I Launched My First Shop with Fourthwall for FREE: A Creator’s Experience

Thea Newcomb
I Launched My First Shop with FourthWall for FREE A Creator’s Experience

How I Built My First E-commerce Store Using Fourthwall

This post will contain affiliate and referral links. A few months ago, I stumbled down a Print on Demand (POD) rabbit hole in search of a new platform to sell my Totally Content wares. My research led me to discover Fourthwall (FW), a platform touted as an ideal choice for creators in the Creator Economy.

Intrigued, I decided to explore this platform further. Though I started my Print on Demand journey 25 years ago, using tons of POD marketplaces, never have I run my own shop before…until now!

What is Fourthwall?

In case you haven’t heard of it (I hadn’t until recently), Fourthwall’s website describes their service as follows:

“Fourthwall helps creators launch their own homepage, shop, memberships, and more – all on their own beautiful, fully-branded website.”

It’s a stellar solution for someone who would like to be able to sell products to their community, followers, or groups, but who doesn’t want to foot the bill for a Shopify or other E-commerce store just yet. That describes me to a tee.

YouTube is My Friend

Whenever I’m researching something new, I turn to YouTube to find real user experiences. While there weren’t a ton of reviews and tutorials at the time I was researching (many more are there now), the ones I found were persuasive enough to get me to test drive Fourthwall. Since, it’s free to launch, I had nothing to lose but my time.

Launch your brand on FourthWall now on your terms.

FW Setup

Setting up my shop was fairly simple and straightforward. I made the rookie mistake of using just my (first) name for the subdomain, which wasn’t ideal.

So, I recommend choosing something more specific to your brand. To enhance my shop’s identity, I decided to purchase a separate .uk domain. If you need a domain name, you should take a look at NameCheap.

I have totallycontent.co.uk which is the blog and totallycontent.uk which is the shop. Mostly, I just send people to the main blog, as that’s the URL I want to build. There are links to click to the shop. If I am promoting a certain product, say a mug or t-shirt, I send them to the individual product pages on the shop or a collection they’re in so people can see more.

Integration and Connectivity

FourthWall Apps to Integrate with for maximum connectivityOne of the standout features of FW is its seamless integration with various apps and platforms. You’ve got Youtube, Twitch, Instagram, TikTok and X etc. I believe I need 1000 subscribers to link Youtube so that’ll be a minute or two…

FW’s product supplier is Printful and I’ve used them for years for my one-off products, so I already knew the quality was sound. That being said, I have noticed a few products are NOT showing up in my FQ-Printful integration, but are on Printful itself, so I am not sure what that’s about. I think I need to message FW to get them to add a few if possible (e.g v-neck tees).

Other than that, I have access to all the products I need for to be Totally Content 😉

Why Choose Fourthwall?

Fourthwall is designed for creators who want to establish a professional online presence without breaking the bank. Here are some of its key benefits:

  • Cost-Effective: It’s free to start, making it accessible for anyone.
  • Customisable: Launch a fully-branded website that reflects your unique style.
  • User-Friendly: Easy to set up and navigate, even for beginners.
  • Integrations: Connect with various apps and platforms to enhance your shop’s functionality.
  • Printful Connection: Effortlessly integrate with Printful to manage your POD products.
  • It’s Varied: Not only can you sell physical products via Printful, but also your own products, digital products, and offer memberships too.

Cost and Pricing Structure

One of the appealing aspects of FW is its straightforward and cost-effective pricing model. Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know:

  • Products from the Fourthwall Catalog: There are no extra percentages or margins beyond the cost of the product, which is deducted from the selling price you set. Set your profit price as high or low as you want for your brand.
  • Products You Self-Source: If you provide your own products, there are no fees associated with them.
  • Digital Products: There’s a 3% flat fee for digital products, which is quite reasonable compared to other platforms. I am going to be sell digital products and give some away for free for lead generation. (See below my FREE Halloween Songs Word Search)
  • Memberships: While I don’t offer memberships, it’s worth noting that Fourthwall charges a 5% flat fee for this service.
  • Getting paid: you get paid monthly at the start of the month via Stripe.

With no upfront costs, monthly fees, or contracts, Fourthwall makes it easy to get started without financial risk.

My Experience So Far…

Since launching my store with FW, and though it’s by no means perfect, I’ve had a generally positive experience. I am learning new things about the platform and tweaking my shop almost daily. I add products every week and make up my own mockups. I have even added my first digital product and as I said this is an area I am keen to focus on.

The hardest part is driving traffic to the website organically – through my blog and my social media channels. Larger creators will be finding it easier than I have. So far, all 13 sales (LOL) have been people I know! My lovely and supportive family and friends were especially kind around my birthday.

One thing that’s awesome is that most people donated money on top of their order (Between $3 and $150 – thank you, sis!)

No sales from strangers, to date, but I am not discouraged! I have three Teepublic shops and have had a few RedBubble shops, but l I have actually made more on FW than all the other shops combined in 2024. I’m not exactly killing it yet, but I am optimistic for Q4, so I’ll recap with y’all in January 2025. OK?

Join the Creator Revolution

If you’re considering starting an online shop but are worried about the costs, give Fourthwall a try. It’s a great way to dip your toes into the world of e-commerce without financial risk. Plus, with its many features and integrations, you’ll have the launching pad for everything you need to succeed.

Before you go, check out my Links page for all kinds of valuable business, creativity, and productivity resources.

If you have questions, feel free to leave a comment or reach out to me on Linkedin or Instagram.

Totally Content Links

Oh and if you’re an avid music lover and collector too, please check out Totally Content online at the following places. I’m especially trying to grow the Youtube so I can connect my FW shop to the channel!

If you’re still here, thanks for reading this far, I appreciate you. xoxo from Glasgow, Tx

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *