In the lead-up to the release of Taylor Swift’s latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” fans are reportedly creating a bustling market for unauthorized merchandise. This surge in bootleg products highlights the intense loyalty and engagement of Swift’s fanbase, as they eagerly await the official album drop.
What Happened: The official Taylor Swift store is currently limited to preorders, prompting fans to seek out third-party sellers for their Swift-themed merchandise fix, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. Platforms like Etsy, Amazon.com and Redbubble have become hotspots for items such as T-shirts, bodysuits, and friendship bracelets, all inspired by Swift’s recent Eras Tour.
Etsy vendors have seen a whopping $3 million in sales from Swift-inspired friendship bracelets alone, during the tour’s six-month tenure. Swift’s concerts have not only been a cultural phenomenon but also an economic powerhouse, contributing an estimated $4.3 billion to the U.S. GDP over the past year.
An overwhelming 95% of Swift’s fans have reportedly bought Taylor-related merchandise in the past year, with over half of those purchases being unofficial items. Despite the legal gray area of profiting from Swift’s image, fans are spending an average of $142 per ...