Plushies, or plush products - otherwise known as soft stuffed toys - have become an increasingly popular form of merch for content creators. From YouTubers to Twitch streamers, gamers to social media influencers, more and more creators are discovering the benefits of selling their own custom plushies. They’re unique collectibles and are among some of the most popular products sold across thousands of creator sites on Fourthwall.
But where do you start? How do you design and create a plushie that stands out from the rest? And once you have your design, how do you turn it into a real, physical plushie product that you can sell to your fans?
With the rise of platforms like Fourthwall, YouTooz, and Makeship, it’s now easy to create your own plushie! The process normally takes 60-120 days between design, production, a pre-order campaign (aka a drop), and shipping. Since plushies are such a unique item for your fans, they can triple a creator’s sales relative to a normal drop. We'll walk you through:
To get started on the process, we'll be showing you how DrGluon, a popular YouTuber and Twitch streamer, designed and sold a custom stuffed animal with his GluBee Plush on his Fourthwall shop - you can use the same process to create and sell your own plushies via Fourthwall!
The first step of plushie design is figuring out what kind of plush you should choose. If you’re not sure, consider a few popular choices:
Coming up with a solid, fully thought out design for your plushie is a crucial first step when starting this project. Here’s our recommended process:
Having a clear and precise design will make the production process smoother and result in a final product that meets your expectations. So take the time to carefully consider your design, and make sure to have all the necessary information included in the file.
Having the right manufacturing partner is key to giving your community the best quality plushies. You can use platforms like Fourthwall to find many of the best manufacturers. Here are some tips for choosing who should be your manufacturer:
Now that you have a great design and a manufacturing partner that checks all the boxes, it's time to turn your idea into a real, physical plushie. Here are the next steps:
Most of the time, plush dolls will be crafted with a crystal velvet fabric like the GluBee example above. If you'd like a more custom or unique option, you can also choose other fabric options for your prototype like soft spandex, PV Velvet (which is like a Faux Fur fabric), and others.
Once the digital sample version of your plush is approved, the factory will send the physical sample for final approval. Once you’ve given the green light, it’s time to promote this drop to your fans!
With samples in hand, you’re ready to start promoting and selling! When it comes to production, the minimum order quantity (MOQ) for a plush is usually between 300-500 units sold. Despite the higher minimums, plushie items are frequently bestsellers, as they’re even more unique and collectible than other traditional merch. While some creators will pre-produce plushie inventory, we recommend promoting these in a preorder campaign or “drop” to hit your MOQ. That way all orders happen before production begins, so there’s no risk to you (no deposits, no inventory). Once your drop ends, production and fulfillment happen, so each buyer gets your approved plush.
In terms of your profit, creators set their own margins on Fourthwall. The average cost for a plush is $12-18, but it can vary based on your final design. Most creators sell plushies for around $30 for each unit, resulting in a 40-50% profit margin. Sales most often happen over a 1-2 week period to maximize the total number of units sold to hit your MOQ.
Marketing your plush toy is crucial, especially if you’re trying to reach your MOQ. One of the best ways to market your plush toy is to use your social media presence. Here are some of our recommendations for promoting your fun new product on your socials:
The promotion doesn’t all have to come from you. Another effective way to market your plushies is to collaborate with other content creators or influencers. Reach out to your fellow YouTubers, Twitch streamers, or social media influencers who have a similar target audience as you and see if they would be interested in working together. They can showcase your plushies on their platforms and help you reach a wider audience, helping ensure that you can hit the 300 unit minimum for your drop.
Once your plushie drop is complete and sales have finished, the production process begins. This usually takes 20-50 days. If you sell 500 plushies in your first drop, Fourthwall will automatically send these to your manufacturing partner. Here’s the exact process your plush will go through before it gets to your customers:
Generally, your supporters will have to wait up to 45-70 days to receive their plushie from purchase to delivery. Given that these are specialty goods, fans tend to be happy to wait to get something this unique!
You’re in good hands if you choose Fourthwall to make and sell your plushies! Fourthwall makes it easy, and takes care of all of the most complicated parts for you - here's how to get the process started:
Creating and selling your own plushies can be a fun and rewarding experience - and it’s a great way to make extra money! By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can design a unique and marketable plushie, work with a Fourthwall and a great manufacturing partner to bring your plushie to life, and then sell your plushies to your eager fans.
Once your plushie's in production, you can create a whole host of other branded merchandise in your Fourthwall shop to complement your new plush goods. Fourthwall's catalog of high quality customizable items includes everything from the expected (T-shirts, postcards, and mugs) to the unexpected (custom computer keycaps, candles, and even custom shoes!) Fourthwall's tools make it easy to upload your custom designs and offer your fans a whole store of fun branded products, from plushies to so much more. Get started on Fourthwall today!
There are no monthly fees, no upfront costs, and no contracts to use Fourthwall. You set your prices and choose your own margins. Here is how our pricing and splits work when you sell:
Additionally, all US-based credit card transactions have an added 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing fee (same as Shopify). Fees vary for PayPal and other providers. Learn more.
Product costs are listed directly in our product catalog.
If a t-shirt is listed in our catalog at a $10 cost, we will automatically deduct that amount from your profits whenever you make a sale. You can sell products for any price you want.
For example, if you sell the shirt for $22, you'll make $12 in profit on each unit sold. If you sell it for $50, then you'll make $40 in profit on each unit sold.
Yes! Fourthwall works with manufacturing & fulfillment partners around the globe in the US, UK, EU, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Japan.
Shipping rates are dynamically determined by the size of package and destination. We work with most major carriers and pass through the true cost of shipping. That means that you can offer low-cost, fast shipping to your fans. Most items have a delivery window of 5-8 days.
Be sure to browse our product catalog to find products that are fulfilled out of your target regions to provide the fastest & cheapest shipping for your community.
Fourthwall operates as the "Merchant of Record", which means that we're responsible for handling all sales taxes. This includes nexus registration, collecting sales tax, and remitting this to US states & other countries.
That way you can focus on designing products and promoting your shop, not taxes.
Yes. You can connect a custom domain or subdomain on Fourthwall. Learn More.
If you need help finding an artist or designer, check out our design community.
This is a vetted network of exceptional designers that can help you make great quality designs for your audience. We also recommend tools like Canva or Kittl.
Yes. For any product from our product catalog, we'll handle all customer support for you.
From answering general order questions to making address changes, our team is there to ensure that your buyers are treated with the same level of care that you would personally give them. We have a 12-hour or less average reply time, including nights and weekends.
For any items that you source on your own and ship from home, however, you'll need to do customer support.
Yes! Over 200,000 sellers use Fourthwall to power their storefronts. This includes creators, podcasters, artists, musicians, startups, non-profits, and more.
Get inspired and browse all examples sites.
Fourthwall supports many free integrations, including:
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