Do you have any cool or unusual light merch items that sell well on the road?  

Ron Pope - 251,467 Trackers

Guitar String Bracelets

We have been selling bracelets made out of my guitar strings and people seem to really love those. 

Showcase Your Merch - Model & SELL!

The most interesting thing we've ever done to showcase the merch was when we had one of the guys in the band wear one of our t-shirts on stage every night (because he was always running out of clean laundry). I'd always point it out and he'd strike a pose; those t-shirts flew off the shelves.  

Mary Lambert - 137,017 Trackers

Homemade Holiday Cards

I love making holiday cards. I do it every December, and each card takes about 15 minutes to make, but it's so worth it.. They are gorgeous and one-of-a-kind, and the process is kind of meditative to me. I started making themed cards based on different songs a few years ago, and they were a huge hit. I sold a ton of them, and got a little burnt out on making them, but I really enjoyed trying something different. Nowadays, I'm selling crop tops that say: "Crying is good for you" and stickers that have my face on them. Before I got my book deal, I was selling homemade poetry chapbooks out of my suitcase, and making quite a bit of money!

Manafest - 83,270 Trackers

Cool USB Keys are Key

Creating Skateboard USB keys that have ALL my albums on them was the best thing I ever did.  They are light and have a lot of value. Sold them for like $40 bucks. Wristbands over stickers, cause there lighter and you can sell them for more.  Plus they cost about the same to make.

Sawyer Fredricks - 72,304 Trackers 

Go Green - It’s Nice to The Earth

It’s important to me that all of our merch is made of durable, quality and eco friendly materials, when possible. We use independent artisans and source items all made in the USA, to reduce the environmental impact of shipping and boost local economies. None of our merch items are “instant garbage.”

Reva Devito - 6,572 Trackers

Sleep Masks (Because Sleep When You're Dead Isn’t Really A Thing.
Last tour I made sleep masks! So light weight to travel with, but such a necessary item to have, and you can make them cute.

Rebecca Loebe - 4,442 Trackers

Coloring Books (Because Grown Ups Love to Color too!) 

My two favorite merch items right now (besides good old fashioned CDs and vinyl, of course) are my coloring books and my Digital Box Sets.

The coloring books are an illustrated version of my last record - there's an illustration and lyrics for each song on the record and it comes with a download code in the back so people can download the record and color along. It's a fun way to sell the record to people who no longer have CD players in their lives.

The Digital Box Sets are one of the pricier items on my merch table - it's a branded USB drive with all of my records on it (5 full length records plus some EPs and other rarities). I sell it for $50-60 (still tinkering with the price point). It's a great way for someone to do a deep dive into my discography, without having to take home the clutter of half a dozen CDs. It also saves me the cost of re-printing all of those records, which really does add up.

Jeff Crosby - 3,856 Trackers

Light it Up With Matches!

We've found smaller stuff like coozies, stickers, hats, and pins always do well. Small things that only cost a few bucks but still has people leaving the merch table with something. People like options so any little thing with your band's name on it. We even made matches and gave em out one tour. And believe it or not "booty shorts" seem to always sell quickest...weird I know.

The Talbott Brothers - 3,666 Trackers

Wallet bottle openers.

Sarah Peacock - 2,504 Trackers

I’m the wrong person to ask about light and cheap merch. My merchandise station is basically a flea market. I have 8 albums, 5 different styles of t-shirts, hoodies, koozies, ball caps, stickers, a hand made guitar string jewelry station, and an entire section of my original artwork. I’ve done it both ways though. I traveled lighter on the merch for years. But since I upped my merch game to include two 6 foot party tables and 3 giant metal grids for hanging stuff I will never go back. I went from selling a few hundred dollars a night with a smaller table to selling close to 4 digits on most nights with a bigger presentation. It’s expensive to stock that much inventory and a pain to set up, but it’s totally worth it.

LowDown Brass Band - 2,203 Trackers

We like the beer coozy as a giveaway along with stickers.  We're hoping to get into some custom fannie packs and herb grinders too. Stay tuned! (Small stuff is good if you're tight on space vs hoodies, for example)

We use an accordion case with some LED lighting for a display.  Thinking about a smoke machine to really bring the party to the merch table ;) 

New Reveille - 1,771 Trackers

We’ve found that keeping our merch all in one case we can use for easy setup and teardown works best for us! We use rechargeable lights to light up our display so we don’t have to try and seek a power source.  

