The TTC is testing the merchandise market again. Starting today, a small selection of posters and subway maps will be available for sale online though Shopify for between $10 and $20, plus delivery.

The Toronto Transit Commission's last serious attempt to sell merchandise ended in 2010 with the closure of the universally despised and mocked Transit Stuff store at Union Station. In 2006, this site described the selection of clothes as "ugly, boring, bland and painfully unfashionable."

(According to the TTC, Legacy Sportswear, the company behind Transit Stuff, is still selling branded t-shirts out of a factory side entrance near Steeles and Weston.)

One would hope the TTC can learn from its mistakes and take advantage of the current surfeit of well-crafted transit-related products in Toronto, such as t-shirts and original artwork. Spokesman Brad Ross says decommissioned train and streetcar parts could be sold or auctioned via the site in future.

Currently, the selection is limited to just six posters and two maps, one of which is made of plastic and still used on older model subway trains. Previously, the only way to buy TTC merchandise was in person at Davisville station, where the options were similarly limited.

A press release promises an expanded selection of products in the coming months.

Can the TTC find a way to do merchandise right?

SEE ALSO:

• A TTC etiquette guide, vintage edition
• How the TTC marketed itself, vintage edition
• Get into the holiday spirit with vintage TTC ads

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.