Introduction
Amazon Merch on Demand is an incredible platform for anybody to start selling t-shirts, hoodies, and many more products.
We all know Amazon. And sellers must pay attention to this e-commerce platform.
Every month, over 197 million individuals use their devices to browse Amazon.com.
Merch by Amazon is a reliable approach to developing a passive revenue stream if you are consistent. If you want to make money quickly, there is a better way. With the introduction of sponsored advertisements, people expect Amazon Merch to expand even more.
What is Amazon Merch on demand?
After you complete the formal sign-up procedure, entering additional information is the key to gaining approval for Amazon Merch on Demand, as it helps Amazon to determine your reliability.
To improve your chances of being approved into Merch by Amazon, provide any of the following information in the Additional Information section:
- Add Demonstrated print-on-demand experience.
- Link to your website.
- Promotion strategy.
- Sample designs.
- Include any trademarks or licenses to art you may own.
This optional information will cast you in a positive light in the eyes of Amazon.
How Amazon Merch on demand works?
You will be routed to the Amazon dashboard once you receive confirmation from Merch by Amazon.
Merch by Amazon offers a straightforward user experience, so you can see which part is for what. The default is your dashboard, which lets you track your current sales. Then there’s Create, which is where all the magic happens.
Note: Before making the actual personalised product, you should have your design ready, which is the print you want on the clothing.
The Resources tab on the Merch by Amazon webpage can assist you with templates, so if you’re stuck, be sure to go there.
Create your products
You can upload your designs to the products you wish to sell here. You can upload your logo and artworks that your audience will love. You may upload designs, market your t-shirt, and track sales via the Merch dashboard. You’re restricted to 10 designs initially. But after selling 25 shirts, you’ll be positioned to Tier 2, where you may have up to 25 designs.
Note: The more designs you have, the more chances you can make money. The tiered structure rewards people who generate high-quality designs while preventing spammers from overwhelming the platform with designs.
Set your margins
Once you have created the products, you can set your pricing. Make sure here your pricing is competitive and profitable. Your artwork should be unique to charge a premium price.
Amazon fulfillment
Once your products are listed and you receive an order, Amazon will print, pack and ship your order directly to the customer. Amazon then pays a royalty for your design. The royalties range from 13 to 37%, depending on the price of your merchandise.
What are the pros and cons of Amazon Merch on demand?
There are several reasons why Amazon Merch on Demand is appealing to retailers. Here are some of the pros and cons of the platform.
Pros of Amazon Merch on demand
1. Amazon handles everything
Running a t-shirt business is a difficult task. You must purchase equipment, locate a source for your clothing, and print the designs yourself.
With Amazon Merch On Demand, you can use Amazon’s massive resources to build a t-shirt business that works almost entirely on autopilot. Your only concentration will be on creating attractive designs capable of driving revenue. Amazon will handle everything for you as soon as your designs start selling.
While you are still responsible for marketing, you have plenty of time to conduct keyword research and optimise your listings. When you use Amazon fulfilment, you may sell them to the audience you want as effectively as possible.
2. Increase your t-shirt sales by moving up the tier levels
Amazon promotes vendors that have good sales up the tier level. Initially, designers may only post ten designs to the portal. As the quality of their design increases and their t-shirts sell, vendors can advance to higher tier levels.
Amazon employs a tier system to keep low-quality shirts from flooding the market. Given Amazon’s consumer-centric strategy, you’ll want to build designs that cater to your target audience’s interests for a favourable experience. The tier structure also helps level the competition for designers because they won’t have to compete with inexpensive, knock-off creations.
3. Your designs are sold on a worldwide scale
Amazon’s global reach is one of the primary reasons it is an e-commerce giant. How does it help sellers?
- You may establish a brand that appeals to a global audience.
- Second, you might concentrate on selling your clothing to a specific country.
It is entirely up to you where you intend to promote your goods.
Google Trends is a fantastic tool for discovering people’s interests in a specific matter. You may select a location and analyse the success of a keyword to fuel your t-shirt ideas.
Con's of Amazon Merch on demand
When selling t-shirts online, not everything is rainbows and butterflies. There are a handful of drawbacks that sellers should be aware of:
1. Amazon merch on demand is quite competitive
Because of the low entrance barrier, practically anybody can upload their ideas to Amazon and begin selling items. It is rare for sellers to post their artwork and receive no sales in a matter of weeks or months. You must be in it long-term if you wish to make money.
It is not a “get rich quick” programme, as most people believe. You must still work hard to optimise your listings, undertake keyword research, and promote to the correct audience. Remember that you may only post ten designs first; moving up the tier levels will be tough if they don’t sell.
