Stavrina Asteriou
The global t-shirt market is huge, and Amazon is a great place to sell custom t-shirts, with its vast customer base and worldwide shipping. To add a custom t-shirt to Amazon, you'll need to set up an Amazon seller account and choose a selling plan. You can then select a t-shirt printing provider, such as Amazon Merch on Demand, Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), or a print-on-demand company like Printful. Next, design your t-shirt, taking inspiration from your niche market, and create compelling product photos. Finally, set a competitive price and promote your listing with SEO-optimised descriptions and social media marketing.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Register | An Amazon seller account is required. |
| Connect | Use a print-on-demand provider such as Printify, Amazon Merch on Demand, or Fulfillment by Amazon. |
| Design | Use design software to create your t-shirt design. |
| Prepare | Create product listings and a storefront. |
| Market | Use SEO, social media, and affiliate marketing to promote your products. |
What You'll Learn
Register an Amazon seller account
To register an Amazon seller account, you must first ensure you meet the following requirements:
- Reside in one of the eligible countries
- Have an Amazon customer account or a business email
- Have an international credit card
- Possess government-issued identification
- Have a bank account to receive royalties
Once you have confirmed that you meet these criteria, you can proceed to create your seller account. Visit the seller's website and provide the necessary details, such as your name, contact information, and other required information.
When registering, you will need to choose between an individual and a professional account. An individual account is suitable if you plan to sell fewer than 40 t-shirts per month, while a professional account is more cost-effective if you intend to sell over 40 t-shirts monthly. The individual account charges $0.99 per item sold, while the professional account costs a flat rate of $39.99 per month, with no additional fees per item.
Additionally, you can choose to open an Amazon Merch on Demand (MBA) account if you plan to focus exclusively on sourcing t-shirts. With an MBA account, you can take advantage of the platform's print-on-demand service, where you can upload your designs, and Amazon will handle the logistics of printing, packing, and shipping.
The registration process for a business seller account is straightforward and typically takes one to two weeks for approval. During this time, you can start designing your t-shirts and creating a logo that adheres to Amazon's requirements. Remember to familiarize yourself with the MBA content policies to ensure your designs comply with their guidelines.
Once your account is approved, you can start listing your custom t-shirts on Amazon and reaching out to potential customers.
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Pick a t-shirt fulfilment provider
Picking a t-shirt fulfilment provider is an important step in the process of selling custom t-shirts on Amazon. Here are some options for t-shirt fulfilment providers, along with some details about each:
Amazon Merch on Demand
Amazon offers its own fulfilment service, Merch on Demand. This service allows you to upload your artwork, set a listing price, and let Amazon handle the printing, packing, and shipping of products. You will earn royalties on every product sold. To get started with this option, you need to submit business registration, tax, and bank account information, and wait for Amazon's approval. With Amazon Merch on Demand, you don't need to choose a selling plan, but you also don't have your own storefront or interact with customers directly.
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)
Another option is Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). With FBA, you send your t-shirts and other products to Amazon, and they will store your inventory, pack your orders, and ship them to your customers. FBA charges fulfilment and storage fees, which depend on your item sizes and inventory volume.
Printful
Printful is a print-on-demand company that supplies online store owners with custom clothing. You can choose to have your designs printed or embroidered onto t-shirts, and Printful will then pack and ship the orders to your customers. Printful offers on-demand printing, so you don't need to pay any upfront fees for inventory, and there are no order minimums.
Printify
Printify is another print-on-demand fulfilment company that works with various printing partners worldwide. They offer competitive prices and a broad range of products and providers. Printify acts as the "backend" for your store, handling printing, packing, and shipping. They offer integrations with major platforms like Shopify, Etsy, Amazon, and more.
Gelato
Gelato is a print-on-demand company that started with paper-based products like posters and cards but has since expanded to offer a range of apparel and merchandise. They have easy-to-set-up integrations with major platforms and offer fast turnaround times. However, Gelato outsources printing to various providers, which can lead to inconsistencies in product quality.
When choosing a t-shirt fulfilment provider, consider factors such as pricing, integration options, turnaround time, product quality, and additional services offered. Compare the features and benefits of each provider to determine which one best suits your needs and business model.
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Design your t-shirt
Now for the fun part—designing your t-shirt! This is possibly the most creative stage of the process. To find your t-shirt design ideas, use your niche as inspiration. For example, if you love exercising, you could design some motivational t-shirts for fitness enthusiasts.
- Inside jokes and niche-related puns
- Animal-themed designs
- Vintage visuals (from Art Deco to Disco)
- Holiday-edition designs
If you're still unsure about what your t-shirt should look like, you can find plenty of inspiration online.
