Amazon Handmade: Your Guide to Applying and Selling Handcrafted Goods

Handmade products are a great way for artisans and crafters to generate revenue and start a small business, especially in today’s world of e-commerce. Since 2015, Amazon has supported sellers who specialize in making handcrafted items through its platform Amazon Handmade. Although the platform is just a smaller part of the larger Amazon marketplace, sellers have access to a large global customer base which averages over 3.1 billion monthly visitors. 

If you’re looking to start a business selling handcrafted goods, then you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll talk about everything you need to know about how to sell on Amazon Handmade and set your business up for success. Let’s get started!

What is Amazon Handmade?

Amazon Handmade is an exclusive artisan community where artists and crafters can sell their unique and personalized products to customers around the world. All products sold on the platform must be handmade, hand-altered, or hand-assembled; any mass-produced products are prohibited from being sold in the marketplace. Here are some examples of handmade products you can find on the platform:

• Abstract art
• Pottery
• Soap
• Candles
• Bath bombs
• Pillow cases
• Beaded bracelets
• And much more!

How Much Does it Cost to Sell on Amazon Handmade?

Before you officially become an Amazon Handmade seller, you might be wondering about the costs of selling in the marketplace. There are two Amazon Handmade fees associated with selling on the platform:

1. Monthly subscription fee: $39.99 per month for a professional selling plan. However, this will be waived if your application is approved.
2. Referral fee: 15% of the sales price for each handmade item, with a minimum of $1 per item.

You’ll also have other costs to consider such as shipping fees, packaging materials, and currency conversion. In terms of shipping fees, if you decide to utilize FBA services and have Amazon handle all your logistics and customer service inquiries, you’ll need to pay additional fees. However, if you decide to go with the FBM selling approach, you can save on additional costs and handle all the packaging and logistics yourself. For more information on FBA vs. FBM, you can read our comparison guide here.

Pro Tip: Leverage Viral Launch’s free FBA fee calculator tool to help determine your Amazon fees and predict your artisan business’s profitability.

Benefits of Selling on Amazon Handmade

If you’re still wondering if you should sell your custom products on Amazon, here are some benefits to keep in mind:

• Extensive audience reach: Amazon has over 3.1 billion monthly visits, with 88% of shoppers making purchases at least every month. Selling in the Amazon artisan marketplace means you have access to Amazon’s vast customer base.
• Affordability: Amazon Handmade doesn’t charge any listing fees or subscription fee for approved sellers. However, there’s a 15% fee per sale, which you can view in your Manage Inventory dashboard along with a more accurate breakdown of your fees.
• Customizable: By becoming an Amazon Handmade seller, you can create a custom storefront to show off all your artisan made items. Additionally, you can set up a personalized artisan profile to share your unique story of you and your art.
• Personalized products: As an Amazon artisan seller, you have the option to offer personalized and customizable products for your customers. You can use this to your advantage when positioning and marketing your business since you’re offering unique items that are not simply mass-produced.
• Easy fulfillment options: If you plan to use Amazon FBA, you won’t have to worry about fulfilling and shipping orders yourself since Amazon will handle all the logistics. This fulfillment service will make the packaging and shipping processes more efficient for you as the seller.
• Others: Your listings don’t expire and you don’t need UPC codes to sell in the marketplace.

Requirements and Application Process

So, how does Amazon Handmade work? As a brief overview, you’ll first need to fill out an application and answer a number of questions regarding your business to prove that you’re qualified to be an Amazon Handmade seller. Then, you should decide which fulfillment method (FBA or FBM) is best for you and your business. Once you’ve shipped orders out to customers, you can observe how your business grows and continue hand-crafting your products.

In the sections below, we’ll go into more detail on what guidelines you need to follow as well as the application process.

Amazon Handmade Guidelines

Before you can set up your Amazon Handmade shop, you need to meet certain criteria determined by Amazon when it comes to the products you’re selling. Each category (which you can find in the beginning of the FAQ section below) has specific listing policies and guidelines. For example, if you sell handmade clothing, shoes, and accessories, then you must requirements such as:

• All items for sale must be new or newly created (reselling is not allowed in the Handmade store).
• All products must adhere to Amazon’s general policies and agreements.
• Manufacturing of items cannot be outsourced (e.g. sewing and printing of artwork on apparel items must be done by you, the maker, of your employees).

Additionally, the following are prohibited in Amazon Handmade:

• Drop-shipping of products 
• Outsourcing of product production
• Reselling of products by third parties
• Items such as digital or downloadable products, food or other ingestible products, electronics, and live plants (other than “air plants” which may be included with hand-crafted planters or containers) are not permited
• Raw materials and crafting supplies, with the following exceptions: crafting supplies included in a DIY kit, crafting supplies that you made yourself, and crafting supplies that you altered yourself.

For the full list of category listing policies and requirements, visit this Amazon Seller Central guide.

Amazon Handmade Application Process: Step-by-Step

The process to get your Amazon handmade application approved is thorough. Amazon ultimately wants to ensure that all products sold within the marketplace are genuinely handcrafted goods, so they need to take measures to exclude sellers attempting to sell mass-produced products.

