We created Amplify Merch to support artists, bands, and small businesses—to take the weight of merch off your shoulders so you can focus on creating, performing, running the day-to-day of your business, and growing your brand.
But lately, we’ve hit a few bumps in the road.
🚫 Stores are live—but fans & customers don’t know they exist. 🚫 Designs are finished—but they’re not being shared. 🚫 Orders are slow to non-existent, and momentum is fading.
Let’s be real—we believe in this. 100%. We believe in artists. We believe in community. We believe in building something bigger than any one of us.
But this only works when we’re all in.
We’re still doing our part—creating designs, running ads, fulfilling orders, managing stores, and making sure the backend runs smoothly. But we can’t do it alone.
We need you to show up: 📢 Share your merch 📢 Tag us in your posts 📢 Promote your store like you believe in it 📢 Tell your fans where to find it
If you’re ready to grow, we’re here and fired up to grow with you. If you’re not—that’s okay too. But have to be more intentional about where we invest our energy moving forward.
And if you’ve outgrown Amplify Merch, or if it’s just not the right fit anymore—no hard feelings. Just let us know, and we’ll remove your items to make room for those actively building with us.
We’re here for the doers, the dreamers, and the teams that want to rise together.
Designing the next killer tee, approving that last-minute hoodie mock‑up, wrangling a printer about print location and size accuracy, tweaking a website plugin that suddenly decided to update itself at 2 a.m.—that’s Monday morning at Amplify HQ. Keeping an e‑commerce site humming isn’t a “set it and forget it” job; routine maintenance guards us (and your data) from downtime, security gremlins, and slow‑loading pages that make fans bail before checkout. (bigcommerce.com) Industry pros recommend scheduled audits, backups, and speed checks to stay sharp. (genovawebart.com)
Meanwhile, in the shipping dept, we’re juggling tracking, fulfillment, tariffs, and delays.
Inventory glitches or a single wrong SKU can tank fan trust, so we rely on rock‑solid fulfillment workflows to keep accuracy high and returns low. (shipnetwork.com, hopstack.io). The coffee pot never cools.
The Creative Grind We Love
Merch isn’t just widgets; it’s wearable art. Concept sketches turn into vector files, colorways, samples, and finally, that tee in the crowd cam. Veteran merch designers clock hundreds of iterations before a graphic lands on stage. (brentgalloway.me) That craft time lives next door to bookkeeping, price updates, and midnight “site’s down” alerts. Glamorous, right? Blagh—but we adore it.
Work‑Life Balance? We’re Working On It
Small‑business owners log marathon hours, and 93 % of pros now rank work‑life balance above raw ambition. (ecisolutions.com) When you don’t guard the pause button, burnout sneaks in; 82 % of U.S. workers feel at risk, and even high‑flying execs are blocking “creative time” on the calendar to breathe. (marieclaire.com) Shopify’s own founders preach hard boundaries and delegation so you can still catch a movie with the fam. (shopify.com) Real‑world thread? Owners who automate repeat tasks and hire smart help reclaim that elusive 40‑hour week. (reddit.com)
So Why Aren’t We Front Row Center Every Night?
Picture Atlanta traffic: “Atlanta is one hour away from Atlanta,” as locals joke. (reddit.com) A mid‑week set two counties over can turn into a four‑hour round‑trip plus hotel, and, nope, we don’t get magic wristbands. Tickets, gas, lodging—all come out of the same wallet we’re using to order your next bulk of embroidered beanies and samples. We’re happy to pay when we can, but budgets (and caffeine levels) are finite.
What You Will See From Us
Fresh designs that respect your brand and thrill your fans.
A storefront that loads fast, processes orders, and gives you real‑time sales data without you lifting a finger.
Orders are picked, packed, and shipped with accuracy that would make a postal inspector blush.
Social posts, likes, and comments that amplify our clients and their customers first, because that’s the service they’re paying for and the promise we made.
