Do I have to stop using Instagram?

No. Keep posting there for your friends. MerchVice is the home for the items themselves: each one gets a page with its band, and your closet records what you own.

Does MerchVice rank posts the way Instagram does?

No. The feed is newest first, for everyone who follows you. Nothing is ranked and nothing is paid to rank.

What happens to a shirt I post here and then sell?

It moves to its new owner's closet and stays in your history, so the item's page keeps its story.

All comparisons

MerchVice vs Instagram

Your shirts deserve more than a square in a grid. Here every item has a page, a band and a story, and your closet is yours to keep.

Checked October 2026. Every fact about Instagram here comes from its own help, fees and terms pages, each with its source and the day we read it.

Join MerchVice

The short answer

Instagram is where your friends and the bands already are, and a photo there reaches people fast.
MerchVice is built for the merch itself: every item gets a page with its band, year and story, your closet records what you own, and the feed is newest first with nothing ranked.
Keep posting there. Export your photos, post the items you still own here, and tag the band.

Side by side

What matters	MerchVice	Instagram
Built for band merch	MerchViceYes Every page is about band merch: shirts, posters, records, pins and patches.	InstagramNo A photo and video app for everything you're into. Nothing is built around band merch. Source
Find by band, tour and year	MerchViceYes Band pages, design pages, decade filters and shows, so a shirt finds its tour and its year.	InstagramNo Search is by keyword, hashtag, account, audio or place. A post has no band, tour or year field. Source
A closet for what you keep, and a Top 8	MerchViceYes Post what you own to show it off, not only to sell, and pick a Top 8 for your profile.	InstagramNo Your grid is your posts. Saved collections keep other people's posts; nothing records what you own, and there's no Top 8. Source
Trading, item for item	MerchVicePartly Mark an item Open to trade today. The trade itself, with the item moving to its new owner, is coming.	InstagramNo Shops are for displaying and selling products. There is no item-for-item trade. Source
Date your shirt's tag	MerchViceYes Free: photograph the tag and get its era, with the sources, whether you join or not.	Instagram Nothing on its own pages says either way.
Free to show off and trade	MerchViceYes Free to show off and trade. Selling is coming, with one flat fee shown before you list.	InstagramYes Posting is free, and there's nothing to sell through: checkout on Instagram was shut down, so a shop sends buyers to the seller's own site. Source
Newest first, nothing ranked	MerchViceYes Newest first, for everyone who follows you. Nothing is ranked and nothing is paid to rank.	InstagramNo Feed is ranked by thousands of signals. A Following view shows 30 days of posts in order, if you pick it each time. Source
No ads in the feed	MerchViceYes Nothing in the feed. Anything promoted sits beside it and says so.	InstagramNo Ads are mixed into the feed, picked from who you follow and what you like. Source
Buying new from the band	MerchViceYes Bands claim their page free and put their official merch and store links on top.	InstagramPartly A band can run a Shop that shows its items on Instagram, but buying happens on the band's own website. Source
Following bands	MerchViceYes Follow bands, members and tags, and hear when they add new merch.	InstagramYes Follow a band's account and its posts land in your feed, beside suggested accounts. Source
Taking your data with you	MerchViceYes Download everything you posted from Settings, any time, as files you can open.	InstagramYes Export your information, under Settings, Meta Account, Your information and permissions, to your device or another service. Source

Where Instagram is better

Reels: short videos a band or a fan can post, and that strangers can stumble on. Source
Stories: photos and videos that vanish after a day, right for show night. Source
Explore recommends posts from accounts you don't follow, so a good merch photo can travel. Source

Use both

Nobody is asking you to leave Instagram. Bring your items here as well, so they have a home that is about the music.

Open Settings, then Meta Account, then Your information and permissions, then Export your information, and choose Create export to your device: your photos and posts come as files. Post the items you still own here from those photos, and tag the band. Source

Bring your items in from a file

Keep your closet here

MerchVice is where people show off the band merch they own and trade it with other fans. Your closet, your bands, your people.