Buying Out Tiers | Merch By Amazon

Buying Out Tier 10 and 25 On Merch By Amazon

This is probably the fastest ways out of the dreaded first couple of tiers. The cost of this will be the minimum price you set per shirt, plus delivery.

This can work and takes a bit of the initial work out of moving up and freeing up slots.

There are a couple of ways to do this, but if you live outside the USA it, and not in a country they will deliver shirts to, that gets a bit harder.

It can work, and in a positive way, but it isn't the be all and end all solution.

You really need to learn the business and what works for you and what doesn't, you might not always understand it, I don't think anyone does, but it does help to sort of build general understanding. (Amazons algorithm has most people baffled anyway)

So here let's look at a couple of things to maybe help you decide.

To Buy Or Not Buy-Out

Here I have a couple of views right or wrong.         

I did buy 2 shirts from myself (I am in Canada) I sent to a friend  who had a cross border shopping account so it was no problem ( that means they shop online and deliver to a border town address, USPS, and pick up themselves)

Then I had only to buy 2 to get to Tier 25.

I thought that was cool, I would crush it with 25 slots...WRONG. 

It took me another couple of months to reach 100 then around 5 months or more to hit 500.

I got stuck and am still in tier 500. Though as mentioned earlier an article, its become more of a side hustle now.

Pros 

Popsockets count.

That could be I think as of today $13.07 USD per shirt Or $11.90 per Popsocket. Maybe you have to make a penny, I'm not sure, so $13.08 max.

Hopefully, that would not be more than 2-3 shirts, but I think the leveling rules may have changed again to higher numbers.

This can be ok if the tiering system is set low meaning you could tier up at 2 sales to get to 25 and then 4-5 to get to 100.

You could get 100 slots fast.

CONS

It could be with realistic views cost you as much as 35 shirts, or popsockets.

Even with 100 slots, you sort of have to have a clue.

There are absolutely no guarantees that this will lead to success.

There is no way to gauge if your designs will sell at all, even if they are really good.

You need at least 1000 slots or higher to start making any real money unless you are just that awesome, if you are, email me and I will buy designs and Keywords from you :) 

HINT: there are a ton of early entry sellers, with literally thousands and in a few cases 100,000 slots, most can't keep them full, but that's a ton of competition for one platform.

But all in all, if you want to get to 100 super fast, by all means, buy out.

Better Spend

If you think it through, it would I think anyway, be better to buy 3-5 designs, scale them out to 50 different variations and run PPC.

The cost would, in the end, still be much cheaper than buying out, if the buy out numbers are high.

I wish I would have been able to, I did at one point try to get an advertising account but I wasn't qualified. AMS I think it was an email or brand thing, a lot of people were running that in 2016/17.

Eventually, they cut that and added the option on merch accounts, I have just applied and am still waiting to hear.

I will update on that as it happens.

Build Your Account 

All in all, I truly think that would be the very best way to build a lasting viable business, or hobby if you want.

The spend would give you sales, hopefully, and you would make money as well as tier up. Pricing is up to you, but don't put a big ad spend in to start. DO NOT FOLLOW THE DEFAULT.

Go as low as you want, or feel comfy with, I am doing a small spend with FBA and getting results Testing, at .02 per click and 1 dollar a day.

Do an ALL meaning whatever shirts you have put them in and go. 

There are a few good tuts on youtube, but they are by no means transparent, so as I say, it is testing, same as it is for me.

PS I do ok at my starting price of $14.99 some go lower and raise as sales go, but if you're doing PPC make sure you will make, because you may not always sell, even with PPC right, but sooner or later it curves up as more established sellers will grudgingly admit.

Learn

That's another really never mentioned word, GURUS never say learn.

The more you learn about your business the better you will be at running it and making a profit.

By not buying out, or maybe do a minimal buy from 10 -25 you are forced to learn, try different things and find the right way for you.

Not everything can be rinse and repeat, methods and ways of attaining are always different to a point.

One Or Two Good Ideas

Though people didn't talk a lot about this when I started, there are a couple of ways that can work for you as well, if you live in a country Amazon delivers the shirts too.

I noticed this at the beginning of my POD on Merch but was unable to do anything, as I don't have those opportunities here.

Local Business Or Groups                         

Local, meaning go out, look for businesses like a bar or organized sports team or church group or school the list is really endless if you think about it.

Make an offer either with a small profit or cost and start that way, it is a sure fire way to tier quickly, its only numbers, not about different shirts, only numbers.

And build a nice business ;)

Holidays

There are as mentioned in earlier articles Holiday trends Christmas, Valentine's day, St Patrick's day, and hundreds of more days and events that people buy shirts for.

  

That is where taking advantage of PPC would really come into play right.

Getting your design in front of eyes looking to buy anything for that holiday.

I am eagerly waiting for my advertising account to be approved to try this out. TEST even if it's not the main hustle.

Events

These can be anything from anniversaries to birthdays, holidays or picnic events. 

Family reunions and major events like that. 

 These examples can be both from your friends and family can get you tiered up fast, don't worry about profit from these kinds of sales to start, just getting more slots.

I hope I gave a little bit of helpful advice and experience, I am in the same boat and there are things I do or would do if I could.

There are certain shortcuts to do, some are better than others. 

To learn the business or to succeed you always will have to make mistakes and work hard, remember that above all else, even the folks who want to sell you stuff, will always throw that little disclaimer out there, "It worked for me, It may not for you",,,, or "results are not typical"...

Remember one thing its a hit and miss throw spaghetti at the wall affair, but if you do it right its a cool way to get a few bucks extra every month for very little effort if you choose the hobby way.

It is something that will grow, as far as Amazon is concerned its still very much a newborn, with a TON of room to grow, so learn it right!

  

So hopefully you got something of value with this, wishing you all the best and the very best in your ecom business careers.

If you have a comment, question or just want to add something leave that below

Ej