So, I'll talk about my own program, since that's easy for me.
Students need a black dogi. I don't require it up front, and will allow them to train in whatever for the first few classes. After 2-3 weeks, it's time to show up in a uniform. If they already have a white one (and many do, since that's what the Karate classes wear), I'm okay with that uniform (with whatever patches if they're still training) until they have been around a few months. I've never set a specific standard on this, and if pressed would say they absolutely must have a uniform (white or black or something else conservative) by the time they finish the Foundation (about 4-10 weeks) and a black one before they test for yellow (about a year).
They'll also need basic sparring gear. For starters, that just means something for their hands. A few months in, add the mouthguard. Much later, they'll be required to have shin guards, but that's a ways off.
All of this they can order through me, or not. I prefer they order through me for consistency and quality control, but I make no money on the sales.
So, my spiel to them is something like this, "Classes are $40 per month - $80 if you want to also train Karate. You'll also need a uniform pretty quickly, though you can start without one. If you buy that from me, it'll cost between $20 and $45, depending what you pick, and you're welcome to buy elsewhere as long as you meet our standards. You'll need sparring equipment, and the cheap stuff is fine for starters. You can borrow gloves here for a few weeks, but you'll want to wear your own sweaty gloves pretty soon - the cheapest stuff is under $20. There's more gear to buy later, and like with the uniforms and gloves, I get a discount on them and pass that entire discount on to you. I make nothing on gear sales."
That last part will change at some point, and I'll be saying, "I get a discount and pass most of that discount on to you. We appreciate the couple of extra dollars we make if you buy from us, but that's not really what we're here for."
