Making Merch? Here Are Some Cost-Cutting Tips You Should Know
NOTE: This article was written for the Furry Chamber Of Commerce in early 2025. We understand things are moving fast, and information and prices may not continue to be accurate. However, we hope that cost-cutting advice can help you and creators like you during unparalleled changes and challenges.
Hi there! My name’s Ken, and I operate the famously cheap, famously transparent animated animal merch shop KEN’S PIN HUSTLE.
Most of my brand messaging consists of jokes about how cheap I am, and while half of it is for humor, I genuinely run a very tight ship when it comes to the HUSTLE’S costs. I am a single guy in my early 20’s who does this to supplement two other jobs and enable other creative endeavors. I need to take every single dollar I can to pay the brutal “under 26 years of age” car insurance costs, rent, vet bills, etc.
I’m going to spill some tea about how I keep my costs down, so let’s talk about what I’ve learned about frugalmaxxing you can use to keep your business alive.
Addressing the Elephant in the Room: Tariffs
With insane tariffs on Chinese-made goods going out, if you’re going to continue selling enamel pins, washi tapes, custom plush or other overseas-made stuff, you’re going to need to cut the fat wherever possible. USA manufacturing for these items isn’t an option, so, how are we going to deal with it?
It’s no secret the world sucks, and the world is beginning to suck in a way that threatens our ability to sell things that make it suck a little less. Other than cyberbullying your representatives, it can seem hopeless to do much about rising production costs and tariffs. Go do that anyway, but aside from that, I do have plenty of cost cutting tips for things you CAN control.
Cost-Cutting Tip 1: No More Freebies
I like to talk to my customers (more than I probably should), especially in rough times. One thing I do hear from them is that they really don’t care, either way, about freebies in their orders. Sometimes, they even end up throwing them away.
This means cutesy stickers, novelty business cards, special colored mailers, and similar stuff is not only money you are literally throwing away, it’s a cost and additional hassle you are passing on to your customers.
Cost-Cutting Tip 2: Ship Smarter
Let me give everyone a little tip: there is no reason whatsoever to actually go to the post office to buy postage.
You should be shipping everything you send out (with one exception, more on that in a minute), through Pirate Ship. Pirate Ship is a free shipping aggregator site that automatically finds you the lowest possible postage rate. There is no gimmick, no catch, no subscription fee, they are not collecting government data from you and selling it to anyone.
The way it works is that the more packages that are sent through Pirate Ship, the better “bulk” rates they can negotiate for their buyers. It genuinely benefits me, and everyone else using it, to tell you to get in on it.
For small (under 1” and under 16oz) mailers, Pirate Ship can save $3 or so per order. For bigger stuff, you are looking at potentially $10-15 saved per package. We’ll go over averages below, but mine tend to be in the $4 ballpark.
The most beneficial thing about Pirate Ship is their simple export option. This locks packages under a certain weight, to certain countries, to a low flat rate of $10.99, $12.99, or $15.99. If you have ever tried to ship internationally, you know that even sending things from the US to Canada can exceed $15. You have to message Pirate Ship’s customer service team to enable this, but it is free to use and absolutely worth doing.
Back to that exception. Are you sending light stuff in a flat envelope? Neat! This is where you can go oldschool and use stamps. One stamp, per ounce of whatever you’re sending (mini prints, stickers, badges), will do the trick. For example, if you’re shipping a single badge, a bunch of stickers, or anything else you can throw in a (rigid or not) envelope, this is far cheaper than paying $3.50-4 for a mailer.
Just remember to factor in the weight of your package, and be careful with anything thicker than a few sheets of paper. Pins or buttons are “non machineable” and will probably get sent back to you.
Forever stamps from the USPS are about $73 for 100. 73 cents shipping per ounce is not bad for paper goods in paper envelopes, up until about 6oz, after which you should just go use Pirate Ship. Costco is a good source of stamps, if you have a membership.
Cost-Cutting Tip 3: Buy in Bulk
If you are an established creator and not just starting out, it is very worth your time to begin buying in bulk quantities.
Getting 500 or 1000 of cards or mailers might not seem worth the huge up-front price tag if you are selling as a hobby, or just getting into goods. But, if you are selling even 10 or 15 items a month, that is a cost that may make itself worth the investment.
If you work with other artists, you can also split those costs. Make sure to calculate shipping lots of light, bulky products into the potential savings, but when the unit difference is $0.30 instead of $2.50, that may be worth it.
Cost-Cutting Tip 4: Don’t Bother with Customized Items
It can be tempting to get custom packaging. A pink, metallic mailer would really make your Sailor Moon-inspired merch shine, right? Or, a bespoke logo printed on your handsome, rugged kraft mailers. However, it’s worth looking into the real impact of those costs—and, if possible, how you can game the system and do it yourself.
EcoEnclose makes my favorite mailers, and they offer 6x9” mailers in a case of 250 for $69 (nice). This is a before-shipping unit cost of just $0.27. However, they’ll custom print your logo and pattern on the same mailers for $147 per-case. This is now a 58-cent cost. Woof!
