The decision that sets your budget
There are two ways to start a merch line, and they cost very different amounts up front.
- Bulk order. You buy a run of each design from a screen printer or manufacturer, store it and ship each sale yourself or through a fulfillment partner. You pay for everything before the first sale.
- Print on demand. Nothing is made until a customer pays. The platform prints, packs and ships each order, and the production cost comes out of that sale.
Bulk gives you the lowest cost per item. Print on demand gives you the lowest cost to start. Everything below follows from that.
Every cost line, one by one
1. Design
If you design it yourself, it costs your time. Text designs and simple logos are realistic to make on your own. A freelance illustrator costs more and is worth it for a character or a detailed piece. Ask for print-ready files: a high-resolution PNG with a transparent background, plus the source file.
2. Samples
Ordering one of each product before you launch lets you check the print, the fit and the color. Budget for one item per product at the normal production price plus shipping.
3. Products
This is the biggest line, and where the two models split. With a bulk run you pay for every unit up front, in every size and color you offer. With print on demand you pay per sold item. For reference, here are published starting prices for a basic t-shirt at the time of writing (November 2026):
| Product | Starting price (shipping extra) | |
|---|---|---|
| Fourthwall | Gildan Heavyweight T-Shirt | From $9.50 |
| Fourthwall | Bella+Canvas Unisex Supersoft T-Shirt | From $11.75 |
| Printful | Bella+Canvas 3001 t-shirt | $11.92 |
| Merch5 | T-shirt | Shown next to each product in the dashboard |
Prices from fourthwall.com/print-on-demand and the Printful product page at the time of writing. Each platform charges shipping on top.
4. Shipping
Someone pays to send each parcel. With print on demand, the platform ships and the cost comes out of the order or is charged to the buyer. Bonfire, for example, lists campaign shipping from $5.99 in the US and from $11.99 internationally at the time of writing. With bulk stock you also pay for mailers, labels and your time at the post office.
5. The store
A store builder plan, a theme, apps and payment processing all add up when you assemble a store yourself. Platforms built for merch include the store: Fourthwall, Bonfire and Merch5 all let you open one for free, and Printful offers free Quick Stores for US sellers. Merch5 also gives you a widget for a website you already have, so you do not need a second site.
6. Payment processing
Card payments always cost something. On a store you run yourself, the processor's fee comes out of each sale. Fourthwall lists 2.9% + 30¢ on US cards. On Merch5, buyers pay at a hosted checkout and you need no merchant account of your own.
7. Taxes and paperwork
Depending on where you live and sell, you may need to register for and collect sales tax. Some platforms act as merchant of record and handle this; on others, including Merch5, taxes on your sales are your responsibility. A short call with an accountant before launch is cheap insurance.
8. Marketing
Organic posts to your own audience cost nothing. Paid ads cost whatever you decide to spend. For a first drop, your existing audience is almost always the best channel.
Two example budgets
The numbers below are illustrations with stated assumptions, not quotes. Plug in your own.
| Bulk run | Print on demand | |
|---|---|---|
| Assumption | One design, 100 t-shirts at an assumed $8 each across five sizes | One design on a t-shirt and a hoodie |
| Paid before the first sale | About $800 for the shirts, plus samples, mailers and a store plan | $0 on a free platform, plus any samples you choose to order |
| Cost per sale | Your shipping and packing time | The production and shipping cost of that item, taken out of the order |
| If 40 sell | 60 shirts left, and you are still behind on the run | 40 margins earned, nothing left over |
| If 300 would sell | You sell out at 100 and reorder | All 300 are made as they are ordered |
The bulk route wins when you are confident a design will sell through, especially in person. Print on demand wins when you are testing designs, selling online or have no space for boxes.
Start your merch line for $0
Open a store, add one design and see the production cost next to your price.
The cheapest way to start
- Make one design yourself, text or a simple logo.
- Put it on a t-shirt and one more product on a free print-on-demand store.
- Price it so the margin is worth your time. Fans pay for the connection, not the blank.
- Tell your audience three times over two weeks.
- Use what sells to decide the next design, and whether any of it deserves a bulk run.
On Merch5, opening, building and hosting the store cost $0, there is no subscription, and Merch5 takes no cut of your margin. Printing and shipping are charged out of each order after your customer has paid. Paid plans exist only for branded packaging; see plans and pricing.
When a bulk run starts to make sense
Print on demand is the cheapest way to start, but not always the cheapest way to grow. A bulk run starts to pay off when three things are true: a design has sold steadily for months, you know which sizes people buy, and you have a place to sell in person, such as a counter, a booth or a tour table, where buyers want to take the item home on the spot.
Even then, keep the online store on demand. The run covers the table; the store covers everyone who is not in the room, in every size, without another box in storage. Brands that do both rarely regret it. Brands that put everything into a bulk run before they know what sells often do.
Hidden costs to watch for
- Monthly plans you forget about. A store builder, an app and a domain each bill every month whether you sell or not.
- Size guessing. In a bulk run, the sizes nobody buys are pure cost.
- Returns. Know who pays for a wrong size before the first one comes back.
- Discounts you cannot afford. Price with enough margin to run a sale or give a few away.