Selling on Amazon with Printful can work, but it’s not as easy or profitable as people think. I’ve seen sellers make consistent income with this model, but I’ve also seen plenty struggle and quit because they didn’t understand the fees, competition, or how Amazon actually works.
The biggest benefits? No inventory, no upfront costs, and access to Amazon’s massive customer base.
The biggest downsides? Amazon takes a big cut, the market is saturated, and getting sales isn’t automatic. If you just upload a few designs and hope for the best, you’ll fail.
You need to price your products correctly, run ads, and optimize your listings to stand out.
If you’re looking for a quick, passive income stream, this isn’t it. But if you’re willing to put in the work, learn Amazon SEO, and test products, you can build a solid business over time.
Now, let’s break down exactly how this business model works, whether you can actually make money, and what most people get wrong about selling Printful products on Amazon.
1. How Selling on Amazon with Printful Works
Printful is a print on demand (POD) supplier. When someone buys from your Amazon store Printful prints and ships the product to the customer.
That means:
- You don’t need inventory
- You don’t handle shipping
- You only pay Printful when you make a sale
Amazon is just the marketplace where you list your products. But since Amazon has strict rules and fees, you need to know exactly how this business model works before you jump in.
This setup is great because it eliminates the biggest headache in eCommerce—holding inventory. Traditional sellers have to buy stock upfront, store it and handle shipping which can be expensive and risky.
Printful removes those risks but in return you have to deal with higher product costs, longer shipping times and more competition.
Another challenge is that Amazon is not built for print on demand sellers. Unlike Etsy which is designed for handmade and print on demand products, Amazon is primarily for FBA sellers who stock their own inventory in Amazon’s warehouses.
This means your Printful products aren’t eligible for Prime shipping which can hurt your conversion rates.
Many shoppers expect fast delivery and Printful’s average shipping time of 5-10 days can be a dealbreaker.
Who Controls What?
- Printful: Printing, fulfillment and shipping
- Amazon: Payment processing, customer service and platform policies
- You: Creating designs, setting prices and handling marketing
It sounds simple but there’s a catch—Amazon isn’t designed for print on demand sellers. Unlike Etsy or Shopify it has higher fees, stricter rules and tougher competition.
If you don’t set things up properly you’ll either make no sales or lose money on every order.
2. The Real Costs: Can You Actually Make Money?
Amazon takes a big cut of each sale. So if you price your products wrong you’ll either lose money or make tiny margins that aren’t worth it.
Here’s what you need to factor in:
Printful Costs
- T-shirt (Bella+Canvas 3001) – $12.95
- Hoodie (Gildan 18500) – $25.95
- Mug – $8.95
- Tote Bag – $13.95
- Phone Case – $10.95
- Shipping – $3.99+ per order
More info about the Printful costs can be found here.
Amazon Fees
- 15% referral fee per sale
- $39.99/month for a Professional Seller account
- Amazon Ads (optional but necessary for ranking)
Many sellers assume they can just mark up the price to cover these fees but pricing is a delicate balance. If you price too high customers will choose cheaper competitors.
If you price too low you’ll struggle to cover your costs. Understanding Amazon’s referral fee structure is critical because it varies by category and not all products are affected the same way.Another hidden cost is returns.
Amazon has a customer-friendly return policy meaning customers can return print-on-demand products even if there’s nothing wrong with them.
Since Printful doesn’t accept returns unless there’s a defect you may end up eating the cost of those returns.
That’s why some sellers choose higher-margin products like hoodies and premium sweatshirts where there’s enough profit to absorb some of those costs.
Profit Margin Calculation
Let’s say you sell a T-shirt for $24.99:
- Printful cost: $12.95
- Amazon referral fee (15%): $3.75
- Profit before ads & other costs: $8.29 per sale
That’s not much—especially if you’re running ads.
The only way to make real money is by:
- Pricing products high enough to cover costs
- Choosing high-margin items like hoodies or premium designs
- Running efficient Amazon ads to drive traffic
If you don’t factor in fees correctly you’ll end up making nothing or even losing money.
3. Competition: How Hard Is It to Sell Printful on Amazon?
Selling T-shirts on Amazon sounds easy—until you realize there are millions of other sellers doing the same thing.
Here’s what you’re up against:
- T-shirts are saturated – Thousands of sellers, many offering cheaper options
- Amazon prioritizes high-selling listings – New sellers struggle to rank
- SEO & ads are necessary – You won’t get organic sales without them
Most print-on-demand sellers fail because they don’t differentiate their products. Uploading generic designs will get you buried in Amazon’s search results.
Instead you need to niche down and target specific audiences. Instead of just selling “funny T-shirts” create shirts for specific hobbies, professions or interests.
For example a “Funny Fishing T-Shirt for Men” will perform better than just a “Funny T-Shirt” because it targets a specific audience.
Amazon’s algorithm favors niche-specific listings because they convert better.There’s also the problem of pricing pressure. Many sellers use Amazon Merch on Demand, Amazon’s in-house print-on-demand platform.
These sellers don’t pay upfront product costs meaning they can undercut Printful sellers on price. If you’re selling a T-shirt for $24.99 and a Merch on Demand seller lists a similar design for $18.99 you’ll struggle to compete.
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4. How to Sell Printful on Amazon (The Right Way)
If you’ve decided selling Printful products on Amazon is worth the effort you need to set up your store correctly to avoid mistakes that can kill your sales before you even start.
