Teespring/YouTube Integration FAQ’s

Teespring has officially integrated with YouTube! This means that you can have your merchandise appear beneath your YouTube videos. Early data from a group of beta creators demonstrated that using the merch shelf led to a meaningful increase in visits to purchase pages as well as revenue from merchandise sales. We’re excited to work with YouTube to diversify your income through merch and make it more accessible to your viewers on YouTube.Here’s what the merch shelf looks like:

 

Integration perks

All merch shelf user can access fast, VIP support using [email protected]. Our support team is available 8am-11:30pm EST M-F, 4pm – 8pm EST Saturday and Sunday. We will respond to any enquiry within 24 business hours.

If you have 100k+ subs you qualify for one-time design consultation where you can upload up to three files for review by our design team within five business days.

We also provide a free design for creators with over 500k subs who have uploaded a video in the past 60 days. Once your design is created you’ll we’ll send you the original art files so you can use them however you want.

If you think you qualify, please email [email protected] and support put you in touch with a Teespring Creator Manager.

Make sure to check out these resources for design inspiration as well we design resources too. 

 

How to set up your merch shelf

It’s super easy to enable the YouTube merch shelf. We’ve created short video to explain the process or you can follow the step by step instructions below:

1) Navigate to your YouTube Studio Beta and click on “Monetization.” You’ll only see this option if your channel is eligible.

2) Navigate to merchandise and click “see more”. Then click “Get Started” to proceed to connect accounts. From there, click “Get Teespring ID” which will open a new tab on Teespring. Just sign in with your Teespring account (or create a new one).

3) Once you sign in (or sign up), we’ll display a nine-digit Teespring “Store ID” number. You need to copy/paste it into your YouTube Studio Beta to finalize the connection.

4) Paste your nine-digit Store ID into Creator Studio. (We’ll also send you an email with your Store ID so you have it for your records.)

5) Within the YouTube Studio Beta, you’ll have the ability to disable or disconnect your Teespring and YouTube accounts. If you’re not quite ready for merch to show up underneath your videos, you can click the “Disabled” toggle. If you want to completely dissociate your YouTube and Teespring accounts, click “Disconnect account.” 

6) “Teespring product editor” takes you to Teespring where you can create and customize products. Note that it can take 2-3 business days for your products to appear underneath your videos after completing the connection. To ensure products are reviewed quickly and correctly, please use clear product descriptions of over 20 characters.

 

How to organize your merch shelf

If you don’t choose a specific item order for individual videos, your merch will be arranged in the same way as your channel. The following instructions will tell you how you can choose the item order for individual videos.



To arrange your shelf for an individual video

  1. Sign in to YouTube Studio beta.
  2. In the left-hand menu, click Videos.
  3. Click on the video where you want to customize your merch shelf. 
  4. In the left-hand menu, click Monetisation.
  5. Click the Merchandise tab. You’ll only see this option if your channel is eligible.
  6. Click Organise on the ‘Status’ card.
  7. Drag, drop and order up to 12 items. Viewers may see fewer items depending on the device that they’re using. On desktop: The first 4–5 items will appear, and viewers will have to interact with the shelf to see more items. On mobile: Only the first item is displayed on mobile devices. Viewers can see the other items by interacting with the shelf.
  8. Click Done.
  9. In the top right-hand corner, click Save. 

To go back to channel-level arrangement

  1. Sign in to YouTube Studio beta.
  2. In the left-hand menu, click Videos.
  3. Click on the video where you want to remove video-level customization of your merch shelf. 
  4. In the left-hand menu, click Monetisation.
  5. Click the Merchandise tab. You’ll only see this option if your channel is eligible.
  6. Click Organise on the ‘Status’ card.
  7. Drag and drop all items back to the inventory list or clear the selection.
  8. Click Save.

If you want to go back to an automatic arrangement, you will be able to do so at the channel level.

Promoting merch

Once activated, the merch shelf enables you to unlock new ways to promote your merch like end screens, channel store, pinned merch and more. Check out the videos below to learn more. 

