Frequently asked questions

A clear niche makes you far easier to find and market — "funny gym tees for dads" sells better than just "t-shirts". If you already have one, brilliant. If not, don't let it hold you back: start with a theme you know or love, test a few designs, and let your sales show you where to focus. With no minimums and no stock to hold, you can trial as many ideas as you like.

There's no cost to join MerchPanda and you only pay for an item once it sells, so your startup budget mainly covers three things: a selling platform (a marketplace like Etsy charges small listing/­transaction fees; a Shopify store is around £25/month), design tools (Canva and similar have genuinely useful free plans), and marketing (anywhere from £0 with organic social to whatever you choose to spend on ads). Many sellers start for under £50/month and reinvest their profits as they grow.

Both work well. You can design yourself with free tools like Canva, commission a freelancer on Fiverr or Upwork, or use AI tools to generate artwork. Whichever route you take, we handle the printing, packing and shipping — just upload print-ready artwork (see our Design Guidelines) and we'll do the rest.

This matters more than most people expect, because it affects where your orders are best printed and shipped from. We print and fulfil in the UK and ship worldwide — ideal if your customers are in the UK or Europe. If you're targeting another market (say, the US), tell us: shipping distance affects delivery times and postage, so we'll help you pick the best fulfilment route for your audience.

Be honest here — it points you to the right setup. Never built a website? An all-in-one marketplace like Etsy lets you start selling with almost no technical work. Happy to learn software? Your own Shopify store gives you more control over branding and margins. MerchPanda connects to both (and more), so you can start simple and level up whenever you're ready.

Know how customers will actually find you before you launch. If you already have a TikTok or Instagram following, lean into content and let your audience drive sales. Starting from scratch? You'll rely on organic search (strong titles, tags and SEO) and/or paid ads. There's no single right answer — but having a plan beats "list it and hope".

Decide whether you're sprinting or building steadily. Because everything is made to order, there's no stock to buy and you can realistically launch within a couple of weeks. Prefer to build slowly over a few months, refining your designs and brand? That's fine too. With no minimums and no upfront commitment, you can move at your own pace.