You could invest in this, with a new mandatory of 2 cases to get this customization, OR, if it really matters, you can get a single-time charge of $36.99 for a 3x4” hand stamp, grab a cheap ink pad from Michael’s ($11.19 with a ubiquitous 30% off one item), put on a video essay, and do it yourself.
Got a friend with a 3D printer or laser cutter? They might be able to make you a rubber stamp for even cheaper. Use your resources wisely and stop paying money you don’t need to.
Detailed Cost Breakdown By Item
Now that I’ve shared some cost-cutting tips, it’s time to see how I apply this in my own business by giving you a detailed look at my cost breakdown for each item and action I take. This has allowed me to keep pretty much the same prices on my store stock since I started my business, KEN’S PIN HUSTLE in 2021.
FOR PACKAGING ORDERS
For extremely small, sticker-only orders:
6x9” padded paper mailers (ecoenclose, $0.34)
Ship with stamp postage (refer to above where I mention Pirate Ship vs. stamp mail)
Why padded mailers? Because any rigid mailer that won’t get destroyed in transit and spill stickers is more expensive than getting my bulk padded mailers. That said, if you know others, tell me in the comments so I can use them.
For normal (5-6 pin and sticker) orders:
6x9” padded paper mailers (ecoenclose, $0.34)
1.6oz each
Ship these with Pirate Ship
I purchase these in 250 packs for the lowest unit cost ($0.27), add shipping into the cost above. They are by far the most reliable mailers, eco-friendly or not, when it comes to surviving customs. I’ve had bubble mailers get mangled by the EU and lose items.
For unusually large orders:
8.5x11” padded paper mailers (ecoenclose, $0.44)
3oz each
Ship these with Pirate Ship
I grab the 8x5x11” padded mailers in 100 packs for large, wholesale orders. I use them sparingly, generally if there is no way I can fit an order into the 6x9” mailer without pins scuffing, puncturing the mailer, or bending stickers/paper goods.
A Note About Using Cute Washi Tape For Your Packaging
Listen, I know washi tapes are really cute, but at $8 per roll on average (and $3 or so, wholesale, using your own), you should really stop using them for packing. Wait until Christmas, go buy Scotch wrapping paper tapes in bulk, and use those. They have the same nice effect as washi, where, if you have to reopen something to edit its contents, it won’t rip and waste the package.
I don’t use washi unless I get it for free from other creators (or factory samples). Depending on your customer base, yours may not appreciate BTS Park Jimin snapchat filter stamps sealing their sticker envelopes. Play it by ear.
FOR ENAMEL PINS
1 backing card (VistaPrint, $0.08)
I use Kraft 3.5x2” cards, which at 1,000 pieces, break down to a lost unit cost.
1 kraft paper wrap (free)
I source these from Chewy and friends who get Chewy packages for free. It is pieces of their kraft packing paper ripped up into approximately 8x7” pieces. If you don’t want to do this, I also have WB mason 30lb paper. In 7-inch wide pieces, for gigantic pin shipments, this costs me a whopping $0.01 per pin.
Some people (not me, but some people) find that the dime-bags pins come in from the factory are just fine. I’ve had some issues with screen prints scuffing in shipping when pins have metal backs, so I do card and wrap all my stock pins for storage. It is absolutely up to you, and up to what pins you’re selling. Soft enamels tend to hold up better in baggies.
However, if you buy pins in large enough quantities, you may also want to look into having your factory card and wrap pins for you. This is a few cents more but can save you hours and hours of labor. I only just got to the point this might be necessary for me, so, sadly, no input here.
FOR STICKERS AND STICKER SHEETS
1 5x7” kraft envelope (kraft fry bags, $0.06)
These are sold as “french fry bags” on Amazon in mega uber super bulk. I seal them with a square of Scotch wrapping paper tape which can be peeled off and re-sealed in case of order mistakes, to not waste an envelope.
1 backing card (VistaPrint, $0.08 per order)
Vistaprint 3.5x2” kraft card @ 1000 pieces.
Why? This does two things. One, it has necessary disclaimers about how/where to put vinyl stickers, which the EU needs to even let them into the country. Two, it stabilizes smaller stickers to keep them from bending in transit.
To Card or Not to Card?
Should you spend an extra few cents on a business card? This is up to you. If you have a QR code, email, or website on your other packaging, it may not be necessary. However, it can be a nice thing to toss into a package, with additional information for a buyer.
My products have an engraved “maker’s mark” on the back to prevent bootlegging and send people to my website if they forget my name. But, I don’t put my contact email on backing cards, so if backers have an issue with an order, a wholesale inquiry, or a question they can’t answer from my website, I throw a business card in. I get a few inquiries every month about new product ideas, polite notifications of packaging/shipping issues to check in on, because of this.
For me, an 8-cent addition is worth it. It keeps the door open for customer engagement and future work, and I buy them in mega bulk anyway to give out in-person.
If you’re really trying to shave down costs, business cards might not be necessary. But, if you send items without backing cards or contact info already (e.g. just sending pins in baggies, or no maker’s mark), you should consider it.
