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We have brought Chris Green of Merch Dojo back to talk more about Merch by Amazon. If you’re interested in selling your own shirts, be sure to check out his training series!
New with Merch by Amazon
Stop the presses! Merch by Amazon has scaled up and the application process has been streamlined! They’ve drastically reduced the time it takes to get up and selling! Chris is a well-known figure in the Amazon community; we’ve got loads of valuable information for you today!
More on Chris’ Background
Chris started as an eBay seller, got in on the ground floor with Fulfillment by Amazon, transitioned into books and scanning media, started a software company and then–kind of by accident–got into consulting and featured speaking. He’s one of the closest things to an Amazon guru that we’ll have here on the show. Check some of his links:
Merch by Amazon VS Retail Arbitrage or Private Label
Let’s get this out of the way before we plunge into Merch by Amazon; Chris isn’t here to tell you what to do. Merch by Amazon, Retail Arbitrage, and Private Label can all work in Concert. It’s all about figuring out what’s right for you. Chris made his name in retail arbitrage buying at home depot and selling on Amazon. It’s great for some people. It’s just not for everyone.
The appeal of Merch by Amazon is this: little to no upfront cost and complete ease of use. There’s no inventory management. There’s no dealing with customer returns. It’s just your product, fulfilled by Amazon on an order-by-order basis.
Changes to the Merch by Amazon Application Process
First up they ask for your tax ID and country up front now; that speeds up the screening process dramatically. Social Security number or tax ID both work, but people who have neither automatically get the boot. They don’t have every country, but they’ve got the big ones–U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada–and now they have something like 30 others as well. Even if your country isn’t natively listed, you can still sign up. Chris has a course on Payoneer coming up that will definitely be worth checking out. Long story short, they’ve totally streamlined the screening process.
Pro Tip: Fill out the whole application. Include a design and a website. Don’t cut corners and you should get approved.
Why Merch by Amazon Over Sites Like Teespring?
Because it’s Amazon. Amazon didn’t invent fulfillment. They simply offered it in concert with things like 2-day prime shipping and Amazon search. It’s the same with Merch by Amazon. Print-on-demand isn’t new. It’s just that it’s never before been Merch by Amazon. Teespring is another print-on-demand service that has been around for some time, however, they lack the scale and customer base that Amazon offers.
Too Good to be True?
“This seems too easy… there’s no barrier to entry. With the application process streamlined how can I be sure I won’t get lost in the shuffle?”
The long and short of it is, you can’t. You just have to offer something that nobody else is and effectively drive the right traffic to your page.
I get it, you’re skeptical. I was too; I just had to know, “Can I really start with absolutely nothing?”
If it’s not truly zero it’s close. You can design on your phone and upload to Amazon on any computer. You don’t even need a designer or a fancy webpage to get started. Just design, upload, and start raking in profit.
Stay Tuned for More With Chris Next Week.
Don’t miss Chris’ four-part video course available now!
Getting Started with Merch by Amazon – Part 1
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