How Evan and Katelyn Sold Nearly 3,000 Resin Pumpkin Keycaps in Two Days (Without a Single Social Post)

Setting up a pre-order for a new product can feel overwhelming, especially when you're trying to guess how many people will buy it, build excitement before launch, and make sure everything runs smoothly.

But for YouTube creators Evan and Katelyn, all it took was one video and one email newsletter to turn a simple product idea into a sold-out success.

The married DIY duo sold nearly 3,000 hand-finished resin pumpkin keycaps across two separate drops, with each batch selling out in less than 24 hours on back-to-back days. 

Even more impressive, they pulled it off with very minimal promotion. 

We recently spoke with Evan and Katelyn about how they brought their Resin Pumpkin Artisan Keycap to life, the challenges of launching a custom product, and the lessons other creators can take from their success.

Why Evan and Katelyn Turned Their Resin Pumpkin Into a Keycap

If you're a fan of Evan and Katelyn, then you know there's nothing they love more than experimenting with and creating products out of resin. 

Since 2020, the duo has made it an annual tradition to carve a pumpkin and preserve it in resin, a project that has become one of the most recognizable parts of their YouTube channel.

"If we're meeting new people and they're asking what we do, one of the first things we say is that we try to preserve a carved pumpkin in resin every year," says Katelyn. "And that's when people go, 'Oh, you guys are the pumpkin people.' So we're like, okay, this is our legacy, I guess."

As their skills improved with each new pumpkin project, they began looking for ways to turn their favorite tradition into something fans could actually own.

They had already sold pumpkin-themed T-shirts, stickers, and other merch, but wanted to create something a little more unique.

"It’s been kind of an evolution we’ve been going towards for a long time,” said Evan. “We've been interested in keyboards, we've been interested in keycaps, and we've been interested in resin. So it's kind of a culmination of a lot of things."

The idea finally came together during a Fourthwall brunch at TwitchCon, where the couple met with MKRO, a company they had previously worked with to create custom keyboards and keycap sets.

While discussing potential products, they realized that a miniature resin keycap based on their favorite pumpkin test subject, Chunk, would be the perfect way to combine their love of keyboards, resin, and their most iconic YouTube project.

More importantly, they wanted to create something fans could actually use rather than another piece of merch that would sit on a shelf.

As keyboard enthusiasts themselves, Evan and Katelyn understood how much personality a custom keycap could add to someone's setup.

They wanted to give their fans that same experience by creating a small, collectible version of their famous resin pumpkin that could be displayed on a keyboard and enjoyed every day.

The idea wasn't part of some carefully planned business strategy. Instead, it came naturally from combining several things they already loved.

"I wouldn’t say it was a master plan that came together, but it was something that kinda organically happened,” explained Evan. “It just kinda clicked. It was like, oh, this is the perfect thing for us to make.”

Of course, turning that idea into a product they could sell to thousands of fans would prove to be a much bigger challenge than they originally expected.

Producing Resin Keycaps at Scale: The Challenges of Bringing Their Idea to Life

Creating a custom keycap made out of resin is one thing, but producing thousands of them for fans to purchase is an entirely different challenge.

To get a better idea of what they were getting into, Evan and Katelyn decided to make their own resin pumpkin keycap from scratch for a YouTube video.

The project involved creating molds, pouring resin, and hand-painting the tiny pumpkin details to bring their design to life.

While they were familiar with working with resin, they quickly discovered that the biggest challenge wasn't making the keycap itself. It was figuring out how to produce thousands of them while keeping everything on schedule.

"I think the hardest thing was just, like, you have no idea how long something like this is gonna take to pull together," said Katelyn.

Their plan was to release the keycaps alongside their YouTube video, giving viewers a chance to watch them make the product before purchasing one for themselves.

However, with so many moving parts, unexpected delays meant they had to keep adjusting their production schedule and pushing back the video's release.

To help bring their idea to life, Evan and Katelyn partnered with MKRO to figure out how to produce the resin pumpkin keycaps in larger quantities while maintaining the detailed design and hand-finished touches that made them special.

According to Evan and Katelyn, the manufacturer MKRO partnered with to achieve this feat went through roughly seven different versions of the production process before finding one that worked.

"They were even going through the learning process as we were going through all these learning processes, too," they explained. "So, it was kind of like, this parallel track, in a way."

Pricing Two Batches Differently: Nearly 3,000 Keycaps Sold Across Two Drops

With production finally figured out, Evan and Katelyn were ready to launch their new keycaps through their Fourthwall shop.

Rather than releasing all 3,000 keycaps at once, they decided to split their inventory into two separate batches, each with a different price.

The first batch was designed to reward their most dedicated fans, including longtime viewers, email subscribers, and supporters who watched their videos as soon as they were released.

They offered these fans a lower introductory price, even though it meant making less money on each sale.

The strategy paid off almost immediately.

