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If you have always dreamt of running a small design business from home, Amazon has made it easier than ever. With Merch by Amazon, all you need is a computer with an internet connection and your own creativity to launch a thriving web-to-print brand.
But how easy is it really to flourish there? And are there other options that might be a better starting point for your small brand?
What is Merch by Amazon?
It is a print-on-demand marketplace that was launched in 2015. It allows sellers to upload original designs and sell them on t-shirts, hoodies, pullovers, throw pillows, pop sockets, bags, furnishings, and more using its online design tool.
The main USP of Merch by Amazon is the freedom from upfront costs. Amazon only prints and ships a piece after an order has been placed, and gives the seller a portion of each sale as royalty. So effectively, sellers can upload and list their unique merchandise for free.
Plus, Amazon creates a product page on its official site and when customers place an order, the tech giant handles production, shipping, and customer service without any upfront costs.
How does Merch by Amazon work?
Sellers need to apply to be accepted into Merch by Amazon. But it is a very simple process. Simply log into your Amazon Sellers account and fill out the form to request an invite. Amazon will usually get back to you within a few weeks about whether you have been invited to join.
After that, you will be required to enter tax details as well as a bank account that accepts ACH deposits, along with authentic business information to verify that you are legally permitted to sell. Then, submit the application and wait for your acceptance. This can take up to six months.
Once you have been accepted, you can upload your designs to your storefront and categorize them by color, gender, pattern, size and so on. You can use any design software of your choice to create your design, such as Pixlr or Adobe Photoshop.
Make sure all your designs adhere to Amazon’s content policy, including 100% original content and no offensive/controversial material. Also, use the Amazon Merch dashboard to enter a relevant product description and care details for your buyer’s reference.
When you start out, you get 10 design slots. After you have sold 10 or more products, you will be placed on the tier system by which you can get more slots all the way to a maximum of 8000.
When someone buys a product from you, Amazon manufactures it to order and ships it out. You get a percentage of the sale amount as royalty. How much royalty you get depends on the price of the product as well as the shipping and processing costs in any territory.
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What are the pros of Merch by Amazon?
As you can imagine, Merch by Amazon comes with several perks for the aspiring entrepreneur looking to set up a business without too much investment:
1. Simple sales model
With Merch by Amazon, you do not need to worry that much about sales cycles and winning the customer over. All you need to do is upload designs to the storefront and piggyback off the Amazon name to generate organic sales.
2. No inventory hassles
Since Merch by Amazon manufactures each order only after it is placed, you do not need to worry about piles of inventory sitting unsold in your warehouse. Since the print products ordered are customized via the web to print online designer, it is better that way.
3. Leverage manufacturing expertise
Instead of worrying about finding reliable print vendors, you can rely on Amazon’s manufacturing expertise to produce top-notch items for your store. It has a reputation to protect. So naturally, the print quality will be top-notch.
4. No shipping hassles
All orders placed through your Merch by Amazon storefront are processed, packed, shipped and delivered by Amazon itself. You do not need to chase down shipping vendors or worry about logistics. What you should concern yourself with is having a stellar product catalog
5. Incentives for being prolific
Merch by Amazon has a tiered structure that lets you submit up to 8000 designs. The more creative you are, the more money you can make.
6. Promotional assistance
Merch by Amazon allows select sellers to participate in its advertising, which allows products to reach a wider audience.
What are the Cons of Merch by Amazon?
However, at the same time, there are a few downsides to joining.
1. Limited product variety
There are only a limited number of products that Merch by Amazon lets you sell. You cannot, for instance, offer mugs or other types of kitchenware
2. No quality control
Since Amazon handles all the manufacturing and shipping, you do not have any say in the quality of how your final product turns out. That solely depends on Amazon.
3. No pricing control
Amazon has its own fixed price ranges for each product. Sellers cannot go below this, or even above it for premium designs. This also curtails the amount of royalty a seller can make per product. You are, unfortunately, stuck with Amazon’s pricing structure.
Suggestions for starting an Amazon merchandise business
While Merch by Amazon will give you a low-cost and convenient launchpad, how far you can grow your business depends largely on you. We recommend the following best practices when running your web-to-print business to maximize your chances:
1. Know what you are good at
You will only have a few design slots when you start out, so choose options that you are confident about. For instance, you can focus on just t-shirts to start with, rather than t-shirts and hoodies and sweatshirts all at once.
