What To Know Before You Start On Merch By Amazon
About this video
Martinez explains what beginners should know before starting Merch by Amazon. He describes it as having no startup cost, no inventory, and no customer service, and recounts his own experience signing up in 2017 and waiting about three months for approval without receiving an email notification. He advises filling out the invitation request completely and seriously, treating it as a business, and not sitting idle while waiting — instead learning design or outsourcing it, and selling on other platforms such as Redbubble, Etsy, Society6, and TeePublic so designs are ready when approval comes. The core lesson is research before design: use the Amazon search bar with a suggestion expander tool and Merch Research to find niches customers are searching for with demand, low competition, and a good Best Sellers Rank, focusing on long-tail keywords. He demonstrates checking phrases on the USPTO site for trademarks, noting class 25 for t-shirts, to avoid rejections and account problems, and warns strongly against stealing other sellers’ designs, arguing that being unique and first in a niche leads to faster indexing and more sales.
Key takeaways
- Fill out the Merch by Amazon invitation request completely and treat the account as a business from the start
- Do not wait idle for approval — learn the platform, learn or outsource design, and sell on Redbubble, Etsy, Society6, or TeePublic meanwhile
- Research before designing: find long-tail keywords with proven demand, sales, and low competition using Amazon search suggestions and Merch Research
- Check every phrase for trademarks on the USPTO site, including class 25 for t-shirts, to avoid rejections and account harm
- Never steal designs — create unique work and aim to be first in a niche to index faster and reduce competition
Episode details: published August 12, 2020 · 17:38 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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