What is Amazon Handicraft?

Amazon Handmade is an artisan-only community on Amazon where artists and crafters can sell their one-of-a-kind products to customers around the world.

An Amazon Handmade account is different from a regular Amazon seller account and has a different business model than other ways to sell on Amazon.

All items sold on Handmade must be handmade, hand modified, or hand assembled; mass-produced products are not permitted on the marketplace.

Some examples of items available on Amazon Handmade include:

l Manual chopping board

lAbstract art

pottery _

l crochet handbag

l beaded bracelet

l soap

l shower gel

L pillow case

l and more!

How Amazon Handmade works:

Getting started selling on Amazon Handmade is a fairly simple process:

1. You make your products by hand. You or a member of your team must handcraft each item you sell on Amazon Handmade.

2. Fill out an application and answer some questions about your business to prove that you are a qualified handicraft seller. (more details below)

3. Decide how you want your Amazon orders to be fulfilled. With Amazon Handmade, you have the option to use Amazon's Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) method, which means your items will be Prime eligible when you ship them to Amazon warehouses, and Amazon will pack and ship any orders you receive for you. You can also choose to ship your order yourself from your business location or warehouse of your choice using Amazon's Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) method.

4. Your customers will receive your beautifully handcrafted items and your business will grow!

Should You Sell on Amazon Handmade?

Pros and Cons of Amazon Handmade

advantage:

l Wide coverage: Amazon has 3.1 billion visits per month, and 90% of American consumers shop on the platform. (In fact , 88% of US Amazon shoppers shop on Amazon at least monthly). In other words, if you sell online, you want to sell on Amazon.

Profitability : According to Jungle Scout's 2022 State of the Seller Report, 33% of craft sellers have profit margins greater than 20%.

l Affordability: Amazon Handmade does not charge listing fees. Only 15% fee per sale with exact fee breakdown in your Manage Inventory dashboard. Unlike Seller Central, which costs $40 per month, there is also no subscription fee.

Exclusivity : Amazon Handmade is "artisan only," which means Amazon has an application process to ensure that items are actually handmade by the individual or company selling them. Amazon Handmade’s independent platform also differentiates it from other products listed on Amazon, giving consumers a more exclusive experience.

l Customizable: With Amazon Handmade, sellers can create custom store profiles to showcase all of their products, and artisan profiles to share the stories of the people behind the artwork. Handmade sellers can also offer personalized products.

l Easy Fulfillment and Amazon Prime: If you choose to sell on Amazon FBA, Amazon will fulfill and ship your order for you. Plus, you can have the coveted Amazon Prime badge on your listings. Alternatively, you can choose to ship the order yourself via Amazon FBM (fulfillment by merchant).

lOther benefits of selling on Amazon Handmade are that your items don't expire and you don't need a UPC code to sell them.

shortcoming:

l User-unfriendly dashboard: The features and listings in Amazon Seller Central are not as well laid out as Etsy, and there are many components that can be overwhelming for new sellers who don't know how to navigate.

l Slow application process: Amazon wants you to prove that you actually handmade the product, so it can take up to 2 weeks to be approved to sell on Handmade.

l Delayed payment: You will only receive payment when you mark the order as shipped; then, you need to wait for the money to be deposited.

lLimited scope: Amazon Handmade only allows you to sell in the following 14 product categories:

①Accessories _

② Artwork

③ baby

④Beauty and personal care

⑤ clothes

⑥Shoes and handbags

⑦ home

⑧Outdoor and home care

⑨Jewelry and Watches

⑩Kitchen and Dining Room

⑪Pet Supplies

⑫Sporting Goods

⑬ Stationery and Party Supplies

⑭Toys and games

l Limited customer engagement: Just like selling on Amazon as a private label or other seller, Amazon prevents you from accessing your customer data, so you cannot, for example, build email for your brand from your Amazon customers mailing list.

Overall, the pros of selling on Amazon Handmade clearly outweigh the cons, but depending on the individual artist, selling on Amazon may or may not be your preference.

However, you can set up shop for free, at worst you sell nothing, and at best you create a steady stream of income from Amazon Handmade!

Amazon Handmade and Etsy

For artisans, artisans, and makers, both Amazon Handmade and Etsy are great platforms to monetize your skills and creativity. Every selling platform has its pros and cons and is more or less suitable for every seller. Although, selling both is always an option!

Here are some useful features comparing Amazon Handmade vs Etsy:

	Amazon Handmade	eBay
cost	15% referral fee on every sale no monthly fee No listing fee No other hidden fees	$0.20 listing fee per item (must be renewed every 4 months) No monthly subscription fees (they have an add-on option for $10/month) 6.5% transaction fee 3% + $0.25 payment processing fee
Product List	List as many products as possible No listing fee Lists never expire Setting up a list can be difficult No UPC required	List as many products as possible $0.20 listing fee per item Listings expire every 4 months intuitive interface No UPC required
category	14 categories available for sale	List more than 160 categories
advertise	Sponsored Products PPC Ads Advertise only on Amazon	PPC advertising Off-site advertising options
Payment	Funds cannot be used until the order is marked as shipped Pay every 2 weeks	After the transaction is completed, you can use the funds immediately Daily payments can be requested
artisan approved	Application and Review Process to Sell on Handmade Must create the product themselves or have a team of less than 20 people	Set up your account quickly and easily No approval process Allows cooperation with "production partners"
custom storefront	Yes	Yes

Choose which platform to sell on

When considering whether to sell on Amazon Handmade or Etsy, remember you can choose both!

