Merch by Amazon vs Teespring Print-On-Demand Comparison
Selling t-shirts online is a time-consuming business if you don't use print-on-demand platforms. Hence, digital merch platforms such as Teespring and Merch by Amazon are providing on-demand printing services. Between Merch by Amazon vs Teespring, you have to weigh in your options first. Either you decide to have an account on both sites or pick which one you'll be actively using.
First, let's get a hold of the merchandise game and why several of these companies are sprouting up. Global custom t-shirt printing had a value of $1.16 billion in 2016, according to Statista. By 2025, the market value will reach up to $3.1 billion.
Aside from the massive value, online e-commerce sales are also booming. In the U.S. alone, there's a 36.7% increase in online retail sales when compared from the third quarter of 2019 versus 2020. More consumers shop online, forcing most merchandise sellers to choose an online platform to sell. Among these are print-on-demand sites providing better ways to handle your merchandise shirts and more.
For one, using these new ways of selling merchandise and artworks online reduces your inventory costs. No need to spend on materials, storage, or shipping as these print-on-demand services take care of the process. Among the widely used is Merch by Amazon and Teespring. Both have free registration, although with different sign-up methods. So it's a choice between Merch by Amazon vs Teespring, providing print-on-demand services with no upfront costs.
Merch by Amazon
Creating an account on Merch by Amazon is by invitation only. You have to initiate requesting an invite as this is the registration process. Even when you already have the invitation, it will still be under approval by Amazon before you can start selling. Amazon is a big-name brand already. Hence, the company needs to weed out those who want to use their print-on-demand merchandise platform.
Filtering those who sign up can either be a boon or bane. If you're an established designer, you get the advantage of being among the high-quality merchandise available at Amazon. On the other hand, this type of filtered registration may be a disadvantage if you're still starting.
Is Merch by Amazon Good?
Like any other merchandise platform, Merch by Amazon is a great tool depending on how you use it.
Pros
With its association with e-commerce giant Amazon, you can be sure that someone out there will search or see your designs.
Backed up by a large company gives you access to more tools in optimizing your product listing. Although technically you're only selling artwork, you have the option to choose the shirt material and sizes.
In terms of shipping, Amazon has a vast network of logistics in place. The company also has Amazon Prime for fast shipping. Merch by Amazon customers who are Amazon Prime members can take advantage of getting their shirts faster.
Cons
Requesting an invite to get you started on merch by Amazon takes a longer time for approval. Unless you're already an established brand or seller, your account might take days before getting approved.
More sellers know Amazon, and consequently Merch by Amazon. Thus, expect to have more competitors using the platform. Some competing sellers even copy and modify best-selling designs to sell more.
When you submit your design to Amazon, you will receive just the royalty fee. The pricing may only provide fewer returns if you want more profit.
Can You Make Money With Merch by Amazon?
Merch by Amazon works on a per royalty fee basis for their print-on-demand service. What this means is that Amazon will take care of producing the shirt based on your design. You will then receive part of the payment in the form of a royalty fee for your design submission.
Running a t-shirt printing business is different when you use Merch by Amazon. It works as though you're merely selling your design or artworks and not the merchandise itself. You won't make any additional profit from the shirt material itself.
On the other hand, using Merch by Amazon reduces the time and resources it takes to stock up on shirts with varying sizes and colors. Not to mention the hassle of handling deliveries on your own, Merch by Amazon instantly takes out all the effort it takes. Though, you have to be extra competitive on your designs. As mentioned earlier, some sellers or designers copy the best-selling ones. Thus, you will need to establish how your design will stand out from the rest if you want to make good money using Merch by Amazon.
Teespring
Between Merch by Amazon vs Teespring, the latter is a faster alternative to sell shirts online. Teespring has an easier registration process than Merch by Amazon. While Merch by Amazon requires an invite, you can instantly create an account with Teespring. Signing up won't take days for approval. Thus, you can sell designs right away.
Pros
Aside from the easy account sign-up, Teespring isn't just all about shirts. They've got all sorts of product categories to print your designs, ranging from apparel to home decor, phone cases, mugs, and many more.
While Amazon is only limited to its platform, Teespring allows you to post in other places using the boosted network. The feature enables you to simultaneously have your design featured on Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and more.
