Makeship
Makeship is a UK-based creator-merchandise platform that produces limited-edition plushies, apparel, and collectibles through campaign-based pre-orders for 3,000+ gaming, anime, and entertainment IP partners, selling directly to global fan communities via its own e-commerce storefront.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Makeship does
Makeship Ltd. is a UK-based, privately held creator-merchandise platform that operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce business producing limited-edition collectibles and apparel. The company partners with over 3,000 creators, influencers, indie game studios, and entertainment IP holders across gaming, anime, streaming, and internet culture verticals including Gorilla Tag, Palworld, Ubisoft (Rainbow Six Siege, Assassin's Creed), Attack on Titan, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Invincible, Paradox Interactive, and Ultrakill. Its product portfolio spans plushies (standard, jumbo, keychain, and longboi variants), apparel (hoodies, t-shirts, sweatpants, crewnecks, socks, hats), enamel pins, and vinyl figures, with unit prices ranging from $29.99 to $199.95.
The platform combines a Shopify-backed e-commerce storefront with two distinct demand-validation mechanics: a petition system requiring a minimum $2 pledge and 200 supporters before a prototype is produced, and a 21-day campaign-based pre-order window where products only proceed to manufacturing if funding thresholds are met (otherwise all orders are refunded). From a technical standpoint, there is no disclosed AI/ML capability, API, or proprietary technology beyond the custom e-commerce integration; the platform's differentiation relies on community-driven demand signals and direct creator fanbase distribution rather than technological sophistication.
Makeship's revenue model is transaction-based: it generates income from one-time merchandise sales, paying creators a revenue share from each campaign. The company bears all manufacturing, fulfillment, and marketing costs, while creators contribute design input and fan promotion. Pricing is unit-based with no subscription tier. The company has distributed over $40M in creator payouts and launched 4M+ products to date, with an average creator payout timeline of 15 days. Makeship ships globally through its own storefront, with no third-party retail or marketplace presence, and reaches fans primarily through own-brand social channels (X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Discord, Bluesky, Facebook) and creator-driven promotion.
Makeship firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Makeship
- Legal name
- Makeship Ltd.
- Website
- https://makeship.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Makeship is a UK-based creator-merchandise platform that produces limited-edition plushies, apparel, and collectibles through campaign-based pre-orders for 3,000+ gaming, anime, and entertainment IP partners, selling directly to global fan communities via its own e-commerce storefront.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Makeship industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Character Merchandise & Collectibles
- NAICS
- Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (339930)
- SIC
- Dolls & Stuffed Toys (3942)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Creator Merchandise & Print-on-Demand Platforms (MPACAFAE)
Keywords
Where Makeship is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Makeship business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Product Sales: Makeship generates revenue through one-time transaction fees on merchandise sales. The platform hosts 21-day pre-order campaigns for creators, with products ranging from plushies ($29.99-$39.99) to apparel bundles. If campaign funding goals are not met, all fan orders are refunded.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual product pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Petition pledges |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels9 records
Makeship product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Makeship operates a creator-focused merchandise platform that produces limited-edition collectibles and apparel (plushies, hoodies, enamel pins, vinyl figures) through campaign-based crowdfunding. The platform runs 21-day pre-order windows where fans place orders; if the funding goal is met, production proceeds, otherwise all orders are refunded. A petition system lets fans pledge $2 to signal interest in potential products, requiring 200+ supporters before a prototype is created.
Product overview
Makeship is a creator-focused merchandise platform that produces limited-edition collectibles and apparel through campaign-based and petition-based sales models. The core product portfolio includes plushies (standard, jumbo, and keychain variants), apparel (hoodies, t-shirts, sweatpants, crewnecks, socks, hats), enamel pins, and vinyl figures. The platform partners with gaming, anime, streaming, and internet culture creators to bring their characters and stories to life as physical merchandise. Products are sold through 21-day campaign pre-orders or via ready-to-ship inventory, with a petition model allowing fans to demonstrate demand for future products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Plushies Limited-edition plush toys in standard, jumbo, keychain, and longbois variants, featuring characters from gaming, anime, streaming, and internet culture creators. Sold via 21-day campaign pre-orders or ready-to-ship inventory to fan communities worldwide.
- Apparel Custom clothing including hoodies, t-shirts, sweatpants, crewnecks, socks, and hats featuring creator-branded designs. Sold individually or as bundles to fans of partnered creators and entertainment IP.
- Enamel Pins Collectible enamel pins featuring creator artwork and character designs, sold as limited-edition accessories to fans.
- Vinyl Figures Vinyl collectible figures featuring creator-designed characters from partnered games, anime, and internet culture properties.
- Creator Program A platform service enabling content creators, influencers, indie game developers, and brand/IP owners to launch limited-edition merchandise campaigns with no upfront costs. Includes design collaboration, prototype creation, campaign marketing support, production, and global fulfillment on behalf of the creator.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3K+ Creator and Brand partners
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Makeship
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Makeship technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Makeship partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Gorilla TagcoreFeatured creator partnership with popular VR game Gorilla Tag. Exclusive Lava Monke and Monke Doughboi plush collections feature in-game cosmetic codes with purchase. The partnership includes VidCon presence and dedicated brand storefront page.
- PalworldcoreGaming IP partnership featuring character plush collectibles including Chillet, Quivern, Katress, and Zoe. Multiple products in the collection are sold out.
- Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft)coreMajor AAA game publisher partnership with Ubisoft for Rainbow Six Siege merchandise. Features Ace, Lesion, Frost, and Sledge plush collectibles with varying ship dates.
- Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft)coreAAA franchise partnership with Ubisoft featuring Yasuke, Naoe, and Edward Kenway character plush. Includes Jackdaw Trinket keychain and various ship dates.
- UltrakillcoreIndie game creator partnership featuring Gabriel Plush, Minos Prime Plush, and Ultraplush collectibles. Multiple sold out items indicate strong demand.
- Attack on TitancoreLicensed anime IP partnership featuring Colossus Titan, Beast Titan, Cart Titan, and character plushies from the manga/anime series.
- Invincible (Skybound)coreEntertainment IP partnership with Skybound featuring Mark Grayson, Rex Splode, Atom Eve, and Battle Beast plush collectibles.
- Paradox InteractivecoreStrategy game publisher partnership featuring Platypus plush and Crusader Kings merchandise. Includes various character collectibles.
- FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOODcoreAnime IP partnership featuring Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric jumbo plush, and Winry Rockbell collectibles from the popular anime series.
- ForsakenminorIndie game creator partnership with Chance 2.0 Plush and full apparel collection including hoodie, t-shirt, and sweatpants.
- Die of DeathminorRoblox game IP partnership featuring Artful Plush 2.0 and other character collectibles from the hit Roblox game.
- The ClickminorContent creator partnership testimonial: 'Working with Makeship is a truly enjoyable experience. Your entire team is consistently enthusiastic and friendly.'
- AbiToadsminorContent creator testimonial: account grew to 1 million followers through partnership. Creator testimonial states: 'I never would've believed my account would reach 100k followers let alone 1 million haha. I'm forever honored and grateful to work with you guys.'
- PotatobluminorContent creator testimonial: 'Everyone I was in communication with were so open to my ideas and suggestions. It felt like my input really mattered!'
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Makeship competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Youtooz: Youtooz produces licensed vinyl figurines and plush collectibles for internet creators, gaming IPs, and anime franchises via limited drops. Highly comparable to Makeship in product format, target fanbase, and limited-edition drop mechanics.
- The Yetee: The Yetee is a creator- and IP-driven apparel and collectibles brand running limited pre-order campaigns. Operates a near-identical campaign model to Makeship with similar fandom-vertical focus on gaming and internet culture.
- Fangamer: Fangamer designs and produces official merchandise for indie games (notably Undertale, Hollow Knight). Directly comparable as a creator/IP-licensed merch platform serving gaming fandom with limited-run apparel and plush collectibles.
- Fourthwall: Fourthwall provides creators with merch storefronts, on-demand production, and fan monetization tooling. Overlaps with Makeship on creator-side enablement and merch-as-a-service, although with a more storefront-led rather than campaign-led model.
- Teespring (Spring): Spring (formerly Teespring) pioneered creator merchandise on-demand and remains a platform enabling influencers to sell apparel and lifestyle products with no inventory risk. Closest historic analog to Makeship's risk-free creator production model.
- iam8bit: iam8bit produces premium collectibles, vinyl, and art-driven merchandise for games, film, and music IPs. Comparable as a creator/IP-licensed limited-edition collectibles brand serving overlapping fandoms.
Broad incumbents
- Funko: Funko is the dominant pop-culture collectibles incumbent with massive IP licensing scale (Pop! vinyls, plush, apparel). Competes for the same fan wallet via licensed characters and broader retail distribution that Makeship lacks.
- BoxLunch: BoxLunch is a pop-culture omnichannel retailer selling licensed apparel, accessories, and collectibles. Overlaps with Makeship's anime/gaming fanbase via retail distribution that Makeship does not currently access.
- Loot Crate: Loot Crate operates subscription-based pop-culture boxes featuring licensed collectibles across gaming, anime, and sci-fi. Comparable fandom monetization mechanics, though delivered through subscription rather than single-purchase campaigns.
Emerging players
- CultureFly: CultureFly curates subscription and limited-edition boxes around pop-culture IPs and creators. Comparable fandom-curation layer, but distinct channel mechanics versus Makeship's campaign-based drops.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Makeship social profiles
Digital presenceMakeship financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Makeship leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Makeship funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Makeship M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Makeship
What does Makeship do?
Makeship operates a creator-focused merchandise platform that produces limited-edition collectibles and apparel (plushies, hoodies, enamel pins, vinyl figures) through campaign-based crowdfunding. The platform runs 21-day pre-order windows where fans place orders; if the funding goal is met, production proceeds, otherwise all orders are refunded. A petition system lets fans pledge $2 to signal interest in potential products, requiring 200+ supporters before a prototype is created.
Is Makeship a public or private company?
Makeship is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Makeship founded?
Makeship was founded in 2018. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Makeship based?
Makeship is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Makeship make money?
One revenue line is on record: product Sales.
Who are Makeship's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Youtooz, The Yetee, Fangamer, Fourthwall, Teespring (Spring) and iam8bit. Broad incumbents are Funko, BoxLunch and Loot Crate. CultureFly is listed as an emerging player.
Does Makeship have an API?
No public API is recorded for Makeship.
What industry is Makeship in?
Makeship's product category is Character Merchandise & Collectibles. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAFAE, Creator Merchandise & Print-on-Demand Platforms. Its NAICS code is 339930 and its SIC code is 3942.