A Guide to Merch by Amazon
Merch by Amazon is a relatively new feature that has gained attention rapidly. This print-on-demand service by Amazon caters to designers, artists, and any creative individuals who want to monetize from their original creations. With Merch by Amazon, sellers can upload any original design to be printed and sold through Amazon.com.
Merch by Amazon is designed to compete with other print-on-demand services like Zazzle and CafePress, which provide artists with the opportunity to make money by simply uploading their designs to the platform to be printed on shirts, hats, bags, and other apparel items. Merch by Amazon is a new development, but it has already proved to pose a major threat to the other available platforms when it comes to print-on-demand services.
Clearly, Amazon is set to become a leader in print-on-demand services by simplifying the process for designers and allowing users to conveniently sell via Amazon.com, rather than launching a brand new line of apparel that may or may not sell successfully. However, as a new feature, Merch does have its negative aspects as well.
Pros and Cons of Merch by Amazon
Here are a few of the pros of Merch by Amazon for designers who want to turn their creative visions into profit:
- Merch by Amazon provides T-shirt templates that may be downloaded for Photoshop, Illustrator and GIMP
Merch by Amazon T-Shirt Template
- Instead of branding and marketing a new, unknown clothing line, Merch allows designers to utilize the Amazon.com brand name to sell their items
- Amazon prints, packs and ships every item, drastically reducing the cost of production
- Low risk of wasted inventory with a service that prints products only when they are ordered
- Merch designs are listed on standard Amazon pages
- Amazon Prime members receive the same shipping perks and other benefits for Merch items as they do for regular marketplace products
- Opportunity for growth – designers who sell more t-shirts will enjoy a higher percentage of profit than low volume sellers
Here are a few of the negative aspects of Merch by Amazon for artists and designers to consider:
- Merch has become so popular since its launch that the service is currently listed as invitation-only, though users do have the option to request an invitation from Amazon
- Designs can only be printed on two different t-shirt styles (this is likely to expand in the near future)
- High risk of intellectual property violations, with artists unknowingly or carelessly using images, phrases or other content to which they do not own the rights
- Lack of brand identity – this may be a double-edged sword. Using Amazon.com as your vehicle for sales gives designers access to a massive global client base, but under the guise of Amazon, customers won’t know (or care) who designed their new favorite t-shirt
With more designers requesting to sell with Merch every day, the approval time is increasing daily. So if you are thinking about selling your creations through Merch by Amazon, it’s a good idea to start now.