Does Amazon Print On Demand?
If you have some graphic design skills and creativity, print on demand may be the way to let your imagination run wild and monetize it. Today, we’ ll tell you how it works and how “Merch by Amazon” can become your best sales channel. Let’s zoom in on Amazon print on demand!
What is Amazon print on demand?
Print on demand is the production of very small quantities of customized items. It is most often about :
- Mugs;
- T-shirts;
- Posters;
- Or even phone covers.
Thanks to this model, the seller offers certain products to consumers, whose production will only start once the purchase is made. The order is then transmitted to a producer who is generally both the supplier of the material to be printed and the printer of the requested design.
The manufacturer then manages the logistics and sends the order directly to the end customer. Print on demand is one of the aspects of dropshipping. Are you wondering what the advantage of POD is over traditional dropshipping? The ability to customize your products to stand out from the competition with your own designs.
For the salesman, no stock to manage! His role is mainly limited to the commercial part:
- Design proposition ;
- Preparation of product sheets;
- Marketing of his references;
- Etc.
In most cases, he is also in charge of placing orders with the manufacturer.
But when this small logistic chain is perfectly optimized, the seller doesn’t even have to place an order to the supplier, because it is automatically transmitted to him for processing.
So what do we mean when we talk about print on demand on Amazon? It’s the fact that you do this activity through your seller account on the Amazon website.
You create your product listings on this marketplace. Customers then come to shop among your references, as long as you have made sure that you are well visible.
And yes, many dropshippers use this channel! You will have to use the features proposed by Amazon if you want to stand out from the crowd. These are additional costs, but they are essential to your success.
This diagram will help you to see it more clearly.
Some print-on-demand companies have developed solutions that allow them to be directly linked to your Amazon seller account. Thus, they no longer have to manage the placing of orders with these suppliers. Requests are automatically sent to them for printing and shipping.
Good to know: Amazon offers a service that can be very useful for any author who wants to self-publish his or her book. It is called Amazon KDP. With this solution, you will be able to sell your writings in both digital and paper format. By subscribing to this offer, you entrust Amazon with the task of distributing your work.
How to apply for Amazon print on demand?
There are several solutions available to you. You can use a complete POD service offered by Amazon. Or you can manage only the marketing via this marketplace, and have your items produced and sent elsewhere. Let’s see in more detail how to proceed.
Use the "Merch by Amazon" service
Merch By Amazon is a print-on-demand service. Here you can distribute and sell designs that are then printed on media. In this case, once your customer’s order is validated, Amazon will print the image on the media and send it to the buyer. The transaction is entirely managed by the platform, from the payment collection to the shipping of the package. You then receive the royalties earned.
Depending on the Amazon platform on which you market your products, you may or may not be able to reach certain markets. For example, from the Amazon.com site, only the American market is accessible. On local platforms, you can sell your products in the UK, Germany, France or Italy.
When you do Amazon print on demand via Merch, the platform takes care of
- Outsourcing the printing media;
- Printing your graphics on them;
- And shipping the items to the end customer.
Registration on Merch by Amazon is not immediate. It is subject to prior validation by the platform. Not all seller accounts are accepted. Once the registration to the service is finished, limitations exist for new sellers. Thus, there is a ranking system that limits you to a certain number of logos that can be displayed on Amazon daily. It is your sales that allow you to move from one level to another and to increase the number of designs you can submit.
When you upload your designs to Merch by Amazon, they may have a limited life span. Indeed, those that have not received at least one order within 365 days of their deposit are simply deleted from the platform.
Go through a third-party e-commerce site
You can sell your print on demand products on Amazon without going through Merch. How do you do this? By offering your items on your Amazon seller account while placing orders with a POD service provider external to the merchant site.
Keep in mind that in this case, you will have to create a professional seller account on Amazon. Monthly fees are then applied, via a subscription of 39 $ HT/month.
There are a few steps to take:
- Create a professional seller account on Amazon in order to access all the features that allow you to sell your items;
- Create your account with the POD supplier(s) of your choice;
- Create your logos/designs and choose the supports on which to attach them;
- List the items on Amazon and manage the marketing aspects;
- Process customer requests along with production launch and shipping.
A few precautions should be taken to avoid disputes with your customers, or some financial disappointments:
- Pay attention to the quality of the support and the printing. To do this, order samples. This is the best way to ensure that the production is up to your expectations;
- Offer a variety of materials to trigger impulse purchases or additional sales;
- Make sure suppliers are reliable, especially in terms of delivery times. Check their customer ratings;
- Check that there is sufficient integration between your POD supplier and your sales channel, whether it is your website or the marketplace you have chosen. You will save precious time by transmitting orders directly from the supplier to the marketplace;
- Calculate your margins and control your costs (production costs, marketing costs, etc.). This will allow you to set a coherent selling price, even if it may be strongly affected by your competition.
In this article, we only talk about Amazon print on demand. Of course, you can also market your references via your own website. Some CMS are directly linked to sites specialized in print-on-demand such as Printful.
Among the best known are:
- Prestashop ;
- Woocommerce ;
- Shopify;
- Or Magento.
How to use the Merch by Amazon service? The example of a t-shirt for your Amazon print on demand
It’s ready, you’ve decided to start using Merch by Amazon to print on demand. Here’s how to manage your start.
1. Define your sales strategy
At this stage, you need to:
- Determine what you want to sell;
- Determine your target market;
- Define your price;
- Determine the necessary means of communication.
It can be useful to look at your competitors’ offerings in order to properly position your offerings. What are they selling? At what price? Are they using marketing solutions?
2. Register on Amazon
Nothing complicated here. There is no fee to join Merch by Amazon. You just need to make an “invitation request” on the site. Once this is done, you fill in your company information (your profile) and provide your bank information to receive your payments.
The delays can be quite variable, and sometimes long…
3. Send the flocking design and wait for Amazon's acceptance
Upload your artwork to the platform, then you can transfer it to the chosen media. All you have to do is wait patiently for Amazon to validate your design.
4. Choose the "t-shirt" support
You can then move on to the stage of making your finished product. You must choose a model of t-shirt and a color. You then add the description of the product. Amazon takes care of setting up a product page.
5. Set a selling price
In principle, you already have a fairly accurate idea of the price of the t-shirt you want to sell, since you have already done a mini study of your market. Competition is tough on Amazon, your pricing policy may be strongly influenced by other sellers.
6. Shipping with Amazon: the FBA service
When customers buy your product on Amazon, the site handles production, shipping and customer service at no extra cost.
How To Start A Print On Demand Business With No Money
If you have some graphic design skills and creativity, print on demand may be the way to let your imagination run wild and monetize it. Today, we’ ll tell you how it works and how “Merch by Amazon” can become your best sales channel. Let’s zoom in on Amazon print on demand! Click here to start selling online …
Pros and Cons of Using Amazon for your POD
If you have some graphic design skills and creativity, print on demand may be the way to let your imagination run wild and monetize it. Today, we’ ll tell you how it works and how “Merch by Amazon” can become your best sales channel. Let’s zoom in on Amazon print on demand! Click here to start selling online …