Sway Wild - 1,739 Trackers

We still have a lot to learn on this front, but people go nuts for stickers and they are really cheap to make. We consider them advertising and give them away for free. You want people to remember the name of your band so that they can find you online later. Bring your own small light to light up your merch area. An often overlooked detail by music venues. People won't buy anything if they can't find your merch table or see what they are looking at. A headlamp will work in a pinch, but definitely not the sexiest way to light up your goods. Note to self, buy a little lamp.

Definitely sign up for Square so that you can take credit/debit cards!

Truett - 1,343 Trackers

Stickers are your best friend! Find the cheapest stickers you can and put your social media link or website on them. Hand them out like business cards. Everyone loves free stuff, hand them a free sticker with your name and social media link on it. If a quarter of the people you hand them to follow you on social media its a huge win and worth the investment of giving them out. Also a great way to draw people to your merch booth that might purchase something else they see while they are there. “Free stickers at the merch booth, pick one up!

Lachi - 959 Trackers

I look at merch as a part of the overall show experience and physical token commemorating that experience. So I tend to give away tons of free stuff. Whether it be from random trivia wins throughout the night, tweet for merch exchanges, or just plain 'come say hi, and you get a keychain,' anyone who wants a something gets a something. I shy away from wristbands and stickers and dole out more use-ready products like pen-lights or sunshades, so the fan walks away with something they can grow to need, but also walks away feeling super appreciated. Love and loyalty are worth far more that a $20 T-shirt sale in my experience. 

I buy in super bulk to give away for free. I've used sites like discount mugs and promotique, for their great bulk rates and creative products. I do also sell traditional merch as well. 

Eli Lev - 642 Trackers

Stickers, pens, keychains, light tote bags.

Allie Colleen - 596 Trackers

My wonderful husband made me some Allie Colleen pop-sockets to sell along with our typical merchandise (t-shirts, and hats).  We sell them for $5, or give them out when we are graciously tipped. They are wonderful. Typically you cannot find pop-sockets at stores or online for less than $10, so they are a big hit.  Also, the cool thing about them is we treat our design strategy as if the pop-socket is a personal accessory so instead of just a big ALLIE COLLEEN on them we put pineapples with a subtle Allie Colleen across them so that it is still advertising for my artistry but also something they think is cute and therefore are more likely to keep it on their phone long-term.  Cute and simple is best so they don’t clash with the more vibrant phone cases.   

Johnny & The Mongrels - 229 Trackers

We have great luck with our last album cover stickers still even after 4 years. Also our "Dance Catalyst" tank tops for ladies are always needing to be re-ordered. 

Cynthia Brando - 165 Trackers

Paper products! 

They’re lightweight and do not take up a lot of room! Homemade postcards, download cards and original art with your brand on it can be popular items that folks can afford. I make music themed earrings out of old sheet music and digital designs that people love because they’re light weight.

Make it Pretty & Memorable

My merch display used to be my guitar case with a homemade insert that displays my website and online pay link. I also need my amazon purchased battery lights that I wrap around the case. Someone pointed out that people do not like to bend down to look at merchandise so I purchased an 8$ wooden fold up table from Target and use that to hold my merchandise and I still use my guitar case on stage behind me with my info while I am performing!

Share Your Travel Stories with Unique Items!

Another note on merchandise I have to mention-this is not lightweight, but on my last tour, I brought back some local items from the different cities I traveled in; local hot sauces from Kansas City, moonshine from Mississippi, unique bags from the Southwest...I displayed them at a concert I did when I returned, and SOLD OUT of everything! People love to hear your travel stories and take something unique home with them.  

The Imaginaries - 141 Trackers

Maggie

Yes! We just partnered with a local artist in Oklahoma (OkieBracelets) who is making custom bracelets for The Imaginaries to sell on the road! They are super cute and very light. We also just ordered some stickers, buttons, and air fresheners with our logo on them. We like to display our merch inside and around a vintage suitcase (as a lot of other bands do) and love this because it looks cool and also keeps everything organized.

The Normal Living - 93 Trackers

We’ve done beer coozies, which are really fun. With beer coozies, people also love to take them home and take pictures of them with drinks and post them, which then gives us bonus social media content.

We also have coffee mugs which are my favorite—but they are expensive, hard to transport, and can break. While they are not unusual, I find that the best merch item is still the band t-shirt. They are light, compact, and always sell well.

Also, if you have not quite reached the level where you have a designated merch stand and person, I think it is important to give some thought as to how you are going to display and sell the merch. A quick and easy setup is key when playing clubs or events that don’t really have a designated merch space. Vintage suitcases and guitar cases work well.