For being an anonymous internet entity, a supposed high-level government official or group of people leaking information under the name “Q” on anonymous message boards like 4chan sure has a devoted following. “Q” or “QAnon” has been the source of multiple baseless claims like the Pizzagate conspiracy and “deep state” theories.
Despite countless theories being debunked and even ardent followers of right-wing politics discrediting the Q movement, Q merchandise has popped up on Amazon and Etsy.
QAnon gear is only going to get more popular at Trump rallies, especially now that "Q" is acknowledging the people who wear them. pic.twitter.com/JDfEE4ZJIj
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) June 28, 2018
According to Slate, vendors are selling Q-related items like hats, shirts, mugs, stickers, headphones, backpacks, flags and more.
Most of the merchandise features cryptic messages Q posts on the message boards, like “Where we go one, we go all.”
https://twitter.com/justinhendrix/status/1026942169863675904
Within the Q-following community, people are unsure whether others should be able to profit off of the messages and identity. Q itself has reportedly called out InfoWars host and fellow conspiracy theorist Alex Jones as a “profit-vehicle” to make Q ideas profitable.
Amazon and Etsy, where the items are sold and which have both responded to questionable merchandise on their platforms in the past, have remained silent on the matter.
One seller told Slate that Q merchandise has helped him identify with other followers in real life.
“QAnon is much bigger than most think,” he said.
That might be true, but while they’re on platforms like Amazon and Etsy, the possibility of being yanked is always there, especially as theories become more and more outrageous and potentially harmful.
