The Truth About Merch By Amazon | And Why People Fail | Print On Demand Amazon

About this video

The creator explains how Merch by Amazon works and why many beginners stall: you pick a product and colors, add keyword-rich listing copy, upload an original design, and Amazon prints, ships, and handles fulfillment when it sells, paying you a royalty that is now deducted if the item is returned. To get accepted, he stresses completing the application fully, including the supposedly optional website field, to show a real portfolio and serious intent rather than an intent to copy others. New accounts start with 10 designs and tier up after sales, a system he illustrates by saying he is personally at a very high tier. He says roughly 92% of his own sales are standard t-shirts, though expanding proven designs to other products can add sales. Using his examples, a shirt priced at $15.99 earns a $2.36 royalty and one at $17.99 earns $3.87, and he claims some individual designs have made $100-$300 in a day and a few have earned over $20,000. Success, in his view, comes from following a step-by-step system for research, keywords, and design, avoiding copied, outdated, or low-quality work, using research tools as the business grows, cross-niching ideas, and building depth — for example, 10 unique designs in each of 3 niches — rather than uploading imitations.

Key takeaways

• Complete the Merch by Amazon application in full, including optional fields, and present a portfolio to signal original work
• Escape the lowest tiers quickly by getting the first sales, even by creating designs friends actually want to buy, but never solicit reviews from people close to you
• Follow the file specs he cites — PNG, 300 dpi, transparent background, and under the stated size limit — and make designs large and clear enough to read as thumbnails
• Do not copy competitors, post outdated trends, or upload low-quality art; use competitors only as inspiration for a unique angle
• Research niches and keywords systematically, differentiate through custom illustration, text treatments, or cross-niching, and build many original designs inside a few niches

Episode details: published June 20, 2022 · 16:20 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are RJ Martinez’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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