#but i feel very strongly about Not Buying Knockoff Fan Merch Just Because It's Cheap

[babbybones]

i don't know how the other sites work, but Aliexpress in particular is sort of like eBay in that they're a platform for many individual sellers/stores. even Amazon is notorious for hosting tons of fan merch made from ripped-off designs, so Chinese sites aren't unique in that regard

even so, i would definitely repeat the sentiment that sites like Aliexpress and Temu are a terrible place to buy fan merch!! for an indie project like Deltarune in particular, we know that there's only one official merch seller, so it's easy to cross-reference that: if something you found on a big marketplace doesn't match any Fangamer merch, they are almost certainly ripping off a fan artist. please take a moment to ensure that the seller is actually the artist (plus you can probably safely assume that fan artists are not going to sell merch on Aliexpress or Amazon lol)

side note: almost all enamel pins are actually manufactured in Chinese factories (manufacturers that claim to be US/UK/Canada-based are actually middleman services) and it's been suggested that some factories may keep molds/dies from previous clients and reuse them to sell cheaper knockoff pins :( here's what pintheft.com has to say on the matter:

Although most counterfeits are not produced by the same factory that made the originals, always vet manufacturers before using them. Here are a few things to check: •Are they selling counterfeits? •Are they using pin artists' images to advertise? •Does someone you know recommend them? •Are they a middleman or a factory? If middleman, how long have they been working with their supplier? •Are they claiming to be made in the USA?* •Do they have certifications? (Disney, Sedex, etc) •Do they provide inspection reports? *There are very few pin factories in the US, UK, or Canada. Hard enamel pins are not produced in these countries at all. If the price per pin is under $8, it's probably not made in the USA.

worst way to start my new year, thanks. i have a lot of things to say about these companies but i'm tired and just keeping it focused to the pin side of things for this one. do not ever buy pins from these companies, literally ALL of them are stolen from small artists like me. if you want to buy enamel pins, check out etsy, and artist's personal websites and shops! (though even Etsy has some bootleg pins that ship straight from china, so tread carefully…)

Every pin I've designed is, thus far, EXCLUSIVE to my etsy. if you find it anywhere else, it's been ripped off! and once these stupid bootlegs pop up, it's basically a never ending game of whack-a-mole trying to get them all taken down...