Every band, big or small, has to sell merchandise to stay alive. The hard part is making money at it. Most bands do
something like this: all the members of the band pitch in to the merch fund and then the band goes to some “fly-by-night”
merch company, orders merch, sells it and never reorders again. Why?

Here’s why: most bands never budget out their merch. This is one of the most important things a band needs to do to
have money for touring, recording, and of course more merch. So to all you bands out there, here comes the important
stuff. With every show you play, you must put aside a percentage of cash from merch sales—no matter what! This money
needs to go towards reordering new merch, and not for beer (I repeat, not for beer). Too many bands waste their merch
money this way. It’s important to get gas and eat while on the road, but try not to tap into your merch fund unless it’s
sudden death.

Now, let’s get down to the 5 Ways To Stretch Your Merch Budget.



1. Keep It Simple. Multi-Color Designs Will Kill Any Budget.

Every six months or so t-shirt designs change. Recently, there has been a big surge in multi-color, “in your face” designs.
That’s fine, but five and six color designs are costly and most fans don’t know or even care about the difference between
multi-color and single color designs. A band’s name is more important to a fan than how many colors are on the shirt.


Here's an example that shows the price difference between a multi-color and single color order:


48 Dark Tees, 5 Colors (Front) = $7.25 each (+ $75.00 Setup Fee)

Compared to:

48 Dark Tees, 1 Color (Front) = $4.75 each (+ $15.00 Setup Fee)


That’s a difference of $3.75 per shirt which equals $180 in savings. That’s big money when you’re on a budget. Don’t
worry about having a lot of colors. Sometimes less is worth a lot more!



2. More Than 3 Designs Will Hurt, Not Help

Having many designs can make bands look bigger than they really are (and that’s good), but the bad news is having
multiple designs—like having multiple colors—can kill your budget. More designs mean more screens, more setup, more
artwork fees, etc. Your goal is to buy high quality merch at a good price and sell it at a better price. Don’t let fees kill
your profits. Also, more designs equal a harder sell; why? Because people have a hard time picking a t-shirt when faced
with too many choices, so don’t make it harder for them to buy.



3. Plan Ahead. Save on Shipping and Rush Fees.

This step can save you a lot of money, so listen up. Overnight shipping and rush fees add more money to each item you
buy. Here’s an example: you place an order for 48 t-shirts at the last minute. The overnight shipping comes out to about
$100 plus a 20 to 35 percent rush fee from the merch company. This just tacked on an extra $4 to each t-shirt. Don’t
waste money. The more money you can save when buying your merch, the more money your band will make when you
sell it to your fans. Planning ahead saves time, headaches, and cash.



4. Put Some Money Aside For Promotional Items. People Love Free Stuff.

Promotional items are a great way to get more exposure and sell more merch at the same time. Now you’re probably
thinking, how in the world would giving away merch sell more if it? Here’s how. Start off by giving away items that are
under a $1—such as buttons, patches, postcards and picks. These items are great promotional tools because fans wear
them on everything: backpacks, hats, bags, you name it. The more people that see your band’s name, the more buzz
gets generated. This in turn will draw more fans to your shows where they’ll buy your merch. It sounds simple, and it is.



5. Pick The Right Merch Company.

Next to budgeting your merch money, this last step is the most important. Picking the right merch company is vital to
the success of your merch sales, and ultimately your band. It will also save you time and money, but mostly money. So
how do you pick the right merch company? First, don’t go with the first company you find. Do some research and ask
around. Find bands that are using the merch company you are interested in using and see if they have had any problems
or bad experiences.

Secondly, don’t base your decision soley on price. Cheapest doesn’t always mean the best. A merch company that claims
“we have cheap merch” has exactly that—cheap quality. You want your merch to look good, and not like it was made with
poor materials and sloppy workmanship.

Third, customer service. Most merch companies have poor customer service skills. If it takes them a week and a half to
get back to your email, they’re not busy, they’re just lazy. The right merch company will communicate with you in a
professional and timely manner. Choose a merch company with good service. Good customer service means that the
company will get the job done right the first time. You don’t want to waste your time dealing with a company that screwed
up your order and shipped it to the wrong place, or printed the wrong design.

Last but not least, choose a merch company you feel comfortable with. Make sure they have a clean website, good
references, a nice customer list (with bands you’ve heard of), and friendly customer service. You don’t want to go with a
merch company that feels unreliable or “shady.” Call them, and see if you get a good feeling about them. If they don’t
have a phone number or don’t want to talk to you, steer clear. You don’t want to waste your money going with the wrong
company.




If you follow the steps outlined above, you’ll have no trouble buying and selling merch and stretching your merch budget
at the same time.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed, feel free to send me an email at info@curlyandspike.com.


Good luck!


Patrick Chakmakchian
Curly & Spike
www.curlyandspike.com