– And How You Can Get It for a Fraction of the Price

Let’s get straight to the point and talk about something that seriously annoys me in my own shop. If you visit the CathysWake merchandise page today, you’ll find, among other things, a fine art print in DIN A4 format. The price tag? A whopping 35 Euros.

If I saw that as a regular fan, my first thought would be: "Has Brücki completely lost his mind? 35 Euros for a simple, small piece of paper?" And you know what? I would be absolutely right. Personally, I would never in my life spend 35 Euros on a DIN A4 print. Rationally speaking, it is total nonsense.

But why does this item even exist in my shop? Why do I keep the offer online anyway? The answer lies in the absurd mechanisms of the international print-on-demand business and a harsh reality for independent music projects.

The Reality of International Merchandising

If you want to offer merchandise worldwide as a one-man operation like A.B.M.-PRODUCTIONS, there are really only two ways to go. Either you fill your storage space with thousands of pre-printed posters, invest massive amounts of money upfront, and bear the full risk of getting stuck with the stock. Or you use global fulfillment services like Gelato, who only print and ship the item once a fan actually orders it.

On paper, that sounds fantastic. Gelato calls it a Fine Art Poster printed on 200 gsm or 250 gsm premium matte paper. The quality is actually top-tier, no doubt about that. The problem, however, is the ruthless pricing structure running in the background the moment you try to set this up internationally and make it economically viable.

 

The Math Behind the 50% Margin

To keep a business running, I have to calculate with a profit margin of at least 50%. This has nothing to do with greed; it is pure mathematical necessity. This margin has to cover Shopify fees, payment provider transaction costs, taxes, and - most importantly - a buffer for future discount campaigns. If I want to give the fans a discount down the road, the project cannot afford to lose money on it.

So, you add that 50% margin to the base price. And that is exactly where the PoD trap snaps shut on small formats:

• The base fees Gelato charges for print setup, handling, and packaging for a small DIN A4 sheet are almost identical to the costs of a huge poster.

• Add the margin, add fixed international shipping on top, and boom - 35 Euros for a piece of paper the size of a school notebook.

It’s the ultimate paradox of modern online retail: the item exists in the shop because the system offers it as an automated option, but it has basically become unbuyable.

 

Why We Can't Pre-Produce (Yet)

Let’s be completely honest: for a project like CathysWake, which has been running internationally from day one and reaches fans all over the globe, there is currently no other way logistically. For production runs under 100 units, it simply makes zero sense at the beginning to have designs mass-produced via classic offset printing.

If I take that financial risk and end up sitting on hundreds of unsold posters at the end of the year, the only thing they’ll be good for is lighting my fireplace. And apart from a little bit of temporary warmth, that leaves nothing but a massive hole in my budget.

So why do I keep the product in the shop instead of just taking it down? Quite simply: because it doesn't cost me anything. Unlike classic physical merchandise, this digital print-on-demand option takes up absolutely no space in any real warehouse. Creating it only cost me a little bit of time once, and ever since, the option has been running fully automated in the background. It doesn't hurt anyone by being there. And who knows -maybe there is that one hardcore collector overseas who doesn't care about the price and prefers the uncomplicated route directly through the store. That’s why the offer stays right where it is.

 

The Smart Alternative: High-Res Downloads

But because I don't want to rip off the community, we are completely flipping the script right now and offering you a smart alternative:

Starting immediately, you can grab the official CathysWake art as a high-resolution digital download for a very small price directly in the shop. You simply download the file in maximum quality, put it on your smartphone or a USB drive, and run over to your local drugstore, print shop, or retail photo kiosk (like DM or Rossmann here in Germany).

There, you can print the artwork at the photo stations for just a few cents on the spot. If you want it even more professional and convenient, you can use online printing services or check out our partner platforms to order the print straight to your home for very little money. This way, you get the perfect artwork for your wall, support the project directly, and bypass the absurd system fees entirely.

 

You Have Three Options

In the end, you now have three choices:

1. The Core Fan Option: You can buy the overpriced DIN A4 print directly in the shop - whether that's because you don't care about the cost, or because you want to support the project to the absolute maximum and enjoy the convenience of this automated option.

2. The Smart Route: You can take the clever route via the digital download and print it yourself extremely cheaply at a local station.

3. The Do-It-Yourself Test: You can try out Gelato yourself! If you have your own designs, plan your own project, or just want to see how the platform works behind the scenes, test it out and let me know what you think of their pricing structure and handling.

Honesty lasts longest - and for me, one thing is certain: I want to offer you premium merch, but only under conditions where nobody feels cheated.

 

Stay strong, stay heavy and take care of yourselves

🤘🤝🤘 greetings bruecki, abm-productions