Yeah I mean….tumblr DOES kinda need money to function as a site. And they could go about it in the malicious and invasive ways that other social media sites (such as twitter and facebook) are doing, but instead they’re offering fun features like gifting crabs or buying rainbow checkmarks that don’t have a negative impact on your experience if you choose not to purchase, and turning tumblr staples and jokes into merch that people can buy.
I mean, I would like a free bottle because I’m the source of the vanilla extract meme and wasn’t even aware they were selling a water bottle until people began tagging me, but I’m all for them selling cool merchandise that keeps the site up and running.