

FanHero (YC S13) Helps YouTubers Sell Branded Merch To Their Fans - imkevinxu
http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/18/y-combinator-backed-fanhero-helps-youtubers-sell-branded-merch-to-their-fans/

======
kliao
This looks really cool. I spend a lot of time on YouTube and most of the more
popular YouTubers eventually start selling t-shirts or some kind merchandise
through sites like Shopify or CafePress. The "pay what you want" option and
fan spending leaderboard are interesting features. But at the core, it still
looks like another shop creator site. So what makes FanHero different? Is it
purely a marketing play to appeal to sellers with a fanbase?

~~~
imkevinxu
Thanks for the thoughts, founder of FanHero here. A merch store is just the
beginning, it was the most easy-to-understand value proposition for a lot of
YouTubers but our bigger goal is to disrupt the monetization tools that old
Hollywood has held a tight grip on (merch, promotions, sponsors, etc.)

We intend for this to act more like a fan club in the future closing the gap
between creator and fan even closer.

------
changdizzle
How does this differentiate from YouTubers selling their gear on existing
online stores like bigcartel, cafepress, zazzle, etc? Not sure there's much
you could offer on the basic premise of selling shirts with a logo on them.

Many youtubers also already have existing partnerships with brands that they
hawk in the descriptions and by actually wearing them in the videos.

------
stanleytang
Congrats Kevin and Charlie! Awesome idea

------
Enquiry
They might as well jump on Twitch.tv as well, it applies just as much there.
Rabid Twitch fans will donate $100 to some streams just so the streamer
mentions their name live. It makes me wonder how many of them are kids who
took mommy's credit card.

~~~
imkevinxu
We've seen one Twitch fan pay $2889.51 to MaximusBlack to be the top donator
of the month, ridiculous stuff

------
tomhschmidt
Great product from an amazing team! Best wishes, you guys.

