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Yesterday, I shared different ways to sell handmade products through Amazon and gave you some information about the fees to expect. Today, I wanted to share with you exactly how to create a product listing in Amazon’s catalog – officially called Amazon Marketplace.

How to Create a Product Listing on Amazon

1. Decide which selling account is best for you: Individual or Professional. To recap: the Individual plan is best for sellers that sell less than 40 products per month; while the Professional plan is best if you sell more than 40 products per month. This walkthrough assumes you have an Individual account. (By the way, if you are new to selling on Amazon, I’d recommend you start with an Individual account.)
2. Go to Amazon.com and log into your account. If you already have an Amazon account that you use to buy products, you are ready to start selling. If you want to create a new account solely for your small business, create one. Once you are logged into Amazon, head to Seller Central at this link.
3. From the navigation menu at the top, go to ‘Catalog’, then ‘Add Products’. On the next screen, you will either be able to search for an existing product or create a new product. If the product you are selling is already on Amazon, you simply need to locate it. For example, if you are selling blanks or vinyl, it’s likely already on Amazon. However, to add a new product to Amazon (like a tee shirt or tumbler you’ve made) click ‘Create a new product listing’. 
4. Choose a category by working your way through the hierarchy. Click the ‘Select’ button once you narrow the category down. In this example, I’m listing a tee shirt that I made. 
5. Next, you’ll fill in all of the information about your product on the ‘Vital Info’ tab. Depending on your product, the options will be different. Any box in red will need to be completed before moving on. The one thing that often trips up new sellers is the requirement to have a barcode number. If your product is handmade, you will not have one. Instead, go to Ebay and search UPC numbers. You can buy a bulk lot of them and use them to list products on Amazon. 
6. After completing the ‘Vital Info’ tab, move to the remaining tabs and work your way through inputting the information. The ‘Variations’ tab is where you would enter size or color choice information and the ‘Offer’ tab is where you set the pricing. 
7. Last, add images to your product listing. Amazon does not allow images with watermarks, borders, or additional text. Amazon prefers photos to be taken on a solid white background when available. Additional photos requirements are listed on the image upload page. 
8. Once your pictures are uploaded, click the ‘Save and finish’ button at the bottom of the page. You’ve now added your first product to the Amazon catalog!

You Don’t Own the Listing

Quickly, now that you’ve created a product in Amazon’s catalog, any other seller can list the same item for sale using your product page. Unlike other marketplaces, the listing you created is not owned by you.

Shipping on Amazon

You may have noticed when listing your product that you couldn’t specify shipping prices. Unlike other marketplaces, Amazon has a standard cap for every category. This means they have a maximum price your customer can be charged for shipping. In many, many cases, this price is not enough to ship your item to your customer. To compensate for this, remember to price your product accordingly.

How You Get Paid Through Amazon

Sellers on Individual selling plans get paid once a week and the payment is initiated through ACH directly to your bank account. New sellers will often have a hold on their payments for a period of time (21 days is standard, but I’ve also seen longer).

Sellers on Professional selling plans are paid every 14 days or twice a month. Again, new sellers may be subject to a hold period.

You cannot request payment sooner through wither the Individual or Professional selling plan.

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Let’s talk about Amazon today. Amazon is the largest online retailer, and it seems that they are growing by the day. Amazon has changed many things about online shopping and aims to be “Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company.”

I’m sure you’ve heard a number of Amazon success stories floating around the internet of sellers making millions through the platform. Personally, I am an experienced Amazon seller with hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales in the last few years. Today, I wanted to take some time to tell you different ways you can sell handmade goods through Amazon.

