Not a Designer? Outsource the Right Way for Merch by Amazon

‘In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.’ – David Ogilvy

Nothing could beat Amazon in supporting these words. Amazon, with its 2015 venture, ‘Merch by Amazon’ allows money to be made through creativity.

Merch by Amazon is a POD (Print On Demand) platform which allows you to ‘sell your designs on the world’s largest marketplace with no upfront investment or costs’. One needs to upload an artwork/design to be printed on t-shirts with a product description along with choosing the product type, prices, and sizes. Amazon handles everything from there- from production to shipping and even customer service. All you need to do after that is earn royalties from each sale.

When the world’s third-largest retail-giant launched Merch, no one, not even the folks at Amazon could have guessed that it would be such a massive hit. But what’s destined to succeed, succeeds anyway and nothing could stop Merch from becoming the chartbuster that it is. Now, people are making thousands of dollars from it.

With Amazon taking away all the heavy rocks it might seem like an easy job but the major part still remains. To stay along on the better side, users should upload top-notch and brilliantly extraordinary designs in a rather continuous manner. When they are at the top of their game, many designers prefer to outsource to be able to maintain the flow. Outsourcing is a smarter way for non-designers to make some money out of it.

Here are some tips to outsource the right way for Merch:

Determine your need for services first

There is a wide range of services available- from freelancers to graphic design agencies and the newest addition; unlimited graphic design agencies. It will save you lots of time and money if you determine the type of services you are looking for before going for the ‘service-provider hunt’. If you are in need of a one-time design or do not need designs regularly then a freelancer is whom you approach. But if you aim to grow the business vigorously and hence, need merch designs on a regular basis then you could choose from a wide array of the typical agencies or the innovative unlimited graphic design agencies. Some unlimited graphic design service providers such as DesignPac offers monthly subscription at a flat fee of just $300.

Better communication means better results

The fact that Merch is a platform for making money rather easily has made it absolutely competitive. With tons of users producing designs of all kinds, it is crucial to producing customer-centered designs that comply with the TOS for making it big.

This could only point towards one thing- communication with your designer/s is essential. You should be able to express what you are really looking for. Giving the designer a clear picture of the elements you want to add and the color tone you are looking for might make it easier for the both of you. Some designers might have some quirky ideas that they are happy sharing. Suggestions always help in getting better results. Successful ‘merchpreneurs’ are enthusiastic when it comes to communication.

A deep study of the TOS is important for both parties

Merch is still in its infancy and Amazon is trying to play it safe. It has some strict and elaborate Terms of Services and all users are expected to strictly comply with it. It is trying to keep all sorts of controversies at bay hence, it takes the breach in its TOS seriously. Many user accounts have been deleted and Amazon does not even allow the user to make a second account. With too much at stake, it is best the users understand the TOS while outsourcing. It is preferable that designers have a good deal of knowledge about it in order to prevent unnecessary re-work.

Be ready to take the responsibility

As a user, you should be ready to take all the responsibility for any acts of infringement of designs that could happen even if you are outsourcing. This is some sort of an unspoken rule.

As a user, you make the most out of Merch and while outsourcing it is the user who should be alert because in case of any breach in its TOS, Amazon doesn’t go looking out for the designer; it is your user account that gets canceled. Users are always suggested to choose wisely while outsourcing and examine the artwork before uploading it.

Outsourcing is a great investment if you want to sustain in Merch. It is widely opted by both designers as well as non-designers and as long as you keep the aforementioned tips in mind, nothing can stop you from achieving visibly in this field.