How to Sell Photography Prints on Amazon + Find the Right Product Image

The best way to sell photography prints on Amazon is to open a Professional seller account, focus on a niche, master product photography, consistently promote on social media, provide excellent customer service, and leverage Amazon‘s global audience and brand trust. Thorough optimization and smart strategy allows artists to build a highly profitable print shop on Amazon.

Selling prints of your photography on Amazon provides an unrivalled opportunity for photographers to transform their passion into a thriving business. But where do you start? How can you make sales in such a competitive marketplace?

In this comprehensive 2300+ word guide, I‘ll leverage my decade of experience as a successful Amazon seller to provide you tips to master selling photography prints on Amazon.

Why Amazon is the #1 Platform for Selling Prints

As an experienced Amazon seller, I‘m often asked – why sell your prints on Amazon versus setting up your own independent website?

Here are 5 compelling benefits of using Amazon that make it the #1 choice for photographers:

1. Access to Over 197 Million Customers

Amazon‘s vast global audience provides unprecedented access to millions of art buyers. In comparison, driving significant traffic to a new standalone site can take years.

2. People Trust Buying on Amazon

Decades of delivering excellent service has made Amazon one of the most trusted brands worldwide. This provides instant credibility to sellers.

3. Handling Logistics and Fulfillment

With Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), you can outsource order processing, shipping, returns, and customer service to Amazon.

4. Marketing Tools and Visibility

Leverage Amazon‘s built-in marketing features like A+ content, sponsored ads, and best seller badges to promote your prints.

5. Eligibility for Prime and Free Shipping

Top professional sellers qualify for Prime and Free Super Saver Shipping. This perk appeals to customers.

While commissions and fees apply, the unique benefits easily outweigh the costs for most print artists.

3 Options for Selling Photography on Amazon

Amazon provides several distinct paths for photographers to sell their prints:

1. Amazon Handmade

Amazon Handmade is a standalone marketplace specifically for artisans to sell their handcrafted work.

To join, you must submit an application verifying your prints are personally designed, created and printed by you. The approval process can take several weeks.

Pros

• Specialized site just for unique, creative products
• Lower competition vs regular Amazon marketplace
• Higher profit margins – averages over 20%

Cons

• Approval process may take time
• Limited print selection – mostly paper prints and books

2. Merch by Amazon

With Merch by Amazon, you simply upload your images and customers can order them printed on t-shirts, mugs, phone cases and over 50 products.

Pros

• Huge selection of print-on-demand products
• No upfront production or inventory costs
• Easy to quickly expand your product line

Cons

• Very competitive space with lots of designers
• Amazon controls policies and account standing
• Lower profit margins than self-fulfillment

3. Regular Seller Account

You can sell your prints as an independent seller or Professional merchant like any other Amazon vendor. This option provides the most flexibility.

Pros

• 100% control over your ecommerce storefront
• Can sell posters, canvas wraps, framed prints, etc.
• Build and grow your own brand on Amazon

Cons

• No special treatment amidst fierce competition
• Managing production, inventory and shipping yourself

While each approach has pros and cons, my recommendation for most photographers is starting out with a Professional seller account for full creative control.

10 Pro Tips for Selling Prints Successfully on Amazon

Follow this expert advice to help your stunning prints stand out on the world‘s largest marketplace:

1. Specialize in a Niche Theme

Curate a shop with focused prints all within a specific niche. Excellent themes include wildlife, botanicals, architecture, portraits, landscapes, abstract, etc. Avoid generic, overly broad topics.

2. Take Flawless Product Photographs

Invest significant time mastering your product photography. Every detail from lighting to composition, angles, background and post-processing must be polished to perfection.

Always prominently feature "hero shots" that showcase each print at its absolute best.

3. Leverage Amazon‘s Marketing Tools

Take advantage of built-in marketing features like A+ content, Amazon LIVE, promotions, sponsored ads, coupons and more to boost visibility for your listings.

4. Promote Your Prints on Social Media

Actively market your prints on platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Social proof and customer testimonials help drive sales.

5. Focus on Excellent Customer Service

Go above and beyond providing a 5-star customer experience. Follow up personally with buyers. This earns reviews and repeat business.

