When to Start Selling Merchandise

One of the problems with running an online business is the merchandise side. Online businesses chiefly make money through three different aspects (advertising, books, and merchandise), with most money generally coming from merchandise. That is, while advertising is lucrative and easy to set up and creators wish books would be the primary sellers, the reality is that most of the comic's profits will come from t-shirts, toys, and other items. However, most people have a problem in determining when it is the best time to start selling merchandise.

Forms of Items

Before we get going, you need to decide what kind of merchandise you will create and what form it will take. Most merchandise can be divided into three forms: expected, fun, and limited. Most of the merchandise sold falls into the "expected" category: The creator just slaps the logo, major characters, or even covers from the comics onto something and sells it, usually without modification. It's easy to create, usually only takes the time to decide what to place it on to create, and is usually what the fans are looking for; this makes it easy to sell and thus very lucrative.

"Limited" requires a little more effort and creativity. The creator needs to decide what image needs to be created and must then either create or commission the image, as well as which forms (hats, t-shirts, bookmarks) it will take. This merchandise is usually created to be a little more collectible than most of the other associated merchandise. It can also be created to commemorate special events, such as the comic's anniversary of its first appearance, birthdays of main characters, or just about any other reason the creator can come up with.

"Fun" items are items created just to have fun. While there is sometimes a collectibility factor, the items are usually created just for fun, such as parody versions of the characters, group shots, or even picture/slogan combinations that seem to be so popular. That is, rather than meant as general items or celebratory items, these items are just meant to be fun (ideally, profitable as well, but….) and thus are usually created by whims and other flashes of inspiration. In some cases, one item will lead to another, thus creating a sub-brand of merchandise (which isn't bad if the items are popular). These also tend to be the most satisfying creatively; they give the creator a chance to play that the other items don't.

Types of Items

You're also going to want to debate how the items are made. It's usually going to come down to print-on-demand and screen-printed items. Screen-printed items are usually created in lots where the art is screen-printed onto the items; if you don't mind storing the inventory, these are usually the better items. However, print-on-demand items allow you to worry about just the marketing as someone else gets to worry about sending out the items. This is something you need to research yourself to determine which is better for your situation; however, the general rule is that POD is great for general sales while screen-printing is good for special occasions, such as conventions or crowdfunding.

[For the pedants: Yes, a number of POD sites use screen-printing as part of their process. However, I am trying to differentiate between something like 4Imprint which screen prints in batches versus a POD site like Printify, which has no problem printing one shirt at a time.]

When You Finish a Crowdfunder

Unlike the other items on this list, this is one where you want to put all of your products together near the end of the process. When you crowdfund, you're trying to get enough money together to deal with all of the tier rewards due to sponsors; this means that it's assumed that you won't have the money necessary to deal with those rewards until the crowdfunding is over. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't do your research and find someone who can deal with your product needs well before that point; the more details you can nail down before the crowdfunding ends the better.

When You Start a Subscription Service

Some subscription services, such as Patreon, will be nice enough to print things for you, such as T-shirts, stickers, or even coffee mugs; make sure that those products are part of the applicable rewards tier and you should be okay. However, this does not mean you can't add items from different sources; it just means that you're adding extra steps if the service provides its own merchandise, so be prepared to deal with fulfillment issues if you use another site.

When it comes to timing: First, you should debate adding a subscription service as soon as you start your comic. Even if no one subscribes at the beginning, you are setting the stage for later; it's an established part of the site so no one will resent it like when it pops up later. Second, if you're going to include merch, even stickers or bookmarks, include it from the beginning; you never know what will stick and it's always nice to provide some sort of souvenir for the fans. The sooner you start the merch up, the better; you never know what fans will buy so give them as many options as possible.

When You Hit X Readers

Selling anything will always be a numbers game: The larger your audience, the more likely someone will buy something. The problem is getting a big enough audience so that you can go from selling a single item ever so often to making it a sustainable source of income. The exact number will depend on your audience: In general, a small but vocal audience will be as good as a large but more passive audience; you're probably looking at 1000 to 10,000 for the smaller, more active one versus tens of thousands at least for the larger one. Obviously, your mileage will vary, so feel try to start things up when you feel the audience is looking for something physical.

[So how do you reconcile #9 with #8? Easy: You only put out a few items as part of the subscription service (maybe a handful of items) when you first start and then add a catalog when your audience becomes big enough. Sometimes problems aren't really problems….]