The first batch sold more than 1,350 keycaps in less than 24 hours. The second batch followed with nearly 1,600 additional sales in a similar timeframe, bringing the total to almost 3,000 keycaps sold across both drops.

While the regular price was approximately $55 per keycap, the first batch was offered at a discount to thank their earliest supporters.

For Evan and Katelyn, the decision was about finding a balance between rewarding their community and charging enough to cover the work that went into making a premium product.

They explained that although $55 might sound expensive for a single keyboard key, it's a fairly standard price for artisan keycaps that require multiple production steps, detailed painting, and custom packaging.

Their two-batch approach allowed them to give loyal fans a better deal while still making the product financially worthwhile.

For Evan and Katelyn, the experience showed just how much work goes into turning a handmade project into a product that can be sold at scale.

From finding the right manufacturing process to coordinating their video release, setting prices, and perfecting the packaging, every step required more planning than they originally anticipated.

But with nearly 3,000 keycaps sold in just two drops, all that hard work clearly paid off.

Launch Strategy: One YouTube Video, One Newsletter, and No Social Media Posts

When it came time to launch their pumpkin keycaps, Evan and Katelyn kept their marketing strategy surprisingly simple.

Rather than spending weeks promoting the product across social media, they focused on what they do best—making entertaining DIY videos for their YouTube channel.

The couple released their video showing how they made their own resin pumpkin keycap, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the process while announcing that they could preorder one through their Fourthwall shop.

Outside of the video, their only other promotion was an email newsletter and an early announcement to their Patreon supporters and YouTube members.

"The only thing we did was a newsletter, and then for our supporters on Patreon and YouTube members, we let them know the day before," Katelyn explained.

The idea was to give their most dedicated fans a chance to purchase the keycap before it became available to everyone else.

And it turned out to be a smart move.

Within 24 hours, their first batch had completely sold out, leaving them with no products left to promote on social media.

However, Evan and Katelyn explained that holding off on social media announcements was also part of their strategy.

Rather than posting about a product that was already sold out, they decided to save those announcements for when the keycaps were available again.

"If we had posted that announcement on our social media, like Instagram or Facebook, then that would have kind of been wasted—it would have been lost," Katelyn explained.

They also didn't want fans to discover the product through Instagram or Facebook, get excited to purchase one, and then find out it was unavailable.

By saving those announcements for a future restock, they could give more fans a chance to buy the keycap while keeping excitement around the product alive.

For other creators, their launch shows that you don't necessarily need a massive marketing campaign to sell a new product. 

Sometimes, a well-timed video, an engaged audience, and a simple email announcement can be enough to generate thousands of sales.

YouTube Sponsors: Why Evan and Katelyn Choose Brands That Give Them Freedom

Another interesting part of Evan and Katelyn's product launch was how they worked with sponsors without taking attention away from the keycap itself.

Their DIY video featured sponsors like TotalBoat, a resin brand whose products they regularly use in their projects.

For sponsors like TotalBoat, the partnership makes sense because the product is already part of what they're creating. They can naturally feature the resin while showing viewers how they're making something.

However, for the traditional 60-second sponsored segments they have in their videos, Evan and Katelyn prefer working with brands that aren't directly connected to the project.

The reason? Creative freedom.

They explained that sponsors closely tied to a project sometimes want a say in how the video is made, which can make it harder for the couple to create content their way.

Instead, they prefer working with brands offering products or services they genuinely use and enjoy, while giving them the freedom to make the sponsorship entertaining.

"We like to work with brands that, like, are a little bit more disconnected from the project itself, but are just, like, services that we think are valuable, that we like to use, that we use in real life," Katelyn explained.

Their goal is to make every sponsorship beneficial for everyone involved.

The brand gets an entertaining promotion, Evan and Katelyn get the freedom to be creative, and viewers get an ad that feels like part of the video rather than an unwanted interruption.

After producing roughly 400 sponsored segments throughout their YouTube careers, they've learned how to make advertising feel natural to their audience.

And they've taken that same approach when promoting products from their own Fourthwall shop.

"The more flexibility you give us, the more fun we can have making an engaging piece of content around that ad," said Evan. "And we've rolled that same experience into marketing our own products."

Rather than simply telling viewers to buy their new keycap, Evan and Katelyn made the product part of a video their fans already wanted to watch.

It's an approach that lets them promote their merch without losing the creativity and personality that made their channel popular in the first place.

How the Keycap Launch Boosted T-Shirt and Box Opener Sales

The success of the resin pumpkin keycap didn't just bring in thousands of orders. It also helped boost sales of other products in their Fourthwall shop.

As fans visited their store to purchase the limited-edition keycap, many also checked out their existing merch, leading to an unexpected increase in sales.

One of the biggest winners was their popular "I Don't Want Solutions" T-shirt, featuring the phrase, "I don't want solutions, I just want to be upset."

The design came from a funny, unscripted moment in an earlier YouTube video where Evan and Katelyn tried to make a dress out of resin.

