Partner Collections at the MN Alumni Market

Interested in having the MN Alumni Market host a custom collection for your department or institution? You've come to the right place! Here's how it works:

We work with an alumni maker to create and host a print-on-demand (POD) collection for you. In a POD collection, inventory is not stocked. Instead, our alumni maker prints and ships items as orders are placed. The Market takes care of everything else: hosting/updating your collection page, payment processing, order confirmation, shipping, and tracking notifications. Click here to view a live POD collection. 

How it Works

  1. You work with our alumni maker to identify products for your collection. We recommend creating an "evergreen" collection that is available year-round, with a few seasonal items rotated out twice a year.
  2. You provide all logos and graphics; our maker provides mockups for your approval.
  3. Once you approve the products, our alumni maker provides free virtual images for your product listings. Product photography shoots are available for a fee.
  4. We create your collection page and upload product listings - you have total control on the collection title and intro copy.
  5. You market your collection and spread the word!
  6. In some large volume instances, inventory can be purchased in bulk (vs POD), and priced to earn a royalty. Note: storage fees and buy back rules apply.

Pros & Cons

  1. Pro: Your audience gets customized apparel and merchandise with minimal time and labor on your end.
  2. Pro: No upfront inventory investment is necessary.
  3. Pro: You're never left with "duds" or outdated inventory that won't sell.
  4. Con: Supply chain issues may arise and certain items may become unavailable or backordered; flexibility is a must. We work with our alumni maker to keep your collection page updated.
  5. Con: Lead times are longer for POD items - allow up to 7-10 business days for orders to be shipped. We inform customers of these longer lead times on each product page.

Fees

  1. One-time set up fee: $50
  2. Yearly hosting fee: $95
  3. Product fee: there is currently no fee for collections of up to 12 POD products. Additional POD products may be added for a fee of $25 per item.

Ready to start or have questions? Email us at mnalumnimarket@umn.edu.