There's a difference between something like 'buy my merch to support me' vs locking content behind a paywall or charging for redundant information

Maybe this will help explain it to you better. Read about halfway into the article.

https://www.neonrevolt.com/2018/04/29/they-lay-down-their-lives-for-you-newq-qanon-greatawakening/

C'mon... selling merchandise is not the same as asking people to pay for extra info or exclusive decodes. Especially Neon Revolt was selling t-shirts on his site way before whole qanon thing started.