Editor’s note: This article was first published in November 2017; it describes Merch by Amazon as it then was (invitation only), and the programme’s terms and the services and prices mentioned have probably changed. The Catalonia conflict it refers to is that of autumn 2017.
We’ve published dozens of stories of entrepreneurs who have made large amounts of money selling T-shirts. For some reason, T-shirts are a very profitable business. Why? I suppose people like buying T-shirts.
And today, thanks to the Merch by Amazon programme, this business is easier to get off the ground than ever.
You simply upload your artwork, choose the type and colour of T-shirt, set the price and add a product description. When customers buy your product, Amazon takes care of production, shipping and customer service. And all of this with no upfront costs.
Does this mean we’re all going to get rich selling T-shirts on Amazon?
Sadly, no. It’s a business, and as in any business, a good product or a good price doesn’t always work. There’s a lot of competition, and only those who do their homework properly and take the process seriously (studying everything they need, learning and failing) will stand out from the thousands of people trying the same thing as you.
How do you start your own T-shirt business on Amazon?
We’re going to try to explain the moves needed to build a business around this industry, but remember that, just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, the process won’t be easy and it certainly won’t be quick. If you’re looking for ways to make quick or one-off money online from the comfort of your home, there are other ways we’ve already explained.
To avoid disappointment: we’re not talking about a get-rich-quick scheme, but about building a solid brand that could be the start of a great business and a good stream of passive income. But I insist: the financial risk is practically zero, while succeeding will be hard work.
Why choose Merch by Amazon?
There are other services you can use for the same purpose, such as Printful or Print Aura. In each country you’ll find other ways to start a T-shirt business without having to invest, but given the market Amazon has already opened up and the millions of users who visit the site every day, it’s undoubtedly the best option.
See also: If you sell products online, a simple trick for taking professional photos of them
The business was so successful that Merch by Amazon was swamped by entrepreneurs looking for that quick way to make money. Not all of them were able to build a solid brand, and let’s just say Amazon had to rein in this entrepreneurial rush.
Now you can only get into Merch by Amazon by invitation. In fact, you have to fill in an application as if it were a job interview, telling them about your previous experience or your project. In other words, Amazon wants to see that you’re not just looking for a way to make lots of money at any cost, but that you’re going to add value for the customer as a business owner.
Some applications are accepted quickly and others take several months. Some are never accepted.
One of the problems Amazon ran into was that many of the people who started using the service were sending in drawings or images to print on the T-shirts that were protected by copyright.
So one way to speed up your invitation to the service is to show that you add value, for example because you work with your own designers, or to make it very clear why your T-shirts will sell on the platform ahead of others. As you can see, this is a business idea that competes against other brands, as in any industry, sector or business.
And obviously, Amazon will give priority to entrepreneurs who already sell clothing or sell their own brand on the platform.
In fact, you can also start your own clothing or T-shirt business through Amazon’s traditional route, although in that case we’d be talking about becoming a fully fledged business owner in the clothing world.
See also: With this business idea you can make money using AliExpress
First of all, which niche do you want to focus on?
If we’re talking about a brand, you need to be clear whether you want to succeed selling sports T-shirts or casual or urban streetwear. We’re in the age of specialisation, and these days Amazon wants to place you in one spot, not in many.
Without further ado…
What steps should you follow to start your own T-shirt business on Merch by Amazon?
- First of all, ideally you should buy your own domain to give your brand credibility. A domain costs around €10 a year.
- Sign up for Shopify (with the 14-day free trial, if you like), and design your own template or use one of their ready-made ones.
- Connect Shopify to print-on-demand (POD) services such as Teelaunch, Printful or similar.
- Upload designs you already have ready.
- Sign up for a seller account on Amazon. If you expect to sell little, get an individual account; if you expect to sell a lot, get a professional account, which does have a monthly fee. Well… if you think you’re going to sell little, my real advice is to sit tight and do something else.
- Register your brand with Amazon and complete the procedures they ask for.
Remember that even if you do all this perfectly, products don’t sell themselves, so you’ll have to do your own marketing and make them known.
See also: 41 profitable businesses you can start without much difficulty
Research, research and research
That’s all there is to it. Bear in mind that if it were easy, we’d all be rich from selling on Amazon; only those who put together a solid strategy and do the necessary research end up competing with each other for this market.
Validate your idea and try to find untapped niches or trends that aren’t already saturated with T-shirts.
To make a lot of money selling T-shirts, you need to make a lot of sales, so you’ll need lots of designs.
The advice most entrepreneurs who have succeeded in this sector give is not to be afraid to experiment with prices. It depends on quality, trust and competition. That’s why some T-shirts sell for €30 and others can’t be sold for €2.
Of course, if you keep an eye on current trends and you’re quick, you’ll speed up the process. For example, with the conflict in Catalonia, many entrepreneurs have made a lot of money selling T-shirts related to the issue: some more serious and others more humorous. On other occasions, after a disaster, though it’s ugly to say, some entrepreneurs take the opportunity to make money selling T-shirts related to the event in question. As we said at the beginning, people like buying T-shirts.
Additional tips
Along the way, to work more professionally, ideally you should connect your Shopify account to Amazon by adding a sales channel. For this, of course, you need a professional Amazon seller account, and this is where you can customise shipping costs, offer discount coupons, run promotions and so on.
Some entrepreneurs have hired professionals on Fiverr to create designs for them for €5; others have talked to Instagram influencers to get them to take a photo wearing the T-shirt they sell. Everyone has to find their own marketing channel and promote the product.
But you’ll need patience and persistence. Nobody is going to spare you the hard work and the hours. So if you’re looking for a way to make easy, quick money, this isn’t your business model.
See also: How to find a profitable product to sell
Featured image: Lexi Houser, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