The Takeaway
We live for this hustle, but balance matters. When we duck out of a gig, it’s not because we don’t care; it’s because we’re back at the office making sure your next drop launches flawlessly—and maybe snatching a rare weekend with family. Sign up with Amplify Merch, and you get a partner who obsesses over the back‑end so you can own the spotlight. Front row or back office, we’ve got your merch handled—no bullshit about it.
Sources: industry maintenance checklists, fulfillment studies, burnout research, and the collective wisdom of Atlanta commuters.
There’s always a lot happening behind the scenes at Amplify Merch—most of it you’ll never see, but that’s kind of the point.
We’re here to take some of the weight off your shoulders. Merch is important, but it can also be time-consuming and overwhelming. From sourcing the right products and comparing prices, to file setup, designing mockups, handling taxes, and keeping your store running—there’s a lot involved in doing it right.
That’s where we come in.
What is Online Merch Management?
Think of it like having your own personal team working in the background. We manage your online storefront, keep your products updated, track what’s selling, and make sure your fans have a smooth experience. We handle:
Product listings
Descriptions and pricing
File formatting and conversions
Logistics and payment processing
Collecting and remitting required taxes
Inventory updates and supplier coordination
Website hosting and maintenance
We spend a lot of time in front of the computer—so that you don’t have to.
What is Product Sourcing?
It’s more than just picking a blank shirt and slapping a logo on it. We research suppliers, compare costs, negotiate prices, and make sure your merch is quality—both in design and durability. We also stay on top of trends so your products stay fresh and fans stay hyped.
We Work Behind the Scenes, So You Can Stay on Stage
We know you’re busy. Between gigs, writing, and promoting your music, your time is valuable. That’s why we take care of everything you don’t have time for. And while we aren’t always at your shows or events, know that we’re still working hard for you.
Even when you don’t see us, we’re updating your store, managing your products, communicating with vendors, answering customer questions, and running online ads to help sell your merch. Just because we’re not front and center doesn’t mean we’re not hustling behind the scenes.
No Fees. No Limits. Just Support.
One of the best parts? Opening a store with Amplify Merch is 100% free. There are no monthly fees, no product limits, and no upfront costs to get started.
We only take a small percentage from sales to cover production and platform costs –so you can focus on growing your audience without worrying about extra expenses.
When You Join Amplify Merch
You get more than a store—you get a showcase page tailored to your brand, professionally designed products, full backend support, and peace of mind knowing we’ve got the logistics covered.
This is your merch, your brand, your music. We’re just here to help make it shine.
Amplify Merch works for you—even when you don’t see us.
We wanted to give you a quick heads-up about something you might notice when ordering merch over the next few weeks: some shipping costs may increase slightly, and we want to be as transparent with you as possible about why that’s happening.
Due to recent tariff changes on goods imported from overseas, many of the suppliers and print partners we work with are seeing increased costs—especially on blank products that are made outside the U.S. As they adjust their pricing to keep up, those changes are starting to trickle down to companies like ours.
The good news? Not all our products are impacted. Many of our merch items are printed right here in the U.S., and for those, you may not see much of a difference at all. We’re also working closely with our partners to keep everything as affordable as possible without sacrificing quality or service.
At Amplify Merch, we’ve always got your back—we’ll continue to be upfront about pricing, and we’re doing everything we can to keep your merch experience smooth and affordable.
If you have any questions or you’re curious about which products might be affected, feel free to reach out. We’re happy to help.
Thanks for sticking with us and for continuing to support local artists and creators. Every shirt, sticker, and hoodie helps keep the scene alive—and we couldn’t do it without you.
At Amplify Merch, we want to help you achieve the best results for your custom merch while navigating the challenges of embroidery. While embroidery offers a premium look, it does come with some considerations you should be aware of to get the best outcome.
Why Choose Embroidery?
Embroidery stands out for its high-quality, durable finish. As a stitched design, it can deliver a professional and upscale appearance. However, it does come with a higher price point compared to other printing methods, like screen printing or heat transfer. This is because embroidery involves stitching, which takes time and precision.