During the application process, Amazon will ask you a variety of questions regarding you and your business. Below is a step-by-step walk-through on how to proceed through the application questions.

*If you’re new to Amazon and haven’t registered as a seller yet, you should review their guide on how to register first before proceeding with the following steps.

1. Tell us about you

This section has two parts:

• In the first question, you enter your first and last name and email address (if you’re already registered on Amazon as a seller, you can use that same email here).
• The second question asks what type of Maker you are in terms of whether you work alone or with a team. Select the option that best describes your situation.

2. Tell us about your work

This part is broken up into three different questions:

• The first one asks you to select the option that best represents your work in terms of how your products are produced.
• The section question asks you to best describe your production process in terms of who designs or produces your products.
• The third question inquires about the percentage of your products that are done by you and/or your employees.

3. Tell us about your products and process

For this section, there are four questions asking you to describe how you create your products in terms of raw materials, tools, and techniques used, and how long it generally takes. The last question asks if you would like to provide additional details for the team to review and consider, however this part is optional.

4. Show us your process (images are required)

Upload images of your handmade products as well as the production process. Make sure to provide as much detail as possible to Amazon so you can avoid any delays in the approval process.

5. Select your product category

Choose from the dropdown menu the category you will be selling in. 

6. Additional Information

The questions in this section are completely optional. However, providing additional information regarding your social media presence or other existing online stores can help Amazon get a better understanding of your Handmade business and product processes.

7. Agree to the terms and conditions and submit the application

Click the check box to agree to the terms and conditions. Then, click the “Submit application” button below to submit your application. Once you’ve completed all the steps, all you need to do is wait for your approval (this can take up to two weeks). 

What to do if your Amazon Handmade application gets denied

If your application gets denied, you can reapply after 30 days using more photos of your production process to provide more details for the Amazon team to review. Many times, Amazon rejects sellers applicants since they believe your products are not actually handmade. Providing as many details of your process as possible is crucial in the application process. As a last resort, you can also contact Amazon Seller Central customer service and have them review your case.

How to Set Up Your Amazon Handmade Storefront

Once you’ve been approved, you’re ready to set up your Amazon Handmade account. In this section, we’ll go over how you can customize your artisan profile and build product listings.

Create Your Artisan Profile

Your artisan profile allows you to share your unique story and the inspiration behind your handmade goods. Here’s how to set your storefront profile:

1. Add your brand display name: Enter your brand name for display on your storefront. Amazon mentions in the description to leave out any extra phrases (e.g. “Shop now” or “LLC”).
2. Upload your brand logo: Your brand logo will appear on your storefront page and potentially in other places like product pages. For this reason, you’ll want to use a high-quality photo with minimal distractions.
3. Fill out your meta description: A meta description is a concise summary that provides a brief overview of a web page’s content. You can typically find these displayed below the page title and URL. Make sure to write something compelling to capture your audience’s attention and entice them to click through to the page.
4. Select your Amazon storefront template: Amazon makes customizing your storefront easier by providing three default template tiles for you to display your products. You can select from the following options: Marquee, Highlight, and Product Grid.
5. Customize your tiles: Depending on which template you choose, you’ll be given a variety of blank tiles to customize with brand assets. Each tile can be filled with a product page, image, image with text, shoppable image, text, video, and background video. Regardless of how you choose to design your storefront, you’ll want to choose photos, copy, and/or videos with professional quality. Pixelated images and videos and copy with poor grammar and spelling mistakes can deter potential shoppers from purchasing and damage your reputation.

For more information on Amazon storefronts and how to customize them, check out our other article: How to Create an Amazon Storefront for Amazon Sellers & Influencers.

Build Product Listings

One of the most important aspects of selling in the Amazon artisan marketplace is your product listings. These are what ultimately convince a customer whether to purchase from you and your brand since they contain important information such as product images, descriptions, and prices. When you build out your product listings, you should keep the following things in mind:

• Write compelling product titles and descriptions with descriptive language to help capture your audience’s attention better. Include as much detail as possible to keep customers informed and convince them to purchase your product. 
• Conduct keyword research and include any relevant keywords in your listings to help boost your online visibility.
• Set an appropriate price by considering your costs, competitor prices, and Amazon fees (e.g. FBA fees). Feel free to check out our other article to learn How to Calculate Amazon FBA Fees and Profit.
• Use high-resolution product images showcasing different angles and uses of your product. You can also include videos to further highlight the functionality of your product.
• Display customer reviews to help build trust in your product.

Pro Tip: Give Viral Launch’s Amazon Listing Builder tool a try! It’s designed to help you create listings optimized for SEO and maximum online visibility. Watch the tutorial below to see how easy it is to get started.

Managing Orders and Fulfillment

Once you’ve set up your Amazon Handmade account and created listings for your products, the next thing you need to consider is how you’ll manage and fulfill orders.

Fulfillment Options

As we’ve briefly mentioned before, there are two ways you can fulfill your orders as an Amazon artisan: FBA and FBM. 

Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) is a service provided by Amazon where you don’t need to worry about any of the logistics; Amazon handles all storing, packaging, shipping, and customer service inquiries. This also comes with additional benefits such as faster shipping times for customers and prime eligibility for your business.

However, if you want more control over your business’s logistics, then you might consider going the Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM) route. This means that you are solely responsible for storing, packaging, and shipping orders and handling customer service inquiries. While this option is much more hands-on than FBA, it’s good for businesses looking to cut down on extra Amazon fees.

For a more in-depth comparison of the two fulfillment methods, check out our FBA vs. FBM guide here.

Processing Orders

Regardless of which fulfillment method you choose, there are a number of things to keep in mind when processing your orders:

• Offer fast shipping: Many customers nowadays expect faster shipping options to be offered when making a purchase. In fact, businesses have experienced higher conversion rates when faster shipping options are offered to customers.
• Maintain clear communication: If you’re fulfilling orders via FBA, you should always check in with Amazon’s services to ensure that things are running smoothly on their end. Fix any bottlenecks in the fulfillment process as needed and resolve any issues or misunderstandings from both ends. If you’re fulfilling orders via FBM, you communicate with customers often to ensure their orders have been fulfilled, shipped, and delivered correctly.
• Plan ahead: Plan inventory and customer demands ahead of time to allow more time to process orders. This will ultimately boost customer satisfaction and give your business a better reputation.
• Follow packaging guidelines: To ensure the safety of your handmade goods during transit, follow Amazon’s packaging guidelines. For example, use sturdy boxes and proper packaging materials (e.g. bubble wrap or air pillows), seal boxes completely using high-quality packing tape, and secure any fragile items.

Market and Promote Your Handmade Products

Being an Amazon Handmade seller doesn’t just stop at selling your products to customers. As you build an established customer base, it’s important to adopt marketing and promotional efforts to reach a wider audience. 

One of the easiest ways to market your products to customers is to leverage Amazon PPC advertising. Amazon PPC is a pay-per-click model where sellers pay each time a shopper clicks on their ad on search results pages. This ultimately increases product visibility by placing product ads alongside organic search results, so shoppers are more likely to discover and purchase your products. Below are some ad features of Amazon PPC that you can use to promote your handmade goods:

• Sponsored Products: Amazon Sponsored Products ads focus on promoting and driving sales of specific products. They typically feature a product image, price, and custom headline to capture the attention of customers. Due to their product-specific purpose, they’re more useful for direct conversions.
• Sponsored Brands: Amazon Sponsored Brands ads are useful for building brand awareness and highlighting storefronts. Sellers can choose from a few ad formats including product collection ads, store spotlight ads, and video ads.
• Amazon DSP: A demand-side platform that buys ad space on Amazon and third-party apps and websites to reach new and existing audiences. Sellers can choose from audio, display, online video, streaming TV, and physical store advertising formats.
• Amazon Handmade Featured Offers: A product listing that appears at the top of a product detail page. Featured offers are useful for increasing product visibility and sales.

In addition to leveraging Amazon PPC, you can also invest in external promotions such as:

• Third party services: Some third-party platforms offer product launch services to help drive external traffic and awareness.
• Social Media Platforms: Building your online presence using social media platforms is another great way to promote your brand. This also allows you to interact more with customers and establish brand loyalty among your audience.
• Influencers: Collaborating with influencers and bloggers can help raise awareness about your niche products.

Pro Tip: If you’re looking for ways to optimize your Amazon PPC campaigns, consider leveraging Viral Launch’s Kinetic PPC tool. It provides sellers with in-depth keyword research and insights, advanced campaign performance monitoring, automatic bid adjustments for better ROI, and more.

Tips for Success on Amazon Handmade

Before you officially launch into your Amazon Handmade seller journey, we’ll leave you with some tips to keep in mind for success:

• Build a strong brand identity to help establish a loyal customer base
• Continuously optimize product listings for increased visibility (feel free to use our Amazon listing optimization checklist as a guide)
• Use Amazon Handmade’s customization features when setting up your storefront to offer a personalized shopping experience for customers
• Maintain high product quality and consistency for better customer satisfaction
• Engage with customers by responding to inquiries promptly
• Encourage customer reviews to build trust and credibility in your brand
• Continuously update your product offerings based on market trends and customer feedback to stay competitive 

Final Thoughts on Amazon Handmade

Now that you know how to sell handmade items on Amazon, you’re ready to launch your artisan business and share your handcrafted goods with customers. Remember that because you’re offering something unique and personalized to customers, you can use this to your advantage when building your brand and interacting with your audience. 

Regardless of what market you’re selling in and where you are in your seller journey, Viral Launch is here to assist you every step of the way. Start a 14-day free trial with us today and see how our array of seller tools can help you take your artisan business to the next level!c

FAQs

Additional Resources

• When setting up your product listings, you’ll encounter product ASINs. For more information on ASINs and how to use them for product and competitor research, check out our Complete Amazon ASIN Guide.
• For more information on how to launch products on Amazon, feel free to read our article on Amazon Product Launch Strategies for Success.