Bear Grips Pro ShopsFree Patreon Merch Store: What You Get on the No-Cost Plan
- The Free plan costs $0/mo and includes 3 live products with no monthly fee.
- Base price per piece runs a bit higher than VIP, but there is still no setup fee.
- It is a real way to test merch with a small community before paying for anything.
- Upgrading later does not require rebuilding the storefront from scratch.
A creator testing whether their community will buy merch at all does not need to commit to a monthly plan first. The Free tier runs at $0/mo, supports 3 live products, and includes the same no-minimum, no-inventory model as the paid plans, just with a higher base price per piece and a lower product cap. For a smaller or newer membership, that is often the right place to start.
What is actually included on Free
- 3 live products at a time (a tee, a hoodie, and a hat covers most first drops)
- Full catalog access to choose which 3 products to run
- No setup fee, no minimum order, free shipping on every order
- A branded storefront with a shareable link
The core mechanism (nothing prints until a member orders, creator sets retail price and keeps the margin) works identically to the paid plans.
The one real tradeoff: base price per piece
| Product | Free plan base | VIP base | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airlume cotton tee | $23.93 | $19.88 | $4.05 |
| Comfort Soft Hoodie | $44.94 | $36.88 | $8.06 |
| Snapback hat | $29.95 | $25.88 | $4.07 |
That difference comes directly out of the creator margin on every sale, since retail pricing to the member typically needs to stay competitive regardless of plan.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.When Free is the right call
Free fits a creator who wants to answer one question first: will my community actually buy apparel. With only 3 product slots and a higher base cost, it is not built for running a full storefront long term, but it removes every excuse not to test the idea, since there is no monthly cost and no inventory risk either way.
Moving to VIP once it is working
Once a creator sees real sales on Free, upgrading to Self-Service VIP ($59/mo, 200 products, lower base prices) or Done-For-You VIP ($105/mo, 250 products plus a personal shop advisor who builds and manages the storefront) does not mean starting over. The existing storefront, branding, and sales history carry forward, and the lower base price immediately improves margin on every product already selling.
Start Free, No Credit Card Commitment
3 live products, $0/mo, no minimum order, free shipping. Test the idea before paying for anything.
Start FreeFrequently Asked Questions
Is there really no monthly cost on the free plan?
Correct, $0/mo. The tradeoff is a cap of 3 live products and a higher base price per piece compared to the VIP plans.
Do I lose my shop if I stay on Free long term?
No. The shop stays live indefinitely on Free, just capped at 3 products with the higher base pricing.
Can I switch from Free to VIP later without rebuilding?
Yes. Upgrading carries the existing storefront and branding forward, it does not require rebuilding from scratch.
Is shipping still free on the Free plan?
Yes. Free US shipping applies on every order regardless of which plan the creator is on.
