P4P Policy

Updated Dec 18th 2024

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) and 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, D+S), 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.


I kindly ask that if you also make P4P but include labour or compensation margins in your pricing, to not purchase P4P from my shop. 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). Please understand I am not open to discussions or justifications for why other makers decide to include compensation costs. All I ask is that we respectfully keep our distance from each other, so we can focus on our own creative efforts.

Makers who only produce for-profit items are allowed to purchase from my shop, as not everyone has the financial stability to make P4P, though I would prefer if you purchase a non-P4P item at the same time :)

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
• 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)

 

Consequences for breaching P4P policy

Reselling for only item cost (drop price plus shipping to buyer, DS) = 3 strikes

1. Written warning.
2. Indefinitely excluded from all current and future early access opportunities.
3. Shop ban, meaning you may not purchase from my shop anymore.

Reselling for item cost plus original shipping (DSS) = 2~3 strikes

1. Written warning ONLY if you purchased secondhand. If you purchased directly from me, you go straight to 2nd strike ↓
2. Indefinitely excluded from all current and future early access opportunities.
3. Shop ban, meaning you may not purchase from my shop anymore.

Reselling to "make back" all you spent secondhand (DSS+ e.g. DSSS), paying a drop buddy for their services = 2 strikes

1. Indefinitely excluded from all current and future early access opportunities.
2. Shop ban, meaning you may not purchase from my shop anymore.

Reselling to turn a profit (e.g. clearly more than any likely DS+ value), scalping (unreasonably high price) = straight to jail

1. Immediate shop ban, meaning you may not purchase from my shop anymore :(

 

Rationale

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 D+S. P4P makers are at a financial loss if they do not sell all their units, so the direct support is always much appreciated. Some collectors will preferentially resell their international buys D+S to recoup more funds, and I do not want to see that happen, either.

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. The 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.
 

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