Celebrities Who Make the Most on Merchandise
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Side hustles aren't just for everyday folks. Celebrities have them, too. In fact, selling branded merchandise to devoted fans is how stars make extra money.
This business can be very lucrative for some celebrities. And the top earners are no longer just your traditional singers and actors. Now YouTubers and influencers are getting in on the mix and making boatloads of money.
But whose products are the biggest revenue generators? These celebrities make the most money from their merchandise.
15. Beyoncé
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Job: Singer, actor
No. of products: 100
Average product price: $48.43
Merch revenue: $3,578,840
Note: Data is based on NetCredit’s "Celebrity Merchandise Index" report.
Bottom Line: Beyoncé
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Is anyone surprised to see Queen Bey? If anything, it's a surprise to not see her at the top of the list. But when your net worth is $440 million, you don't really have to worry too much about selling merch on the side.
As one of the most famous celebrities in the world, Beyoncé is a cultural icon, with hits like "Single Ladies" and her album "Lemonade." At her store, you can find everything from face masks and mugs, to apparel and home decor.
Shop for merchandise at Beyoncé's Official Store.
14. Nicki Minaj
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Job: Singer, actress
No. of products: 47
Average product price: $30.60
Merch revenue: $4,151,525
Bottom Line: Nicki Minaj
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Trinidadian singer and rapper Nicki Minaj has been a big name for over a decade, producing hits like "Super Bass" and "Feeling Myself," which featured none other than Beyoncé.
Minaj has garnered a massive following of fans who love her outlandish, ever-changing style and her impressive rapping abilities. This is how she's managed to make a nice chunk of change (around $4.1 million) with her CDs, phone cases, hoodies and more.
As impressive as that number is, it barely makes a dent in her estimated $100 million net worth.
Shop for merchandise at Nicki Minaj's Official Store.
13. Shawn Mendes
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Job: Singer
No. of products: 117
Average product price: $32.07
Merch revenue: $4,859,340
Bottom Line: Shawn Mendes
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A relative newcomer, Shawn Mendes released his debut EP in 2015, after receiving attention for his singing abilities on Vine.
In just over half a decade, the Canadian singer has earned multiple awards and released several number one albums. Some of his most famous songs include "Stitches" and "Señorita," which he released with ex-girlfriend Camila Cabello.
Mendes is no slouch in the merch department either. His products consist mostly of apparel related to his albums and have earned him close to $5 million. This is almost 10 percent of his estimated $40 million net worth.
Shop for merchandise at Shawn Mendes' Official Store.
12. The Weeknd
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Job: Singer
No. of products: 40
Average product price: $18
Merch revenue: $5,000,160
Bottom Line: The Weeknd
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Another Canadian singer to make the list, Abel Makkonen Tesfaye — better known as The Weedknd — officially debuted in 2013. Since then, he's gone on to become a best-selling artist. His 2020 single, "Blinding Lights" is the longest-charting Billboard Hot 100 song of all time.
Besides earning multiple awards and selling music like hot bread on a Sunday, he's earned around $5 million from merchandise. What's impressive about this number is that The Weeknd's merchandise is, on average, cheaper than any other celebrity merchandise on here.
Shop for merchandise at The Weeknd's Official Store.
11. Vanoss
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Job: YouTuber, gamer
No. of products: 94
Average product price: $30.35
Merch revenue: $5,190,429
Bottom Line: Vanoss
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Canadian YouTuber Evan Fong has proven every gamer's mother wrong by building a fortune from his gaming addiction. His channel, VanossGaming, is dedicated to game commentary and has over 25 million subscribers.
His merchandise has a lot of apparel, with hoodies being particularly popular. His brand is well-known in the gamer subculture, which helps him make over $5.1 million with his products. Merch sales make up a significant part of his $25 million net worth, highlighting how lucrative YouTube careers can be.
Fong also DJs and plays the guitar professionally.
Shop for merchandise at the Official Vanoss Store.
10. Justin Bieber
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Job: Singer
No. of products: 103
Average product price: $42.95
Merch revenue: $5,659,920
Bottom Line: Justin Bieber
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Canadian pop sensation Justin Bieber has been famous since he was barely a teen. Now in his late 20s, he continues to enjoy mass popularity, continually releasing songs that top the charts like "Sorry" and "Peaches."
Faithful Beliebers make sure that Bieber makes more than $5.6 million from product sales. Merch includes apparel, water bottles, pins, crocs, plush toys, and even scratch and sniff stickers. His full net worth is around $285 million.
Shop for merchandise at Justin Bieber's Official Store.
9. Eminem
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Job: Rapper
No. of products: 136
Average product price: $59.57
Merch revenue: $7,644,750
Bottom Line: Eminem
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One of the best-selling musicians in history, Eminem broke onto the scene in the late 1990s. He is also one of the few people in this world to play themselves in a fictionalized version of their lives. Yes, we're talking about "8 Mile." The movie made him the first rapper to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song, with the legendary track "Lose Yourself."
Though Eminem is not as active as he once was, he still has a strong following. As proof, he earns $7.6 million from his merchandise. His net worth is $230 million, so selling merch isn't his top priority, but having a few extra million never hurt anyone.
Shop for merchandise at Eminem's Official Store.
8. Dude Perfect
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Job: YouTubers
No. of products: 50
Average product price: $38.92
Merch revenue: $8,384,369
Bottom Line: Dude Perfect
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Unless you're into watching random guys play random sports, you've probably never heard of Dude Perfect. But while the YouTuber group's niche videos may not appeal to the average Joe, they do have a faithful audience, as evidenced by their almost 57 million subscribers.
