You got questions, we got answers.

What is a PropellShop®?

A PropellShop is a web-based shop that contains personalized merchandise featuring your artwork, logo and/or photo. Using our simple online tools, just upload your artwork, choose which items to sell, and set pricing based on the profit you want. We do the rest - we host your shop, manufacture the products, ship them to your customers, and pay you your share of every sale.

Why create a PropellShop®?

There are many reasons to sell customized merchandise through a PropellShop:

• Create an additional revenue source for your organization, with minimal time and effort
• Further promote your brand by selling merchandise with your logo on your website, Facebook group, blog or anywhere else
• Add a great web-based fundraising tool that can be easily communicated to your network of constituents and potential contributors
• Eliminate inventory challenges by offering more products, reaching a wider range of customers
• There's no cost to you

Why choose PropellShops®?

There are many reasons to choose PropellShops®:

• We promote your brand. All shops can be easily and seamlessly integrated into your existing website – the PropellShop name is not advertised to your customers.
• You maintain ownership of your customers - allowing you to advertise to them with targeted messaging and promotions as often as you like.
• Shoppers have the ability to add further customization of any product before they purchase.
• PropellShops® offer a wide variety of gifts and apparel including basic t-shirts, hoodies to ball caps and coffee mugs to fashion lines such as American Apparel, as well as an expanding "green" line of merchandise.
• We print products on-demand, meaning your shoppers can order one item or 100. There are no minimums.

How does it work?

How do I create my own PropellShop?

It's simple and fast. Just click on the "SIGN UP FREE" button (or click here). You will then be taken through five easy steps:

1. Create a PropellShop account (just provide your name and email address)
2. Choose products for your shop from a list of dozens of items, with various color and size options
3. Upload your logo, images, and other artwork to be included on your products
4. Use our easy tools to select, position, and size images for your products, as well as to add text.
5. Select a retail price for each item based on the profit you want to earn.

Does it take a lot of my time?

It's easy and fast to set up your own PropellShop. Managing it is a breeze, too. We take care of everything – you do not have to carry inventory, worry about financial transactions, or provide Customer Service. Once your shop is set up, your only job is to get people to browse your shop and buy merchandise. We'll even help you do grown your sales with our marketing tips and materials.

How much does it cost?

Nothing! There are no setup or recurring fees to open and maintain a PropellShop.

How do I make money?

When a product is sold, we collect the money on your behalf. We keep the wholesale amount, plus any shipping and handling charges we collect, and send the rest directly to you Each item has a wholesale price that only you can see as the Shop Owner. You then set your retail price to determine how much profit you want to make. We provide you with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail price (MSRP), which on average gives you a 20 to 25% profit. Just raise or lower the retail price for each product you create and you keep the profit! For example, a t-shirt may have a wholesale price of $11.99. If you set the retail price at $15.99, then you will earn $4.00 for each shirt sold. It's that easy!

Do you Carry Green or Eco-Friendly Products?

At PropellShops®, we help you raise money and build your brand – while taking our responsibility to the environment and fair business practices very seriously. We offer a selection of organic and eco-friendly products, and wherever possible feature brands like American Apparel, where products are made under fair labor conditions, in the US. American Apparel uses a vertically integrated business model which minimizes the use of sub-contractors and offshore labor. Knitting, dyeing, sewing, photography, marketing, distribution, and design all happen in their facilities in Los Angeles.

What kind of printing process do you use?

At PropellShops®, we utilize both digital and screen printing. All apparel products are manufactured with digital printing. Gift items are made using screen printing.

Digital printing works a lot like how a printer for your computer would work. Instead of having that printer print on a piece of paper, it prints directly onto a t-shirt. Screen printing uses screens as stencils in order to directly imprint ink onto the fabric of the shirt. The original design is printed onto a screen and a different screen is needed for each color that is used in the design. Once imprinted, the fabric of the t-shirt absorbs the ink, fusing the design and the shirt into one entity.

What's the Master Shop Owner program?

If you represent a larger organization that has other websites – for example, if your organization or business has websites for local chapters or branches – you can become a Master Shop Owner. Then, for every related web site you set up, we'll pay you a commission on their sales. For more information, contact us at sales@propellshops.com.

Account Questions

How do I get paid?

Once you sign up as a PropellShop Owner, it is important that you complete the "Payment Information," which can be found in the My Account area. You will also be asked to provide your name or organization, mailing address, and tax ID/SS#. Once this information is provided, you will start to receive payments for profits that you earn through your shop.

When do I get paid?

Payments are made monthly to all Shop Owners who have earned $25.00 or more in profits that month. Payments are made within 45 days from the end of the month in which you reached $25.00. The reason for the 45 days is to allow for reconciliation of any returns/refunds.

At the end of every year, balances on all accounts are paid out with no minimum. These payments are made by February 15 of the following year.

Shop Owners that are due a commission, but have not yet entered their payment information, are sent a monthly email from Propell reminding them to update their account. A Shop Owner account can be cancelled and commissions forfeited if the Shop Owner does not respond to these emails or update their payment information after 6 months of zero sales.

Do you notify the IRS of my earnings?

For US persons we are required by law to file a 1099 form with the IRS if you earn $600 or more in commissions in a calendar year. The payee will be named as an independent contractor who received the taxable income. A copy of the 1099 form will also be sent to the store owner for record-keeping.