The smaller market size of Teespring means less competition. You have more chances of standing out from the rest of the designs available on the site.
Cons
Without the familiar brand recall that Amazon has, it may take some time before you can get a sale on the platform.
The smaller scale of Teespring means you will need to be more active in marketing and promotions. Additional marketing tactics, such as paid promotions, outreach, and SEO, will eat up on your ROI.
While the boosted network is a great tool, the feature is available to sellers with a high trust score. It may take some time before you can fully use the feature to post on more sites.
Can I Sell Teespring Shirts on Amazon?
One way to cross-sell your shirts from Teespring to Amazon is by doing it manually. Alternatively, the boosted network from Teespring is a valuable tool to sell across multiple marketplaces, including Amazon.
Does Teespring Integrate With Amazon?
Fortunately, Teespring saw the much-needed integration with Amazon. From the Teespring platform, you can already optimize your shirt design listing by including product title, description, and keyword details. The product information will then load to the Amazon account that you connect with Teespring.
Aside from Amazon, the boosted network of Teespring enables posting on eBay, Wish, Walmart, and more marketplaces. The feature, though, is only available to qualified sellers. Teespring requires a high number of sales and payout method verification.
Once you have enough sales, Teespring has an algorithm to provide a score for your account. It is called the trust score, which becomes the basis on whether you're eligible for the boosted network.
If you want more product exposure other than on one platform, Teespring has better tools. Aside from online marketplaces, Teespring has a dedicated platform for YouTube. Its integration with TikTok is also in the works. Having these social media integration works well for influencers and creators.
Merch by Amazon vs Teespring in Numbers
By now, you probably have an idea of how each print-on-demand site works. Comparing Merch by Amazon vs Teespring has its distinct advantages and disadvantages. It will depend on what your priority is on selling merchandise online.
Item Profit
The royalty fee you will get from Merch by Amazon varies, although their website provides a sample computation. Teespring, on the other hand, works on the difference between base cost and retail price to calculate how much you'll get from your design. Based on the sample figures from both websites, the profit percentage from the item purchase price will be:
| Profit Estimate | |
|---|---|
| Merch by Amazon | 37.59% |
| Teespring | 31.23% |
Both platforms have different pricing for U.S. and E.U. markets, and the numbers are from standard U.S. costs.
Website Traffic
If you only use the domain Amazon.com for Merch by Amazon, the numbers will be invariably large. Specific only for Merch by Amazon vs Teespring, the following website traffic estimates are as follows.
| Daily Visitors* | |
|---|---|
| Merch by Amazon | 6,675,153 |
| Teespring | 467,081 |
*from Statshow.com
Indexed Pages
Surprisingly, when you compare Merch by Amazon vs Teespring, the latter has more pages indexed in Google. The strict by-invite only registration process of Merch by Amazon might contribute to this. Pages accessible only to those with an account will not show up. Teespring allows anyone to create an account and have more integration features, so more pages are indexed.
| Google Indexed Pages | |
|---|---|
| Merch by Amazon | 120 results |
| Teespring | 2,460,000 results |
On the whole, each print-on-demand platform has different features. Merch by Amazon can be a standalone site to sell as it's from the well-known brand Amazon. You get the advantage of a large company hosting your merch. On the other hand, Teespring can also be a central dashboard to reach more marketplaces. You can even sell on social media using Teespring.On the whole, each print-on-demand platform has different features. Merch by Amazon can be a standalone site to sell as it's from the well-known brand Amazon. You get the advantage of a large company hosting your merch. On the other hand, Teespring can also be a central dashboard to reach more marketplaces. You can even sell on social media using Teespring.
If you want to get started selling merchandise online, you can either create your design or hire someone to do it for you. Find out other alternative options such as Delesign, a third-party design service provider. For a flat monthly fee, Delesign will provide you with a designer for unlimited graphic designs. Thus, you can focus on making money online using Merch by Amazon or Teespring without running out of artworks to submit.If you want to get started selling merchandise online, you can either create your design or hire someone to do it for you. Find out other alternative options such as Delesign, a third-party design service provider. For a flat monthly fee, Delesign will provide you with a designer for unlimited graphic designs. Thus, you can focus on making money online using Merch by Amazon or Teespring without running out of artworks to submit.