The Dude Perfect group is made up of five guys who are former college roommates: Cory and Coby Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones, and Tyler Toney. Their channel consists of them playing sports, doing stunts and competing against each other. They've set numerous Guinness World Records for things like longest basketball shot, longest barefoot Lego walk, and most donuts stacked while blindfolded.
With earnings of $8.4 million for their merchandise, they earn more than double what Beyoncé does from products, which is a little shocking.
Shop for merchandise at the Dude Perfect Official Store.
7. Ariana Grande
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Job: Singer, actor
No. of products: 74
Average product price: $36.71
Merch revenue: $10,239,740
Bottom Line: Ariana Grande
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Ariana Grande has come a long way from starting out as an actor on the Nickelodeon show "Victorious." She is now a global music superstar. The pop culture icon is known for releasing hit after hit, with five singles reaching the U.S. No.1 spot, including her 2020 song "Positions."
Grande earns more than $10 million from her merchandise, which includes niche items like a Christmas sweater featuring a deer sporting her iconic high ponytail. That's still a fraction of her $200 million net worth.
Shop for merchandise at Ariana Grande's Official Store.
6. KSI
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Job: YouTuber, singer
No. of products: 24
Average product price: $30
Merch revenue: $14,324,016
Bottom Line: KSI
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Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunj, known as KSI, started his career as a gaming YouTuber in 2009. After massive success, he's ventured onto other fields, the most successful of which has been music. His single "Don't Play," released with Anne-Marie and Digital Farm Animals, reached No. 2 on the U.K. charts.
Whatever KSI is doing, it definitely seems to be working, given how much merchandise he sells. His store only has 29 items, priced at an average of $30, but that has been enough to earn him around $14 million. That's over half of his estimated $25 million net worth.
Shop for merchandise at KSI's Official Store.
5. Lady Gaga
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Job: Singer, Actor
No. of products: 27
Average product price: $61.34
Merch revenue: $15,823,517
Bottom Line: Lady Gaga
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The highest female merchandise earner, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (better known as Lady Gaga), gets $15.8 million from her products. That's about 10 percent of her $150 million net worth. Besides apparel, her store sells champagne flutes, puzzles, pillows, soap and rain boots.
Lady Gaga literally stormed into the pop culture scene in the early 2010s and has not slowed down. In fact, she's leveraged her musical success to begin an acting career that has already earned her multiple awards and nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in 2018's "A Star is Born."
Though she did not win that award, she did win the Academy Award for Best Original Song with the single "Shallow."
Shop for merchandise atLady Gaga's Official Store.
4. MrBeast
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Job: YouTuber
No. of products: 108
Average product price: $39.02
Merch revenue: $19,120,176
Bottom Line: MrBeast
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James Steven Donaldson is better known as MrBeast. While he may have an intimidating stage name, people love him. He began posting videos in 2012, when he was 13, but really exploded in 2017.
Though his videos vary, he is credited with spurring a YouTube genre of expensive and extremely long stunts. This includes things like putting 100 million orbeez in a backyard, giving away a house to the person who can last the longest time touching it, or spending 50 hours buried alive.
His videos are seen by some as proof of the imminent demise of civilization, but they've proven to be very popular. His channel has almost 82 million subscribers. And about $19 million of his estimated $25 million net worth comes from merchandise.
Shop for merchandise at MrBeast's Official Store.
3. Jake Paul
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Job: YouTuber, actor, boxer
No. of products: 44
Average product price: $25.75
Merch revenue: $19,121,600
Bottom Line: Jake Paul
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Jake Paul is one of the most notoriously irritating original influencers, and his career has been built by controversy. He first gained attention for his Vine and YouTube videos, which became popular enough to land him a role in the Disney Channel show "Bizaardvark," alongside Olivia Rodrigo.
After he was fired from the show, he continued making YouTube videos and in 2018 began a career as a professional boxer. You'd think that people wouldn't be into someone who's used racial slurs, allegedly scammed people, called COVID-19 a hoax and been accused of sexual harassment.
But fans buy enough of his merchandise to add $19,121,600 million to his $30 million net worth.
Shop for merchandise at Jake Paul's Official Store.
2. The Sidemen
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Job: YouTubers
No. of products: 194
Average product price: $50.91
Merch revenue: $21,629,164
Bottom Line: The Sidemen
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This British YouTuber group is comprised of seven members. You already know Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunj (KSI), but there are also Simon Minter (Miniminter), Joshua Bradley (Zerkaa), Tobit Brown (Tobjizzle or TBJZL), Ethan Payne (Behzinga), Vikram Barn (Vikkstar123) and Harry Lewish (Wroetoshaw).
The Sidemen have more than 128 million subscribers on their multiple YouTube channels, which focus on gaming, challenges and comedy sketches. They must be doing something right, since their merchandise makes them $21.6 million.
Add to that the money they get from their individual merch stores, and you'll start making plans to leave your 9 to 5 for a YouTube career.
Shop for merchandise at the Sidemen Clothing Store.
1. Harry Styles
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Job: Singer, actor
No. of products: 19
Average product price: $52.70
Merch revenue: $22,970,575
Bottom Line: Harry Styles
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Harry Styles has less than 20 items in his online store and still manages to pull in almost $23 million from merchandise.
It helps that the items cater to fans, as well as to the general audience, who love his simple "treat people with kindness" products, which are not branded. Maybe other celebrities should take note, given that Styles earns more than any other famous person from his merchandise.
The former One Direction member is worth around $80 million, which comes mostly from his music.
Shop for merchandise from Harry Styles' Official Store.