Is there a maximum amount I can earn?

There is no limit to the amount of profit you can earn with us.

Do I have to be a business or have a special type of bank account to get paid?

No. Anyone can sign up to become a PropellShops.com store owner. If you can cash a U.S. issued check then you can get paid.

Does the check need to be payable to me?

No. The check can be made out to any person or business entity. You should verify that you're able to cash or deposit the check with your bank. Most banks will not let you cash a check if the check is payable to someone else. You might also have problems cashing or depositing the check if you only have your first name on the check. As a general rule, checks should be made payable to your first and last name or the full legal name of your business (as registered with your bank).

You can update your payee name, payment address, and more by logging into your account.

Help, I forgot my password.

No problem. Your username is the email address you registered with. If you forgot your password, you can have it sent to your email address.

Design Questions

What products can I customize and sell?

You can choose from a wide variety of products, including T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, mousepads, laser-etched crystal, and much more. See them all HERE – and check back often, since we're constantly adding new items.

What kind of images can I use?

You can use a .jpg, .bmp, .gif or .png file to create your customized products.

What size images can I use?

Any sized .jpg or .png file is accepted on PropellShops®. However, we strongly recommend a minimum resolution of 150dpi (or ppi) at the size you would like to have your artwork printed. When building your product, PropellShops will warn you if you have not met this minimum recommendation.

My image has a white background that I don't want. What can I do?

This is the most common problem that Shop Owners run into while creating their products. If you have artwork (like a company logo) that should have a transparent background, it is very important that you are using a .png file. There are a variety of software applications, such as PhotoShop and Gimp, that let you easily remove the white background, and save artwork as a .png file.

My artwork appears blurry, why?

The resolution of a graphic file will appear to decrease as the printed size of the artwork increases. For example, you may have a logo that is 200 dpi (dots per inch) that is set to print at 3" x 3" for a front pocket logo. However, if you take that same logo and re-size it to fill the entire back of a shirt, the resolution will very likely drop under the recommended 150dpi. For best results, it's important that you check the resolution of your artwork at the size you wish to print.

Can I use copyrighted images?

Only if you are legally entitled to do so. You are solely responsible for the Content uploaded or otherwise added through your PropellShop(s). You represent and warrant that you are the Owner (or legally authorized by the Owner) of the Content that you upload or otherwise add through your web shop(s) and that the Content does not infringe on the property rights, intellectual property rights (copyrights, registration, service marks and trademarks) or other rights of third parties. By uploading content to your web shop(s) you represent and warrant that you are the sole and exclusive holder of the usage rights granted to us and that you do not know of any third party rights which would oppose or could oppose the use of the content or print design.

Is there anything I can't upload?

You are prohibited from using your PropellShop for purposes considered harmful by us, including without limitation: (a) defaming, abusing, harassing, stalking, threatening or otherwise violating the legal rights of others; (b) publishing, distributing or disseminating any profane, defamatory, libelous, infringing, tortuous, hateful, obscene, indecent or unlawful material or information; (c) publication of any material that contains viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time bombs, cancel bots, or any other harmful program; (d) publication of any material that contains software or other material protected by intellectual property laws, unless you own the rights thereto or have received all necessary permission and authorization to publish the material; (e) interfering in any way with another web shop user's use and enjoyment of this site and/or its subsidiaries; (f) performing activities in any way connected with the transmission of "junk mail", "spam" or the unsolicited mass distribution of e-mail or with any unethical marketing practical and (g) violating any applicable local, state, national, or international laws and regulations, including without limitation the sale.

Orders, Shipping, Returns

How do I know if I'm ordering the right size?

Please click the Size Chart icon next to the size selection option on any product page.

How long does it take to receive an order?

All products are made to order, and generally ship within 5 business days of ordering. Once they ship, arrival time depends on the shipping options you choose upon checkout. Shipping times assume a Continental US destination, and may vary for rural destinations:

• Overnight Shipment: 1 business day
• Two Day Shipment: 2 business days
• Ground Shipment: 2-5 business days (typical)
• USPS Shipment: 2-8 business days (typical)

International shipping options are:

• UPS Worldwide Expedited: 2-5 business days
• USPS Priority Mail International: 6-10 business days
• UPS Canada Standard: 2-5 business days (typical)*

* Note UPS will not commit to shipping times for Ground or Canada Standard options.

We also ship to APOs and FPOs.

What form of payment do you accept?

We accept all major credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover.

What should I do if I have questions about my order?

Click HERE to send a message to one of our Customer Service representatives.

Is there a minimum order size?

No. You and your customers can order as few as 1 item per checkout for all items that PropellShops® offers.

Do you offer discounts on quantity orders?

Yes, we automatically apply a discount on quantities of 12 or higher to all of your shoppers. As a Shop Owner, click here to request pricing on bulk orders of any size.

Are shoppers charged sales tax on their orders?

PropellShops® is required by law to charge sales tax for any order that is shipped to a state in which PropellShops® has a physical presence. Currently, this includes California, Connecticut, and Florida. Our sales tax policy is subject to change according to changes in state law.

Do you offer a guarantee on purchases?

We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. While we believe you will be very happy with your purchase, if there's ever a problem, just let us know and we'll make it right – either with a replacement item, a refund or a credit for a future purchase. Contact Customer Service (support@propellshops.com) and we'll take good care of you.