On July 1st, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said this in her dissenting opinion on the presidential immunity case: âWith fear for our democracy, I dissent.â
It was a powerful statement that reflects my own feelings about Trump and a possible 2nd term under him (fuck. no.)
It was so powerful that I wanted it on a t-shirt. But when I searched that day, I couldnât find one (probably because the ruling was too fresh). I was determined, though, so I Googled how to design and print a one-off shirt.
That led me to Printify, which is a print-on-demand service that allows you to upload a design and put it on t-shirts (and lots of other stuff).
The âpop-up shopâ option means you can create a virtual storefront to sell your items directly through Printify without having to deal with warehousing and shipping merchandise, or collecting payments, etc.
You canât customize or organize the storefront, which is frustrating, but itâs perfect for anyone who wants a very low-lift way to sell one-off merch.
Within a few hours, I had a shop set up and my âDissentâ merch ready to sell.
I mentioned them on Threads and TikTok and sold a few (pretty much only enough to pay for a shirt for myself because I only make a couple of dollars per item).
It wasnât much money, but I was hooked nonetheless. And my creative, Activator self went wild with more designs. đ€Ł
First, I made a bunch of feminist gear that reflected my beliefs. It was perfectly aligned with my business and values.
I made a t-shirt (sometimes several â crew neck, v-neck, and ringer), tote, and candle in almost every design. I even made journals, caps, and sweatshirts for some.
Then, Biden dropped out of the presidential race and Harris got the nomination. That inspired even more creations to support her candidacy.
Harris is not my ideal candidate (no Democrat is because Iâm a Socialist). But when she chose Walz as her VP, I actually felt jazzed to vote for the ticket (despite my concerns about their continued support for genocide in Gaza).
Then I realized that I could use merch sales to raise money for causes that really matter to me.
I set aside 30% of profits (whatever was left after the cost of products and taxes) for The Trevor Project, an organization that helps LGBTQ+ youth. In August, that was a $265 donation!
Sharing my shirts on Threads helped me sell them.
Then there was the moment when verified celebrity Diedrich Bader (of Drew Carey and Office Space fame) ordered one of the shirts đ€Ż
His purchase led to at least another 20-25 of the same one (inspired by Rev. Warnockâs speech at the Democratic National Convention).
In all, Iâve had 372 orders for about 500 items. I also have 8 reviews, all of them 5 star!
I made $1,577 after all the expenses (again, I only make a few dollars per item because I donât choose to mark them up as much as Printify recommends). Iâll keep $1,100 after donating 30%. Not bad, but not life changing.
Most of my sales have been Harris/Walz products, and obviously interest in those items will dwindle soon.
Also, sales hugely depend on me posting about it on Threads. A lot. Iâve been busy with other projects lately and not going hard at posting about the shirts. No surprise, Iâve sold only two items this month.
Iâm bummed sales are so slow in September because this month Iâm donating to Sudan Relief Fund. The org is on the ground helping in the worst refugee crisis in the world at the moment (and likely the largest famine as well).
Iâve learned that selling t-shirts is SO.MUCH.FUN but itâs not easy.
Iâll keep creating because I love it so much, but I donât think Iâll be The Next Great T-Shirt Magnate (or influencer).
But, câmonâŠhow fun are my latest feminist designs?! đ