Selling merch online shouldn’t be a headache. There are tons of platforms specifically for musicians that make it quick and easy to sell whatever you want, but how to choose the right platform for you depends on a few factors. From price to quantity and any other needs you may have, there’s something out there for you. In this post, we’ll give you some options to consider.
Best Websites To Sell Merch Online as a Musician
To determine whether a platform is right for you, there are a couple things to consider:
- How much are you willing to spend?
- What features are a dealbreaker?
- Does the platform need to handle all the shipping and handling?
- Do you need your products done in bulk or would you rather only have items manufactured individually as they’re purchased (Print-On-Demand)?
These are arguably the most important aspects to consider before you start selling anything online, especially merch. Take note of the volume of items you expect to manage, how much you have to spend, and all the features you really need to accomplish your goals. Once you’ve done that, you can go from there.
Merch By Amazon
Did you know you can create and sell your own merch through Amazon? With Merch By Amazon, users can get print-on-demand services that allow creators to design and sell custom t-shirts, hoodies, and other apparel through Amazon without needing to handle the inventory, production, or shipping. All you have to do is sign up. Once you get approved, you can create designs for t-shirts and other products. Then, those designs get uploaded to Merch by Amazon, where you get to specify the product types (like t-shirts or hoodies), colors, and prices. Plus, you earn a royalty for every item sold.
If you have a lot on your plate and don’t have the time to handle inventory and ship things out yourself, this is a great way to handle your merch AND sell it on one of the biggest e-commerce platforms in the world.
Direct
Direct lets you launch your own international merch line without having to deal with keeping stock or shipping. All you have to do is upload your one-color or multi-color designs and instantly start selling internationally. They offer all the most popular products from t-shirts to hoodies, crew necks to mugs. Direct will also print your customer’s orders on demand and ship internationally, sending you the profit every month
Sites like this are another great choice for independent artists looking for an easier, more hands-off approach to selling merch. Additionally, this process eliminates the possibility of buying too many shirts that don’t end up selling, avoiding any risk of wasting your hard-earned money.
Shopify
The unique part of Shopify is its multi-functioning abilities and e-commerce software. For starters, Shopify allows artists to sell their merchandise with ease by connecting it to their other social media platforms, giving users the ability to link all their accounts, giving you a more cohesive way to sell your stuff. They even have a partnership with Spotify that lets you connect your Shopify account to your Spotify to sell merch directly from your profile.
In addition, you can start with a 14-day free trial to see if it’s right for you. If you like it, you can pay to keep it going. If not, you’re not tied down.
Sellfy
Sellfy is an e-commerce platform designed to help creators, entrepreneurs, and small businesses sell digital and physical products directly to their audience. They offer an easy-to-use platform where you can build a fully customizable storefront without needing any extensive technical knowledge. Sellfy is popular among digital creators like artists, designers, musicians, and influencers, but it also supports selling physical goods and print-on-demand products.
As an artist, you can even offer fan subscriptions or memberships to help you create a steady income stream through recurring payments. Plus, Sellfy includes tools for email marketing, upselling, and discount codes, helping you promote your merch directly to fans.
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Merchbar
Merchbar is another powerful merch selling platform that handles all the logistics for you, including production, fulfillment, and shipping, so you can focus on what really matters — creating great music. Because of its massive reach and popularity, Merchbar has a massive discovery network and audience of music fans looking for new merchandise from their favorite artists. One of the best parts though, is being able to showcase your official merchandise directly on your Spotify profile, making it easier for fans to discover and purchase items while they listen to your music. This feature bridges the gap between streaming and commerce, elevating fan engagement to a whole new level.
Bandcamp
Let’s say you already have all your merch designed, created, and just sitting in your living room ready to be sent out. If you’re down to send everything out yourself, Bandcamp is a great place to sell your merch directly to fans.Since fans are already there to buy music, it’s easy to cross-promote and sell merchandise like t-shirts, vinyl, and posters alongside your albums and singles. In addition, they offer one of the best revenue splits in the industry, allowing musicians to keep 82-85% of merch sales, which is higher than most platforms. If this all sounds good to you, click here to follow the steps and set it up yourself.
Bandzoogle
Bandzoogle provides all-in-one web presence platform for bands and musicians alike. With it, you can build a stunning website with store, blog, and even an email marketing tool. There is also a 30-day free trial and it has three subscription plans, starting from $8.29/month.
Big Cartel
Big Cartel doesn’t take a cut of your sales or charge a bunch of fees. All you have to do is choose an affordable monthly plan that fits your needs and budget, and everything is included. The free option gives you 5 products, one image per product, free customizable themes, real-time stats, a custom domain name, shipment tracking, and more. The second tier is $9.99 a month, but you get more features like inventory tracking, Google Analytics, bulk editing, and more. The third option will run you $19.99 a month, but you get 500 products and even more features. It’s totally up to you and your needs, and this one is a great service to consider if you like to have options.
Threadless
This one is for the truly creative masterminds. Threadless is an online platform that allows artists and designers to create and sell custom apparel and accessories. It’s well-known for its community-driven design contests and its range of unique, artist-designed products. If you’re an artist (i.e. illustrator, painter, etc.) you can set up your own branded shop with your original designs that you can earn royalties on. Plus, there’s no need to invest in inventory or handle shipping; you earn a commission on each sale.
Some Final Tips…
- Advertise like crazy! Don’t be afraid to blast your merch on all your socials and encourage your fans to share.
- Be unique. Make the packaging badass. Make your merch something you just can’t get anywhere else.
- If something isn’t selling well, offer a discount. Head to your socials and let people know you’ve got a deal going on to entice them to buy.
- Be flexible on pricing. Once you start selling, you’ll be able to see what prices for which items do the best. Lowering your prices even $10 could be what makes them fly off the shelves.
- Keep track of who bought what. You don’t want to send a discount code for a shirt to someone who just bought it at full price.
- Follow up. Some platforms have features that tell you if someone has added something to their cart and left it. With this, you can send them an email offering a discount to encourage them to check out.
- Tell your story. Your merch is a reflection of you as an artist. It should be an extension of you that a fan can be proud to own a part of.
Good luck!
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