The world's leading e-commerce platform Amazon is home to many different types of products, including t-shirts. So how to sell T-shirts on Amazon effectively?

I. What is Merch by Amazon service?

It cannot be denied that the variety of models, sizes, and convenience is one of the reasons why T-shirts are always at the top of the items with great demand. Understanding the needs of not only the market but also the t-shirt merchants, Amazon has provided the service Merch by Amazon (also known as Merch Amazon). When participating in this service, business/store owners can sell t-shirts designed by their own brands.

In general, Merch by Amazon has the same form as POD (Print on Demand - Print/Design on Demand). However, when registering for Merch by Amazon, sellers will not need to go through the POD platform and also do not have to spend too much advertising costs because Amazon is the world's leading e-commerce platform, Amazon itself already has a huge amount of traffic.

Registering for this service, business owners will have to come up with creative ideas and designs that still fit the needs of potential customers. Amazon will only act as an intermediary, helping sellers to print, then ship the products to customers. The final profit that the business/store owner receives is the amount after deducting all production costs and shipping costs.

II. Pros and cons of selling T-shirts on Amazon

The reason why T-shirts are always a hot-selling and popular item on Amazon is not only because of the features of this product but also because Merch by Amazon really brings a lot of benefits to sellers:

• Merch by Amazon makes operating a T-shirt shop easier, without spending too much time or money on shipping because Amazon has supported all those stages. As mentioned above, the number of customers of this e-commerce platform is increasing sharply. Businesses do not even need to pay marketing fees and still have a huge number of available customers.
• Amazon offers potential and huge opportunities because this is an international market with a lot of customers from all over the world.
• One of the reasons why Amazon maintains its position as the world's leading e-commerce platform is because it has created a great reputation among the majority of users. Therefore, doing business on this platform will also help you to be more appreciated and trusted by users.

However, businesses will also encounter some disadvantages in the process of approaching and selling on this e-commerce platform:

• Because Amazon wants to expand the market all over the world, they always encourage and welcome businesses/store owners to do business on Amazon. However, because of this, the competition on Amazon is extremely high.
• Sellers need to have unique, creative designs that suit the needs of potential customers. If the business does not have many outstanding features to attract customers, it will be difficult to sustain and develop in the long run.

III. How to sell T-shirts on Amazon?

1. Create a store on Amazon

To sell t-shirts on Amazon, you first need to create an Amazon seller account. Then, choose the package that best suits your business. Amazon will offer several options:

• Individual bundle — $0.99 per item sold. Suitable for small businesses selling <40 products a month and beginners.
• Professional plan — $39.99 per month. Suitable for businesses that sell >40 items a month, want to run ads and use some of the advanced sales tools.
• Another option where you don't have to pay for a sales package is to sell through the Merch by Amazon service.

2. Choose delivery type

Here are the two most popular with Amazon sellers:

• Merch by Amazon (MBA)

In order for Merch by Amazon to accept your business shirt design, you first need to fill out a survey form and send it to the MBA, telling them about your business information, design ideas, and previous business experience (if any)

After the MBA accepts the request, you can start to sell T-shirts on Amazon. And as mentioned, the final profit that the business/store owner receives is the amount after deducting all production costs and shipping costs.

With an MBA, you also don't have to pay a sales fee because Amazon will sell t-shirts under their brand. While this doesn't cost much, you won't have too much control over your products.

• Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) takes a different approach than an MBA. With FBA, you ship products to Amazon's FBA warehouse. Then, FBA will manage the inventory, when a customer makes a purchase, they wrap and ship them to the customer.

FBA will charge a fulfillment fee and inventory management. Learn more about the FBA service.

3. Product design

This is the step that requires creativity in ideas to be able to create a unique product that attracts potential customers. To capture customer insight, you can think of some market niches. For example, a t-shirt for those who love exercise? Or products for plant lovers?

Some ideas you can include in your design:

• Some inspirational quotes
• Trending jokes or puns
• Animal themed design
• A couple of photos, landscape,...
• Vintage image/style
• Limited edition design for particular event/holiday of the year

There are many ideas that store owners can apply to design t-shirts. After the design step, businesses can start selling t-shirts on the store created at Amazon.

4. Draw customers’ attention to Amazon

Amazon is a huge marketplace. With 1.9 million active sellers on Amazon, it will be difficult for your business to stand out on this platform. That is why businesses should implement effective strategies to attract customers' attention to the Amazon e-commerce platform.

4.1. SEO on Amazon

Imagine you're a customer wanting to buy a t-shirt that shows your love of reading. You will go to Amazon, type “book t-shirt” into the search bar, and enter.

Customers will only see the first 3-5 shirts that appear in their eyes. Therefore, it is important for Amazon sellers to have their store appear high in the search results.

SEO will assist you to do that. Amazon SEO involves a number of strategies that increase your listing visibility by positioning your store higher in search results.

4.2. Add attractive product images

Improve your customers' shopping experience by adding high-quality images of your products.

To attract the attention of Amazon customers, make sure your photos:

• High quality (clear, bright, no blur)
• Follows Amazon rules (white background, no additional text, no hand drawings/illustrations)
• Choose an angle that can capture the entire t-shirt 

4.3. Take advantage of social networks in advertising

One of the best ways to increase brand awareness is by using social media. You shouldn't apply the same content to every social platform. People have different expectations for each social media platform and the content they want to see. So copying and pasting the same content on every platform won't work effectively. Also, be sure to check your account daily and see if customers inbox you or comment on posts.

The above information is a guide on how to sell T-shirts on Amazon. This is an extremely potential opportunity that not all businesses know how to take advantage of.

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