2. Amazon merch on demand is only available via "invitation."
Amazon Merch On Demand has captured the curiosity of both artists and non-creators since its inception in 2015. Because of the high volume of applicants, Amazon has limited their merch programme to invitations only. It assures that only serious authors can access the company’s print-on-demand service.
You must provide certain information before applying for an invitation like:
- Contact information for businesses
- Bank routing and account numbers
- Social security codes
- Identification numbers for taxes
It is where you will explain why Amazon should allow you into their merch programme. Access is difficult, but if Amazon approves your invitation, you may begin working and earning money from a new revenue source.
3. There is a lot of trademark infringement
With so many designs on the market, determining whether ones are trademarked may take time and effort. It is crucial to approach Amazon carefully to avoid permanent removal from the marketplace. Amazon takes intellectual property rights seriously.
If your designs are successful, you may find that other vendors are infringing on your rights. It’s an ongoing fight to defend your creations while respecting the designs of others. Fortunately, software such as Merch Informer can do trademark checks to guarantee that you comply with Amazon’s content guidelines.
Is Merch by Amazon available in India?
No, Amazon merchandise is not currently accessible in India. Amazon Merch On Demand is not accessible on Amazon India for selling custom-designed items.
On the other hand, people from India may register on Amazon Merch with a US bank account (often Paypal or Payoneer) and receive authorisation to sell in the US and other countries.
What are Amazon Merch on demand tiers?
Tiers are another one of Merch by Amazon’s features. When your account gets approved, and you can begin utilising Merch by Amazon, you will notice that you have ten design slots available. It implies you can only design and sell ten products.
Once you’ve sold all ten, you’ll be “tiered up,” which is Merch by Amazon’s saying, “OK, you look like a good seller, so I’m going to let you sell more.”
Tiering up allows you to post more designs every day, eventually increasing the overall number of designs available for sale on Amazon.
Amazon’s Merch Tier levels:
Tier 1 = 10 Designs
Tier 2 = 25 Designs
Tier 3 = 100 Designs
Tier 4 = 500 Designs
Tier 5 = 1,000 Designs
Tier 6 = 2,000 Designs
Tier 7 = 4,000 Designs
Tier 8 = 8,000 Designs
Amazon Merch does this for productivity. This methodology enables them to:
- ensure that their facilities are not overburdened; and
- encourage merchants to advertise the items as much as possible to tier up.
If you think about it, it’s Amazon Merch On Demand’s method of improving POD.
What products can you sell with Amazon Merch on demand?
Merch by Amazon began as a POD platform dedicated to producing bespoke t-shirts. Merch by Amazon has gradually introduced multiple products that you may customise and sell on the marketplace since its beginnings, including:
- T-Shirts
- Hoodies
- Tank tops
- Long sleeve t-shirts
- Sweatshirts
- Phone cases and pop sockets
- Tote bags
- Throw pillows
Despite growing its catalogue, the platform’s offers still need to be improved compared to some of its competitors. However, it does include most of the popular clothing alternatives.
Furthermore, their product and print quality is good as long as the design you upload is of sufficient quality and resolution.
How much can you earn using Amazon Merch on demand?
I’m sure by this time, most of you have questions like, “Is Merch by Amazon profitable?” or “Is Amazon Merch Worth It?”
The answer is a firm yes.
Occasionally, people have sold merchandise worth $700 daily or Amazon Merch On Demand stores for more than $93,000.
Many Merch by Amazon top sellers make a full-time living by selling their products on the marketplace. And you can be one of them with the correct techniques.
Of course, how much money you make will depends on a variety of factors, including:
- Your niche
- The quality and popularity of your designs
- The cost of your products
- Your competition
- How successfully are your items marketed and promoted
If you’re prepared to put in the effort, you can start generating big money with Amazon Merch On Demand or, at least, add a passive revenue stream to your monthly budget.
Regarding how much Merch by Amazon pays you for each sale, you can anticipate earning 13-37% commission. If you sell a $20 t-shirt, you can expect to make $5 for each sale.
Naturally, the more things you sell, the more money you make. You’ll earn even more commission if you sell your stuff at a higher price range.
So, if you want to make a lot of money with Merch by Amazon, you must create high-quality designs that people are ready to pay for.
What are the terms and conditions of selling on Amazon Merch on demand?
When uploading your designs, you MUST comply with Amazon’s terms and guidelines.
Firstly, your artwork must adhere to the following standards.
