Fan Merch

Fan Merch has long been a part of fandom. Fan-made merchandise is usually created by fanartists. It is sold online or at conventions. Fan merch ranges from prints of fanart to apparel, lanyards, purses, dolls, buttons, pins, and more.
==History==
==Selling & Trading==
The buying and selling of fan merch is a large feature of conventions. Most conventions will have something like an Artist's Alley, where artists can purchase space for a stall and sell their goods. Some conventions ban artists whose display is more than a certain percentage fanart to original artwork because of intellectual property concerns.
Fan merch is also frequently sold online, such as through an Etsy store.
In the 2010s, anthology fanzines began to often include merch such as charms, buttons, etc. Physical zines sold online will often have fan merch sold and bundled with the book; this is true of most for profit and for charaity zines on Twitter.
==Legality==
==Relationship to Official Merchandise==
Some conventions have banned certain types of fanmade merch from being sold, with the presumed reason being that it would negatively impact the sales of official licensed merch.
===Creator Policies & Fandom Reactions===
When a fanartist is selling fan merch "P4P", that indicates the cost is to pay for production and the artist is not making a profit. In some fandoms such as the MXTX fandom, the original creator doesn't wish for unlicensed sellers to make a profit from their IP due to her contract with JJWXC, so this is a way for fanartists to respect the creator's wishes while still creating and sharing fan merch by @shirokumani. Posted 8/16/19. Archived linkhttps://tonyglowheart.tumblr.com/post/624485416339439616/i-dont-have-much-experience-with-fandom-merch-ofweibo source from MXTX. This is particularly common in danmei and other c-media fandoms. 
Drama can arise when a fanartist is suspected of making a profit off of what they claim is P4P merch. There is also frustration around criticism of P4P merch when the artists are essentially donating their work and time solely for the enjoyment of the community.
In 2015, Funimation issued a press release stating that fans should refrain from using trademarked names and logos in the sale of fanart and merch:
Similarly, Supergiant Games released a statement about its fan merchandise policy 2020, explicitly permitting fans to create and sell their own merchandise for its games (which include Hades and Bastion) with the stipulations that trademarked names and logos may not be used and that fan merchandise must not be mass-produced or mass-distributed.Policy on Fan Merchandise (Dec 16, 2020). Blog post. Supergiant Games. (archive link)
===Taking inspiration from fan merchandise===
The Walt Disney Company has been known to take inspiration from fan merchandise:
== Scams and Non-Delivery ==
Another problem with fan merch is the potential for financial loss, both to the merch creator and to those purchasing the merch. Fan creators can become overwhelmed by the less-creative aspects of production, delivery and payment, and there is unfortunately a history within fandoms as a whole for dishonest trading - accepting payments for orders with no intention of providing the merch. In these situations it can be difficult to ascertain whether the non-delivery was deliberate scammage or the result of poor follow-through. Some of these examples are:
* Nozmo
* De-Van Press
* Peg Kennedy
* DashCon
* Agent With Style
(see also Fandom and Profit)
== Examples ==
* Notice Me Soapai - fandom-inspired soap and other bath products.
* The B7 Swap and Buy Fan Club - a 1980s-era Blake's 7 fan club which dealt in buying, selling and swapping professional and fan-made merch, including audio tapes of episodes.
* 800-TREKKER (1994-1998) - "fan-run" science fiction "collectables".
* DAGE Co. (1972-?) - run by David Gerrold, the company straddled the line between fan and professional Star Trek: TOS merch sales.
* Enterprise Enterprises (1975-1976 - fan-run Star Trek: TOS merch.
* Enterprise, Inc. (1978-?) - fan-run Star Trek: TOS merch.
* Federation Trading Post (1975-?) - fan run Star Trek: TOS and science fiction merchandise company, and museum.
* Forever Productions (1990s) - fan-run company that sold Star Trek zines and merchandise.
* The Interstellar Trading Post (1970s) - a fan run Star Trek:TOS and science fiction merchandise company.
* Lincoln Enterprises (1967-2008) - a fan run mail-order catalog company that eventually was later reconceived as the Roddenberry.com website.
* New Eye Studio (1970s-2008), merged with Intergalactic Trading Company in 2008; fan run Star Trek and science fiction merchandise company.
* Omega Enterprises (1970s) - fan-run Star Trek:TOS and science fiction merchandise company specialising in film clips.
* Starbase One (1970s) - a fan run Star Trek:TOS and science fiction merchandise company.
* Starfleet Imports (1980s) - a fan run Star Trek:TOS merchandise company specialising in posters and fiction.
* Starship Enterprises (1990s) - a fan-run company that sold Star Trek, Doctor Who, and other science fiction media zines, buttons, and other merchandise.
* Vulcan Enterprises (1960s) - a fan-run company specialising in artifacts and fact sheets from the "Vulcan Bureau of Cultural Exchange".
* Comiket Service (1987-2017) - a fan company specialising in second-hand doujinshi.
* Company Clippings (1990s) - fan run clipping service.
* Hourglass Productions (1970s-1980s) - fan-run recordings of science fiction writer con panels, single-person interviews, filking, and con skits.
* Lion Art Agency (1990s) - fan-run company that sold fanart.
* Little Zine Warehouse (1980s) - fan-run company buying and selling fannish paraphernalia second-hand.
* Marco Enterprises (1980-2015) - fan-run company specialising in replica props.
* Martin Enterprises (1990s-2004) - Beauty and the Beast zine publisher also dealing in t-shirts, fanart, buttons, stationery, calendars, jewelry, tapes, and other merchandise.
* Nova Enterprises (1970s-onwards) fan run mail-order bookseller of SF&F books, records, role-playing games and equipment, and specialty publications, including zines and convention programs. 
* Star Tech (1980s-1990s) - fan-run bootleg merch company, included bootlegged zines and fanart (see The 1988 Blake's 7 Bootlegged Zines Discussion)
* Tosche Station (1980s) - a fan-run mail order company for Star Wars fans.
==2000s+==
* Genshin Impact merch creators(2023):
**StudioAyu 
**Noearts 
**Toki (Strawberry Milk Shop)
==Example Gallery==
File:Tobidei keyring.jpg|Keyring of Deidara and Tobi from Naruto, artist unknown
File:DMShuraDiteCharms.jpg|Charms for the Trash Trio from Saint Seiya by Yukinanamana
File:Noearts-GenshinImpactBag&WalletKickstarterPromoPost.jpg|Noearts Genshin Impact Bag & Wallet Kickstarter PromoPost
File:Toki KickstarterItabagsV2.jpg|Promo photo for Toki (Strawberry Milk Shop) Kickstarter (Genshin Impact)
==References==
Category:Crafts