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What’s Going On With The Taylor Swift Merch Situation? And How Can It Be Fixed?

By Melanie Day
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 17: Fans arrive at State Farm Stadium for the opening night of Taylor Swift's "The Eras" Tour on March 17, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona.

I went to the opening weekend of the Taylor Swift Era’s Tour in Glendale Arizona. It was everything I hoped for (except the 2nd night snub of Tim McGraw from the setlist). I’ve been a die-hard fan of Taylor for years and years and years at this point. I’ve been to multiple shows on every headlining tour she’s ever embarked on. Additionally, I’ve also purchased at least one Taylor Swift merch item at every one of those tours. And I can honestly say, never seen anything like the merch debacle currently going on. I arrived at the venue 3 hours before Taylor was scheduled to take the stage at 8 pm. Long story short I waited over an hour inside the venue and the vast majority of things were sold out by the time I got there.

I had someone tell us that they had sold through three 18-wheelers worth of merchandise the first night. You read that, correctly, now just picture how much merchandise that truly is. And yes The Era’s Tour is the biggest tour of the year. It sold out instantly and the saga of getting tickets has been well-documented and is even being reviewed in court. I flew 4.5 hours across the country so I wanted something to have as a souvenir from this trip. So I purchased a t-shirt. I wasn’t able to get the long sleeve or crewneck sweatshirt I was hoping for. And the shirt was in a size a color that wasn’t my first choice either. I still wore that shirt proudly in the airport and to work when I returned.

I’ll get plenty of use out of it, but I also immediately took to her website to order two other items I wanted- a limited edition Glendale Arizona show poster and a crewneck (but not THE crewneck) sweatshirt. So your next question is probably why are people waiting in line for so long when they could just order this stuff online. Well, that’s the problem. Some of the most highly desired merch items are only available at the shows. Venues and Taylor’s team have been trying to combat these lines but so far it’s only getting worse.

This weekend Taylor will play 3 shows in Arlington Texas at AT&T Stadium beginning tonight, Friday March 31st. So they announced that the Taylor Swift Era’s Tour merch would be available for purchase yesterday March 30th before the show. And absolute chaos ensued.

  • The Announcement

    This seemed like a good idea, until people (and resellers) started lining up early.

  • And I'm Talking EARLY

    People, including influencers Brooklyn and Bailey, camped out for merch. They said it was more about the experience, but still. If I want decent merchandise from a concert I shouldn’t have to take a day off work to camp out and purchase it.

  • This Was The Line At 7am

    For tour merch. Tour merch. Wrap your head around that.

  • Seriously I Hope Karma Bites Them And They Lose All The Money And Are Stuck With Every Item They Purchased

    No matter how much you want these items please don’t encourage this type of behavior an purchase from re-sellers.

  • But Fans Camping Out Isn't The Real Issue

    It’s the re-sellers who were allowed to buy boxes and boxes of these sought after items to turn around and make a huge profit off of them.

  • People Were Pissed About This

    And they absolutely should be.

  • So What Is It People Want So Bad?

    This is perhaps the most hightly sought after item, heck I will find a way to get this at the next show I go to if it doesn’t ever end up online. What I won’t do is encourage resellers and pay $300+ for it on ebay.

  • Here's A Good Overview Of Some Other Merch Items

  • So How Do We Fix This Problem?

    For one let’s put a limit on how many items people can buy. No more than 2 of a specific item is plenty. And I agree with making it ticketed only as well. If you didn’t get tickets and still want merch there are plenty of items available online. Let the coveted items be for those attending the shows.

  • And They Did Limit It, But Was It Too Little Too Late?

  • The Bigger Solution (And The One I Want)

    Make everything available online. There may be a shipping delay but print/make the items based on the demand. No more limited edition, no more exclusives. Re-sellers will get what they deserve and fans will also get the merch they deserve. I have several items still sitting in my cart waiting to purchase hoping that these high-profile items will also be available to order. It’s really the only way to keep it completely fair. And heck just means more money to be made by everyone. A win-win solution. I’m hoping for that or at least that by the next show I attend at the end of April the hysteria will have calmed down and I can walk up and purchase what I want. The way I’ve done at 15 other Taylor Swift shows since 2009. Taylor is you’re listening please do this for all of us!

    *But if someone wants to buy the blue crewneck for me I’ll be eternally grateful. Seriously.

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