Embroidery allows for both flat and 3D designs, as well as single-color and multicolored logos. However, creating the perfect embroidery design requires considering several factors, including your logo’s detail and the size of the design.
Embroidery Challenges
Detail Limitations: Embroidery has limitations when it comes to very intricate designs or fine details. Since the stitches can only be so small, detailed elements like tiny text or intricate images may get blurred or lost. This is why logos with excessive detail or small text often do not perform well with embroidery.
Size and Print Area: Many items available for embroidery have a limited area for printing. While you might be able to embroider a small logo on the chest, larger designs, such as a back logo on a t-shirt, are often better suited for other printing methods (DTF, DTG, or screen printing).
Digitization: All artwork for embroidery needs to be digitized—a process where your design is converted into a file that can be read by embroidery machines. This step ensures your design is ready to be stitched accurately.
Color Options: Standard vs. Unlimited
Standard Colors: Ideal for simple, one-color logos or designs with minimal colors. Standard embroidery uses about 12 basic colors and is generally more affordable.
Unlimited Colors: Perfect for multicolored logos or intricate designs, including gradients. This option allows for more flexibility but comes with a higher setup cost.
Avoid These Common Issues
Negative Space: Avoid leaving too much empty space in your design, as it can cause uneven edges, puckering, and distortion. If your design has negative spaces, consider filling them with color or using larger gradients.
Small Details and Short Gradients: Small elements or gradients that don’t flow naturally can lead to poor quality in the final product. Opt for larger, more defined designs for the best results.
Flat vs. 3D Puff Embroidery
Flat Embroidery: This technique keeps the stitches flat against the fabric, making it ideal for logos and designs that are not overly complex. It works well with both standard and unlimited colors.
3D Puff Embroidery: This technique raises the design of the fabric, giving it a more prominent, textured look. Best suited for bold shapes and text, 3D puff embroidery is not suitable for thin or detailed fonts, like calligraphy, and can’t be used on all fabric types or with all colors.
Best Locations for Embroidery
Front: Common placement for embroidery, particularly the left chest area, which is ideal for logos and text.
Side: Some hats allow for small side embroidery.
Back: Very few items have embroidery available on the back, as it often requires a larger print area that can be more expensive to produce.
What to Avoid in Embroidery Designs:
Highly Detailed Images and Logos: These don’t perform well in embroidery because the stitching can’t capture the fine details.
Small or Short Gradients: These can cause uneven stitching and may not come out well.
Calligraphy/Scripts: Many scripts, particularly delicate ones, don’t translate well to embroidery due to their small size and complexity.
Small Graphics (less than 0.86″ or 20mm): Small details can get lost or distorted.
Distressed or Textured Graphics: These can be difficult to replicate with embroidery, and much of the detail may be lost.
What Doesn’t Work for Embroidery:
Photographic Images: Embroidery can’t replicate photographic images directly. These need to be simplified into solid shapes and colors.
Small Letters: Even if the letters are larger than 0.86″ (20mm), intricate fonts or small text can cause issues with color shifts or uneven stitching.
By keeping these guidelines in mind, you can make the most of embroidery for your custom merch and avoid common pitfalls, ensuring that your designs turn out crisp, professional, and visually appealing.
Print on demand (POD) is a fulfillment model where products like t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and other merchandise are printed and shipped only after an order is placed. This approach eliminates the need for inventory, managing orders, or handling shipments directly. Each item is created as it’s ordered, which makes POD an ideal choice for creators, small brands, and bands looking to offer merch without the hassle of traditional logistics.
Why Does Print on Demand Seem Expensive?
Since each item is custom-made individually, the production costs are higher than ordering in bulk. With POD, the convenience and flexibility of producing on a per-order basis means paying a premium for each piece. There are no set up fees per order. No minimums.
POD’s Popularity and Versatility
POD has grown popular across online platforms, even for high-priced “vintage” concert tees that capitalize on nostalgia and unique designs. Many of the funny quote shirts or custom designs found on Amazon and Etsy are also POD products, created by individual designers and fulfilled directly through a POD service.
