--- title: What happens to swag from failed companies? - The Hustle description: Where does swag go when the company dies? image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/682538963-HS-News-Brief_2022-06-21T233335.532Z.webp --- # What happens to swag from failed companies? ![Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/juliet-bennett-rylah) [Juliet Bennett Rylah Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/JBRylah) Published: June 22, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 If you’ve ever been to a conference, you probably got a branded tote bag filled with branded swag: T-shirts, keychains, mini-flashlights, water bottles, etc. ([Shwaaaag](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9eIgg0ArDg), as Russ Hanneman would say.) ![What happens to swag from failed companies?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/682538963-HS-News-Brief_2022-06-21T233335.532Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=682538963-HS-News-Brief_2022-06-21T233335.532Z.webp) SwagUp founder Michael Martocci [told](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/so-your-startup-died-what-do-you-do-with-all-that-swag?rc=yvoyej) *The Information* that his average customer spends ~$25k annually on swag, while larger companies can drop millions. But what happens to it all if a company fails? #### **Well, it depends** Most items are trashed or donated. But if it could be seen as a historical artifact or a collector’s item, it might fetch a high price. - Christina Warren [collects swag](https://www.npr.org/2022/04/27/1094889626/from-cnn-to-fyre-festival-this-collector-seeks-swag-from-companies-with-epic-end) from companies that ended disastrously. She told *NPR* that she prizes her [Fyre Festival](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyre_Festival) T-shirt, but she’s hoping for something authentic from Theranos. But she’s not alone — a Theranos pullover sold on eBay for $499. (Too much? There’s this Theranos [water bottle](https://www.ebay.com/itm/325161799801?hash=item4bb5275079:g:u3kAAOSwiRpiZcMC&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4J%2FHxPNPopRrLJKHTa1jCog%2BBvLKr%2B1%2BCQftZ72kxDWL9N8ms2mgWtg0NvzkxbFyZ9Bn0W8cQPFo40PLt5Q87aywJPGxM%2F7aEIUYZIlqb8doK%2Bm6O5tPd7Pgg%2B05%2BJEpRAWtuK6xbqKtaqWsIv9xbWlGiyfURmjfIOU7E3cGar0GGTDLkjIjzwF4HO%2FW%2Bmtjmrme%2BparDQBxrBrqC2SnIZYOMITITVAdarbuY1xnc8WoUvgWa%2FAJN2mObZ3bHZq%2BaXWK%2FgkypMdn6nuCa%2BgwfQaFgMfTP%2FKdgc5mDnAMB3ND%7Ctkp%3ABFBMuIKs9LBg) for $220.) #### **Beyond startups** To sell merch immediately following the Super Bowl, the NFL prints T-shirts, hats, and other items celebrating both teams’ victories. Through [a partnership](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/super-bowl/2022/02/14/super-bowl-bengals-losing-gear/6638847001/) with nonprofit Good360, the NFL donates the loser’s stuff to countries where people need clothing. After a failed political campaign, materials that can’t be repurposed for future runs end up in storage, the trash, or, again, in other countries, [per ](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/25/us/politics/leftover-campaign-shirts-hats-mugs.html)*The New York Times*. Like startups, it depends on the context. Mitt Romney 2012 hats were shipped off to Kenya. But Steve Ferber, VP of Lori Ferber Collectibles, told the *NYT* that buttons from socialist Eugene V. Debs’ 1920 campaign can sell for up to $1k. **BTW:** Love dead companies and products? The[ Museum of Failure](https://museumoffailure.com/) highlights those that failed to flourish, like these [Nike sunglasses](https://collection.museumoffailure.com/nike-magneto/) that required you to glue magnets to your face. Topics: [Ecommerce And Retail](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/ecommerce-and-retail) ## Follow us on social media prev next - ![Excited about Bed Bath & Beyond’s return? 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