During the project, Evan became frustrated with how things were going, and while Katelyn tried to help him figure out a solution, he just wanted a moment to vent.

"I just had a moment," Evan explained. "Katelyn was being a great supportive partner and pitching ideas and ways we could solve things. But I just needed a moment to be upset before moving forward to the solutions."

Fans immediately connected with the moment, flooding the comments with requests to turn Evan's reaction into a T-shirt.

Rather than waiting, the couple quickly created a design featuring a stick-figure version of Evan lying on the floor alongside his now-famous quote.

They uploaded the design to their Fourthwall shop that same day and pinned a comment on the video letting fans know they could purchase it.

Since then, it's become one of their best-selling T-shirts, and the resin pumpkin keycap launch helped introduce it to even more shoppers.

That extra traffic also helped boost sales of their popular Fidget Blade Box Opener, another custom-made item the couple has kept available year-round.

For Evan and Katelyn, keeping products in stock is part of a bigger goal: giving fans the freedom to shop when it works for them. 

"Let's say they save up for it, they want it, or they want to get it as a present or a gift," Evan explained. "And then, like, when it's finally their time to buy it, they've been excited and looking forward to it, and then it's sold out, that's a disappointment."

That's why they're focused on building a collection of products that fans can count on finding in their shop, whether they're buying something for themselves or picking out a gift.

And after seeing how quickly their resin pumpkin keycaps sold out, the couple believes they could eventually become another permanent addition to their catalog.

For other creators, their success shows how launching an exciting new product can do more than generate sales for that one item. 

It can also bring new attention to older merch, introduce fans to products they may have missed, and help grow sales across an entire online store.

Lessons Learned: Order More Stock and Have a Backup Pre-Order Ready

Selling nearly 3,000 resin pumpkin keycaps in just two drops was a huge success for Evan and Katelyn, but it also taught the couple a valuable lesson about planning for unexpected demand.

When asked what they would do differently, their answer was pretty simple.

"Should've ordered more,” Katelyn laughed. “Not that we knew! Not that we knew in the moment!"

Although their Fourthwall shop handled the sudden traffic spike without major issues, the couple quickly realized they had overlooked one important detail: what happens when a product sells out faster than expected?

With both batches gone in less than 48 hours each, fans still visited their shop hoping to buy a keycap, but they had no way to place an order.

"We missed out on a lot of sales by not having a fallback in place," Evan explained. These sold out in 24 hours, and our website was getting tons of traffic—some people were signing up for a mailing list, and some people were signing up to get notified when they're back in stock, but I'm sure we were missing out on even more sales.”

Fortunately, they had set up an email signup where fans could request a notification when the keycaps were back in stock.

While that helped them keep in touch with interested shoppers, Evan and Katelyn believe they could have made even more sales if they had offered another pre-order immediately after selling out.

That's why they're now working with Fourthwall to create a better plan for future product launches with their new strategy, including multiple purchasing options, so fans who miss the first batch still have a chance to order.

• Launch with a set amount of inventory: Start by offering a limited number of products that are ready to purchase, with a clear delivery timeline.
• Open a backup pre-order: When the initial inventory sells out, immediately make another listing available so interested fans can still place an order.
• Offer a later pre-order date: Give fans who miss the first batch another opportunity to purchase, with a later expected delivery date.

"If you miss the first batch, boom, right away, we have a fallback in place to direct people to," Evan stated.

The couple also learned that managing an email list comes with its own challenges.

Although their back-in-stock notifications proved useful, finding an affordable email marketing service with the right features wasn't as simple as they expected.

They explained that many email platforms charge extra for features they don't necessarily need, making it difficult to find something that works for their business without adding unnecessary costs.

Ultimately, they want a simple, affordable system they can keep using as their shop grows.

Evan and Katelyn’s Advice for Selling Custom Merch

For smaller creators looking to sell custom merch, Evan and Katelyn recommend starting with something simple before investing in expensive, handmade products.

"I would say don't start with that more, higher investment custom product at the very beginning," Katelyn explains. “We knew that our audience liked pumpkin merch because we started with print-on-demand stuff where there’s no investment other than the time it takes you or a designer to design it.”

That's exactly how they discovered their fans loved pumpkin-themed products, giving them the confidence to eventually create their resin pumpkin keycap.

"Start with lower lift stuff there to kind of figure out, like, what your audience vibes with,” Katelyn continued. “Then once there are clear trends you can see, then you can take that to something more custom."

They also know firsthand how much there is to learn. 

When they started selling merch roughly eight years ago, they worked with local print shops, packed and shipped orders themselves, and learned how to handle sales taxes along the way.

While they made plenty of mistakes, they're glad they figured things out when their audience was smaller, and the financial risks were lower.

Their biggest piece of advice for new creators?

"Start early."

For more on Evan and Katelyn, check out our Creator Spotlight on how they started their YouTube career or follow them on their socials.

Evan & Katelyn Channels: YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, shopevanandkatelyn.com