P4P Policy
Updated July 11th 2025
Merch for danmei series is often sold at a pay-for-production (P4P) price to respect authors' and publishers' wishes that no profit be made from selling fanart.For my P4P products, the sale price includes cost of the merch items themselves, shipping costs from the manufacturer, payment processing fees (e.g. Paypal, Stripe) selling platform fees (e.g. Bigcartel, Ko-fi), and in some cases covering costs of defective items within a batch that are unsellable.
RESALE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. This includes for item cost (drop price, D), purchase cost (drop price + shipping, DS/DSS), or any other amount of currency. No reselling extends to items produced by other makers using my works.
I recommend recycling prints if you no longer want them, and please dispose of plastics, wood and metals responsibly if you are unable to rehome them.
The following are permitted for P4P items:
- Trading 30 days after receipt
- Trading for equivalent value, e.g. $10 USD item cost
- Trading like-for-like, e.g. according to size
- Gifting any time after receipt, where the sender covers shipping
- Gifting any time after receipt, where the receiver pays for exact shipping
- Drop-buddying for no monetary benefit
- Drop-buddying for a trade with someone else
- Charity auctions
↳ With explicit permission, requires sharing chosen charity and subsequent donation proof
The following are NOT permitted:
- Resale in ANY capacity, including for only item cost or a significant discount
- Offering items for trade before receipt (pre-trading)
- Drop-buddying for ANY monetary benefit, including tips
The following are strongly discouraged, but not prohibited:
- Buying with intention to trade
- Claiming "in search of" before items drop (pre-ISO)
Makers who only produce for-profit items: you can purchase P4P projects from my shop, though I would greatly appreciate if you purchase at least one non-P4P item at the same time.
Makers who claim to produce P4P but include labour or compensation margins in their pricing: I kindly ask that do not purchase my P4P projects. Choosing to forfeit other profit-making activities does not constitute a loss; you are making a conscious and voluntary decision to give up time in exchange for no monetary return. Volunteers across the world do this all the time for all kinds of causes! I can recognise why makers want to be compensated for their time and effort, however I believe that makers seeking compensation should simply price items at non-P4P to respect the weight that P4P holds internationally, especially towards regions where fanmerch is far more strictly regulated (e.g. China, Japan, Korea).
You might be wondering why the policy is like this! There are, in fact, two main reasons:
Firstly, I am a maker located outside the US. Shipping costs that are quite normal to me may be seen as high by others, which affects a) volume of direct sales, and b) resale value when selling DSS. P4P makers are at a financial loss if they do not sell all their units, so direct support is always greatly appreciated. I also want to discourage people from unwittingly (or entirely willingly) making a profit when reselling items with split shipping costs included.
Secondly, running a shop is a hobby for me, and I want to keep enjoying it! I make merch for my friends, myself, and other fans. This policy is focused on art appreciation over monetary value because that's just the kind of sentimental being I am.
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, you are welcome to email me at [email protected], message me on Instagram @hellionophore, or send in a contact form here.
