Tips for Selling Your Art on Amazon Merch on Demand

tips for merch by amazon selling
what I've learned after 1 year of merch by amazon

If you’re an artist or graphic designer, applying to sell your designs through the Amazon Merch on Demand program can definitely be worth your time.

Everyone shops on Amazon these days. And after a year of selling my designs on Amazon Merch on Demand, I thought I would share some of what I’ve learned!

What is Amazon Merch on Demand?

Firstly, what is Merch by Amazon? It’s essentially a Print on Demand service, similar to Redbubble or Society6. You can upload finished artwork to a variety of products, including t-shirts and cell phone accessories, and then they are printed and shipped out after a customer purchases that item.

Below is a screenshot of my earnings from September 2018 – August 2019. These figures are not huge compared to others out there, but it’s nothing to shake a fist at either! For reference, I only have about 100 products listed at the time of this writing.


As you can see, I’ve made about $2000 in total so far. I hope to double or even triple that figure in the next year!

Here are some things I’ve learned along the way.

Tips for Selling on Amazon Merch on Demand

  • Getting started can be frustrating. Application rejections don’t always make sense and are likely automated, so make sure your application is filled out correctly. One wrong thing could lead to automatic rejection.
  • Getting accepted takes time. Be patient. It can take a few weeks in some cases.
  • Once your application is approved, you start with only 10 design slots. Think carefully about which 10 designs you want to use. Once you sell a few products you will be able to add more.
  • Each level is known as a “tier” and each tier comes with more design slots.
  • Regarding tax withholding – use your SIN number or other similar tax ID number otherwise they will withhold 30% of your earnings (if you are a seller outside of the U.S.). I couldn’t figure out what my Tax ID number was at first, so they withheld 30% of my royalties for the first 5 months. I eventually received those with-holdings but it took an additional 5 months to get it.
  • The brand name doesn’t matter much but may aid in search.
  • You don’t have a storefront unless you sign up for the Amazon Influencer program. You will also have to apply for this using one of your social media accounts, and you are not guaranteed to be accepted.
purple mandala popsocket amazon merch on demand
Popsockets from Amazon Merch on Demand
  • T-shirts and PopSockets seem to be the best selling product types.
  • Keywords and descriptions are very important.
  • Design rejections happen. They don’t always make sense and are often automated, so just revise and try again. Make sure to follow all of Amazon’s guidelines for keywords and descriptions to avoid this as much a possible.
  • Not everything will sell, and what does sell might not even be your best work.
  • Your design will be deleted if there are no sales after 1 year. When this happens, you can either revise your keywords and description or move on and try another design.
  • There are no discounts or sale promotion on Merch products.
  • You can sell in other marketplaces, like Germany, Italy, Spain and even Japan.
  • There is a lot of competition on Amazon, so make designs that are unique and stand out.
  • Never use anything copyrighted, or you can risk losing your account altogether.

I hope you’ve found some of this information useful. Check out my Artist Resources page for even more tips on how to sell your art online.

Have you considered selling on Merch by Amazon or are you already? I’d love to hear your thoughts below. Happy selling.

Cheers,

julie signing off

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Common Scams for Artists to Watch Out For

common scams for artists to look out for
scams for artists to watch out for

Hey guys! If you’ve been online pretty much ever, you’ve probably seen a scammer in action. But did you know there are scams that specifically target artists and creatives?

I have personally encountered some of these scams and they can be very difficult to identify. I created this post in order to share them with you so you don’t fall prey to them!

Scammers are always coming up with new ways to take your money or intellectual property, so I’m sure this list will be outdated as soon as it’s published. However, I’ve also provided some tips on how to weed out a scam if you think you’ve encountered one.

scam alert letting text on black background

How to Identify a Scam

It’s always exciting as an artist when people reach out to you and recognize your talent. Many people and companies prey on this and find ways to disguise their scams as “opportunities” for artists.

Read every e-mail or message thoroughly. If the language and grammar is very poor and sentences don’t make sense, it’s likely not worth your time and could even just be an automated message.

Whenever you are approached by a person or company find out as much as you can about them before proceeding. Google the company, and read reviews about them on websites like Better Business Bureau. Ask friends or other artists if they have experience with this company. If you can’t find anything about them online that’s usually a red flag.

When a company sends you an offer or contract, thoroughly read the fine print because there could be a catch. If you have to spend any of your own money up front, it’s probably a scam.

Always consider what’s in it for them. Why are they interested in you and your art? What do they get out of the partnership? Not to say your art isn’t good, but no one works for free or without motive.

a red flag on the beach, artist scams

Here are some common scams for Artists to watch out for

  • Companies reaching out to you for a “media feature” – Don’t waste your time. You will later learn you have to pay upwards of $5000 for this feature that probably doesn’t reach your target audience at all.
  • People asking to “collaborate” only to get free content from you, such as a photo of yourself using their product. Unless it is a big company which aligns with your brand, don’t give away your content for free.
  • Someone asking to use your art for their website or logo. Be very wary and do your research before sending them anything. Do not give it to them for free either. At least create some sort of contract saying they cannot re-sell your art and only use it for a specific purpose so you could take legal action if needed.
  • People asking for free art or products in exchange for a social media shout-out. I strongly encourage you never to give your art away for free. If the person is a legitimate social media influencer they probably would not be approaching you.
  • Amateur art shows that are paid for by the artists. These art shows sound exciting but you should not be forced to sell tickets or pay to fund the show yourself. Always research the company, read reviews, and consider what they are getting out of it.
  • So-called “gurus” trying to you sell you expensive courses to “help your business”. Some of them ask for $20,000 or more! Don’t give up your life savings for the same things you can learn online for free.
  • People asking to buy your artwork, but want to pay through non-traditional payment methods. ONLY accept payment through Paypal, Cards or E-transfer. Do not accept cheques. Never send files or ship art until after you’ve received payment and it’s in your bank account.
  • Sellers ripping off your designs to sell on websites like Amazon, AliExpress, TeeSpring etc. Google the keywords of your most popular works every few months to see if it shows up on websites that are not your own. Then submit take-down notices.

Have you ever been scammed or encountered an artist-specific scam? Leave your experience below for others to learn from!

Cheers,

julie signing off

Want to learn some legit ways to sell your art online? Start here!