In fact, 13% of Amazon sellers already sell on Etsy.

However, if you're comparing them, consider each market separately, as they serve different needs. For example, while significantly more shoppers shop on Amazon than on Etsy (65% vs. 7%), Etsy shoppers are specifically looking for unique handmade or vintage items.

Competition for handmade items on Etsy, on the other hand , has increased dramatically since the platform launched in 2005 and has only continued to intensify. On the other hand, Amazon Handmade has only been around since 2015 and has a very strict application process, which limits the number of sellers you can compete with.

At the end of the day, the more markets your product is listed in, the more exposure your business will have. You may find that your product performs better in one market than another, but you won't know until you explore your options!

How to get started with Amazon Handmade

If you already have handmade or other handmade items to sell on Amazon Handmade, we'll walk you through how to set up your account. If you don't know, but are interested in selling there, we can help you identify the following product opportunities.

The application process to sell on Amazon Handmade is very comprehensive. Amazon wants to make sure they're building an all-handmade store, so they have to make sure to rule out any attempt to add mass-produced products to the Handmade platform.

According to Amazon's definition, Handmade means:

l Handmade: completely handmade

l Hand Alteration: Altering or adapting an existing product into a new design, for example, you paint or draw a design on a denim jacket.

l Handmade Customized: If you are customizing handmade items, you are eligible to sell on Amazon Handmade. For example, if you make jewelry according to your client's requirements and hand stamp your initials on it.

During the application process, Amazon will ask you various questions about your business.

First, Amazon will ask you about yourself and your business.

1. What kind of maker are you?

l Maker works alone

l Makers with less than 20 employees

l Maker Collaboration Group

lOther _

2. Tell us about your work

Choose the option that best represents your work.

l My products are handmade

l My product is modified by hand

l I do not manufacture my own products; I customize each one according to the buyer's requirements

l I buy handmade items from manufacturers and sell them

3. What best describes your production process?

l I design and make my own products

l I design and manufacture my product, but a small part of the work is done by an outside company or group

l I design my products and send them to production

l I do not design or manufacture my products

4. What percentage of the production process do you and/or your employees complete?

75-100 %

l 50-74%

l 25-49%

l 1-24%

l doesn't have any

5. Tell us about your product and process

Here, you can provide Amazon with very detailed step-by-step instructions on how and what materials you use to produce your handmade item.

l What materials are involved?

l What tools or techniques do you use?

l How long does each step take?

6. Show us your work (picture required)

Upload pictures of your handmade products and how they were made. Show Amazon as many details as possible so you don't experience any delays in the approval process.

7. Select your product category

Select the category you want to sell from the drop-down menu.

When filling out the application form, please make sure your answers are complete. The purpose of this is to filter out sellers or businesses that do not sell handmade items.

In the image section, I also include images of your production process if possible. Show Amazon that you or your business are truly handcrafting your products.

It's always a good idea to review the Amazon Handmade terms and conditions before applying to make sure you can abide by their rules and regulations.

How to Find Items to Sell on Amazon Handmade

Here are some ways to do product research on handmade items:

Search every Handmade category on Amazon and Etsy

When looking at the search results for each handmade category, it shows the top sellers in that main category. Handmade will also award best-selling products with a "Bestseller" badge, just like the rest of Amazon's offerings.

Viewing the number of reviews is a strong indicator of best-selling products. On average, only 2 out of every 100 buyers leave a review. So if you see a product with a high number of reviews, you can guess that the product has a long sales history.

Another trick for gauging the consistency of sales for a particular product is to scroll down to the reviews section on the listing and filter by "latest". This will give you a better idea of ​​how often or recently someone has bought. If the most recent review was 2 years ago, the product may not be selling as well anymore.

Validate demand for existing products you create

If you're interested in selling on Amazon Handmade, chances are you're already handcrafting your own products and merchandise. Here are some ways you can verify product requirements:

1. Search Google Trends

Do a keyword search on products you've already made in Google Trends to see what's trending right now. Check the past 12 months as well as the past 5 years to see if that particular product has become popular over time.

2. Search on Amazon Handmade and Etsy

Another way to verify the demand for a product you're currently creating is to search for it on Amazon Handmade and Etsy. If you see similar products being sold by reviews, that's a good indication that there is demand for that product.

Find ways to differentiate your handmade items from what's available. Can you provide more unique customization? Or are your items manufactured with higher quality materials? These are all things to consider when creating a unique, one-of-a-kind product.

Find time to build and create products

A mature artist or craftsman should know how long it takes to complete a certain product.

If you're just starting your handmade goods business, make sure to set the correct delivery time so customers know what to expect when they place their order. I recommend starting with a product that you are familiar with and can finish quickly when you receive a new order from a customer. The last thing you want is to receive an order and not be able to complete it on time.

It will give you a better idea of ​​how much inventory to create ahead of time once you start taking orders.

Another tip: Stock up on shipping supplies so you can quickly pack and ship your order as soon as it's ready. Boxes, packing tape, shipping labels, bubble wrap, and more.