Sourcing online stores that don't fund hate

November 11, 2024 7:24 AM

I often shop at Etsy, TeePublic, RedBubble etc., but they all support and sell pro-Trump merchandise. Is there a store where I can buy, say, a band t-shirt or "protect trans kids" shirt at that does not fund this hateful nonsense?

In addition to this question, a big ol' list of online stores who explicitly have vowed to not sell that stuff would be amazing.

Thank you!

posted by knownassociate to Shopping (14 answers total)

I'd try to seek out individually-owned, local stores that print on domestically-made blanks. You'll be dealing with the politics of one person, rather than a company and every person they decide to allow to use their marketplace, and the actual shirt will be more ethically produced. Try, say, local farmer's markets or craft fairs.
posted by sagc at 7:30 AM on November 11, 2024

It is mid-western and politics focused, so may not have the full range you're looking for, but Raygun always has fun tees. Protect Trans Youth is not their sassiest option, but it is solid and a portion of profits go to both local and national nonprofits doing the work.
posted by the primroses were over at 7:48 AM on November 11, 2024 [6 favorites]

MetaFilter's Own Devil's Rancher might be able to help you out.
posted by adamrice at 8:35 AM on November 11, 2024

Punk With a Camera sells band t-shirts and some political shirts. Their designs might be a bit edgier than you’re looking for, however.
posted by sacrifix at 8:44 AM on November 11, 2024 [1 favorite]

Similarly, it may be more militant than you’re after, but Off Color Decals is my go-to for shirts and stickers.
posted by supercres at 8:45 AM on November 11, 2024 [2 favorites]

Ooh I just found out about Shirts Against Supremacists recently when the founder posted in one of my favorite subreddits (old hag fashion). So many excellent shirts.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 9:36 AM on November 11, 2024 [4 favorites]

Transfigure Print Company
posted by matildaben at 12:43 PM on November 11, 2024 [1 favorite]

Not to be too much of a downer, but opting out of the entire enabling/promoting ecosystem might be really really hard.
e.g. Shopify is 2nd to Amazon in e-commerce, and isn't all rainbows, though they may sell a few:
https://www.newsweek.com/shopify-ceo-sends-email-staff-saying-company-not-family-we-cannot-solve-every-societal-1592545

"Shopify is also not the government. We cannot solve every societal problem here," he wrote. "We are part of an ecosystem, of economies, of culture, and of actual countries. We also can't take care of all your needs. We will try our best to take care of the ones that ensure you can support our mission."

The CEO said that employees who engage "in endless Slack trolling, victimhood thinking, us-vs-them divisiveness, and zero sum thinking must be seen for the threat they are."

and bc I was curious, I inspected the code for the aforementioned Raygun, and it's on Shopify, as is Transfigure, shirtsagainstsupremacists, and punkwithacamera. So while not obviously sharing a marketplace and sitting alongside that stuff, they share a platform.

And FWIW there's still maga/trump merchandise using shopify:
shop dot blaze~deleteme~media dot com
m*g*merchndise dot com

Despite Shppify having apparently taken down the official stores at one point for violating Canadian law:
https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/paypal-and-shopify-remove-trump-related-accounts-citing-policies-against-supporting-violence/

There's occasionally general "merch" paired with publishing, but nothing like you're looking for. Might be worth seeing if you're close to an anarchist book fair, where people will be tabling all sorts of stuff: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchist_bookfair

Wish I had a better answer.

Another answer might be doing DIY stuff, or using a print-on-demand service
posted by Jack Karaoke at 1:36 PM on November 11, 2024 [2 favorites]

I work for a local screenprinting company and we've turned down trumpy or other offensive conservative shit before. We don't sell finished designs much like a store, but we do make designs or print provided designs from folks. PanEctor is great but I'm sure you have local screenprinters in your area who would appreciate the business too. Obviously a different sort of deal than just buying a nice finished shirt one-off, but if you were the purveyor of a positive design you could be certain it wasn't funding a bad company in the process of trying to wear a supportive message.
posted by GoblinHoney at 3:37 PM on November 11, 2024 [1 favorite]

FWIW, Etsy allows some terrible merchandise but does not support Trump with donations. They donate blue all the way down the list according to Open Secrets. I have an Etsy shop and almost swallowed my stress-cigarette thinking they were financial supporters.
posted by tingting at 4:09 PM on November 11, 2024 [8 favorites]

You might check out local nonprofits. I know that several local LGBTQetc have shirts.
posted by tingting at 4:10 PM on November 11, 2024 [1 favorite]

AK at Futile Device Co. is one of my favorite shirt-making humans and meets your criteria.
posted by pantarei70 at 4:42 PM on November 11, 2024 [3 favorites]

Raygun, absolutely. Just as "the primroses were over" suggests above. They're lovely people, and they make excellent quality shirts.
posted by yellowcandy at 10:58 AM on November 12, 2024

Late to the party but Ash & Chess.
posted by purple_bird at 5:13 PM on November 13, 2024