Making Merchandise

[Kayke]

I sell print copies of my comic at cons and also have stickers and prints from it... but I've been thinking about making t-shirts or some other form of merch.

I've been on the fence about it for a while now, because while I've had people express an interest in merch of my comic, I also feel like t-shirts is a big commitment since not everyone has the same taste in clothes and I know I personally only buy shirts if it's something I'm passionate about... and I also do not really wear t-shirts that often. So I'm thinking tote bags or something else that's one-size fits all might be a better bet.

I was just wondering if anyone else sells merchandise of their comic characters and what your experiences with that have been?

Also, if you do print T-shirts or mugs or keychains or whatever, what sites do you like best?

[mappypaint]

I wish my work will have a big enough following to have demand for merchandise... but I did some anyway mostly for personal use and giveaways for friends (I did airbrushed shirts and keychains of my OC). You are right about the shirts though, I know a lot of people who are picky about the prints on their shirts. The Keychains I made were nice according to the people who received it. If the character in it was famous then you can probably sell it for a good price. The materials are not that expensive anyway if you plan to make it yourself. Other things I can think of are buttons and magnets.

[Kayke]

Oh your keychains look really cool! I don't think I've seen ones on thick plastic like that before! Or with sparkles

Buttons and magnets are also a good idea! I hadn't thought of those, but they seem like something that would be cheap enough to order a bunch of and that I wouldn't mind giving away as gifts.

[mappypaint]

Those are casted resin ones where I used a clear resin and mix it with whatever filler you can (glitters, colored sand, metalllic powder, etc). When I have leftover materials from projects I use them before they expire. Once you have a rubber mold of the piece then you can do lots of it (next time I will make a small figurine of my main character ). ^u^ But I guess ordering from sites who can make the items is a better choice since you don't need to think about the materials you will need and stuff.

[Kayke]

Yeah haha, I'm not good at crafty stuff like that so I would probably be better off ordering them from somewhere

[mjmassey]

The other thing to keep in mind about shirts is that you will have to keep track of what sizes you have in stock, and that can be a real pain. I'd stick to something like a tote bag, or some other one-size kind of thing.

[Kayke]

Good point! It would be a pain to sell out of one size and have a lot left in another size too.

[whydocowsfall]

I know I'm definitely picky about design - I like to have t-shirts that look familiar to other fans, but to people who've never heard of the show/comic/book/whatever, just look like a nice design?
Making tote bags seems like a great idea though, people would be much more likely to use them, and you don't have to worry about sizes! (:
I can't really think of anything else except bookmarks, but I don't know if people even use those any more. I may be the only one... d:

[AnnaLandin]

I'm going to do charms/keychains for an upcoming con, and I will be using a site a friend of mine recommended - Zap Creatives. The quality of the finished product is great, and there are LOTS of options to choose from.

As for selling them... Remember that at any con you go to, fanart will have a wider appeal than your own art will. People like stuff they recognise, so a Zelda-keychain will always be more popular than a keychain with your characters on it. To get people to buy original stuff, you have to be good at selling them - but that goes for whatever you're selling.

I do think people might be more likely to buy keychains than t-shirts. Keychains are cheaper and easier to just stick in their pocket at the con and take with them.

[Kayke]

Oh my gosh that site looks amazing! They even print on wood. I'm in love! Thanks for sharing!

And you're right, my fanart prints usually sell better than originals at cons... but I'd still like to have something cool for the die-hard fans (as few as they may be)

[TheLemmaLlama]

Not actually answering your questions but on-topic-ish I guess; I wish more creators would sell backstory/world information guides and tabletop games based on their comic Even if it's like a stack of normal playing cards with characters taking place of the usual spades/hearts/diamonds/clubs :3