5 Ways to Sell Handmade Products on Amazon

1. Amazon Marketplace – Selling through Amazon’s catalog is the first way to sell handmade goods. This option is best for ready to ship products that aren’t customized. You simply create a new product, add pictures, a description, and a UPC number. (Tip: You can buy UPC numbers through Ebay.)
   1. Costs to sell on Amazon Marketplace: There are two plans available: Individual or Professional. The Individual plan is best for those selling less than 40 items per month and costs $0.99 per item sold plus a referral fee and a closing fee. These fees vary per category and are listed at this link. On the Professional Plan, you pay $39.99 per month (instead of $0.99 per item) plus a referral fee and a closing fee.
2. Fulfillment by Amazon – Fulfillment by Amazon is a selling program where you list your products in the Amazon Marketplace and then ship your inventory to Amazon. Amazon handles packing and shipping to your customer. This program works best for sellers of handmade items who make and sell only a small number of designs. For example, a tee shirt with a specific design that sells well.
   1. Costs to sell through FBA: Fees vary greatly and are listed at this link.
3. Amazon Handmade – Amazon Handmade is Amazon’s answer to Etsy. This program is only open to sellers of handmade products. This is a juried program. Much like a juried craft show; you first request access to the program then submit photos of your work and details about your existing business. This program is best for sellers with moderately and higher priced handmade products due to higher selling fees.
   1. Costs to sell through Amazon Handmade: $39.99 per month plus 15% of item sold cost. (To attract new sellers, Amazon frequently waives the $39.99 fee. Currently, the fee is being waived for new sellers for a period of time.)
4. Merch by Amazon – Merch by Amazon is a print on demand service for shirts. In this program, you create the design for a shirt and list it on Amazon. After Amazon receives an order, they print the shirt for the customer and ship it. This program is invite only and the turnaround time is six to eight weeks to get a response. Request an invitation at this link.
   1. Costs to sell through Merch by Amazon: Free. You set the price for your shirts and receive a royalty for each shirt you sell. Here is an example: If you price your short sleeve shirt at $15.99, you’d receive $2.36. For a shirt that sells at $25.99, you’d receive $9.92. While the royalties may seem low, you have no inventory to stock, no shirts to create, and no shipping or customers to deal with. If you have popular designs, it can add up fast.
5. Amazon Custom – Amazon Custom is a program for sellers who sell things that can be customized with a name or image. These things aren’t necessarily handmade – but can be. For example, if you sell cutting boards, wine glasses, or customized mouse pads this program might be for you. This is another program that you apply to join, but applications are approved or denied within an hour.
   1. Costs to sell through Amazon Custom: You are required to be on the Professional selling plan for $39.99 per month, plus standard referral and closing fees.

Okay, so you’ve read about the programs and are ready to start selling on Amazon? The first step is to get a seller account and start listing! I’d recommend starting out in the Marketplace and fulfilling your own orders to get a good feel for the platform. Tomorrow, I will walk you step by step through how to create your first catalog listing in Amazon’s Marketplace.

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It’s a dream that so many makers share: Quitting the 9-5 full time job to craft full time. Or maybe right now you are weighing your options in an uncertain time with kids that may or may not be physically going back to school.

While working at home can be an amazing way to raise your family and free yourself from the stresses of corporate life; I don’t recommend that craft business owners immediately quit their full time gigs to solely pursue a work from home business.

Instead, you’ve got to be ready for the change – and prepare for it. Today, let’s look at the signs that you are ready to put in your notice and stop working full time to run your Silhouette or Cricut craft business.

6 Signs You Are Ready to Craft Full Time

1. Your craft business is well established and profitable. Too many, and I mean too many times, I get emails that say someone just purchased their machine and is thinking of quitting their job because they see the successes of others online. Unfortunately, the successes you see online of other makers are not your successes. It’s probably been a long road with failures and successes that have led other makers to quitting their jobs. I have no doubt that your time will come, but wait until your small business is making at least the same amount of income you receive in your day job before you think of quitting.
2. You have built up a nest egg of savings. The handmade market can be hot and cold. In busy times you’ll have so many orders that you have to cut them off; while in slow times, you have to search for customers who want to purchase. You’ll need a healthy savings account to compensate for the slow times in your business. Ideally, everyone should have 3 to 6 months of living expenses available in liquid cash at all times.
3. You are self motivated and can stay on task. Working from home presents itself with a lot of distractions. From the tv to pets or kids, if you aren’t focused your day can slip away and you may not even realize it. To help with the distractions and keep a home/work balance – a dedicated workspace is essential.
4. You’ve figured out a health insurance solution. One stumbling block for work at home people is figuring out health insurance – and being able to afford it. While you can look to the health insurance marketplace, private companies, or religious based organizations – you’ll need to get this detail worked out if your current job provides your health insurance. The first step? Look at your current pay stub and see how much you currently pay for health insurance. Then, start comparing the rates you pay to the current rates available.
5. You can deal with solidarity. While working in pajamas is a plus, working at home in a craft business can be lonely. If you thrive on interaction with others throughout your day; ask yourself if you will really be able to handle working alone day in and day out.
6. You’re prepared for people to not take you seriously. From someone who works at home: when you tell people you work from own in a craft business you may get negative or puzzled expressions. To this day, I have family and friends that constantly offer me tips on places that are hiring or ask me when I’m going to get a real job. If you don’t mind dealing with this, you might be ready to work from home.

If you’ve read the list and you aren’t there yet – don’t panic. Your time will come, just keep at it. If you are just starting out in your Silhouette or Cricut business. Here’s a great list of things to consider before you start your business.

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