For a small brand or band, POD removes the headache of predicting sizes, managing stock, and hauling boxes of merch from show to show. POD also allows you to offer a wider range of products and sizes without overextending yourself financially. So even if the per-item cost is a bit higher, you save in time, effort, an d upfront risk. When aligning with Amplify Merch, we simplify it even more, by handling the entire process for you, without any upfront costs.
Why Amplify Merch for Your Brand?
At Amplify Merch, we offer a comprehensive merch solution that combines print on demand (POD) with a vast network of vendors, wholesale products, and both local and worldwide suppliers. Whether you’re looking for custom pieces, bulk items, or unique promotional products, we have the resources to bring your vision to life and help grow your brand. Here’s what sets us apart:
1. No Inventory, No Risk: Forget about predicting sizes or storing boxes of merch. POD means each item is made to order, so there’s no upfront inventory cost or risk of leftover stock.
2. Ultimate Convenience: With no order minimums or reordering logistics, POD lets you skip the headaches of traditional merch and focus on promoting your brand.
3. Versatility to Match Your Brand’s Needs: From single items to bulk orders, promo products, banners, and more, Amplify Merch offers a range of options for any merch strategy. Whether it’s custom tees for your fans or bulk items for an event, we’re here to support it all. We also give you a webpage, for free! Our showcase page is free once you sign up with us, and lists all the social media and info you like, as well as your available products. We can do limited editions, online exclusive merch as well as “live show” exclusive items.
4. Wider Reach for Your Fans: Family, friends, and fans from anywhere can support your brand by ordering merch online, letting you grow your fanbase beyond live events.
5. Your Brand, Our Priorit y: Once you sign up with Amplify Merch, we become your biggest fans, dedicated to helping your brand thrive. From sourcing to order processing, our team works for you, ensuring every detail is handled.
6. All You Need is a Logo: Just provide your design or logo, and you’re ready to go. From hoodies to mugs, your brand can shine on a wide variety of products, all available online with minimal setup on your end.
With Amplify Merch, you’re not just getting a POD provider—you’re gaining a partner committed to helping you build your brand with ease and impact. Let us Amplify your merch and make your brand unforgettable.
Just a quick announcement, and not a fun one. The United States Postal Service has issued a Holiday surcharge on shipping fees.
The surcharge will be in effect until Jan 19, 2025.
It’s a bunch of crap IMO, but everybody wants their piece of pie, I suppose. You can read more about the increase by clicking the USPS link below. And with the Holiday Season comes shipping delays. That is a challenge for us because th emajority of our products are made to order, so that adds more time, then the delayed shipping and depending on the supplier, that can have other delays. We have actually had a package go from Georgia, to Florida, to Texas and back to Florida. True story.
For musicians, the merch table is a crucial component of their live shows. It’s where fans can snag a piece of memorabilia to remember the performance, and where artists can make some extra cash on the side. However, despite its importance, there are some limitations to the merch table that can hinder its effectiveness. From logistics issues to competition from online stores, musicians need to be aware of these drawbacks to maximize their merch sales.
Ah, the merch table. A staple at concerts, festivals, and events of all kinds. It’s the perfect place to snag some cool swag to commemorate your experience or show support for your favorite artist or band. Transporting and setting up a merch table is work. Sometimes you find your table is squeezed into a back corner with no lighting. Sometimes trying to sell items over the live music is pointless, and you end up trying to sell when the band isn’t playing. What about having someone monitor the table? Tracking money, and inventory. And when you have 10 fewer shirts than you started with and half of the money you should have, what do you do? Chances are whoever is working the merch table is a volunteer and having a good time. Distractions and alcohol… We’ve all been there. What if your merch volunteer doesn’t show up or runs off drunk? Then there’s payment processing accounts or point of sale, inventory management, cash box management, sales taxes. All good and necessary. On site sales are great to get out something quick at a show. BUT, a headache.
