Sell your very own custom plushie: how it works
Fans love plushies: proven fact. So far, we’ve enabled creators to launch hundreds of thousands of plushies, making over $5,600,000 in sales. It works time and time again, and now it’s your turn.
Spring’s Custom Product Team are exclusively offering you the chance to create and sell your very own plushie. Diversify your revenue stream and rely on us to handle everything from prototype design, sampling, logistics, listing creation, fulfillment, customer support, and more.
To start creating your plushie, read through the process and top FAQs before filling out the submission form with your specifications below.
The plushie creation process
1. Describe the plushie you’re imagining
To get started, fill your details via the form linked above and upload sketches and/or imagery for our design team to reference (please submit as many details as possible). Once you’ve completed the submission form, we’ll send a link for you to pay a deposit of $500.
Please note: This non-refundable deposit covers the cost of designing your original concept, creating your sample, and mailing it to you. Both design and sample stages include 3 revisions to get your finished plushie perfect and ready for fulfillment (once you have met the MOQ, see FAQs at the bottom).
2. We design your plushie prototype
Next we’ll brief our plushie design team and they’ll bring it to life. It usually takes between 7-10 business days for us to get back to you with the first rendition of your design. You’ll then let us know if you approve or reject with feedback.
A useful way to offer feedback is sketching over the design provided so you can clearly indicate what you want to change. Please think carefully before submitting your feedback and try to submit it in one go. You’ll have a total of 3 design revisions. Anything beyond will cost $50 per revision.
3. Creating your plushie prototype IRL
Here’s the exciting part. Once you’ve finished with the design team, we’ll send it over to the vendor to begin crafting your plushie prototype. This process takes up to 10-15 business days. Once it’s ready, we’ll do a thorough quality check and send you an image of the sample. Then there will be another opportunity for feedback (the 3 revision rule counts here, too). See the example below of Simon’s cat’s feedback.
4. Meet your plushie for the first time
Once you’ve approved, it’s time for you to give your plushie its first squeeze. We’ll notify you when we’ve shipped it to the address you provided when you first applied.
5. Choose your profit
Next, let us know what price you would like to sell your plushie for and the profit you’ll earn per sale. Our recommended retail price is between $24.99 and $29.99. To calculate your payout, deduct your plushie cost (we’ll let you know) and fulfillment cost ($4 per unit) from your desired retail price.
6. Photograph your plushie
Time to get your camera out (or a smartphone works)—we’ll customize your listing with the photos you take of your prototype. These are the photos that fans will see on your store and listing page. Here’s our top tips for photographing your plushie:
- Ensure your lighting is right. We recommend using desk/standing lamps—make sure the plushie doesn’t cast any shadows and is clearly seen. Make sure your smartphone lens/ camera lens is clean and the pictures are clear and focussed.
- Get all the angles. Photograph it from the front, the back, and one angled view.
- Correct formatting. All photos should have a 1:1 aspect ratio (square). Use photoshop, or there’s plenty of tools online you can use.
See examples of @moriahelizabeth’s Pickle plushie listing imagery below.
7. Go live and promote your plushie
Next, we’ll get your listing ready for you to announce your plushie to fans. When you’re ready to go live, head to the “Listings” tab in your Spring dashboard and change your plushie visibility settings to “public”.
Make sure you’re ready to promote before you set your plushie to public. After your first plushie sale, you have 30 days to sell 299 more to meet the MOQ (minimum order quantity). Make sure you are ready to promote before setting the listing “Public”.
- Share the listing images you photographed on social media
- Take pictures with it, feature your plushie in video content, show it off live. See how Simons Cat did it.
- Make sure the link to your plushie listing is discoverable—we suggest using Linktree.
- Create FOMO. Let your fans know they only have 30 days to purchase your plushie before it’s too late.
8. Plushies get shipped, you get paid
Once your campaign is over and you’ve successfully reached 300 sales, we’ll remove your listing and end the campaign. Then it’s time to start production for your plushie. Typically, production takes anywhere between 30-45 business days. Shipping often takes around 45 to 90 business days. You can collect your profits from the Payouts section of your account once your plushies have been shipped. We’ll notify you once they’re ready to be cashed out.
Plushie FAQs
Yes, of course. We will not move each stage of creating your plushie prototype without your approval. You are able to approve or reject at both design and sample stages. You’ll be able to give feedback, too—your deposit covers 3 revisions. Any beyond that will cost $50 per revision, so ensure your feedback is detailed.
A MOQ is the minimum number of units that need to be sold in order for us to start producing your product. For example, you need to sell at least 300 units to start plushie production and generate earnings.
The deposit covers the cost of designing your original concept. It also covers the cost of creating and mailing you your product sample. Both design and sample stages include 3 revisions to get your finished product right.
The deposit is a non-refundable fee that covers the cost of designing an original plushie concept and producing your sample. This deposit cannot not be refunded, even if you choose to cancel your plushie project because you have not reached the MOQ.
If after your 30-day campaign you have not sold 300 units (MOQ), we’ll reach out to you to discuss next steps. You’ll have 3 options:
- Utilize the earnings you have made so far to cover the remaining cost needed for us to reach 300 plushies and start production.
- If your earnings after 30 days are insufficient (not enough to cover the missing sales), you can send us a balance payment for the remaining amount needed for us to start production.
- You may decide to cancel the project. In this case, Spring will notify and refund your fans. Please note, it is not possible to refund your deposit if you choose to cancel.
In case you’re not able to reach the MOQ and we are still able to go into production (see options above), all remaining plushies will be shipped directly to you for $1.50 per unit
If you decide for any reason to put your plushie project on hold, we will consider the latest version of your design and/or sample as approved, and will complete the project at that stage and consider our obligations fulfilled.
From conception (designing your plushie) to completion (receiving your plushies in our facility), this entire process takes between 3 to 5 months. This timeline varies depending on the number of revisions needed, or the delays related to the current state of the worldwide Supply Chain.