The Ultimate Guide to Launching a YouTube Merch Shop in 2023

Welcome to the era of YouTube entrepreneurship, where content creators are not just video producers, but also savvy business owners. One of the most popular ways for YouTubers to monetize and engage their fanbase is by launching a merch shop.

These online storefronts allow YouTubers to sell their fans custom merchandise, ranging from apparel to accessories. Plus it can be quite a lucrative monetization strategy. YouTubers like PewDiePie and Markiplier have leveraged their massive audiences to sell millions of dollars worth of merchandise. YouTuber Danny Duncan has made over $150 million from selling merch on his YouTube channel. 

The key to their success? Understanding their audience and creating merch that resonates with them. For YouTubers, merch isn't just about making money — it's about extending their brand beyond the screen and into the real world. By selling merchandise, creators can strengthen their connection with fans, who get to wear or use items that represent their favorite online personalities.

This guide will delve into the world of YouTube merch shops, how YouTubers get merch, the advantages and disadvantages of different platforms, and which companies the biggest YouTubers use to sell merchandise.

How do the biggest YouTubers sell merch and apparel?

Many of the top YouTubers like MrBeast, MKBHD, Charlotte Dobre, and Philip DeFranco use one of the following two platforms for their shops:

• Fourthwall. Fourthwall is purpose-built for content creators and YouTubers. It lets creators customize their sites down to the code, and it has many native integrations like YouTube Merch Shelf. Fourthwall also has a built-in product catalog that allows you to design and sell 1000s of products instantly. Fourthwall is  free for creators. There are no monthly fees and no upfront costs. 
• Shopify. Shopify also lets creators fully customize their sites. It is built for traditional ecommerce brands, however, which makes it a power user tool. This makes it difficult for many creators to get started with Shopify, especially if they don't have a full-time staff to manage the Shopify backend. For example, creators on Shopify need to do their own customer support. Shopify also charges creators between $39-$399 per month. 

Both Fourthwall and Shopify are popular with creators for good reason. They are both private label (white label) and allow creators to fully customize their website, so it's fully branded to them. For example, you can see how MKBHD's Fourthwall site is unique to his brand (you can toggle between light and dark modes):

Both Fourthwall and Shopify allow you to connect with:

• Print-on-demand (or POD) manufacturers like Printful
• Custom dropshippers for screen-prints and bespoke apparel
• Third-party fulfillment centers
• And anything else you want to sell, from candies to hot sauces to anything else

No matter what product makes sense for your audience, these two platforms allow you to offer it. 

What other platforms do YouTubers use to sell merch?

There are a number of other merchandise platforms that creators use to sell merchandise online, but these have become less popular over time due to either having limited customization options or not having the best print quality. These include:

• Teespring (now Spring). Spring (Teespring) was one of the original merch makers but lacks the ability for creators to fully customize their sites or offer more bespoke products. It's also seen a decline in creator reviews in 2023, and their product prices are much higher than platforms like Printful. 
• Redbubble. Redbubble is a product marketplace, which means that your fans are shared with all other shirt sellers on the platform. This means that when you drive your fans to Redbubble, they might buy from other creator sites and not yours. 
• Spreadshop. Similar to Redbubble, Spreadshop is also a marketplace. While you can offer shirts, mugs, phone cases, and other common "merch" items, your fans get "sold" products from other channels.

There's a reason that many of the biggest creators like MrBeast and PewDiePie have their own fully branded online store. This is why either Fourthwall or Shopify tends to be the best tool for most YouTubers that are looking to launch their own apparel, merch, or clothing line. 

However, no single platform is perfect for every creator. That's why creators should pick the best platform that represents their brand and community. 

Choosing the Right Merch Makers

When choosing the right merch maker for your online store, most creators should focus on who has the best print quality and most printing options. Three popular platforms that creators use for on demand merch (for everything from shirts to hoodies and more) are:

• Printful. Printful is a print-on-demand service that allows creators to design and sell custom merchandise without worrying about inventory or shipping. Printful doesn't offer a storefront, however, so you'll still need to pick a platform like Fourthwall or Shopify to showcase your products.
• Printify. Similar to Printful, Printify is a print-on-demand platform that simplifies the process of selling custom merchandise. They offer a wide range of products, aggregate on demand  manufacturers and shipping carriers, and integrate with popular e-commerce platforms. Like Printful, they also don't offer a storefront that YouTube creators can use to sell online. 
• Fourthwall. Fourthwall natively integrates with Printful and many other manufacturers, so you instantly get access to all of Printful's catalog at the same prices as Printful. Plus Fourthwall handles customer support for all of your orders that you source through the Fourthwall product catalog. 

All three platforms offer some of the best print qualities for print-on-demand (POD) products. When choosing a merch maker, you're ultimately choosing who you trust for merchandising quality. The most important factors are product cost, product quality, shipping costs, and shipping times.

If you're interested in seeing what options are available to you, you can browse the Fourthwall product catalog here:

Unlike Printful and Printify, Fourthwall also helps creators connect with popular dropshipping services for screen prints, plushies, hot sauces, and other custom merchandisers for all types of apparel lines that creators sell.

How to create professional mockups of your merch

Both Printful and Fourthwall have a native product rendering engine, so you can easily create a mockup of your favorite products. Mockups are an important way to show that you're using the best print quality and printers, since it lets fans see the product before buying. The better the mockup, the more likely you are to get people to buy your merchandise. 

Some of the most popular categories that creators sell and generate mockups for are:

• Shirts & T-shirts
• Hoodies
• Sweatshirts
• Stickers
• Mugs
• Hats
• Phone cases
• Tote Bags

Fourthwall's engineering team has invested over four years in building custom photogrammetry software to ensure mockups are as perfect as possible. This is true across techniques like print-on-demand, screen printing, sublimation, and embroidery. 

For example with this ping glass, you can see how the shadows and UV lighting are perfectly rendered using Fourthwall's mock up generator:

The World of YouTube Merch & Best Merch Stores

This section spotlights some of our favorite creator merch stores and how merch plays in each YouTuber's branding strategy. These include:

MrBeast

Check out MrBeast's shop at mrbeast.store:

The DIY Designer - Orly Shani

Check out Orly's shop at store.thediydesigner.com:

MKBHD

Check out MKBHD's home page at mkbhd.com: 

The New York Magazine Shop

As a final example, check out the New York Magazine boutique merch shop at shop.nymag.com:

‍How to launch your merch line or clothing brand

Merch stores offer creators an exciting opportunity to monetize their branding, engage with fans, and express their creativity. Both the biggest YouTubers and many up-and-coming YouTubers are choosing Fourthwall to launch their shops. It's the easiest way for creators to launch their merch lines with some of the best print quality. Creators also keep full brand control from their domain to their logo to their data. 

Once you're ready to launch your unique brand for your audience, get started on Fourthwall.