- 15 “W x 18 “H with a transparent background
- PNG file at 300 dpi (for example, 4500 × 5400 pixels)
- Exported as an sRGB image
- The file must be smaller than 25MB in size.
Furthermore, Amazon is rigorous when pursuing copyright infringement and has a “guilty until proven innocent” approach.
When selling apparel with a design or a phrase, you MUST verify the trademark database to ensure that the design is yours and that you have the right to use the design commercially.
You will be banned from Amazon or punished if you utilise the work of others effectively on your POD goods.
Finally, in Amazon’s opinion, you are not permitted to develop designs that include inappropriate content like
- Pornographic image
- Exploitation of children
- Profanity
- Racist or hateful remarks
- Violence-instigating content
As previously stated, Amazon takes copyright infringement seriously, and violating its regulations can lose your print-on-demand company overnight.
What features and functions are available to sellers?
The central aspect of Amazon Mearch On Demand is that Amazon owns it. The platform does not contain or provide any particular features to merchants. Its primary advantage is that you can sell your goods on Amazon with almost minimal effort (except design).
Prime eligibility is the essential service that Amazon provides to its sellers. All Amazon Merch On Demand printed products are listed as prime eligible on Amazon, which has a significant benefit over standard listings (e.g., better search) and ultimately leads to higher sales over time.
As people become increasingly impatient, paying more attention to items not rated as prime may be necessary.
Amazon Merch On Demand, like other print-on-demand platforms, is an excellent source of passive revenue because it doesn’t require any storage and handles fulfilment, shipping, and customer service. It’s a company that you may start with as little as $0.
Does Amazon provide customer support for Amazon Merch on demand sellers and customers?
When discussing POD platform customer care, it’s vital to distinguish between customer service for sellers and customer service for buyers.
Sellers’ customer service: Amazon Merch On Demand offers customer service to sellers. They don’t have a phone number to call, which usually answers problems much faster, but you may email them or submit your queries online using the dedicated form.
Amazon Merch also features a comprehensive FAQ area where you may get solutions to your questions. There are also specific communities and a forum where you can ask questions.
Buyers’ customer service: Amazon is in charge of customer service for your buyers. They have all the required information to reply to client inquiries because they are in order of fulfilment, production, and shipping.
Remember that it makes no difference to the buyer whether the shirt is produced and sold through Merch by Amazon or by H&M on Amazon. If they have any questions, they contact Amazon as they would with any other order.
What is the experience of using Amazon merch on demand?
Amazon Merch is unquestionably a 10/10 in terms of customer experience. If we consider the sign-up process part of the user experience, it complicates matters. The application and invitation process takes time, and there are no promises that you will be accepted.
However, once you do, you’ll see how user-friendly and proactive the Merch by Amazon interface is.
The dashboard, which shows how many things you sold and how much money you made, is straightforward to grasp – there are no extra buttons or confusing areas. The Create page is easy to use. You need to upload the design, and Merch by Amazon will provide instructions and tools to help you create it.
If you’re searching for a print-on-demand partner that’s simple to use and you’re not in a hurry to start your shop, Merch by Amazon should be on your shortlist.
What makes Amazon Merch a potential business opportunity?
You might believe that Amazon Merch is only open for those with artistic abilities, but nothing could be more the reality. Even non-creatives may start working on distinctive product designs using graphic design services like Canva and Stencil. These tools make it simple to create digital graphics; the most significant thing is that they are entirely free to use.
You may also purchase the Pro editions of these platforms to access their extensive editing tools and high-quality resources. You can rely on Amazon Merch to provide an extra revenue stream if you have distinctive design concepts that set you apart from the competition.
Another advantage to utilising Amazon Merch is that vendors have no upfront charges. You may freely post your designs without worrying about inventory, printing, or shipping. Amazon pays sellers royalties based on the purchase price of their merchandise.
Amazon Merch’s ease and accessibility make it an excellent alternative for people who wish to share their creative ideas while also making money.
How to promote your Amazon store merch?
When the products go online, the real work begins. Yes, Amazon is the largest and most popular eCommerce store, but it doesn’t guarantee you sales. A promotion plan is required to succeed with Merch by Amazon.
Promoting your Merch by Amazon stores or products is the same as promoting other companies. You’ll need a solid social media presence, and because you can only sell items through Amazon Merch On Demand, we recommend concentrating on Instagram and TikTok.
Merch by Amazon advertising, essentially Amazon advertising, is the central feature of promoting your MBA business. The former charges vendors only when customers click on advertisements, operating on the same idea as Google’s pay-per-click advertisements.
