The Truth About Merch Support, What Wasn’t Working, and What’s Changing on January 1
For the past three years, Amplify Merch has dedicated countless hours to building a platform that supports independent bands, creators, and small businesses. We did it because we believe in this community — and because we wanted to remove as many barriers as possible.
That’s why we offered nearly everything at no cost.
And when we say everything, that’s not an exaggeration.
What Amplify Provided at No Cost
We built an entire system from the ground up to support artists — and all of it was unpaid labor on our end.
What We Provide
Free merch setup
Product pages, mockups, listings, descriptions, variants — all done by us.
Free customer service
We handled every message, question, complaint, replacement, and support issue.
Free design work
Custom artwork, edits, formatting, and corrections.
Free logo cleanup
We vectorized, upscaled, and converted logos and images into print-ready files — a process that typically costs $25–$75 per file.
Free quotes
Bulk orders, custom products, event merch, and special requests.
Free recommendations & merch consultations
Advising clients on best-selling products, pricing strategies, materials, print methods, color choices, mockup accuracy, seasonal items, festival prep, and what actually converts to sales.
Free storefront and Showcase Page setup
After Showcase Pages weren’t widely used, we upgraded everyone to fully functional Storefronts to improve control and visibility.
Free promotion
Social posts, tags, event shares, new product announcements, and ongoing exposure.
Free event sharing
Promoting shows, fundraisers, vendor events, and local community projects.
Free show & festival presence (which we love doing)
In-person support, tickets purchased, travel, and on-site promotion.
Sponsorships
Covering costs, time, and resources to support clients and events
Free platform access
No monthly fees, no storefront charges, full use of our system.
Free exposure
Through our socials, events, partnerships, and platform features, and ads.
Free time
Nights, weekends, family time, and work hours spent supporting client needs. Sharing, creating, and managing all these things takes time.
Free labor
SEO (search engine optimization) adjustments, website improvements, product photography, administrative work, ongoing behind-the-scenes updates, payment processing, and website security.
Free product sourcing & supplier access
We’ve already vetted, tested, and partnered with multiple reliable suppliers, so clients don’t have to waste money on bad prints, cheap blanks, shady manufacturers, or weeks of research. Our wide range of trusted products — apparel, accessories, drinkware, stickers, specialty items, and more — saves clients time and money, and ensures consistently high print quality. We are continuously evaluating new suppliers and watching trends in merch.
Plus, the right to complain (or just simply ghost us) about pricing, despite every service above being included at no cost.
We did all of this because we believed in building something positive — something that helped the creative community thrive.
But a system built entirely on unpaid labor cannot survive forever.
What Wasn’t Working
While Amplify stayed committed, engagement from many clients declined.
For two years, we carried the entire weight of other people’s merch operations — design, setup, fulfillment, promotion, customer service, sourcing, events, and more — but several critical issues made it impossible to create sustainable success:
No sharing, no posting, no engagement
We cannot sell merchandise that the artist or business refuses to promote. And the current model, we only get paid when those products sell, has not been working.
Most clients wouldn’t even share their own merch posts. Many wouldn’t hit a single like button, respond to comments, or repost announcements.
No online merch platform — not Bandcamp, not Shopify, not Etsy, not anyone — can generate income if the creator/client refuses to participate in basic self-promotion and promotion of their online listings.
Not tagging Amplify Merch
Tagging us isn’t optional — it’s how customers recognize legitimacy.
When creators don’t tag us:
- posts lose reach
- Customers get confused
- sales drop
- our work becomes invisible
- distrust grows
And we have experienced real fallout:
We posted a photo of a client wearing their merch, and someone tagged the client to make sure they saw it — in case we were fake.
This happens when creators never publicly acknowledge the partnership. Or don’t do so regularly.
No visibility = no sales
If creators won’t share, tag, post, or support the platform selling their merch, fans assume:
- The merch isn’t official
- The platform isn’t authorized
- The items are bootleg
- Or there’s no real partnership
That kills sales instantly.
That happens when creators don’t publicly support the platform that handles their merch.
Expecting results with zero participation
A painful truth: if the client isn’t willing to support, promote, or acknowledge their own merch, there is nothing any platform can do to create income for them.
And because it wasn’t costing them anything, many simply didn’t care if their merch didn’t sell. Unfortunately, no sales equals no Amplify Merch.
Showcase Pages and Storefronts were underused
We built beautiful, functional landing pages.
Many clients never even looked at them — let alone shared them.
“How much for a shirt?” → ghosting
Daily quote requests turned into:
- silence
- no follow-up
- Not even a “that’s too much”- my budget is “blagh blagh.”
