When assigning or adding merch to your membership tiers, you may have some questions about where to place the items or how to ensure you won’t lose any money in this process. Here are some of your most frequently asked questions.
What tiers should I put my merch on?
The most important consideration when adding merch to your tiers is the cost of each item. To help you with this decision, we offer recommended tier prices for each item as well as minimum tier prices. Based on the tier you choose, you’ll see our recommended tier price, the minimum tier price and the estimated earnings per member.
Here’s a complete list of each item’s cost, and minimum and recommended tier prices:
| Item | Item price | Minimum tier price | Recommended tier price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sticker | $5.60 | $2.00 | $5.00 |
| Mug | $14.50 | $5.00 | $15.00 |
| Poster | $17.00 | $6.00 | $20.00 |
| T-shirt | $17.00 | $6.00 | $20.00 |
| Hoodie | $31.00 | $11.00 | $35.00 |
| Tote Bag | $18.00 | $6.00 | $25.00 |
| Mini Print | $5.00 | $2.00 | $5.00 |
| Neck Gaiter | $18.00 | $6.00 | $20.00 |
| Long Sleeve T-shirt | $22.00 | $8.00 | $25.00 |
For most creators, we recommend placing a loyalty programme, or only one merch item on each tier, to help all of your items stand out.
Why am I restricted from assigning merch to certain tiers?
We want to make merch easy and safe to use for every creator on Patreon. As a way to protect your business, we do not allow merch to be added to a tier if the combined cost of all merch on that tier exceeds the total pledge value from a member after three months on that tier.
When adding a loyalty programme to a tier, the most expensive item in the set is used to determine the price of the loyalty programme. At this time, loyalty programmes cannot be added to a tier that contains any other merch items.
I want to publish a merch item but don’t have a tier at the right price. What can I do?
You may want to consider creating a new tier for that merch item. For example, if you want to offer a hoodie but don’t already have a tier that costs enough, you can create a new $35 tier (recommended) or $11 tier (minimum). Many creators will create a higher-priced tier ($75+) and limit the number of members that can pledge to it. This way, you can create exclusivity in your highest tier and offer valuable and exclusive benefits.
Can I bundle multiple merch items on a single tier?
Yes! As long as the combined cost of the items is less than the total pledge value of a member after three months on that tier, you can add as many items as you like. At this time, multiple items are sent individually and cannot be combined into a single shipment. Loyalty programmes cannot be added to a tier that contains any other merch items.
How much will it cost me to add merch to a tier?
You can expect to pay for each item that is sent to a member on each tier, including existing members. The listed price for each item includes tax and shipping to anywhere in the world (learn which countries you can send merch to in this article). The total cost to use merch will vary depending on how many members you have, the cost of the items you publish and how many of your members have entered valid shipping addresses.
You can learn more about how and when you’ll pay for your merch items in this guide on paying for merch.
Please note: Tiers that utilise structured tier benefits may be exempt from the iOS in-app fee if they include physical goods, such as merch, commissions (delivered by post) or other tangible goods. The increased offset price will not be included in these tiers when viewed in the iOS app, keeping the same price as on the web and Android.
Visit our Advanced Sales Tax Settings article to learn more.