If you’re looking to start a business or grow an existing one, you need to start selling merchandise. It’s one of the best ways to get your brand in front of new customers and increase revenue. But where should you start?
There are many great merch stores out there, so I tested several and compiled a list of the 16 best merchandise websites, with Merch by Amazon as my top choice.
These websites have everything you need to get started, including a wide selection of merch, subscription plans, and helpful tools and resources.
Table of Contents
16 Best Merchandise Websites
Reviewed & Tested
Here’s the list of 16 websites that will help you boost your business to a different level. Most of them will do half a job for you by printing and delivering your designs, so feel free to try them out! You never know!
1. Merch by Amazon
Best overall
Stefan’s Take:
There are numerous reasons why I think Merch by Amazon is the best. First, you can reach the most people since everybody who is already using Amazon can buy your stuff as well.
This website also gives high commissions to their sellers and you can add your logo to different products: from T-shirts to mugs.
| Product Variety | 10 |
|---|---|
| Availability | 9 |
| Ease of Use | 10 |
| Commission Rate | 10 |
Merch by Amazon is the most popular choice among YouTubers and the best merch website.
You can create and upload your designs, and they’ll take care of the printing and shipping.
They also offer a wide range of other merch, including hoodies, tote bags, phone cases, and more.
Keep in mind that it is an invitation-only online store.
This means that you have to apply and be accepted before being able to sell your merch.
You can also earn an invite if your YouTube channel has over 500 subscribers.
The merch sales and royalties depend on the product that is sold.
For example, if you plan on selling T-shirts, you can earn up to $10.00 per T-shirt.
The biggest benefit of using Merch by Amazon is access to many potential customers who are already on Amazon.
2. Sellfy
Best website for selling digital products
Stefan’s Take:
If you want to sell digital products to your followers, I suggest using Sellfy, because that is the website’s purpose.
However, you can also sell clothing and decorative items through their eCommerce shop, so you get everything on one platform.
| Product Variety | 9 |
|---|---|
| Availability | 9.5 |
| Ease of Use | 10 |
| Commission Rate | 10 |
Sellfy is an eCommerce platform that was initially made to allow people to sell digital products, such as ebooks, photos, illustrations, and videos. Literally, everything can be in digital format.
However, you can also use it to make print-on-demand products such as clothing, phone cases, decorative items, hats, bags, and similar.
In order to use Sellfy, you don’t need to already have an established website. You will be able to create an eCommerce store with Sellfy instead.
You can try Sellfy for free, and there are 3 separate paid plans, starting from $29.99 per month if you want to acquire additional perks for your eCommerce store.
3. Printify
Best website for selling T-shirts
Stefan’s Take:
For those that want to focus only on selling T-shirts, I recommend Printify.
I liked that I didn’t have to waste time on packing and shipping the items and that I could focus only on setting up the shop and on spreading the word about my merch.
| Product Variety | 9 |
|---|---|
| Availability | 9 |
| Ease of Use | 10 |
| Commission Rate | 10 |
Printify is a fast-growing online store that offers a wide range of merchandising solutions for businesses.
It’s best if you’re looking to sell custom T-shirts, but they also offer other merchandise such as mugs, bags, and phone cases, as well as Mockup Generator.
This is a perfect tool for testing which products your design looks the best.
Once you upload your designs, Printify will take care of the printing and shipping.
Furthermore, it works with numerous print providers.
Rating, base prices, shipping rates, used printing technology, and packaging are listed for all printing providers, so it is easy to choose the one that suits your needs and allows you complete control over your own prices.
For some products, only one print provider is available.
Additionally, you can connect your Printify with your own marketplace on eBay, Shopify store, or another website you plan on using to sell merch.
They also have a wide range of subscription plans that start at $29/month.
With a premium plan, up to 10 online stores can be linked with a Printify account, while with the Custom Enterprise plan, you connect unlimited stores.
One thing to note is that Printify has a lower commission rate than Merch by Amazon (15% versus 20%).
4. Printful
Best service for new content creators
Stefan’s Take:
This is one of the websites I used when I first started selling merch. As I wasn’t sure how many people would actually buy my stuff, I didn’t want to order a bunch of T-shirts and have only a few sold.
So I used Printful because of their on-demand printing: once I received an order, it would be forwarded to the shop, printed, packed, and shipped.
| Product Variety | 9.5 |
|---|---|
| Availability | 9 |
| Ease of Use | 10 |
| Commission Rate | 9 |
Printful’s distinctiveness is a print-on-demand platform, which means that content creators do not have to worry about leftovers in their own shop.