- Not even “I found it cheaper” (and then worse quality), so we can price match.
- hours of work for nothing
Misaligned expectations
We were expected to operate like a full-scale merch department… while being treated like an optional favor.
Clients wanted results without involvement, success without participation, and high-quality merch without any willingness to tag, promote, or acknowledge.
We were putting more time into promoting bands than some bands were putting into promoting themselves.
That imbalance created burnout, financial strain, and roadblocks to improving the platform.
The conclusion was unavoidable:
We cannot keep giving everything away for free.
Why We’re Moving to Memberships
Beginning January 1, Amplify Merch is transitioning to a sustainable, membership-based model.
This shift isn’t about punishment.
It’s about fairness, sustainability, and protecting the future of the platform.
Memberships allow us to:
- invest in better tools
- increase platform quality
- prioritize engaged creators
- eliminate burnout-driven delays
- protect our time
- provide stronger customer service
- offer premium features to serious users
Those who value what we provide will receive unprecedented support.
Those who don’t engage simply won’t opt in — and that’s okay.
We are focusing our energy on those who are truly building something.
Amplify Merch Membership Plans (Launching January 1)
Launch – Free
Start small, sell smart.
- Up to 6 products
- Amplify single order commission: 25%
- Bulk order commission: 10%
- Category page + payment handling
- Basic storefront included (if wanted)
You keep the rest after commission fees & taxes.
Build – $5/month
Take control of your merch. Includes everything from the free plan plus:
- Up to 15 products
- Single Orders Commission: 20% (online)
- Bulk order commission: 10%
- List/manage your own products (including digital downloads)
- Custom coupons
You keep the rest after commission fees & taxes.
Boost – $15/month
Expand your brand and reach. Includes everything from the Build Plan plus:
- Up to 25 products
- Commission: 10% on all orders
- Ticket sales: 10%
- Affiliate listings-(cross-promote with other creators)
You keep the rest after commission fees & taxes.
Amplify — $25/month
Full-service merch management. No stress.
Everything from Boost, plus:
- Up to 250 products, fully managed by us. Or you, if you choose
- Affiliates, digital downloads, and ticketing included
- Sell your own products alongside the products we create for you, and you can manage fulfillment.
- 7% platform transaction fee only
- No additional commissions
- SEO & analytics
- Media support
- Complete merch management from design to fulfillment
You keep all sales revenue after processing fees and taxes.
This plan also restores access to Showcase Landing Pages, now exclusive to our top-tier members.
What All Plans Include
Every membership level — from Launch to Amplify — comes with the same core essentials that keep your merch running smoothly, securely, and professionally:
Commission & processing fees are only after cost.
All commissions are applied after production costs, taxes, and payment processing.
You’re never charged upfront, and you only pay on real profit — not imaginary numbers.
Secure, reliable payment processing
All customer transactions are protected through a fully integrated, high-security payment system.
You get smooth checkouts, fraud prevention, and automated payouts without lifting a finger.
Site security & platform maintenance
We handle hosting, updates, backups, security, infrastructure, and the technical work that keeps your storefront online, fast, and safe.
SEO & platform-wide marketing
Your products benefit from our ongoing SEO efforts, platform improvements, search visibility, and organic marketing.
Every listing and storefront receives baseline discoverability built directly into the platform.
Amplify Merch
- Custom designs
- Logo cleanup and vectorization
- Real human customer service
- Event sharing and sponsorships
- SEO support
- Ticketing, digital downloads, and affiliates built in
- Merch, media, and business tools all in one place
- Affordable entry-level options
- Hands-on design and merch support that no major platform offers
Amplify does all the labor that other platforms expect YOU to handle alone.
Plan Availability & Ongoing Updates
Our membership levels and included options are still being finalized. As we continue refining our structure and building out new features, all plan details—including pricing, commissions, product limits, and available tools—are subject to change.
We’ll keep this information updated as we complete setup and gather feedback, ensuring each plan accurately reflects the support and value we want to provide.
Our Goal Moving Forward
We are done running a full merch department for free.
We are done investing more into clients than they invest into themselves.
We are done carrying the workload alone.
Amplify Merch is transitioning into a platform that supports creators who want to succeed — not just creators who want free labor.
If you participate, show up, promote, tag, communicate, and engage…
we will work harder for you than any merch platform you’ve ever used.
If not?
This new system ensures we no longer burn out doing unpaid work to keep someone else’s dream afloat.
Those who don’t, we wish them nothing but success.
But Amplify is moving forward — and we’re doing it with intention.
