Starting your own online merch store doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Whether you’re an artist, influencer, or entrepreneur, selling custom merchandise is a great way to expand your brand.
The best part? You can set up your merch store for free!
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process to launch your own store without any upfront costs. Plus, you can download our detailed PDF guide to help you along the way.
So to make your own merch store you want to follow these proven 9 steps:
- Choose a platform
- Design your store
- Get a print-on-demand service/platform to customize, print, and fulfill your merch
- Set up payment processing
- Set up shipping options
- Design your merch
- Create a marketing plan
- Launch your store
- Maintain your store
But before we get into all the details, tips, and tricks, let’s talk about:
What is a merch store and why should you consider creating one?
A merch store is an online storefront where you can sell branded products featuring your own designs or logos. Creating one can be a great way to monetize your brand, engage with fans, or promote your business, offering a unique avenue for passive income and brand extension.
How can starting a merch store be cost-effective for beginners?
Starting a merch store can be cost-effective as many platforms offer services at no upfront cost, where you only pay when a product is sold. This print-on-demand model means there’s no need for inventory or large initial investments, making it accessible for beginners with limited budgets.
What are the first steps in setting up a free online merch store?
The first steps include choosing a niche or theme for your store, selecting a platform that aligns with your product needs, and designing your initial set of products. It’s also vital to set up a payment gateway and decide on your branding, such as logos and store design, to make your store appealing and professional.
>> Now, below, you’ll find the guide and details necessary to build a cool and successful merch store!
Step 1: Choose a Merch Platform
Choosing a platform is the first step in creating your free merch store. There are several options to choose from, including Shopify, WooCommerce, and Big Cartel.
Why: A platform is the foundation of your online store. It’s where you’ll build your store, add products, and process orders.
How: Research each platform to determine which one is best suited for your needs. Once you’ve chosen a platform, sign up and create an account.
Pro Tip: Make sure to choose a platform that has the features you need, such as payment processing and shipping options.
- Best Tool Recommendation: Shopify is a popular e-commerce platform that offers a free 14-day trial. It has a user-friendly interface and a wide range of features.
Step 2: Design Your Store
Designing your store involves choosing a theme, customizing the design, and adding products.
Why: A well-designed store can attract customers and increase sales.
How: Choose a theme that matches your brand and customize it to fit your style. Add high-quality product images and descriptions.
Pro Tip: Use a consistent color scheme and font throughout your store to create a cohesive look.
Best Tool Recommendations:
– Envato Market also is the leading marketplace for images, themes, project files and creative assets.
– Envato Elements is a subscription-based service that provides access to thousands of digital assets for web design. You can use it to build websites quickly and easily with WordPress.
– Canva is a free graphic design tool that you can use to create product images and social media graphics. For Example: If you’re selling t-shirts, you could use Canva to create mockups of your designs on models or hanging on hangers.
Additionally, Placeit is another platform that allows you to make merch mockups, logos, videos, designs in seconds.
Step 3: Get a print-on-demand service/platform that make, customize, print, and fulfill your merch
There are several print-on-demand platforms that offer free merch making, customization, printing, and fulfilling, and integration with your merch store upfront/website, such as Printify, Printful, Spreadshop, Spreadshirt, and Designhill.
First, what difference between a store builder vs. print-on-demand service?
A store builder is a platform that allows users to create an online store, while a print-on-demand service is a fulfillment process that dropships products to customers only after a sale goes through.
Store builders provide the tools and infrastructure for users to create their own stores, while print-on-demand services provide the products and printing services for users to customize and sell merchandise.
For example, Shopify is a platform for building an online store, collecting payments, and more. While, Printful is a print-on-demand service that designs products, creates visuals for the store, and handles fulfilling and shipping.
Best all-in-one merch platforms and online services
1. Printify and Printful (Best for all)
Printify and Printful provide an intuitive merch maker that enables you to design custom merchandise online for free.
With their tools, you can choose your best-selling items, upload your unique design, order custom merch samples, add them to your store, and start selling various customizable products.
Printful vs. Printify? Which the best:
Printify and Printful are both print-on-demand companies that make it easy to create an ecommerce store. While both offer reliable services, there are some differences between them.
- Printful offers better quality print-on-demand services, uses better printing technology, and has more integrations and international order fulfillment centers.
- On the other hand, Printify has cheaper paid subscriptions.
Printful supports many more ecommerce platforms out of the box compared to Printify, making it a much more flexible print-on-demand platform.
Additionally, Printify’s premium plan only connects to two marketplaces (Etsy and eBay), while Printful makes headway for other product listing platforms such as Amazon.