There is no minimum order requirement, as they offer print-on-demand products, so once the order is in, they create merch.
Each shop owner gets to set the price of the merch and cover the production costs once the order is fulfilled.
You can even connect it to your online marketplace and automatically forward all orders to Printful.
5. Zazzle
Best website for big brands
Stefan’s Take:
What I liked about this website is that many tasks are handled for you such as determining prices, and the website offers a variety of products, so I would recommend Zazzle for those that are ready to expand their shop from T-shirts to other items.
Zazzle also has a great commission program and bonuses, so you can earn more money through this website compared to others.
| Product Variety | 10 |
|---|---|
| Availability | 9 |
| Ease of Use | 9 |
| Commission Rate | 9 |
If you’re looking for a wide variety of merch, Zazzle is the best website for you.
They offer products in over 100 product categories and have over 250,000 designers who create new merch designs every day.
You can sell anything on Zazzle, from T-shirts to phone cases to home decor.
This merch store has around 30 million users, so establishing your own store and brand is easier since you are getting excellent exposure upfront.
The royalty rate can be between 5 and 99%, and Zazzle will accordingly set the price of the merch.
Zazzle also has a referral program that allows you to earn a 15% commission on every product sold through your link or code.
Additionally, you can earn extra money by making additional sales and earning their small volume bonus.
6. Bonfire
Best website for selling high-end items
Stefan’s Take:
If you think you’re followers won’t be satisfied with a quality of a basic T-shirt, you can use Bonfire to sell your designs on premium fabrics.
Bonfire is another website that handles shipping, so you don’t have to spend a lot of time managing your store.
| Product Variety | 9 |
|---|---|
| Availability | 8.5 |
| Ease of Use | 10 |
| Commission Rate | 9 |
Bonfire is best if you’re looking for high-quality merch.
They print on American Apparel, Bella + Canvas, and Gildan shirts and have a wide range of other products to choose from.
You can sell T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, hats, phone cases, and more.
Bonfire takes care not only of creating custom merchandise but of payments and shipping as well, so social media influencers can focus on growing their communities.
All of the features are available with a free plan.
7. Spring
Best website for designing merch
Stefan’s Take:
What stood out to me the most on Spring were their templates – this feature is great for anybody that wants to start selling merch, but doesn’t have a design yet.
Once you create your design, you can put it on mugs, shirts, cases, and other items, connect the store to your social media account, start selling, and earn a commission.
| Product Variety | 9 |
|---|---|
| Availability | 9 |
| Ease of Use | 9 |
| Commission Rate | 9 |
Spring is best if you want to create and sell merch in high volumes.
They offer a wide range of products, from T-shirts to phone cases to mugs, and have over 100 templates that you can use as a starting point for your design.
Like Bonfire, Spring takes care of the printing, shipping, and payments.
You can also use Spring’s tools to help with marketing your products.
Furthermore, you can connect it with your social media accounts to promote your own merch.
Content creators pick which of their merch products will be displayed under which post and video.
They have a wide range of subscription plans that start at $30/month.
Additionally, you receive a commission for every product sold.
This ranges from 20% to 40%, depending on the subscription plan you choose.
8. Spreadshop
Best website for entrepreneurs
Stefan’s Take:
Spreadshop offers an all-in-one solution: you upload your design, choose the items you want to sell, and the store takes care of processing orders, from packing to delivering.
Entrepreneurs will really like the store builder feature – it makes the setup process much faster.
| Product Variety | 8.5 |
|---|---|
| Availability | 9 |
| Ease of Use | 9 |
| Commission Rate | 9 |
Spreadshop is best for entrepreneurs who want to create a unique brand and connect with their customers on a deeper level.
It offers print-on-demand merch, as well as payment processing, order fulfillment, and shipping, and content creators are just collecting money.
You set the price, deduct the base price, and collect the earnings once a month.
Spreadshop offers products in over 20 categories, including clothing, phone cases, and accessories, which makes it one of the best websites for creating and selling merch.
You can also choose from a variety of printing methods, such as screen printing and digital printing, and select a print provider.
Spreadshop has a unique feature that allows you to create custom merchandise with your own designs and graphics.
Additionally, they have an online store builder where you can choose from over 40 themes for your shop or create one of your own.