Once you have a design in mind, it's time to create it. You can use free or paid design software to bring your vision to life. Canva is a great option, as it allows you to set the right resolution and file size, and format your design according to the requirements of your chosen print-on-demand service.
After you've created your design, you can upload it to your chosen print-on-demand platform, such as Printify or Amazon Merch on Demand. These platforms will allow you to adjust your design, select a t-shirt style, and finalise your product before publishing it to your online store.
Remember to review Amazon's content policies to ensure your design complies with their guidelines. Taking the time to perfect your design will help you create a compelling product that stands out in the competitive t-shirt market on Amazon.
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Prepare your product listings and storefront
Now that you've designed your custom t-shirts, it's time to prepare your product listings and make them available on your storefront.
An Amazon Storefront is available for merchants registered with Amazon's Brand Registry. This feature allows you to create a website with a unique URL within Amazon, showcasing your products and strengthening your brand.
Each Amazon listing should include the following key components:
- Product title: The title should be between 80-200 characters. Start with the brand name, followed by a primary keyword that describes the product. Include secondary keywords highlighting specific features like dimensions, colour, or set quantities.
- Bullet points: Use bullet points to outline the key features of the product. Each bullet point can be up to 200 characters, with a total of up to 1,000 characters across five points.
- Product descriptions: Product descriptions should be detailed, ranging from 1,700 to 2,000 characters. On mobile devices, the first 80 characters are displayed before the bullet points, so make sure those initial words are compelling.
- Images: Ensure your images are high-quality and non-pixelated, focusing on the key features of your product. A white background is generally preferred to keep the presentation clean and professional.
When creating your listings, there are some things you should avoid:
- Using trademarked names that aren't your own, exaggerated claims like "bestseller", and terms like "free shipping" unless it applies to your entire catalogue.
- Making forbidden or false claims such as "bestsellers" and "free shipping".
- Making health claims related to curing diseases.
- Including drug products and components.
Additionally, you can boost your listings' visibility by optimising them for Amazon SEO. This involves including relevant keywords and phrases in your listings to make your products more visible to shoppers. Amazon has its own algorithm and optimisation rules for increasing organic traffic, so be sure to familiarise yourself with these.
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Market your products
Marketing your custom t-shirts is a crucial step in the process of selling them on Amazon. Here are some tips to help you develop your marketing strategy and boost sales:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Utilize SEO techniques by including relevant keywords and phrases in your product listings to increase visibility and make your products more easily found by potential customers. Amazon has its own algorithm and optimization rules, so it's important to stay up-to-date with any changes.
- Customer Satisfaction: Prioritize customer satisfaction as most shoppers tend to avoid brands with ratings below 3.3 stars. Engage with your customers, answer their questions, send thank-you emails, and request feedback to build positive relationships.
- Affiliate Marketing: Contact influencers, blogs, and YouTube channels to create an affiliate strategy. This involves the affiliate mentioning and promoting your product, while they receive a small fee for each click or product sold. Amazon offers a free affiliate program that you can take advantage of.
- Social Media Marketing: Utilize various social media platforms to share information about new products, updates, giveaways, sales, and blog posts. Create interesting and engaging content that is educational and informative for brand building, and publish regularly. Share your social media pages on your Amazon page and vice versa.
- Paid Advertising: Consider investing in paid advertising on social media platforms, Google, and within the Amazon search itself. Most social media networks offer the option to create ads from scratch or promote well-performing posts.
- Pricing: Set the right price for your t-shirts by calculating all your costs, including printing, shipping, packaging, and Amazon fees. Research your competitors' pricing strategies and find a balance between profitability and competitiveness.
- Product Photos: Add compelling and high-quality product photos that comply with Amazon's rules (white backgrounds, no additional text, no drawings/illustrations). Ensure your photos are clear, well-lit, and showcase your t-shirt design close-ups and additional lifestyle photos.
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Frequently asked questions
To start selling custom t-shirts on Amazon, you need to set up an Amazon seller account and choose a selling plan. You can either choose an individual plan, which costs $0.99 per item sold, or a professional plan, which costs $39.99 per month. Once you've set up your account, you can start designing your t-shirts and creating your product listings.
Amazon does not require you to have a specific license to sell custom t-shirts. However, the laws in your state may require you to have a license to operate a business. You must also comply with Amazon's seller policies and local business regulations.
The costs involved in selling custom t-shirts on Amazon include the selling plan fees, referral fees, and fulfillment expenses. If you use a print-on-demand service like Amazon Merch on Demand, you can avoid upfront inventory costs, but the selling price and production fees will impact your earnings.