2. Spreadshop
Spreadshop is another free platform that lets you create merch. You can upload designs to multiple products simultaneously and easily integrate Spreadshop into your website.
Similarly, Spreadshirt offers print-on-demand products and a fully customizable shop that can be integrated with any website for free.
3. Designhill’s PrintShop
Designhill’s PrintShop is an exclusive platform for artists that allows them to create custom products using their artworks and sell them online.
By starting your merch store with PrintShop, you can customize as many products as you wish, sell them worldwide, take control of your earnings, and tap into a bigger customer network.
To summarize, various platforms, including Printify, Printful, Spreadshop, Spreadshirt, and Designhill’s PrintShop, enable you to create a free merch store. With their easy-to-use tools, you can design custom merchandise online without upfront costs or complications.
Action needed: make sure you integrate your selected store builder with your POD service!
Step 4: Set Up Payment Processing
Payment processing is the system that allows customers to pay for their orders. You’ll need to connect PayPal or Stripe and choose payment options.
Why: Payment processing is essential for processing orders and receiving payment.
How: Connect your PayPal or Stripe account to your platform and choose which payment options to offer, such as credit card or PayPal.
Pro Tip: Make sure to choose a payment processing option that’s secure and reliable.
- Best Tool Recommendation: Stripe is a payment processing platform that offers a free plan with no monthly fees.
Step 5: Set Up Shipping Options
Setting up shipping options involves choosing shipping carriers and setting shipping rates.
Why: Offering shipping options is essential for online stores that sell physical products.
How: Choose which shipping carriers to use and set shipping rates based on weight or destination.
Pro Tip: Consider offering free shipping for orders over a certain amount to encourage customers to make larger purchases.
- Best Tool Recommendation: Shippo is a shipping platform that offers discounted rates and integrates with several e-commerce platforms.
Step 6: Design your Merch
Designing your merch is a crucial step in creating a unique and eye-catching brand that attracts customers and sets you apart from competitors.
Why: Unique merch designs can help establish a strong brand identity and increase customer loyalty.
How: Create designs that reflect your brand’s values and aesthetics. Consider hiring a professional designer or using online tools like Canva or Adobe Creative Cloud to create high-quality designs.
Pro Tip: Experiment with different design variations and get feedback from your target audience to ensure your merch is appealing and resonates with your customer base.
- Best Tool Recommendation: Canva for beginners and premade templates.
What Are the Features of The Top-Rated T-Shirt Design Software
The top-rated t-shirt design software typically feature powerful editing tools, vector graphics capabilities, and compatibility with a range of file formats. Popular options include Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, CorelDraw, Inkscape, GIMP, Autodesk Sketchbook, Krita.
Step 7: Create a Marketing Plan
Creating a marketing plan involves promoting your store through social media, email marketing, and influencer collaborations.
Why: Marketing is essential for attracting customers and driving sales.
How: Choose which marketing channels to use and create a content calendar. Consider partnering with influencers to promote your products.
Pro Tip: Use social media to build a community around your brand and engage with your followers.
- Best Tool Recommendation: Hootsuite is a social media management tool that allows you to schedule posts and monitor analytics.
Step 8: Launch Your Store
Launching your store involves testing the checkout process and making your store public.
Why: Launching your store is the final step in making it accessible to customers.
How: Test the checkout process to make sure it’s functioning correctly. Once you’re satisfied, make your store public and start promoting it.
Pro Tip: Make sure to have a soft launch before your official launch to test your store and get feedback from friends and family.
- Best Tool Recommendation: Google Analytics is a free tool that allows you to track website traffic and monitor user behavior.
Step 9: Maintain Your Store
Maintaining your store involves updating inventory, monitoring analytics, and responding to customer inquiries.
Why: Maintaining your store is crucial for ensuring it continues to run smoothly and providing excellent customer service.
How: Regularly update your inventory to ensure you have enough products in stock. Monitor your analytics to track your store’s performance and make data-driven decisions. Respond promptly to customer inquiries and address any issues that arise.
Pro Tip: Use customer feedback to improve your store and products.
- Best Tool Recommendation: Trello is a project management tool that can help you stay organized and keep track of tasks.
Bonus: Free PDF Printable Guide: How to Make a Free Merch Store
Video: How To Create and Sell Merch for Free (Step by Step Merch Shop Tutorial in Under 10 Minutes)
In Conclusion
Creating a free merch store takes time and effort, but it’s worth it to have an online presence for your brand.
By following these steps, you can create a professional-looking store without breaking the bank.
Remember to keep your brand in mind throughout the process and focus on providing excellent customer service.
Good luck on your merch store journey!