In the first two parts of this merch series, we covered the foundations of turning your music into a merch business. Part 1 helped you pick the right products for your fans (and price them for profit), while Part 2 walked you through actually creating those products, whether you’re going the print-on-demand route or ordering in bulk to maximise your margins.

In Part 3, we’ll dive into how to sell your merch online, from choosing the right platforms and setting up your store, to marketing tips, fan incentives, and turning casual followers into paying supporters. Whether you’re launching your first product or trying to increase sales from your existing store, this guide will help you make sure your online setup does more than just look good, it actually sells.

Best Platforms and Tools for Selling Online

Selling merch online is crucial as it opens your store to the whole world, not just people who catch you at a gig. There are plenty of platforms and tools tailored for musicians (or just easy for anyone) to get started quickly. Here are some of the best platforms and tools in 2025 for indie artists:

• Shopify: One of the most popular e-commerce platforms out there. Shopify lets you create a professional-looking online store with relative ease. It’s super customisable and lets you add your own domain name, etc. For musicians, the big advantage is Shopify’s integrations: it connects seamlessly with print-on-demand services like Printful and Printify​. That means your website can automatically send orders to POD for fulfillment. Shopify also now integrates with Spotify’s artist profiles, so you can display your merch on Spotify (more on that in a moment). Downside: it has a monthly fee (~$5/month for starter plan), but if you’re selling regularly, it’s worth it. If you want full control and plan to grow a big merch line, Shopify is top-notch.
• Bandcamp: If you’re already using Bandcamp for digital sales or fan community, adding merch there is a no-brainer. They make it easy to bundle digital music with physical items (like “buy the vinyl, get the digital album”). Bandcamp does not handle manufacturing or shipping for you (you’ll still be mailing stuff out), but they provide the storefront and handle payments. They take a small cut (~10%) plus payment processing.
• Big Cartel: Big Cartel is a simple, artist-friendly platform for selling stuff online. A lot of DIY bands and visual artists use it. They have a free plan for up to 5 products – perfect if you just have a couple of shirt designs and maybe a CD to sell. It’s not as feature-rich as Shopify, but it’s straightforward and has low overhead (even paid plans are cheap). You will need to manage orders yourself (it’s basically an online shopping cart), but it’s great for starting out without monthly costs.
• Printful / Printify (for POD): These are not storefronts by themselves (though Printful does let you create a basic store page), but rather fulfilment services that integrate with your store. Printful and Printify are two leading print-on-demand providers that connect to Shopify. You design your products on their platform, and they handle printing & shipping when orders come in​. If you plan to go the POD route, you’ll likely use one of these. Printful has its own product design tool and a reputation for high quality; Printify aggregates many print providers and can sometimes offer better base prices or location options. Both are free to set up (they charge per product printed). These tools effectively automate your merch logistics – an order comes in, it gets printed and mailed without you touching a thing. It’s magic for a one-person “merch team.”
• Social Media Integration: Instagram and Facebook allow you to create a Shop that showcases your merch right on your profile. With Instagram Shopping, you can tag products in your posts or Stories so a fan can tap the photo of your new hoodie and go straight to buy it. Setting this up usually requires connecting your product catalog (from Shopify or another source) to Facebook/Instagram. It’s worth the effort, since a lot of fans basically live on these apps. Likewise, YouTube (if you have a channel) lets you display merch under your videos (commonly via Teespring or Shopify). TikTok has also been rolling out shopping features – artists are starting to sell merch via TikTok Shopping integration. Basically, wherever your fans follow you, make it just a couple clicks to get from “Oh cool, a new shirt” to checkout. We’re catering to short attention spans here!

Creating Demand and Hype for Merch Drops

Ever notice how big artists turn merch releases into events? You can borrow some of those tactics on an indie level to create excitement and urgency around your merch. This means more sales in a shorter time and often at full price. Here’s how to hype up your merch:

• Limited Editions & Scarcity: Humans want what’s scarce. It’s just psychology. If fans know an item is limited or available for a short time, they’re more likely to jump on it. You can do this legitimately by limiting quantities (“Only 50 of these special tour t-shirts will ever be made”) or limiting the time window (“Preorder our new hoodie this week only, after that it’s gone”). Be honest though, don’t lie about quantities. It’s okay to genuinely limit something. Indie bands do this all the time with things like hand-numbered vinyl pressings or a special shirt that’s only sold on a particular tour. For example, the punk band IDLES often runs limited merch designs that once sold out, they’re gone, making those shirts coveted collector’s items for fans​. Scarcity creates FOMO (fear of missing out), and FOMO drives fans to purchase sooner rather than later.