You're Putting Out a Book

If you're pushing the book, you're already putting a lot of effort into the marketing. It makes sense to push your merchandise at the same time, even if it's just a small part of the overall effort, such as a small banner or button. It really doesn't add much to the labor or printing cost to add information on where you are selling merchandise, and you may as well add it in; you never know who may see the link, see something they like, and buy something. But if you never put it out there in the first place, how are potential buyers going to know where to go? If you're marketing part of your business, you're failing your business. Market ALL of your business when you market other parts.

Before You Go to a Convention

Here's an interesting factoid for you: Most booth sales at conventions are not books. It may be a weird way of looking at it, but most of your sales at conventions will not be the comic you've so lovingly put together; it's going to be for ancillary merchandise, such as bookmarks, t-shirts, and even those funky little keychains. Have plushies or statues? You likely won't have to worry about carting them home. So make sure that you have plenty of merchandise before you hit the convention floor.

Oh, and two things to keep in mind: If you can work the timing out right, you can order the merchandise and have it delivered straight to your booth; this means you don't need to arrange transport and only need to worry about what you don't sell. (Of course, you can send that home via post if you don't mind the cost.) You should also have business cards available with all of your current information, including your shop; sales aren't made on just the convention floor, after all…

If You Have Easy Access to a Brick & Mortar Store 

Your local friendly store can be your biggest friend when it comes to selling merchandise. They are always looking for merchandise to sell, especially from local comic book writers and artists, making it a good potential ally. While buying it outright is the ideal (and be prepared with a list including wholesale prices), don't be afraid to work with commission sales; the idea is to sell merchandise, not let it lay fallow on your shelves. Of course, don't forget to mention your books as well; may as well sell some of those as well.

You Have Access to an Influencer

Influencers are always looking for new things to push, and that can be your comic. Even better is when the influencer is one of your friends and can put a link to your shop on his site. However, you should be prepared with more than just your book, especially if you have some great merchandise to offer. Obviously, make sure that your store is up and looks good, and that you have a decent collection of merchandise to select from.

Remember that influencers are looking for anything interesting; if all you have is pretty standard merchandise, then you're unlikely to get their attention; you write jokes for a living, at least in theory so take advantage of that. This is also why "available for marketing materials" should be part of your artist's contract; merchandise does fall under the auspices of "marketing materials, after all, so there's no reason why you shouldn't be taking advantage of your artist to come up with some great merchandise using art commissioned specifically for the shop. Combine your ideas and their art, and you should easily get the attention of an influencer.

You Have a Channel

If having an influencer makes for a good way to market your stuff, so should your own channel, such as YouTube, TikTok, or even the Facebook page. While everything about having the best merchandise applies, there are some additional issues to keep in mind. First, don't get too crazy about plugging your merchandise; one or two mentions are fine. Second, if you do want to go crazy, keep in mind that you can create commercials for your merchandise. Third, if you do create commercials, you can post them on your social media.

In short, you should be using your channel as a way to market your books and associated merchandise. Don't get too crazy but have fun doing it, and you should do okay.

You've Been Dared to Do So 

Audience feedback of any type should be appreciated, even if it's from friends. If someone is daring you to create merchandise, then it's time to ask yourself why you don't have any. If people are asking why you don't have any merch, then it may be because they want to buy some and they're not finding any; they have an itch and you need to scratch it, or at least provide the official back-scratcher to do so with. Be aware that sometimes a dare is just a dare, however; sometimes it may not be a good idea, especially if you're not sure about the value of the product.

You Have a Cool Idea

If you come up with what you think is a great idea, then there should be nothing stopping you from figuring out how to do it. There are plenty of print-on-demand sites that will help you create just about anything. If you don't mind paying the set-up costs, you can even do statues, action figures, and plushies. With the advent of AI art, you can even create decent art (just work out the moral issues ahead of time). There just aren't as many limits on the imagination as there once were; it's not always going to be cheap, sure, but if you have an idea you want to try out, it's just a matter of figuring out how to do it.

* * * * *

Obviously, you're going to need to decide for yourself when it's the best time to worry about merchandise. While you definitely want to worry about it before you need it (you can't sell t-shirts at a convention if you don't have the t-shirts), the specific time you need to get it going will depend on your needs, your resources, and your fans. So make some decisions about what kind of merch you're going to sell, who you will get to produce it for you, and when you will absolutely need it, and then make plans as needed.

Planning and organization are key to your success, so make sure you have some sort of plan for selling merchandise, or it may fail miserably. But…do make sure there is something out there to make your fans happy.