Docs: resettle TASK 54 on Fourthwall as provider of choice — kills the storefront-layer problem (Unit: marcom provider research)

TASKS/task-54-marcom-free-merch.md

@@ -22,13 +22,27 @@ wears is free advertising a donation is not.
 
 **Merch plan (accepted, corrected 2026-10-08):**
 
-- **Printful as the producer/fulfillment** (quality + creative control). **CORRECTION (2026-10-08):** Printful has
-  **no first-party storefront available to us** — its "Quick Stores" is US-seller/US-buyer only (and
-  no custom domain), so it never appears on the store-connect page. **CORRECTION #2 (2026-10-08):**
-  Big Cartel, though listed on the connect page, is **API-only** in Printful's current UI — not a turnkey
-  connector. Chosen instead: **Ecwid by Lightspeed** — genuine one-click Printful connector, free plan
-  = 10 products, $0/mo, custom domain only on paid tiers (acceptable at launch). **Square Online** free
-  plan is the fallback. One store only, linked prominently on llamacasty.com and in the app's About pop-up.
+- **Printful as the producer/fulfillment** (quality + creative control). **Storefront-layer facts
+  (verified via websearch 2026-10-08 — there is NO free one-site tier that integrates Printful):**
+  - Printful's built-in storefront ("Quick Stores") = US-seller/US-buyer only, no custom domain.
+  - **Ecwid:** free Starter plan has **no third-party app integrations** — Printful's own doc states
+    Printful requires Venture, Business, or Unlimited (Venture ≈ $29/mo annual). Dead on a free tier.
+  - **PROVIDER DECISION (2026-10-08, after websearch of the POD market):** **Fourthwall**, not
+  Printful. It eliminates the storefront-layer problem entirely:
+  - Real free plan ($0/mo, not a trial), **built-in storefront**, connect own domain
+    (`shop.llamacasty.com`) for free (Pro $19/mo adds .store domain, 0% digital fees).
+  - Native creator integrations: **YouTube Merch Shelf, Twitch product gifting, TikTok Shop,
+    Discord** — where the young audience buys.
+  - Fulfillment incl. **Mexico** (US/UK/EU/CA/MX/AU/JP partners); Merchant of Record (tax/VAT
+    handled); Fourthwall handles catalog-order customer support.
+  - **No platform fee on physical products** — base cost + processing (2.9%+30¢ domestic) only;
+    you keep 100% of markup. Quality-first curated partners (max-ink printing), not supplier lottery.
+  - vs rivals: Printful/POD = production-only (storefront friction = the whole Square/BigCartel/
+    Ecwid saga above); Printify = cheapest bases but needs third-party store + own tax/support.
+  - **GO/NO-GO to verify at signup:** Fourthwall seller payout to a Mexico-based account (MX
+    *shipping* is confirmed; seller payouts unverified).
+  - Design assets (llama 816×1645 @300dpi PNG, back-URL text) port as-is; re-confirm the catalog
+    picks (hoodie, tee, stickers, bottle) in Fourthwall's catalog.
 - **Small lineup: 3–5 items** to start (t-shirt, mug, sticker set — the llama logo is the obvious
   draw). Assets live in `llamacasty.web/assets/img/` (icon-512.png, logo.webp, gramps-480.webp).