Over the past few years, more people are beginning to use Amazon and several other e-commerce platforms. This is mainly due to the myriad of advantages offered by the platform. Unfortunately, not everyone has the capital to start an Amazon business , more so considering the additional costs associated with advertising and selling.
However, the good news is that irrespective of the barrier, Amazon offers a better and more profitable option: Merch by Amazon. This option allows sellers to market their goods and sell them with little or no cost and less hassle.
What Is Merch By Amazon?
Merch by Amazon is a print-on-demand printing service or a straightforward way to sell your manufactured products with no upfront costs or any investments. Here, your products or designs are sold as Amazon products and are available to billions of customers globally without any charges or expenditures.
You are probably wondering is Merch by Amazon profitable? As mentioned earlier, it is a print-on-demand service (POD). This implies that the product is only designed and printed when an order is placed. For example, a t-shirt is exclusively designed and printed on when a customer makes an order.
Hence, you don’t have to worry about not selling any of your finished or manufactured products. Most importantly, you are rewarded with royalties. So, the more products you sell, the higher the amount you get as royalties. With the Merch by Amazon scheme, Amazon does the heavy lifting, and you still get to earn.
How Does Merch By Amazon Work?
The process of joining Merch by Amazon is simple and straightforward. To get started, the first step is getting an invitation to join. Once you've been invited, you would then be required to upload your artwork. You also choose a product type with the color and the description of the product. Once Amazon approves your product design, you are free to set your price.
A listing or product page gets created for you, and your products will now be visible when searched for on the Amazon platform. When your product is sold, the printing, shipping, and customer service will be taken care of by Amazon; therefore, you don’t have to worry about any cost. The buyer gets what he or she orders on time, and you, as a seller, get a royalty on the item sold.
Your designs on Merch by Amazon are printed using world-class print technology. You can design your products with any free graphics software like photoshop, canvas, or any other software used for designing. Note that your designs should be created in line with Amazon specifications.
Who Is Eligible For Merch By Amazon?
Amazon’s Merch scheme is superior to most other selling and marketing platforms on Amazon due to its ease of entry. Yes, anyone can apply as a seller on Merch by Amazon. Even You!
You can easily set up an account for free. Also, you don’t have to be an artist or a graphic designer before you can set up an account on the Amazon Merch platform. All you need is a unique, creative, and excellent idea to start up.
You also need a good and active social media to account to enable you to interact with your customers, increase your followership, and convince your followers to get your products.
How To Get Invited To Amazon Merch?
Due to the daily increase in the request to join Amazon Merch, you can join only through the Merch by Amazon’s invitation.
To receive the invitation, you must first request an invite. Log on to the website (merch.amazon.com). Click on the “Request Invitation Form” and fill out the form. You would also need to state the reason why you want to join. Once you’re done filling and submitting the form, you will be put on the waiting list.
It usually takes weeks to months before you get a response; this is because of the high traffic of requests from other sellers and entrepreneurs who also wish to join. Hence, you should know that the openings are limited, and you will get feedback only if there is an offer available for you.
However, while waiting, you can create more unique designs, come up with other creative ideas and, build your social media account. You should also try to publicize your Merch products as much as possible online.
Amazon Merch Dashboard
This is one of the essential tools while using Merch. Your business on Merch Amazon starts right here. Once you’ve gotten your Merch by Amazon approval, you will be sent to your Merch dashboard.
The Merch dashboard is important mainly because this is where you upload your artwork or designs and carry out your product advertising and marketing. You also finalize your sales on your dashboard. You will also find your account status here and a large clickable button that allows you to add products.
Once you are done creating amazing designs to be branded for sale, you can then go on to upload these items to your dashboard to initiate your sales.
After uploading your designs on your dashboard, the next important thing to do is product optimization because it helps for Merch by Amazon research. Your product title, features, and the description will decide whether your product would be easily found when searched.
To ensure that your design is among the top searches, Merch by Amazon keywords are of utmost importance. It will help you find high placed keywords to use for your designs and products. With this, you can place your designs at the top of search results.
However, you should avoid using too many keywords to prevent spamming. This is against Amazon’s policy. You should always start with the main Amazon platform to find the right keywords for your designs.
Creating A Product On Amazon Merch
For you to create or design a product, tap the “Add Button” on your dashboard. This shows you the various types of Merch you can brand with your designs. The next thing to do is to tap on the “Upload Artwork” or “Edit Details.”