2. Create a niche
Given how easy it is to set up a web-to-print business, you will need a clear niche to stand out from the crowd. So for instance, if you are selling Marvel character themed mugs, rather than just replicating the comic book version you can focus on a unique type of design, such as chiaroscuro or cubism
3. Keep experimenting
Keep an eye on what designs are not doing well and switch things up accordingly. So if your long-sleeved hoodies are not selling, for instance, add a new style or expand the range of design choices. Spoil your end customers for choice.
4. Do your own promotion
Keep boosting your store on your social media channels and among your personal connections. Have an active online presence and run strategic discount promotions so that buyers are tempted to visit your Merch by Amazon page
Who should start a Merch by Amazon Print on Demand business?
Anyone who is new to the web-to-print game but wants to sell without fretting over the nitty-gritties should go for this option. You will have the backing of Amazon. And when you feel you have learned the ropes of the trade, driven sales and want to expand, start your full-fledged web-to-print business.
You can always rely on Design’N’Buy’s web2print software.
What is Printful? How does it work?
Printful is another print-on-demand service, but one that requires a little more effort from the seller’s side. Printful will print your designs on a range of products and send them to you, but only after you have located customers and collected money from them.
Printful also connects your storefront to marketplaces like Etsy and eBay, so that you can sell on them. When you start out with Printful, you link your online store to their storefront, where you use their mock-up creator to design products as you like.
You can stock as many products as you wish — signing up and product design are both free. Printful will only print and ship an order once it has been confirmed. You can also set the price as you like to optimize your profit.
Bear in mind that Printful will charge fees for order fulfillment and processing. Essentially, Printful offers a high-quality printing and dropship option for designers looking to have a little more range in their products. From wall art to t-shirts to mugs, there is much that can be done.
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Why go for Printful?
While Merch by Amazon is a great option for new designers, there are a few advantages that Printful has over it:
1. Ease of business
Just like Merch by Amazon, Printful takes the headache of printing and order fulfillment off your shoulders. You can focus on creative design and rest easy that an expert will execute the printing as and when you need it.
2. Pricing
You set the price for your product after accommodating the fulfillment costs, which means you can charge a premium for special designs. On the other hand, Merch by Amazon has specific price ranges within which you have to price your product.
3. Order fulfillment
Just like Merch by Amazon, Printful will print your products only after they have been customized via the online graphics designer, confirmed and paid for. So, you do not have to worry about printing beforehand.
4. Integration
Printful integrates with a large variety of online stores such as Weebly, BigCommerce, Magento, Shopify, Amazon, eBay and more. However, Merch by Amazon only lets you sell on Amazon.
5. Customer service
Printful is known for its great customer service and communication. They will send you emails if and when your products run out of stock and keep you informed on the fulfillment status of each order. They are with you every step of the way.
6. Print quality
Printful offers top-notch product quality whether you are designing t-shirts, mugs, caps, wall art or bags. Merch by Amazon also offers good quality, but the range of products is much smaller.
Over To You
In short, both Merch by Amazon and Printful have their benefits and drawbacks for the aspiring designer looking to start a print-on-demand online design store.
Evaluate both in the light of your priorities, read up on client reviews and make an informed decision. Most of all, have fun designing. Good luck!
Get in touch with us and we will fix you with a robust online designer tool which will help you drive higher sales, keep customers happy and thrive as a credible name in the market.
FAQ
Most frequent questions and answers
Yes, it is — provided you are just starting out. However, if you want to scale up and keep earning profits in the long run, it is best to switch avenues or deploy your own web-to-print solution, which will give you the authority to run your print business how you like it.
It is easy. You choose the products you want to sell from the catalog, design and upload print-ready templates, decide your profit margins, market as much as you possibly can, and wait for orders to be placed. Printful will take care of
Start selling on Merch by Amazon. Once Amazon accepts your application to sell, you can upload your designs to your storefront and categorize them by color, gender, pattern, size, and so on. When someone buys a product from you, Amazon manufactures it to order and ships it out. You get a percentage of the sale amount as royalty.
No, you do not need to have a business license to sell products on Amazon. But you do need to provide tax details and a bank account that accepts ACH deposits, along with authentic business information to verify that you are legally permitted to sell. If Amazon accepts your application, you can start selling on Merch by Amazon.
Anyone who is new to the web-to-print game but wants to sell without fretting over the nitty-gritties should go for Amazon or Printful. However, if you are ready to run your printing business independently, look no further and set up your own web-to-print storefront with a leading web-to-print software provider like Design’N’Buy.
