Can I use Amazon if I print on demand
Hello,
I have just signed up to Amazon to sell my own t-shirts. I design and print on demand using a UK company. However, there seems to be a chicken and egg situation in that if I use my customers payments to manufacture prints, how can I fulfil orders if Amazon do not release funds until an order is shipped. From what I have been told Amazon keep your payments in Escrow until you have shipped the order, but like I say, if I can’t pay for the print how can I ship it.
Any ideas?
23 replies
Seller_EHYOwAkoZV3Hb
If you have no access to any working capital, Amazon is not your platform. Try ebay.
Good luck.
Seller_qZO3ZCjoBXEeL
On Amazon you are required to have the stock in hand. People expect fast shipping. They don’t expect you to be ordering stock only once their order is placed. As Rugsy said, if you are using a third party to create items on demand then Amazon is not an appropriate platform for you.
You need a way to make sure that you get items to your customers in very short order and I would expect if relying on Amazon only as a sales platform that you have access to at least 90 or even as much as 180 days working capital/stock (as payments can get held for any reason)
Seller_72Sy9T6sEfmjl
you need at least some working capital.
you may not need a lot if you are using a print on demand service but you still need at least a couple of hundred pounds.
ebay may be better for you but if you have no working capital you are in trouble if a t-shirt is returned. clothing has a very high returns rate in ecommerce, you need to be prepared for people buying 2 or 3 different sizes, deciding which fits best and then returning the others. Or even wearing it out a couple of times before returning it.
I would use the print on demands own merchant facility and just earn royalties until you have reserves to sell on your own.
Most print on demand such as Zazzle, Red Bubble, Cafe Press lets you open a shop on their site and then all you need to worry about is marketing and building a following.
Seller_6sxtIS0RbZ5k7
Zazzle would be your best bet, you just upload your design and when a customer orders they print it onto the T-shirt, deliver etc. and pay you a percentage.
Seller_IrrT3qqjFRDov
Doesnt printing a T-shirt cost about a fiver? You can’t afford to fund that until Amazon have paid you???
If not, cant you ask your supplier for credit (which they may be unlikely to give)
Amazon pay quicker that most commercial supply agreements, so you need to think about this before getting into it.
Seller_PlKOXCY4N4df5
You don’t need the stock in hand as long as you ship on time and deliver on time. If you set your handling time (fulfilment latency) to say 5 days or whatever you need then you can take an order and then order the t shirt and then once you have it send it to the customer. But you won’t be paid until you ship but there is the risk in business
Seller_ftMMn0UeA4IQP
Have a look at selling on etsy - theres a lot of that going on, on there.
Seller_DJCaLsroslyPV
It’s a shame your not in the US as Amazon have a service that would be right up your street, it’s called Merch.
It’s been so popular in the US that it’s now invitation only. There was talk of it being rolled out in the UK, but no dates have been given.
Maybe you need to find some other sales avenues and to use them to generate some working capital, then think about launching on Amazon. You’ll want to get things right first time on here so can’t really use a ‘suck it and see’ approach. You wouldn’t be allowed many screw-ups before they’d boot you off.
Good luck
Seller_lplZIMdO5UBa7
Can I use Amazon if I print on demand
From what you’ve said in your opening post, no.
Your business model is simply not suitable for Amazon.
Seller_QlN0mmCAFPtjZ
Seems cash flow is quite tight . I would hesitate on selling here if you cannot fund some stock in advance . You need to have a cushion for returns / refunds etc .
Remember if a print on demand product is returned , which on Amazon can be done very easily . You are potentially sitting with an item that will not suit another buyer so resale options will be limited for that return You need a cash cushion to tide you through negative cash flow periods on Amazon .
Until you build up some cash reserves , this may not be ideal .
