The Merch Counter team
We build The Merch Counter, where local businesses sell merch with their own logo and no inventory. These guides answer the questions businesses most often have about merch, using the same numbers our dashboard shows.
Spotted something out of date, or have a question we should answer? Email hello@themerchcounter.com. More about us.
Guide
How to Sell Merch for Your Small Business
A step-by-step guide to selling merch for a local business: choosing products, pricing for profit, opening a shop with no inventory, and getting buyers.
11 min read
Guide
Merch Pricing: How Much to Charge and What You'll Earn
How to price t-shirts, hoodies, hats and mugs: what merch costs to make, three pricing methods, typical prices and what you actually earn per item.
8 min read
Guide
Merch Ideas for Every Kind of Local Business
Merch ideas for coffee shops, breweries, gyms, restaurants, bakeries, studios and bookstores: what to make, what sells, and how to launch with no inventory.
6 min read
Guide
How to Market Your Merch In-Store and Online
Practical ways for a local business to sell more merch: QR codes at the counter, staff, Instagram, Google, email and launches. No ad budget needed.
5 min read
Guide
Print-on-Demand Merch: Quality, Printing Methods and Design
How print-on-demand merch works for a local business: what happens after an order, print methods, blanks, artwork, samples and shipping times.
6 min read
Getting started
Is Print on Demand Worth It for a Local Business?
The real pros and cons of print-on-demand merch for coffee shops, breweries, gyms and other local businesses, with a worked example of what you'd earn.
3 min read
Getting started
Print on Demand vs. Bulk Ordering: Which Is Right for Your Shop?
A side-by-side comparison of print-on-demand and bulk merch for local businesses: upfront cost, minimums, risk, effort and a worked break-even example.
3 min read
Getting started
How Much Does It Cost to Start a Merch Line?
What it really costs a small business to start selling merch: bulk ordering vs. print on demand, three budget scenarios, and where to spend first.
3 min read
Getting started
Your Customers Keep Asking for Shirts. Here's How to Start Saying Yes
Customers keep asking if you sell shirts? Set up a merch shop in 15 minutes this week, with no stock to buy, check your samples, and launch next week.
3 min read
Getting started
How to Choose Your First 5 Merch Products
The five merch products most local businesses should start with, which ones suit your type of business, and why starting small sells more.
3 min read
Pricing and profit
How Much Should You Charge for a T-Shirt?
Price a t-shirt with your logo at $25–$35, about 2.5× what it costs to make. How to pick your price, what you'll earn, and how to handle bigger sizes.
3 min read
Pricing and profit
Merch Profit Margins: What Local Businesses Actually Earn
Merch profit margins by product for local businesses — t-shirts, hoodies, hats, mugs and more — and why dollars per sale matter more than percentages.
3 min read
Pricing and profit
Should You Offer Free Shipping on Merch?
Free shipping can boost merch sales, but someone always pays for it. How it works, what it does to your earnings, and when it's worth it for a local business.
2 min read
Pricing and profit
How to Price Hoodies, Hats and Mugs
What to charge for hoodies, sweatshirts, hats, beanies, mugs, tumblers, totes, aprons and stickers, with typical price ranges and what you'll earn on each.
3 min read
Pricing and profit
Merch as a Fundraiser: How Much Can a Nonprofit Raise?
How much a nonprofit, school group or community organization can raise selling merch, with worked examples, goal-setting and a timeline — with no upfront cost.
3 min read
Merch ideas
15 Coffee Shop Merch Ideas Your Regulars Will Actually Buy
Coffee shop merch ideas that sell: mugs, tumblers, tees, totes and aprons, with design ideas, example prices and how to launch with no inventory.
2 min read
Merch ideas
Brewery Merch Ideas: Beyond the Logo Tee
Brewery and taproom merch ideas that sell: label-art tees, hats, beanies, hoodies, release-day drops and more, with example prices and how to sell them.
3 min read
Merch ideas
Gym Merch Ideas That Members Wear Outside the Gym
Gym and fitness studio merch ideas: training tanks and tees, hoodies, water bottles, milestone shirts and challenge merch, with example prices.
3 min read
Merch ideas
Restaurant Merch Ideas (That Aren't Just a Hat)
Restaurant merch ideas that sell: menu-item tees, aprons, totes, hats and stickers, with design ideas, example prices and how to sell them at the table.
3 min read
Merch ideas
Bakery Merch Ideas: Aprons, Totes and More
Bakery merch ideas fans love — aprons, tote bags, mugs, cozy sweatshirts and seasonal designs — with example prices and how to sell them at the counter.
3 min read
Merch ideas
Yoga Studio Merch Ideas
Yoga and pilates studio merch ideas: soft tanks and tees, crewnecks, totes, water bottles and teacher-training shirts, with example prices.
3 min read
Merch ideas
Bookstore Merch Ideas: Why the Tote Bag Wins
Independent bookstore merch ideas — tote bags, tees, mugs, book-club shirts, stickers and pins — with example prices and how to sell them.
3 min read
Merch ideas
Holiday Merch Ideas for Small Businesses
Holiday merch ideas for local businesses from Small Business Saturday to New Year, with gift ideas, a planning calendar and how to set order-by dates.
2 min read
Merch ideas
Staff Shirts for Small Businesses
How to give your team staff shirts and aprons that match the merch customers can buy, what to choose, and when to order in bulk instead.
2 min read
Marketing your merch
How to Sell Merch on Instagram
How a local business can sell merch on Instagram: link in bio, launch posts, Stories, reposts and caption ideas that get followers to buy.
3 min read
Marketing your merch
Using a QR Code to Sell Merch in Your Store
Where to put a merch QR code in your shop, what the sign should say, how to print it and how to tell whether it's working.
3 min read
Marketing your merch
How to Launch Your Merch: A 2-Week Plan
A simple two-week plan for launching merch at a local business: teasers, samples, staff, launch day, and what to do in the first week after.
2 min read
Marketing your merch
Add Your Merch Shop to Your Google Business Profile
Help people who search for your business find your merch: how to add your shop link, products and posts to your Google Business Profile.
2 min read
Marketing your merch
Merch Drops: How Limited Runs Create Demand
How local businesses can use limited merch drops — seasonal, anniversary and collab designs — to give customers a reason to buy now, with no leftover stock.
2 min read
Marketing your merch
How to Get Customers to Post Your Merch
Simple ways for a local business to get customers posting photos in their merch — and how to reshare them — so your customers become your best advertising.
2 min read
Design and production
How to Make Your Logo Print-Ready for Merch
What your logo file needs to print sharp on shirts, hats and mugs: resolution, transparent background, dark-shirt versions and a quick checklist.
3 min read
Design and production
DTG vs. Screen Printing vs. Embroidery: What's the Difference?
A plain-English comparison of DTG printing, screen printing and embroidery for merch: how each works, look and feel, durability, cost and when to use which.
2 min read
Design and production
What File Format Do You Need for T-Shirt Printing?
Which file format to use for printing your logo on shirts and merch — PNG, SVG, PDF, JPEG or WebP — and what to ask your designer for.
2 min read
Design and production
How to Make Your Logo Work on Dark Shirts
Why dark logos disappear on black and navy shirts, how to make a light or one-color version, and how to set up dark-shirt versions on The Merch Counter.
2 min read
Design and production
How to Order a Sample Before You Launch
Why you should order a sample of your merch before selling it, how test orders work on The Merch Counter, and a checklist of what to inspect when it arrives.
2 min read