After your Merch by Amazon store is up and running, consider leveraging Amazon advertising to make your goods stand out in search results. It will increase visitors to your shop and increase revenue.
In addition to Merch by Amazon advertising, you may advertise your business using the following methods:
- Join Facebook groups where your target audience will likely be found and promote your Merch by Amazon business.
- Twitch is a great place to stream and market your items. If you have yet to learn what Twitch is, your target market is likely not there.
- Influencer marketing is the way to go! Appear in one of those “Amazon haul” videos or postings.
Once your items are out, have creative brainstorming sessions to develop a winning approach for promoting your Merch by Amazon business.
Conclusion
Although we appreciate Merch by Amazon’s simple and cost-effective approach to the print-on-demand business, we are still determining if it is the optimal choice, as other services are available.
Though Amazon Merch gives customers more visibility and the option to sit back and relax, this hands-off approach does not provide consumers sufficient control over their items or finances. Not to add, there is no certainty that consumers will be able to utilise Merch by Amazon owing to the application procedure!
Overall, Merch by Amazon is a vital Amazon print-on-demand service that would be an excellent side hustle to others for entrepreneurs who sell items on a variety of different websites. Still, it should be someone other than your sole POD platform owing to the low royalty payouts.
You may enhance your income by selling on various print-on-demand platforms. It is what the most successful merchants on these platforms do to maintain constant sales.
Read more
Frequently Asked Questions
How Amazon merch on demand works?
The procedure is straightforward. Amazon Merch operates in the following manner:
- Create your artwork or design.
- Upload your design to Merch by Amazon and choose the products for which you want to print your design.
- Set the price and press the ‘publish’ button to make it public.
- Amazon prints, delivers and manages the items’ inventory as they sell.
- After the sale, get your royalties.
Who should make use of Amazon merch?
The benefit of Amazon Merch over other kinds of retailing is that its barriers to entry are now minimal.
The setup is simple and free of charge. Merch by Amazon might help you if you are an artist or a graphic designer with unique ideas.
The main disadvantage is that the site is only accessible by invitation. You can, however, lead people to your things with unique content and a solid social media presence.
It is an excellent alternative for merchants because Amazon handles production, shipping, and customer service. As a result, you remove inventory risk. You don’t have to be concerned about out-of-stock situations, customer service, or quality assurance. Amazon handles all these details from start to finish, so you have fewer problems.
You determine the prices for your goods using Merch by Amazon, which affects your royalty revenue.
Is Amazon merch on demand free?
Indeed, there are no hidden expenses or additional fees involved. Amazon will pay you royalties for each sale of your product or items.
However, you may need to invest in paid promotions to increase the visibility of your items and drive sales.
Can we sell on Amazon merch from India?
Although Amazon Merch can be sold in India, it is possible that your specific merchandise may not be available for sale in the country, as Amazon only makes your goods available in regions where Amazon Merch is accessible.
Amazon only makes your goods available for sale in countries where Amazon Merch is available, such as the United States and Europe. While Amazon Merch has yet to expand globally, there are still loopholes that allow merchants from around the world to use the service.
What are the alternatives for Amazon merch on demand in India?
Since Amazon Merch On Demand is unavailable in India, you can partner with other print-on-demand suppliers. Here is a list of 10 successful print-on-demand companies to start your online business in India.
What is Amazon merch on demand and how does it empower creativity for profit?
Amazon Merch is an on-demand t-shirt printing service. It enables retailers to develop and list free t-shirt designs on Amazon. There are no out-of-pocket expenses; you are paid royalties when a consumer purchases your shirt.
How can creativity be transformed into earnings using Amazon merch on demand?
You can list your designs on Amazon’s products and promote your listings. When anyone makes a purchase, you receive royalties for every item.
Why is Amazon merch on demand on the world's largest marketplace so advantageous?
Amazon is the world’s largest and most known marketplace for any products. Selling on Amazon gives you access to a worldwide audience. You can also design for any niche and then see what works best for you.
How do I initiate my journey with Amazon merch on demand?
You must create your Amazon Merch on-demand platform account and wait for approval. Once your request is approved, you may start creating your listings. Start promoting your store to generate traffic and sales.
Any inspiring real-life examples of creative individuals benefiting from Amazon merch on demand?
Here is an example of Ryan Hogue, who started his journey with Amazon Print-on-Demand and shared a successful story. Read it here.
With over 6+ years of experience in the industry, Ayushi excels in building strong customer relationships and guiding clients toward growth as a Brand Partnership Manager. She enjoys sharing her experience in her content.