9. Spreadshirt
Best website available globally
Stefan’s Take:
If you want to make your shop available globally, you should know that Spreadshirt is available in over 100 countries.
I have used it only for local orders and was quite happy with the time it took them to process each order. However, I decided to switch to another store when I saw how little money I was making on each order.
| Product Variety | 8.5 |
|---|---|
| Availability | 10 |
| Ease of Use | 9 |
| Commission Rate | 8 |
Spreadshirt is another website that offers print-on-demand merch.
You can choose from a wide range of products and add your own designs to any product.
If you decide to set up your own store via Spreadshirt, you can collect 60% of your earnings.
Also, your own merch will be sold on other websites such as Amazon and eBay, thus helping you expand your store.
It is worth mentioning that Spreadshop and Spreadshirt have the same founder, so all the features are pretty similar.
However, one big difference between them is that Spreadshirt decides on royalties, so you do not have complete control over the profit margin.
Since Spreadshirt is the largest global print network and is shipping its products to over 150 countries, fans from all over the world can buy your merch.
10. CafePress
Best website to promote your merch
Stefan’s Take:
The best thing about CafePress is that you can use it to promote and sell your merch even to people who aren’t familiar with your brand.
And once you expand your store, you can continue using CafePress, set the price of your merch, and earn even more money.
| Product Variety | 9 |
|---|---|
| Availability | 9 |
| Ease of Use | 9 |
| Commission Rate | 8 |
CafePress offers two selling options.
The first option is called Design and List, and it allows you to create products with your own custom designs and sell them in their online store.
You choose from a huge range of products or let CafePress suggest on which product your design looks the best.
CafePress will have the license to display your merch items on their marketplace so that you can reach a higher number of customers.
The second option, called Seller Shops, gives you a bit more freedom regarding both design, selling merch, and earnings.
By setting up your own merch storefront, you get to choose the products’ designs and set the prices.
There is a minimum payout for both options: $25 for PayPal and $100 for a check.
Also, in most cases, you will have to wait for over a month for your payment, as CafePress has a 30-day money-back policy.
11. RedBubble
Best website for artists
Stefan’s Take:
I’m not much of an artist, so RedBubble is not the best place for my merch, but if you are, then it could be for you. Independent artists can place their designs on shirts, bags, mugs, etc., and set up their store through RedBubble.
You are in charge of prices, and the website takes a share of each sold item. However, 20% is a bit high in my opinion.
| Product Variety | 8.5 |
|---|---|
| Availability | 9 |
| Ease of Use | 9 |
| Commission Rate | 8 |
RedBubble is best for artists who want to share their art with the world and sell merch.
They offer a wide range of products, such as clothing, phone cases, laptop sleeves, and much more.
You can also choose the printing method and set your own prices.
Once you choose the products to sell, RedBubble takes care of the rest: processing orders, payments, and shipping is a part of its service.
For each product sold, you earn 20% of the price.
Once you earn $20 in sales, you can transfer the money to your bank account or PayPal.
12. Gemnote
The easiest-to-use website
Stefan’s Take:
With Gemnote, it took me just a few minutes to customize the design and have it ready to place on any item.
It’s super easy to set up the store, but one thing I didn’t like was the commission. The store keeps 50% of each sale, and there is a minimum value you have to earn before you can transfer the money to your account.
| Product Variety | 8 |
|---|---|
| Availability | 8 |
| Ease of Use | 10 |
| Commission Rate | 8 |
Gemnote offers over 200 products that you can choose from, depending on your budget.
They also have a variety of printing methods available, so you get to be creative with your merch designs.
Additionally, Gemnote offers a subscription plan, which gives you access to more products and a higher commission rate.
For every product sold, you earn 50% of the price.
You can transfer your money to PayPal once you reach $50 in sales.
13. Amplifier
Best website for selling designs of others
Stefan’s Take:
What I liked about Amplifier was the print-on-demand option, and selling merch for others if you don’t have your design to put on different items.
Also, I liked the different pricing plans, but the minimum payout value is a bit too high – $100.
| Product Variety | 8 |
|---|---|
| Availability | 7.5 |
| Ease of Use | 9 |
| Commission Rate | 9 |
Amplifier allows you to print-on-demand merch with your designs and sell it in their online store.
They offer over 50 products, such as clothing, mugs, phone cases, and more.
You can set the price of the product yourself or choose from three pricing options that Amplifier offers:
- Low cost (for best value).
- Medium cost (for best quality).
- High cost (to earn the most money).
