Your Customers Keep Asking for Shirts. Here's How to Start Saying Yes

If customers keep asking "do you sell shirts?", the fastest way to start saying yes is a print-on-demand shop: upload your logo, pick a few products, set your prices and order a sample of each. Setting up takes about 15 minutes and costs nothing up front. Do it this week, check your samples when they arrive, and launch next week with a QR code at your counter.

Here's exactly how to do it.

Why "not yet" is costing you

Every time someone asks about merch, they're telling you three things: they like your business enough to wear it, they're ready to spend money, and they'd tell other people about you for free. Each "not yet" is a sale that didn't happen, and some of those people won't think to ask again.

The usual reasons for not having merch are reasonable: you don't want to spend money on boxes of shirts, you don't know what sizes to order, you don't have room to store it and you definitely don't want to pack orders. Print on demand removes all four.

This week: set it up

Monday: find your logo (10 minutes)

Look for the best version of your logo you have. Ideally a PNG with a transparent background, as large as possible. If you only have a small one from your website, email whoever designed it and ask for the original files.

On The Merch Counter you can upload a PNG, JPEG, WebP or SVG up to 8MB, and we'll tell you whether it will print sharp.

Tuesday: set up your shop and order samples (about 20 minutes)

1. Create your account and add your business name, category and city.
2. Upload your logo. You'll see straight away whether it prints well.
3. Pick 3–5 products. You'll see your logo on real product photos. Start with a tee, a hoodie or sweatshirt, a hat and one product for your trade (a mug, tote or apron).
4. Set prices. Start with the suggested price. You'll see exactly what you earn on each item.
5. Order one of each as a test. A test order costs only what it takes to make and ship — no fee, no markup — and you can place it before your shop goes live. Samples take about 2–5 business days to print and 3–6 more to arrive.

Thursday: print your QR card (10 minutes)

Open Share in your dashboard and print the counter card. It has your QR code and your shop's colors, and you choose the message:

Love us? Wear us. Scan for shirts, hats and more.

Keep it ready for launch day.

Friday: tell your team

Tell your staff what's coming and when, so the next time someone asks about shirts they can say "yes — next week".

Next week: check the samples and launch

When the samples arrive

Check the print, the fabric and the fit. If anything's off, fix it now, before anyone has bought. Then take a few photos of staff or regulars wearing them.

Launch day

• Publish your shop. Connect your bank through Stripe (a few minutes; you'll need your business details), and your shop goes live at yourname.themerchcounter.com.
• Put the QR card by the card reader, where people wait.
• Add your shop link to your Instagram bio (Instagram's steps) and post your sample photos.
• If you have an email list, send a short "We finally made shirts" message.

From then on, when someone asks if you sell shirts, point at the QR code.

What happens after the first order

You don't need to do anything. The item is printed (usually in 2–5 business days), shipped (typically 3–6 days in the US), and your customer gets a tracking link by email. Your share lands in your bank through Stripe.

What it costs

Nothing to open. No subscription. We take 20% of each sale, which covers your storefront, checkout, payment processing, customer support and a listing on our marketplace. On a $30 t-shirt that costs $12 to make, you'd earn $12 †.

Related: How to Choose Your First 5 Merch Products · Using a QR Code to Sell Merch in Your Store