Hey guys!

I know it'due south been a few weeks since my last post, and for that, I apologize. Life's gotten a little busy for me these past few weeks. My daughter only turned 5 years quondam this past weekend, and we've got a 6 month old in the house, so needless to say – we go on pretty decorated!

But I practice have some exciting news: I'thousand going to kickoff doingmonthly income reports.I haven't came beyond many of these starting from Month 1.

I invite you to follow, equally I showtime my journey from the very start. I'll go over things like how many shirts I've sold, how much I've made, how long it took to tier upwards, what things I've changed. My goal is to show you that anyone tin be successful with Merch, even if you are just starting out and have limited pattern/Photoshop skills.

I've e'er enjoyed case studies for affiliate websites, and so I hope y'all guys enjoy this i for Merch. Sign up here to follow forth.

First Month Dashboard

I received my Merch invite on September 1st, 2016. Exactly ane year later on the Merch past Amazon program first launched. I applied back in March, and then it took about 6 months to exist approved. No one really knows how long it'll take to get approved. Annals today if yous oasis't already.

You can e'er create designs while you wait, that mode once you are approved, all you take to do is upload them.

Here's a screenshot of my very first calendar month on Merch:

merch by amazon case study

Total Shirts Sold

As you can run into from the image in a higher place, I've sold a thousand full of 19 t-shirts in my first month on the Merch by Amazon program!

Technically I've sold 17, since ii shirts we're cancelled…Merely still! 17 shirts is a pretty expert first. For someone who is non a graphic designer or an creative person, I have to say that I'm happy with my success then far.

If you're wondering how I did it, I've written some really in-depth posts specifically for Merch by Amazon sellers. Meet links below:

Ultimate Starting Out with Merch Guide & Tutorial

Optimizing Keywords and Product Descriptions

How To do Merch by Amazon Research

If you're just starting out, you can just upload 25 designs to start out with. Later 25 shirts are sold, you'll be placed into the 100 shirt tier. Then the 500, then on and then forth. I'm yet in the first tier, which does limit the amount of success you can take.

Committee: Month ane

In my very first month, I take already fabricated $61.65!

Coming from the Amazon Affiliate world, I used to spend three-6 months building out a niche site to start seeing profits like this. So to brand nigh $70 bucks in my very first month – I'yard very happy.

I use Photoshop for my designs (the cost of 2 shirts per month), but y'all are gratis to utilise Gimp or Illustrator if you lot want.

I'm sure many of y'all take sold style more than in your first calendar month, and that's neat! I'1000 all the same learning. That'south part of the reason I'chiliad doing this case study. I think it'south important for anyone just like me to understand that all it takes is a little bit of research, and you lot could exist making some side income with Merch.

Whatever of you can be successful.

I've thought nearly deleting some shirts to brand way for better ones, but many loftier-volume sellers don't recommend that. Information technology could accept a few months for your listings to "settle" into their respective ranking on Amazon, so I haven't deleted any shirts yet. I just wanted to run across how well 25 originally-uploaded shirts would do on Amazon before deleting whatever.

And I'thou glad I did! Some of my very first shirts – which I at present recall await terrible – take actually fabricated sales this weekend. If they don't sell subsequently a couple months, it's probably a safe bet to get ahead and delete them for now. You can always re-upload them afterward.

Marketing & Sharing

100% of my sales have been organic. That means every unmarried shirt has been sold to someone who searched for a detail quote, sport, niche, topic, outcome directly on Amazon. I accept not shared a single link anywhere.

Information technology all comes down to 3 things: research, keywords, and appearance.

You need to choose a niche or quote that is already selling well on Amazon. You need to add enough relevant keywords and then your buyers tin detect it no matter how they search for it. And it demand to be visually appealing.

That does non mean copy someone exact blueprint, or add together a bunch of spammy keywords. Not simply is it confronting Amazon's ToS, only it just looks unprofessional from a buyers standpoint also.

Abide by these simple rules, and Amazon volition reward you volition sales.

I practise take programme on sharing in the near future. Primarily Pinterest, Facebook, and maybe Instagram. If y'all created a camping shirt – notice an outdoor Facebook group and share information technology at that place. Or create a Pinterest board with absurd camping gear and add your shirt in the mix.

Tiering Up

New Merch members accept the ability to upload 25 designs. I've already maxed my slots out.

At the rate I'chiliad going, I expect to tier upwardly within the side by side week or two.

To put things in perspective – If I'm able to replicate the aforementioned success with the next 75 designs, I would expect to sell 68 shirts per calendar month. 68 ten $3.61 average selling price = $246.60.

That is, if I can max out all 75 designs past the side by side case report update. I've as well read that users are not tiered up automatically after the 25th sale. Amazon goes through in one case a month and updates the tier levels at the same time for everyone.

I've called to target evergreen niches. Or, t-shirts that will sell well twelvemonth round. Funny quotes for instance would exist an evergreen niche. I've got a few Halloween shirts up that accept sold, only there is typically a lot more competition. There's too the potential to make a lot more as people want to buy Halloween shirts this time of twelvemonth.

My advice if you're just starting out is to target evergreen niches. Something that volition continue to sell month after month. If y'all list xx Halloween shirts and brand 20 sales this month, that's swell, just you lot won't make another sale for some other 12 months.

Reviews

I oasis't received whatever reviews on whatever of my shirts. Which is kind of a bummer. Amazon will place your shirt higher in the list ranks if you're able to get positive reviews and ratings.

Since all the work is done by Amazon, you have no control over the customers order afterwards a design is uploaded. So yous're non able to contact your customer and enquire for a review or anything like that.

I'chiliad certain the more than shirts I sell, the more I'll commencement to run into reviews on my designs. That's just function of the game.

Last Thoughts

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the Merch by Amazon platform. It definitely seems like a feasible, calibration-able way to generate some side income.

I'll accept a lot more to see for my next update.

What would you guys like to see? Do you have whatever questions/comments/thoughts yous think I should highlight on for hereafter instance written report updates? Wanna follow my journey?

As always, thanks for reading.

-Danny

Get some t-shirt idea inspiration below!