• Merch “Drops”: Instead of always-on small updates, consider doing larger merch drops a few times a year. Plan it like a mini event. For instance, announce that on a certain date you’ll be releasing a new merch collection and maybe tie it to your album release or a season (“Winter Merch Drop”, etc.). In the weeks leading up, tease the designs on social media. Build anticipation: “Something cool is coming for those asking about new merch… stay tuned for Oct 1st!” On drop day, maybe do a countdown or a live stream revealing the items. This kind of orchestrated release can spike a lot of sales in one go, as fans rush to get the new stuff before it potentially sells out. It also makes merch feel special, not an afterthought.
• Social Media Hype & Engagement: Use your socials creatively. Show the process: e.g., post an Instagram Story of you opening the box of freshly printed shirts (“They’re here! 😍”). Or a TikTok of you designing the merch or modeling the first sample. Build narrative: “Ever since I wrote XYZ song, I imagined it on a hoodie and now it’s reality. Dropping Friday!” Encourage fans to share when they receive merch (user-generated content is gold, see our own socials for proof of that!). Repost pictures of fans wearing your merch (with their permission or via tagged posts) as this not only hypes others to buy (social proof!) but also makes those fans feel awesome. Consider a hashtag for your merch or a specific item. For example, run a challenge: fans post pics in the merch and add the hashtag for a chance to win a shoutout or free tickets.
• Tie Merch to Music & Moments: The best merch tells a story or ties into a moment in your career. Drops timed with an album or single release can do really well as the music itself generates excitement that can spill over into merch sales. E.g., if you have an EP coming out, design a shirt or hat that complements the EP’s theme or artwork and launch them together. Or if you have a viral song, quickly get a lyric catchphrase from it onto a shirt while the iron’s hot. Also consider tour-specific merch: fans love tour tees with dates on the back (it feels exclusive to those shows). Even one-off show merch like if you’re playing a big hometown show, you could print a special poster just for that night. These become collectibles.

• Collaborations and Unique Designs: Another way to spark interest is through collaborations or special design approaches. Maybe you collaborate with a visual artist or graphic designer who has their own following. Their style on your merch can attract attention from both fan bases. Or collab with another band: a limited split design or a tour-themed shirt featuring two band logos (works well if you’re co-headlining a tour with friends). In the EDM world, DJs sometimes collaborate with clothing brands for limited capsules; in rock, some bands collaborate with tattoo artists or streetwear designers. Even if you’re small, you might find an up-and-coming artist who’d love to design your merch (possibly for a commission or shared profit) and it gives them exposure too. Ultimately you will get a cooler product than you might create alone.
• Fan Involvement: Here’s a hype idea that also builds community: involve your fans in the creation process. For example, run a merch design contest as fans submit t-shirt design ideas, you pick your favorite (give the winner a prize like free merch and credit). Now fans are emotionally invested in the outcome and the winning design will have peers excited to buy it. Or simply post two design mockups and ask, “Which one do you guys like more?”, even that poll will make fans feel included and more likely to buy the chosen one. I’ve seen indie artists co-create merch with fans and it generates a ton of goodwill​. You could even print a batch of shirts with fan-submitted doodles or names (like a fan club tee with all your Patreon supporters’ names on it, for instance).
• Leverage Streaming Platforms: We mentioned Spotify integration earlier, that’s a passive way to show merch, but you can also actively leverage streaming platforms for hype. For instance, on Spotify/SoundCloud/Apple Music you could swap out your artist profile image to a photo of you wearing the new merch when it drops, and update your bio with a merch plug. If you’re on YouTube, make a short trailer video showcasing the merch (fashion show, anyone?). On mailing list emails, highlight new merch with nice photos and a clear call to action “Shop now – limited stock!”. If you have a lot of viewers on Twitch or do IG Live, literally show off the merch live and maybe offer a special “live only” discount code to viewers, that creates urgency to act now.

Final Thoughts

Merch is more than an income stream, it’s a way for fans to wear their loyalty and for you to spread your name beyond the stage or streaming playlist. In 2025, with streaming payouts still tiny, merch can be the financial backbone of an indie artist’s career​. The sale of a single hoodie or vinyl can eclipse what you’d earn from thousands of streams, and it’s money directly from fans to you, which is a beautiful thing. 

Join us for Part 4 of this series on merchandise in which we will be taking a look at selling your products on tour.