If you’re a beginner and the print on demand business seems like know-how, and the technical side is fearsome, then you need help selling merch. Even with an omnichannel strategy, the experience of integration with different sites will be different. For an entrepreneur working in such a specific industry, it’s essential to conduct targeted effective trading on large platforms and use less popular ones as additional income. Since more than 200 million people visit Amazon every month, it’s easier here to start your journey in promotion, primarily by selling “evergreen” products – T-shirts.
In one of our articles, we described trending goods using science and facts. It turned out that T-shirts have not lost their popularity since 2004 and have remained a commercial product for decades! All that remains for an entrepreneur is creating a specific ideal design, controlling the supplier's order's fulfillment, and transporting it to the client. These processes involve many additional actions, e.g., creating an invoice, mailing, customer management, etc. It’s possible to ease the tasks if you utilize print on demand services that automate the stages from creation to sale. Promoting print on demand on Amazon.com largely depends on knowing the platform specifics. So, in the fall of 2015, the site launched its innovative service – selling Merch By Amazon (MBA), which radically changed the principles of dropshipping. It’s designed to help entrepreneurs generate income through the POD items selling, based on the product's purchase price minus platform costs and taxes. But you can sell print on demand with Amazon Merch if you have an invitation. Read this ultimate guide about how to get it, what are the copyright and content policies, and how to sell your merchandise.
A step-by-step guide on selling POD merch on Amazon
The giant Amazon company initially implemented a trading system in the U.S. Soon, in 2018, doing business became possible in Europe. Let's talk about why such an integration is beneficial for entrepreneurs.
Benefits of implementing Amazon service merch for print on demand
- Depending on Amazon print on demand pricing, you will earn income in the form of sales royalties. It’s also affected by the costs of materials, manufacturing, packaging, shipping, returns handling, customer support, and service.
- The royalties calculation of printing on demand on Amazon differs depending on your location. E.g., in Europe, the value in the catalogs includes taxes (you can find them on the product details page).
- To launch a print on demand brand you’d think about attracting potential customers. You’d play with the interests of users while converting popular designs into products that they like.
- Merch by Amazon for print on demand products allows doing business worldwide without worrying about details. You’re developing your brand outside the game.
Due to the high demand for commercial spots that the company introduced after the launch of the experimental MBA, it was decided to submit an invitation system. Please, read about how to sell prints on demand on Amazon further.
Useful Tips for a Small Business: How to Lower Shipping Costs
1. Apply to Merch by Amazon
To start selling, please log into your account or register on the marketplace. Provide the data about your personality and brand:
- Contact information;
- Bank account number;
- Routing numbers;
- Tax identifications or Social Security number (SSN).
Turn on two-factor authentication to keep your profile safe: enter the phone number and the code you’ll receive.
Now it’s time to create your application. You’d complete three pages of personal and corporate data. In the section “Industry type,” explain what kind of business you run. And even if you’re a beginner and don’t have a company, this is not a reason to be upset because you can report it. In “Organization name,” you can also enter your name if there’s no for the brand. In “Additional information,” you have to explain your print on demand Amazon goals clearly. That's where you present yourself as a candidate, so try to make your letter exciting and sincere. Being a newcomer here also doesn’t mean that you won’t be accepted.
You can report on the experience of selling your products: e.g., it’d be nice to show your portfolio or other sites where you presented your goods.
Merch by Amazon will contact you only once: you’ll be informed about it when you’re allowed to start selling. If your application is rejected, you shouldn't confuse the support team with messages or repeated applications. It’s better to think about what mistakes you made and how to improve your experience so that the result is successful next time.
2. Analyze copyright and content policies
Any content, including print on demand publishing on Amazon, must comply with the copyright policy. E.g., consider the non-obvious rule of thumb against including trademarks in your designs. The best way to find out if any element of the picture is a part of the brand is to check it with the countries' authorities in which you intend to sell.
Profanity, pornography, racism, human rights disregard, intolerance, propaganda of violence, demonstration of human tragedies and Nazi symbols, etc., will be the reason for the punishment of Amazon print-on-demand publishers.
Note that you need to adhere to the rules related to product categories, some of which you cannot represent to an audience of children or teenagers. It’s also worth considering the laws of some countries on the products sale: e.g., in the U.K., you’ll be prohibited from selling a T-shirt with demonstrating a mental illness or a disability.
In general, to effectively sell any goods and not violate the policies of the website and countries, we advise you to familiarize yourself with the rules for placing your printing on demand on Amazon here.
