Yes, it is possible to make money with Amazon Merch, also known as Merch by Amazon, which is Amazon’s print-on-demand platform. It allows creators, designers, and entrepreneurs to sell custom-designed products like T-shirts, hoodies, and other apparel without having to deal with manufacturing, shipping, or customer service. The beauty of this platform is its simplicity—Amazon handles everything from production to delivery, and you earn royalties for each sale.

How Amazon Merch Works

1. Create Designs: You create your custom designs and upload them to the Merch by Amazon platform. These designs can be for apparel such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, or even tote bags. You choose the type of product, color, and price, and Amazon creates a product listing for you.
2. Set Prices: You set the price for your product. Amazon then deducts production costs and their share, leaving you with a royalty (profit) for each item sold. The higher you price the product, the higher your royalty, but competitive pricing can help drive sales.
3. Amazon Markets Your Products: Once your product is live, Amazon handles the printing, shipping, and customer service. Your products are listed on Amazon.com, giving them access to millions of customers. The better your designs and keyword optimization, the more likely people will find and purchase your products.
4. Earn Royalties: Every time a customer buys one of your designs, you earn a royalty. The royalty is the difference between the product’s sale price and the cost of production.

Ways to Make Money with Amazon Merch

1. Leverage Popular Trends

One of the easiest ways to succeed on Amazon Merch is by designing apparel that taps into popular trends, memes, holidays, or events. Timely, trendy designs often capture attention and can lead to higher sales. For instance, designs related to trending TV shows, viral phrases, or seasonal events like Christmas or Halloween can drive significant traffic.

2. Niche Targeting

Focusing on specific niche markets can also help increase your sales. Whether it’s dog lovers, fitness enthusiasts, or fans of a particular hobby, creating unique designs that appeal to niche audiences can help you stand out. Niche designs face less competition and are more likely to resonate with specific groups.

3. Optimize Listings with Keywords

Optimizing your product listings with relevant and searchable keywords is crucial. Amazon is a search-driven marketplace, so using targeted keywords in your product title and description helps your designs appear in search results. Use tools like Google Trends or Amazon Keyword Tools to find popular terms related to your designs.

4. Promote Your Designs

While Amazon can provide organic traffic, promoting your designs on social media, blogs, or YouTube can drive additional sales. Instagram, Pinterest, or even niche Facebook groups can help you reach your target audience. The more visibility you create for your designs, the higher your chances of generating sales.

5. Create Evergreen Designs

Evergreen designs, or those that aren’t tied to a specific trend or event, can generate passive income over time. These are designs that appeal to broader audiences, like motivational quotes, hobbies, or general interest topics (e.g., sports, pets, family, etc.). They may not spike in sales immediately, but they can steadily bring in revenue.

Expected Income from Amazon Merch 

The income you can generate from Amazon Merch largely depends on factors such as the quality of your designs, how well you optimize your listings, the size of your design portfolio, and your marketing efforts. Here’s a more detailed breakdown of potential earnings at various stages:

1. Beginner Level: $50 to $200 per month

At the beginner level, you’re likely just starting out on the platform and learning the ropes. You may have a small number of designs (e.g., 5-50) uploaded to Amazon Merch. This stage involves understanding how the platform works, experimenting with designs, and learning how to optimize your listings with keywords to attract customers.

• Challenges: Beginners often face challenges with competition, as it takes time to learn which designs perform well and how to rank in Amazon’s search results. Additionally, building up a portfolio of designs takes time.
• Earnings Potential: With a small portfolio and limited visibility, you can expect modest earnings in the range of $50 to $200 per month. You may see a few sales here and there, especially if you manage to create a design that aligns with a popular trend.
• Ways to Improve: At this stage, focus on creating high-quality, trendy, or niche-specific designs and gradually building up your catalog. Use research tools like Google Trends or Amazon search autocomplete to find popular topics and keywords.

2. Intermediate Level: $500 to $2,000 per month

At the intermediate level, you’re starting to build momentum. You’ve likely expanded your design portfolio to 50-200 designs and have a better understanding of what types of designs sell. You may have experimented with different themes, niches, and trends to find your winning products.

• Design Portfolio: You will have diversified your designs to include both trending and evergreen content. This helps balance your income between products that sell during specific seasons or events and those that generate consistent, passive income throughout the year.
• Optimization: At this stage, you’ve learned the importance of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) within Amazon, using relevant keywords in your product titles, descriptions, and bullet points to ensure your designs are discoverable.
• Marketing: You may have started promoting your designs on external platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook, driving traffic to your listings from outside Amazon’s ecosystem. This helps increase your sales, especially if your designs resonate with niche audiences.
• Earnings Potential: With a growing catalog and better listing optimization, your monthly earnings can increase to $500 to $2,000. You might see more frequent sales, especially if you create designs that align with upcoming events or holidays (e.g., Christmas, Halloween, etc.).
• Ways to Improve: Continue to add new designs regularly, leverage customer reviews, and focus on niche markets that face less competition but have loyal audiences. You could also start experimenting with paid advertising on Amazon to boost visibility.

3. Advanced Level: $2,000 to $10,000+ per month

At the advanced level, you’ve become a seasoned Merch by Amazon creator. You have a large, diverse portfolio of designs (200-1,000+), and your designs are optimized for search rankings and customer appeal. By now, you have identified winning niches, popular trends, and high-demand categories.

• High-Volume Portfolio: With hundreds or even thousands of designs uploaded, you’re generating sales from multiple products. At this level, you may also use tools like Merch Informer to track your sales and optimize your product listings. Having a diverse range of designs helps you capture sales year-round.
• Evergreen & Seasonal Strategy: Your strategy includes a balance of evergreen designs (which sell steadily over time, such as hobby-related, motivational, or pet-themed designs) and seasonal designs (for holidays or trending topics). This approach ensures that you have a baseline income while also benefiting from sales spikes during specific events or trends.
• Branding & Niche Dominance: You may have built a recognizable brand or established yourself in a specific niche. By consistently creating high-quality designs within this niche, you can dominate search results and build customer loyalty. At this stage, you may also collaborate with influencers or leverage social media marketing to increase visibility.
• Earnings Potential: With a broad portfolio and refined strategy, your monthly earnings can range from $2,000 to $10,000+ per month. During peak seasons (such as holiday periods), it’s not uncommon for advanced sellers to see a significant boost in sales, which can push their income even higher.
• Ways to Improve: Advanced sellers can explore expanding to additional platforms (such as Etsy, Redbubble, or Teespring) to diversify their income streams. Additionally, advanced tools and services like Amazon PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising or outsourcing design work can help scale your operations further.

4. Top-Tier Sellers: $10,000+ per month

At the top level, a small percentage of Merch by Amazon users can make over $10,000 per month. These sellers are highly experienced, often with large teams helping with design creation, SEO, and marketing. They might also have strong followings on social media or have developed brand partnerships.

• Earnings Potential: $10,000+ per month, often scaling to six figures annually. These sellers capitalize on seasonal opportunities, consistently roll out new designs, and may even create exclusive content for niche audiences.

Summary: Amazon Merch offers a flexible, scalable income opportunity. Beginners can start small, making $50 to $200 per month with minimal upfront costs, while intermediate sellers can scale to $500 to $2,000+ per month by expanding their portfolios and optimizing their listings. Advanced sellers with a large catalog of designs and a strong marketing strategy can generate significant income, earning anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000+ per month. The key to success lies in consistency, niche focus, and staying updated with trends while building a diverse portfolio that includes both trending and evergreen designs.