The upgraded version has a new feature that allows you to connect Amplifier with Shopify, making it easy to promote your brand.
You get a commission of 20% – 50% for each item sold.
Amplifier offers two payment options: PayPal or direct deposit.
The minimum payout is $100.
This website also has an interesting feature – you can create a store and sell products from other artists.
One downside of the Amplifier is that it doesn’t give you complete control regarding the design of your YouTube merch or other products.
For example, printing is possible only on the front of the T-shirt.
14. Big Cartel
Best website for small creators
Stefan’s Take:
When I tested BigCartel, the option to sell only five products is what stood out to me the most. It was really easy to track what my buyers like the most and push that product and remove the one that nobody is interested in.
Keep in mind that you do have to do most of the work on your own, so running a store will be time-consuming.
| Product Variety | 8 |
|---|---|
| Availability | 9 |
| Ease of Use | 8 |
| Commission Rate | 8 |
Big Cartel is the eCommerce merch maker for artists.
This website gives you the opportunity to create a custom online store where you can sell your merch.
Unfortunately, Big Cartel doesn’t offer many features that merch stores with print-on-demand products have, so you have to put in extra work.
It is great for smaller content creators, as it offers the best prices, along with the feature to list only five products to sell.
As your community grows, you can start investing in this merch maker and upgrade to one of the three paid plans:
- 25 products – $9.99 per month
- 100 products – $19.99 per month
- 300 products – $29.99 per month
15. StreamElements
Best website for Twitch streamers
Stefan’s Take:
I really like Streamelements widgets, overlays, and different visuals for Twitch, and their merch store works well too: there are plenty of items on which you can put your design.
However, I didn’t like that I had to spend more money on a subscription to earn a higher commission.
| Product Variety | 8 |
|---|---|
| Availability | 8 |
| Ease of Use | 9 |
| Commission Rate | 7.5 |
StreamElements is the best merch maker for Twitch and YouTube content creators who want to sell merch.
It offers a wide range of products, such as clothing, phone cases, hats, mugs, and more.
Additionally, it has a subscription plan that gives you access to more YouTube merch and a higher commission rate.
You can also customize the merch with your designs, set prices, and create bundles.
For each item sold, you earn a commission rate of 30%.
You can transfer the money to PayPal once you reach $100 in sales.
16. Society Six
Best website for selling home décor
Stefan’s Take:
If you want to step away from selling shirts and see whether your design looks good on a pillow, I suggest Society Six.
It offers many benefits like marketing your store to generate more sales, but this marketing also affects your earning – Society Six will take a higher commission.
| Product Variety | 8 |
|---|---|
| Availability | 8 |
| Ease of Use | 8 |
| Commission Rate | 8 |
Society Six is a merch maker that focuses mostly on home decor, so your fans can buy pillows, chairs, wall-posters, cushions, mugs, as well as clothing, bags, and hats.
Once you choose the products to sell, Society Six takes care of the rest: processing orders, payments, and shipping is a part of its service.
Also, the merch store will take care of the marketing and provide needed exposure.
For art pieces, each creator can set the markup.
However, for the rest of the products, the markup is fixed.
Furthermore, any promotions offered by the merch marker can affect your earnings.
Payments are made once a month via PayPal.
Conclusion
Many merch makers can help you start your own shop and sell merchandise, so do some research before picking one.
Luckily, there are options for all types of content creators and businesses. These are my top three stores:
- Merch by Amazon as the top choice,
- Sellfy as the best for digital products,
- Printify as the best for selling T-shirts.
Once you set up your shop, start promoting it on your social media platforms and see how well it does!
FAQ
What is the best merch?
There is no best merch, as each creator’s needs and products vary.
T-shirts, phone cases, sweatshirts, and hats are a good starting point.
It is also important to talk to your community and see which merch they would enjoy the most.
Where do most YouTubers sell merch?
Most YouTubers sell merch through their own websites and other platforms, such as TeeSpring and Merch by Amazon.
However, a few use specific merch makers, like the ones listed in this article.
If you are looking for a print-on-demand merch maker, consider Printify or Printful.
How much money do streamers make from merch?
This varies greatly, as it depends on the commission rate of the merch maker, as well as how much effort is put into marketing.
Generally speaking, streamers make around 30% for each product sold.
Can I use my own designs?
Yes, most merch makers allow you to use your own designs.
Be sure to read the terms and conditions of each maker before starting to create designs, as some may have restrictions.