 

Don’t forget Teespring’s integration with Streamlabs empowers YouTube streamers to reward and engage fans with live OBS alerts for every merch purchase. Alerts have proven effective for encouraging other viewers on the stream to follow suit and purchase as well.

Other questions

Q: I've hit 10k subscribers, when do I get access to the merch shelf?

A: YouTube is rolling the merch shelf out to more creators globally every day, but there is no exact time frame as to when a creator gets access after hitting 10k subscribers (assuming they meet all eligibility requirements). But once they do get access, YouTube will notify them through Yoda notifications. Keep in mind to access the merch shelf you must must also be monetizing on YT, which is unlocked via the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), as well as meet additional criteria which is listed on the YT merch help center. If you need further assistance on this topic or still have questions please contact YouTube support.

Q: Where can I find my Teespring Store ID?

A: First, you must complete the onboarding process described above through your YouTube Studio Beta to sign into Teespring to create a Teespring Store ID. It is also important to copy and paste your Teespring Store ID into your YouTube Studio Beta to finalize the connection. Afterwards, you can reference your Store ID in three locations: 1. You will receive an email from Teespring containing your Store ID as soon as you sign in or sign up through the YouTube Studio Beta. 2. While signed into your Teespring account, visit teespring.com/youtube/gmc to bring up the original Store ID page. 3. In your Teespring account settings.

Q: Will this affect my Google AdSense revenue?

A: No, this is a free service provided by YouTube and Teespring and it does not detract from your AdSense revenue.

Q: Is this going to cost me anything?

A: Nope! This is a completely free program and it will not interfere with your ad revenue. 

Q: So does this mean I no longer have to include links in my video descriptions or do in-video promotion?

A: No, this program has only been rolled out to viewers in a few countries listed above, which means your global viewer may not see the feature. To make sure they get a chance to purchase your merch, we highly recommend that you keep doing all the  great things you’ve been doing.

Q: Why can’t I see the feature in my YouTube Studio Beta?

A: The integration is currently available for select creators in the YouTube Partner Program and who have more than 10,000 subscribers. To qualify for eligibility, creators must have no Community Guidelines Strikes. 

Q: How many products are displayed on the shelf?

A: The YouTube merch shelf will display up to 12 products, selected from your active, non-private Teespring listings. If you have multiple colors, the featured color will be displayed.

Q: Can I select the order in which my products are displayed in the shelf?

A: Yes you can! You can select the order of products in the monetization tab of your YouTube Studio Beta for your entire channel. You can also select specific products to be tied to individual videos in the monetization settings of your videos. Otherwise, designs will be ordered based on sales, with the most popular designs being displayed first. However, we’ll prioritize designs launched in the previous 10 days over older designs if you do not choose to organize your Merch Shelf.

Q: Can I choose which videos under which to show my merch (for example, if I don’t want all of my videos to display a merch shelf)?

A: No, you cannot exclude certain videos to exclude from the merch shelf.

Q: Can I allow different sets of products to show up under different videos?

A: No, the same merch will appear in the shelf under each video.

Q: What kind of data does Teespring share with YouTube?

A: We share data about your Teespring account, including number of purchases, number of page visits, retail price of items sold, total revenue and profit, cancelled orders, and whether the page visit came from the merch shelf. We do not share any personally identifiable information with YouTube.

Q: Why is my design available on Teespring but not visible on the YouTube merch shelf?

A: Products featured in the merch shelf must comply with YouTube’s Community Guidelines. If your design is listed on Teespring but not on the merch shelf it may have been removed due to content concerns. If you recently uploaded the design to Teespring it can take 2-3 business days to show up on YouTube.

Q: My product is stuck in ‘under review’ on YouTube, what do I do? ?

A: Products are typically reviewed in 2-3 business days, however, there are some cases where this may take longer. To ensure products are reviewed correctly, please use clear product descriptions of over 20 characters. If you are still having trouble, please contact [email protected] to resolve the issue.

If you need help with something or have other questions, please send us a note at [email protected] or use YouTube’s “contact us” page. You can also check out YouTube’s help center article.

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