If you’re not a professional designer, there are available templates that you can use to achieve your designs on the Amazon platform. You do not have to worry if you face any difficulty in the course of creating a design. Another option is to work with freelance designers to create your design. There are several freelance platforms where you can get good graphic designers to handle your project. Here are some tips to help create amazing designs:
- Always remember to follow Amazon’s Merch specifications when creating your designs. Some of the specifications or their policies include;
- Don't create designs that violate copyrights or trademarks.
- No blank or transparent images
- Do not create immoral or offensive content such as pornographic content. Hence, no objectionable content of any form.
- Ensure that your designs or products are in line with the laws of the country in which your products are being sold.
These are some of the policies you should adhere to when creating your designs or products to receive the Merch by Amazon approval. Your products will be banned when you don’t follow the rules.
How Much Money Can You Make Selling Products On Amazon Merch?
You can make as much money as you want on Amazon Merch. Yes, it is very profitable!
When your design is sold out on Merch by Amazon, you are paid a royalty fee. The rates vary from 13% to 37%, depending on the price of the products. The royalty amount you get is calculated by subtracting Amazon’s cost and other taxes included in the cost.
Amazon's cost includes the materials used, printing, shipping, and customer service. This is to say that you don’t need to do anything other than to create the designs, and Amazon Merch takes care of the rest. And in the end, you still get rewarded. Quite lucrative, right?
Amazon Merch Limitations and Tiers
The primary Amazon Merch restriction is the limited number of designs you can create at a time. You can't create whatever amount of designs you wish to and upload on your dashboard. The platform does not allow that. You create only the amount of designs that tallies with the tier you are in.
The tier could be seen as levels. As a beginner, you will be placed at tier 10. This means that you can create only ten designs and nothing more than that. So, for you to "tier up," ensure you create unique designs and try to sell out your ten designs within a specific period. So, if you’re successful with tier 10, you move up to tier 25, tier 100, then tier 500, and you will be at the pro level just before you know it. Only make sure that your products are being searched and sold out at each tier.
Another limitation is the reviews. It’s mostly hard to do a follow-up on your customers and get a review from them. At times, it takes a long time to get reviews on your designs and products. But recently, Merch by Amazon reviews are done quickly, and you receive it through your email. It takes only a maximum of three to four working days for you to get your reviews.
Merch By Amazon Tips 2020
Now that you’ve gotten familiar with the Amazon Merch and how it works, you need to know some specific tips that can push your designs forward and on the top search.
- Monetize Trends: You should always be on the lookout and know what’s trending on the social media platform. Use it as a basis for your design and capitalize on it. Remember not to violate copyrights.
- Cancel Out Slow Sellers: When any of your designs are not being ordered, you should remove it from your dashboard and place another one.
- Focus On One Particular Niche At A Time: This is very important for beginners. You should focus on creating designs only for a particular group of people at a time.
- Increase Your Followership: This is extremely important. When you’ve targeted your niche, you increase your followership by trying to engage with the audience and sell your products. Note that you should only post content related to what you are selling.
- Publicize your listings.
Final Thoughts
Having gone through this and getting the necessary information on what Merch by Amazon looks like and how it works, you can now move on to apply for it and get the Merch by Amazon approval. Remember to create unique designs coupled with product and listing optimization if you want to make sales.
FAQ
How to Sell T-Shirts on Merch by Amazon?
Amazon Merch has been based only on selling t-shirts, although few other products have been added over the years. Selling t-shirts could be a little bit tasking, but all you have to do is to create excellent and unique designs, and you're on the go.
Is Merch by Amazon Free?
Of course, it is free. Just request the invitation, and once you're in, you create your designs and upload them with no charge.
Is Merch by Amazon Profitable?
Yes, it is. You don't have to pay for anything during the process of producing or shipping your products. Instead, you earn a royalty on every sale you make.
How Much Does Merch by Amazon Costs?
In most cases, it is free. But it could cost a little depending on the pricing. Its price ranges from $2 to $3.
How Do You Get Approved for Merch on Amazon?
Getting Merch by Amazon approval is always challenging. Only make sure you adhere to their policies when creating your designs to avoid being banned.
Is Merch by Amazon Legit?
Yes, it is legit. The only problem you could face times is that your product can easily be knocked off.
