Sell Merch: How to Design, Print and Sell Custom Merchandise

Do you have a stellar idea for a shirt or water bottle design? Not sure how to get that idea into the hands of people who want to buy it?

You might need Sell Merch, a collection of tools and resources that are designed to help you get from idea to sales with advice on everything from how to get started to understanding printing and shipping.

Here’s a look at Sell Merch with some ideas for getting started with merchandise sales.

What is Sell Merch?

Sell Merch has been around for over a year and provides information about merchandise strategy and printing methods. The goal of the website is to inform and support anyone who wants to sell merch. (Pretty simple, right?)

Sell Merch is a blog that covers all kinds of topics, answering questions that you have about selling merch. Advice is actionable and applies to sellers from small businesses to nonprofits to YouTube stars wanting to get into sales.

It compares print on demand companies and e-commerce platforms as well as printing techniques and printers so you can get started and be successful.

How to Pick a Merch Platform

If you’ve looked into selling merch, you might have been overwhelmed by the number of choices out there.

With dozens of options, how do you choose the right merchandise platform?

There are a few things to consider:

  • Ease and process of getting set up as a designer
  • Availability of product choices (do you just want one color and style of shirt or wider variety?)
  • Sales reports and analytics to track your progress and sales
  • Best earnings potential possible (make sure to examine pricing models carefully)

How do some of the platforms compare? Sell Merch has a comparison of popular platforms, Teespring and Teepublic. Learn which one is best in each of the areas above.

Deciding What to Sell

If you are looking at merchandise sales, chances are you already have a few design ideas.

The next step is getting those ideas from your head onto items that will actually sell. You may find that you have to tweak a design to create multiple shapes and aspect ratios depending on the types of items you want in your shop. That can greatly impact what type of merch you plan to sell.

You will have to make choices about printing versus embroidering, and what kind of printing is best for your design. You’ll have to decide between selling one type of item – such as a t-shirt – or multiple types of items in multiple colors and sizes.

Another big consideration? Sublimation printing.

Sublimation printing is a popular method of printing which aims at transferring a design from sublimation paper onto a piece of fabric or material by using pressure and heat (between 350 – 400 degrees). Sell Merch has a complete guide on what sublimation printing is, how it works, and what you need to consider if taking that approach.

Make the Most of Your Merch Shop

Once you have the concept of your merch shop figured out, it’s time to maximize your sales opportunity.

Everyone might have a slightly different strategy based on what they are selling, who their target audience is, and where items will be promoted.

Sellmech has created a cool guide based on case studies of merch sellers who use YouTube to promote their brands and generate sales.

The key takeaways include:

  • Create a brand or theme: Merch that isn’t like everything else will do better than turning to copycat designs or items
  • Build on your personality if you have a strong social presence: Followers identify and connect with you and want to be a part of the same thing
  • Promote, promote, promote: People have to know merch is available if you want to generate sales (how will they find it if you don’t tell them?)
  • Don’t make it too complicated: Selling a few different items can be beneficial, but don’t overwhelm shoppers with too many options
  • Bold, simple designs win: Just like your item availability, merch designs work best when they are simple. No one wants to have to go into a lengthy explanation when asked about their shirt or hat.

Conclusion

If you are looking to get into merch sales, Sell Merch is the place to start. The website is packed with information to help you understand the process from design to item selection to printing to sales and revenue.

If the idea of selling online seems intimidating, these tools will declutter some of the mess so that you can focus on designs and items that will make your shop a success. Start reading now to jumpstart your ideas and get selling.