Everything has its limitations, and Merch is not any different.
Merch management allows for far greater selections in an online environment and a vastly larger consumer base. Our goal is to make this as easy as possible. Literally, a few emails and our clients receive an invoice and a check. Our objective is to take the burden of pushing products off of our clients so they can focus on what’s most important. A DAMN GOOD SHOW!!!
One of the main limitations of the merch table is its physical constraints. Depending on the venue’s size and the space’s layout, there may not be enough room for a full merch setup. This can result in a limited selection of items being available for sale, which may disappoint fans who are looking forward to purchasing a specific item. Additionally, the merch table can often get crowded and chaotic, especially after the show when everyone rushes to grab their merch.
Another drawback of the Merch table is Variety. While merch tables often offer a wide range of products, there are still limits to what can be made available. Some artists may have limited resources or budgets, which means they can only offer a small selection of items. This can be frustrating for fans who are looking for something specific or unique.
Another limitation of the merch table is accessibility. Not everyone is able to attend live events and purchase merch in person. This can be a major disadvantage for fans who live in remote areas or who are unable to attend concerts for various reasons. While some artists offer online merch stores, not all do, which means that fans may miss out on the opportunity to purchase items that are only available at live events.
Quality is another important factor to consider when it comes to merch. While many suppliers ensure that their products are of high quality, some may cut corners or use inferior materials to save money. This can result in products that are not as durable or long-lasting as fans would like.
Price is another limitation that can affect fans’ ability to purchase merch. While many fans are willing to shell out some cash for a t-shirt or poster, not everyone can afford to spend a lot of money on merch. This can be especially true for younger fans or those on a tight budget.
But perhaps the biggest challenge of all is trying to sell items over live music. Picture this: the band is playing at full volume, the crowd is cheering, and you’re standing there with a stack of CDs in your hand, hoping someone will notice them. That’s why I’ve found that the best time to sell merch is when the band isn’t playing. It’s a delicate balance of timing and strategy, but it’s worth it when you see someone walk away with one of your products in hand.
Despite these limitations, the merch table is a crucial part of any artist’s income. It’s not just about selling products; it’s about connecting with fans and building a community around your music. When someone buys a t-shirt or a CD, it’s not just a transaction; it’s a token of support and appreciation for what you do. So the next time you find yourself setting up a merch table in a less-than-ideal location, remember that it’s all part of the job. Embrace the challenges, find creative solutions, and most importantly, keep smiling. Because at the end of the day, it’s all about sharing your music with the world and leaving a lasting impression on those who support you. So here’s to all the hard-working merch sellers out there, hustling to make a living in the music industry. Keep pushing through the obstacles, keep shining a light on your products, and most importantly, keep rocking on. The merch table may have its limitations, but it’s also a valuable opportunity to showcase your art and connect with your audience. And that’s something worth celebrating.
By having a clear plan for payment processing, accounts, and payouts, you can avoid any potential headaches and focus on what’s important – playing great music and connecting with your fans.
Here at Amplify Merch, we can’t fix those issues for you. What we can offer, is a quick solution, when you aren’t able to run a Merch Table. You can give out the QR CODES by text, email, or physical cards.
We can provide you with a seamless online merch management system. With just a few clicks, you can give out QR codes to your customers via text, email, or physical cards, allowing them to browse and purchase your merchandise from the convenience of their own devices.
In addition to our online merch management services, we also offer bulk items for your merch table. Whether you need t-shirts, hats, stickers, or any other type of merchandise in large quantities, we can handle it all. Simply give us a call or shoot us an email with your order and we’ll take care of the rest. We can customize a variety of products for your fans, band members, and gifts. We can create limited editions, and show or event-specific.
We understand that running events can be chaotic and unpredictable, which is why we’re here to make things as smooth and stress-free as possible for you. Let us work FOR YOU!
Give us a call or send us an email today to learn more about how Amplify Merch can help you with all of your merchandising needs. From online merch management to bulk items for your merch table, we’ve got you covered.