6. Run Special Deals and Offers

Periodically offer limited discounts, bundles, buy 2 get 1 free promotions, etc. to incentivize customers. But don‘t overdiscount.

7. Sell Limited Edition Prints

Number prints in short runs of say 250 and label them 1/250. Don‘t reprint once sold out. Scarcity attracts collectors.

8. Write Compelling Listing Copy

Enhance each product description with details on your artistic process, materials used, ideal framing, print details, your brand story, etc.

9. Package Prints Very Carefully

Invest in quality packaging materials like rigid foam mailers, plastic sleeves, and cardboard backing to protect prints in shipping.

10. Register Your Brand in Amazon Brand Registry

Sign up for Amazon Brand Registry to protect your work from infringement and unauthorized selling.

How to Optimize Your Amazon Print Listings

Creating compelling Amazon product listings is critical to selling success. Follow these best practices:

Titles

• Include your brand name, print size, subject and main keywords
• Keep under 500 characters including spaces
• Lead with the most important keywords

Bullet Point Features

• Highlight details like print size, frame recommendation, materials, your brand story
• Put most important features first
• Use spacing and formatting for easy scanning

Product Description

• Expand on your story, artistic process, materials used, ideal framing recommendations
• Include photographer bio and contact info
• Insert relevant keywords naturally – don‘t overload or over-optimize

Search Terms

• Include every relevant search keyword a potential buyer might use to find your print
• Leverage long-tail keywords and synonyms
• Update frequently to test new keyword variations

A+ Content

• Take advantage of A+ Content enhanced listing tools
• Add engaging videos, infographics, expanded descriptions and more

Pricing Your Photography Prints on Amazon

Finding optimal pricing is a balancing act between profitability and remaining competitive. Here are 5 pricing tips:

• Aim for 2-4X your production costs as a baseline profit margin
• Research competitor pricing for similar prints
• Price at tiered levels based on print sizes
• Experiment in small increments to find the sweet spot
• Factor in elements like materials, size, uniqueness

Luxury brand photographers charging premium pricing should consider applying for Amazon Luxury Stores eligibility.

Shipping, Packaging and Fulfillment

Photographers on Amazon have two fulfillment options:

1. Self-fulfillment

With self-fulfillment, you manage the entire order, production, packaging and shipping process yourself from your studio or other facility.

Pros

• Full control over fulfillment and branding
• Potentially higher profit margins

Cons

• Manual labor and time for production + shipping
• Must provide customer service yourself

2. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)

With FBA, you send bulk inventory to Amazon‘s warehouses and they handle storage, packing, shipping and returns for you.

Pros

• Completely hands-off fulfillment
• Prime eligibility and free shipping offers
• Excellent customer service from Amazon

Cons

• Reduced profit margins from FBA fees
• Must follow Amazon‘s labeling and prep requirements

Pack prints extremely securely to prevent damage in shipping. Use rigid cardboard backing, plastic sleeves, and high quality mailers.

Avoiding Common Mistakes Selling Photography on Amazon

Through years of selling on Amazon, I‘ve witnessed countless photographers make these common mistakes:

• Using amateur product photos with bad lighting, busy backgrounds, distortions, improper framing and editing
• Failing to specialize in a niche – trying to sell all print topics results in lack of focus
• Skipping key listing optimization best practices for titles, features, descriptions, etc.
• Assuming great prints will sell themselves without proactive promotion
• Relying too much on Amazon traffic alone vs multi-channel marketing
• Offering poor customer service and ignoring buyer feedback and reviews
• Not registering for Brand Registry leading to intellectual property theft

Learn from these errors to maximize your own selling success!

Turn Your Passion into Profit on Amazon

I hope this 2300+ word guide provided you a comprehensive overview of strategically selling photography prints through Amazon. With smart preparation and leveraging Amazon‘s unique assets, artists can build highly profitable print shops on the world‘s largest ecommerce platform.

If you need any help getting started selling your amazing prints on Amazon, feel free to reach out via my website www.example.com. I offer coaching and advising for photographers based on my decade of Amazon selling experience.

Wishing you the very best success turning your creative passion into sales!

Bill Decker
Amazon Seller & Photographer
SellerBooster.com