VistaPrint is consistently the best source for every form of card I buy. I use their 2x3.5” cards for every application in my store. These can be bought in 1000x bulk for $74, and that’s when they’re not on sale. When they are on sale, which is frequently, they can go as low as $0.03 per unit. Play the game smart, wait for sales, then bulk order everything you need.
Double-sided cards are nice, but not always necessary. You should be able to fit everything you need onto one side, with some smart design. If that’s a little above your pay grade, why not ask for help from some other Chamber of Commerce members?
Middle School Math Problems: Putting It All Together
Alright, that’s a lot of information, so let’s do more information. Let’s break down some of my average order costs. I encourage you to do the same with your current business setup, to find where to eliminate unnecessary spending. I’m not including sales tax or tariffs for ease of calculations here. They can be easily, retroactively applied if needed. These are retail (not wholesale) prices I am paying before tariffs.
Something to keep in mind here is that my business profits aren’t as big on-paper as they seem. The “What’s left?” numbers will not be fursuit funds, vacation money, or other fun expenses: I put most of mine back into travel, car maintenance, home office rent and utilities, and other business-enabling ventures. Think about out-of pocket sample fees, con costs (hotels, gas, tables), tariffs, and equipment before you start seeing green.
Most importantly: think about taxes you’ll have to pay when the IRS comes knocking. Contrary to the furry status quo, tax evasion does not make you a cute little forgetful doggo. Even if you don’t want this government taking your hard-earned furry bucks, they’re going to take them, whether you like it or not. Have your dues ready and hand them over.
Talk to an accountant that knows your state’s taxes. I personally take my state’s 8% sales tax and throw it in Ally Bank until the IRS reaper comes knocking. This means I can’t overspend it, plus, I get a little interest consolation prize.
Order: 3x 4x6” sticker sheets - income $14.97 + $3 shipping
Product Cost:
Sticker sheet unit cost: 1.25 x 3 = $3.75
Packaging Cost:
1 6x9” mailer - $0.37
1 kraft fry bag - $0.06
1 sticker card - $0.08
1 business card - $0.08
Shipping Cost:
2oz Shipping via Forever Stamps: $1.46
Total cost: $5.80
What’s left?: $12.17
Order: 2x 1.75” A-grade enamel pins, 1x 4” sticker sheet, 2x 1.25” button - $37.58 + $5 shipping
Product Cost:
Enamel pin unit cost - $1.25 x 2 = $3.75
4” sticker sheet unit cost - $0.74
1.25” button unit cost - $0.27 x 2 = $0.54
Packaging Cost:
3 kraft wraps - $0.03
2 white gloss backing cards - $0.04 x 2 = $0.08
Shipping Cost:1 6x9” mailer - $0.37
1 kraft fry bag - $0.06
1 sticker card - $0.08
1 business card - $0.08
Shipping Cost:
3.6oz shipping via Pirate Ship to Ann Arbor, MI: $3.98
Total cost: $9.71
What’s left?: $32.87
Order: 15x 2” A grade enamel pins, 8x 4” sticker sheet - $272 + $5 shipping
Product Cost:
Enamel pin unit cost - $1.35 x 15 = $20.25
4” sticker sheet unit cost - $0.74 x 8 = $5.92
Packaging Cost:
15 kraft wraps - $0.15
15 kraft backing cards - $1.20
1x 8.5x11” mailer - $0.44
1 kraft fry bag - $0.06
1 sticker card - $0.08
1 business card - $0.08
Shipping Cost:
1lb shipping via Pirate Ship to Lincoln Park, IL: $6.33
Total cost: $34.51
What’s left?: $244.49
Hang In There, And Stay Flexible
As of the time of publishing this article, things are still changing and tariffs on China are still uncertain. Even large corporate businesses with a billion-dollar safety net are struggling, so remember: it’s OK to be unsure, it’s OK to be worried, and it’s OK to take a break.
While these cost-cutting tips can help your momentum under normal circumstances, keep it in perspective that various sectors of commerce are slowing worldwide, and that absolutely includes peer-to-peer luxury goods in the furry fandom. You are no less of an artist if you need to step back and temporarily trade your furry hustle for something more consistent to keep the lights on. You are no less of a funny cartoon animal because your “real” job is bagging groceries instead of aerospace. Do what allows you to keep being yourself and making the things you love, even if they need to become a hobby again instead of your main breadwinner.
But it doesn’t always have to be all or nothing, and amid the doom and gloom I can offer you one final tip: stay flexible and don’t be afraid to think outside the box, because you never know what opportunities will reveal themselves to you. I know a fursuit maker who ended a dry spell by doing a high school mascot. I’ve personally been selling wholesale lots of B-grade enamel pins to libraries and wildlife sanctuaries for fundraising. I have a couple friends who have offloaded stagnant merch to pet stores, local nerd shops, and headed to normie art shows to hawk their furry work. How can the business resources you’ve built in the furry fandom translate into a temporary—or even permanent—secondary income stream?
Things will get better. The climate for creative work might not ever be perfect, but with a little resourcefulness and willingness to learn, you’ll survive this.