Many sellers fail because they don’t follow the right setup process, pricing strategy or marketing approach.
Below is a step-by-step guide to launching your Amazon-Printful business the right way so you can maximize your chances of success.
Step 1: Get an Amazon Seller Account
Before you can list Printful products on Amazon you must sign up for a Professional Seller Account.
- Go to Amazon Seller Central.
- Click Sign Up and choose the Professional Plan ($39.99/month).
- Enter your business information, including a valid ID, tax details and bank account.
- Complete Amazon’s super strict verification process (be accurate—Amazon suspends new accounts for even small mistakes).
Amazon’s verification is tough. If your details don’t match perfectly—like your bank account name not matching your business name—you could get rejected or suspended before you even start.
Step 2: Connect Printful to Amazon
Once your Amazon seller account is approved you need to link it to Printful so products can be auto-fulfilled.
- Log into Printful and go to Dashboard > Stores.
- Click Connect Store > Select Amazon.
- Follow the setup steps which include requesting Amazon’s API approval.Amazon’s API approval process can take a few days to a couple of weeks. Some sellers experience delays because Amazon is super strict about third-party integrations so be patient and check your Amazon dashboard for updates.
Step 3: Choose Your Products
Your product choice can make or break your business. Some Printful products have higher profit margins and lower return rates, they’re better for Amazon.
Best Printful Products on Amazon:
- T-shirts (Bella+Canvas 3001) – Always in demand but highly competitive.
- Hoodies (Gildan 18500) – Higher profit margins than T-shirts.
- Mugs – Low-cost, great for gifting and easy to personalize.
- Tote Bags – Popular in niche markets, especially eco-friendly and fashion-forward audiences.
Avoid high-return products like leggings and swimsuits. Apparel with size variations leads to more returns which can hurt your seller rating and result in account restrictions from Amazon.
If you choose T-shirts, go for specific niches instead of general designs. A generic “funny T-shirt” is buried under millions of listings, but a “Funny Accounting T-Shirt for CPAs” has a much better chance of ranking.
MORE: Gildan vs Bella Canvas
Step 4: Optimize Your Amazon Listings for SEO & Sales
Amazon is a search engine and SEO is key to get your products in front of buyers. If your product listing isn’t optimized with the right keywords it won’t rank and you won’t get any sales.
How to Write a High-Ranking Amazon Listing
✅ Title Optimization:
Your title should include high-search-volume keywords and clearly describe the product.
Bad Title: “Cool T-shirt for Men”
Good Title: “Funny Cat T-Shirt for Men – Cute Kitten Graphic Tee – Soft & Comfortable Cotton”
✅ Bullet Points & Description:
Highlight key features and benefits that buyers care about.
- “Super-soft cotton blend for all-day comfort.”
- “Perfect gift for cat lovers and pet owners.”
- “Durable, high-quality print that won’t fade after washing.”✅ Backend Keywords:
Amazon allows you to add hidden keywords that aren’t visible on the page but help rank your listing. These should include misspellings, synonyms and related search terms.
Example backend keywords:
“funny cat shirt, gift for cat lovers, cute animal shirts, kitten t-shirt men”
Amazon gives higher ranking priority to listings that convert well. This means that even if your listing is fully optimized if it’s not getting clicks and purchases Amazon will push it lower in search results.
This is why Amazon PPC ads are essential in the beginning. Running ads helps generate early sales which improves your ranking organically over time.
Step 5: Set the Right Price (So You Don’t Lose Money)
Pricing is one of the biggest mistakes new sellers make. If your prices are too low you’ll make no profit after Amazon takes its cut. If they’re too high customers will choose a cheaper competitor.
How to Price Printful Products on Amazon
Use this basic formula to set your prices:
(Printful Cost + Amazon Fees) ÷ 0.7 = Your Selling Price
Example pricing breakdown for a T-shirt selling at $24.99:
- Printful cost: $12.95
- Amazon referral fee (15%): $3.75
- Profit before ads & other costs: $8.29 per sale
If you run Amazon ads you need to price higher to cover ad costs. Many successful POD sellers price their T-shirts at $27.99-$29.99 to ensure a sustainable profit margin.
If you want to make more money per sale focus on high-ticket items like hoodies, sweatshirts and premium products that allow for a higher markup.
Step 6: Get Your First Sales (Fast)
Your first few weeks on Amazon are critical. If your listings don’t get traction early Amazon will push them lower in search results. You need to kickstart sales as quickly as possible.
Best Ways to Drive Sales on Amazon
- Run Amazon PPC Ads – Even a $5/day campaign can generate early sales.
- Use Discounts & Coupons – Amazon promotes products with “limited-time deals.”
Where to Push Traffic from
- Social Media – TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest
- Reviews – Amazon ranks higher with positive feedback
Amazon is a pay-to-play platform, you need to ad to get noticed. Start small, analyze what works and scale up.
5. Is Printful on Amazon Worth It?
If you want quick, passive income this isn’t for you
But if you’re willing to put in the work—learn Amazon SEO, run ads, test products—then yes, Printful can be a profitable business
Amazon is competitive and getting harder each year. But sellers who choose the right products, price right and use Amazon ads can build a steady income
For complete beginners, Etsy or Shopify might be easier with lower fees and less competition. But if you want access to Amazon’s customer base then Printful on Amazon is a solid long term business—as long as you know what you’re getting into.
