. Minimum order quantities run high — 500 or 1,000 units is normal — because the per-unit margin is thin.
The trade-off is honest: lower per-unit cost in exchange for a one-colour, one-position brand mark on a disposable item. If your campaign needs colour fidelity or premium feel, step up to the Under $2 band.
PromoShop insight: In 2025, the Aero Pen was PromoShop’s most-ordered sub-$1 product, with more than 180,000 units shipped across roughly 320 Australian campaigns.
Briefing a quote for sub-$1 orders
Tell us the quantity (typically 500, 1,000, or 2,500), the deadline, and whether you’d accept multiple product variants to hit the price. We come back with the cheapest three options that match your branding and timeline, plus one stretch option in case you can spend a little more. Send the brief through the form below or call 1300 658 604.