When it comes to our favourite movies, many of us have at least one piece of film franchise inspired merchandise. From t-shirts and mugs to posters and wall art, movie merchandise is big business. But why not make your own? Here are some ideas to get you started, as well as some pitfalls to avoid.
Making Your Merch
Making your own merch can be a fun hobby that is easy to transform into a viable business. Chances are, if a particular film quote or movie character resonates with you, there will be lots of other fans out there wanting to get in on the action too. When it comes to deciding on what to make, there are plenty of different options to choose from, with t-shirts and mugs perennially popular in the movie merch niche. For some more ideas to get you started, click here and see how others are making money from fandom.
Making your own merch can be a good way to start a side hustle if you are looking to open an online business, but aren’t really sure where to start. That is because you will already have a built in customer base who are fans of the particular franchise or movie you are referencing. This not only helps with giving you ideas for stock, but can actually help shift it too. There are Instagram theme pages dedicated to movies and their stars, so advertising on one of these platforms could see your sales skyrocket. Facebook ads are always a great way to promote an online movie merch store, making it even easier to connect with other like-minded fans who want to show their allegiance to a particular film or character by representing them on a cool sweater when out with friends, or on a fun coffee cup to liven up their desk at the office.
What to Avoid
Before you get started with making your movie inspired merchandise, it is important to make sure you do not fall foul of copyright infringement. For most popular movie franchises and characters, you will need to obtain a license beforehand. The license will set out what images or characters you can use, how long you can use them for and what percentage of any sales you will need to pay to the licensor. Don’t let this put you off however – most license agreements are pretty straightforward and clearly state how much money you will be looking to pay, so you can make a decision before you start the process of making your items.
You can find out whether or not you are likely to be infringing on an existing trademark or copyright simply by searching on the Trademark search and Licensing.org database. However, if you are wanting to use well known characters from the world of cinema, you don’t need to be a superhero genius to work out you are probably going to need a licensing agreement. Once you have paid the necessary fees and are happy with the royalty and sales percentages, it is time to get started making your own movie inspired merch!