Since 2015 on Amazon you can find the Handmade category; this section gives artisans the opportunity to sell their handmade products all over the world through the platform. When Amazon was created, its goal was to become the most important book e-commerce in the world. Since the purpose of 20 years ago, many things have changed, for example the arrival of small artisans on the web.
Amazon Handmade is the confirmation that the platform does not want to limit itself only to the sale of industrial products created by famous brands, but wants to become worldwide, the cornerstone for every sales sector. The goal of 1994 has been fully achieved and exceeded, in fact, any product you need, with a simple search, you can find it without a shadow of a doubt on Amazon. Will the opportunity for small artisans to sell products on Amazon be worthwhile? Let's find out together.
Amazon Handmade is a platform created to allow artisans to sell their handmade products to Amazon customers from all over the world. All artisans who would like to join the Amazon Handmade category must follow a membership procedure. This procedure is used to ensure that customers receive top quality products and build loyalty in their purchases. Membership for participation in the Amazon Handmade program, is integrated with a business solutions contract from Amazon Services. The terms present in the contract can be updated and Amazon has the right to remove all the privileges of the sale at any time according to its discretion.
Each artisan, to be part of the platform, must first submit an application and provide links for documentation, which state the details of their organization and subsequently, be approved by Amazon. I vantaggi che offre Amazon Handmade sono svariati: creare il tuo negozio online e pubblicare i prodotti è assolutamente gratuito. In caso di vendita verrà trattenuta una commissione per segnalazione, che potrebbe essere una somma minima per articolo o una percentuale fissa, ma nulla di più. Non ci sono tariffe di elaborazione e nemmeno commissioni per le transazioni. Hai la possibilità di personalizzare il tuo profilo, che sarà riconosciuto da un suo URL che permetterà di trovarlo direttamente sul sito di Amazon.
Chi e quali prodotti possono far parte del programma Amazon Handmade?
Tutti gli artigiani che lavorano da soli o che vengono aiutati da piccoli gruppi di persone che non siano superiori a 20, come amici, parenti o dipendenti. Possono partecipare a tutte le organizzazioni no profit, le cooperative e gli enti benefici. I prodotti per essere venduti devono rispettare le seguenti caratteristiche:
- I prodotti devono essere inventati e prodotti dall’artigiano o dal piccolo gruppo che lo aiuta;
- Per la costruzione possono essere utilizzati utensili manuali e macchinari leggeri nella propria bottega, vietata è la produzione di massa nata da catena di montaggio;
- È possibile modificare oggetti già esistenti, con l’applicazione di propri design;
- È possibile riutilizzare creativamente un oggetto aumentandone il valore con delle modifiche;
- È possibile riadattare un oggetto, tutto o anche una sola parte, per nuovi utilizzi o diversi da quello originale.
Non è possibile, invece, affidare a terzi la produzione, spedire tramite drop shipping, rivendere prodotti di altri artigiani e vendere articoli digitali, alimentari, elettronici, per la cura della casa e cibo per animali.
La procedura di iscrizione ad Amazon Handmade
Prima di poter vendere i tuoi prodotti artigianali su Amazon, bisogna richiedere l’autorizzazione ed avere un account seller central attivo. La procedura deve essere poi approvata. Per la procedura sono necessarie le seguenti richieste:
- Indirizzo email e nome;
- Dare informazioni su processi di produzione e di design, senza di queste le richieste non saranno mai accettate;
- Foto dei tuoi lavori e immagini che mostrano il logo, la ragione sociale o il biglietto da visita;
- Inserire URL dei propri siti e delle pagine social dove vengono condivisi i prodotti (questi aiuteranno molto per la valutazione della richiesta);
- La richiesta verrà esaminata e subito dopo verrai contattato da un operatore per la conferma o per la richiesta di altro materiale.
Dopo essere stato contattato dall’operatore puoi confermare la tua idoneità e iniziare a pubblicare i tuoi articoli nel tuo negozio virtuale di Amazon Handmade. Vai su "impostazioni" e dopo su "informazioni sull’account", sul lato sinistro nella parte “i tuoi servizi" troverai Amazon Handmade. Adesso tornando alle impostazioni, scorrendo verso il basso, alla fine, appare "profilo artigiano". Nella home page cerca primi “passi su Amazon Handmade“, che si trova sotto "notizie", nella colonna centrale.
Il tuo profilo di artigiano su Amazon Handmade
Nella pagina profilo dell’artigiano potrai fornire ai tuoi utenti informazioni su di te, sul tuo lavoro e sui tuoi prodotti. This information will be visible to Amazon customers and will only be about you and your work. If you already sell something on Amazon, but in a different category, you can check if your products have the right criteria to enter the handmade world and republish them in the craftsman category after completing the registration. After uploading your products, it may take up to 24 hours for them to be visible to users. If after 24 hours they are still not present in your online store, you can refer to the section "Most frequent reasons why you can't find your Amazon Handmade deals".
To increase your sales, Amazon suggests you some tricks that you must have to succeed in the best way in your goal. After publishing the products you will have to sell them, convincing your customers. A special attention should be paid to the titles, to the terms that are used for each offer, which are used by customers to search for your products. The titles must be clear and short, they must describe the product in a simple way. The terms used for the description of the product, must be related to the product itself and refer to it. They must be complete to ensure during the search, that your products are displayed in a consistent way. For images, we always suggest a very high quality, in order to highlight the product, as it is the best way to attract users' attention.
To simplify searches, it is also used to add a label to the product according to the occasion of use: for example, a wedding or a birthday, and thus allow your customers to view your products according to the type of occasion in which they will use them. After creating your craftsman profile page everything you publish, images, photos, information, you need to know that they can be shared by Amazon users via smartphone apps or other websites. The categories available for sale are different: early childhood, accessories, decorative elements, clothing, shoes, housewares, watches, kitchen, toys, etc.. if by chance you do not find the category suitable for your products, it is because the sale of those products is not allowed.
The costs of Amazon Handmade
For craftsmen authorized to sell in the Handmade section of Amazon, there is the exemption of the fee of 39 euros, which instead is provided for the subscription to the professional sales plan. As mentioned above, crafters will only pay a commission on each item sold.
Each crafter must comply with all state, local and federal laws that are applicable, not to mention those of Amazon's internal policies, which are enforced on all products. Violating the intellectual property rights of brand or other rights holders is prohibited. You can look up the "intellectual property policy for sellers" page to learn more. To protect their trademarks, crafters, can refer to Amazon's trademark registry, which helps them protect their trademarks and ensures every customer has a safe experience.
Amazon protects the authenticity of every product in the Handmade category and has the right to conduct product verifications. During the verifications Amazon can decide whether to remove an item or even an artisan, if it does not meet all the parameters specified by Amazon Handemade guidelines and policies. All those who will be removed from the platform, will be punctually informed and have the right to challenge this decision. A notification will arrive explaining how soon the artisan has to give Amazon some information to allow them a verification of their product.
The artisan could be revoked from selling their handmade products permanently, if they continue to circumvent the rules imposed by Amazon. The bids must therefore comply with all internal policies on the publication of products, following what the guide "amazon handmade: requirements and conditions for category bids" indicates.
As for public relations, artisans can carry out this activity independently, or through a communication agency. One should always mention Amazon and require Amazon's public relations team to always review their content before making it public. So at least two weeks before putting out, say, a press release or announcement, it must go through the public relations department and be approved. The draft of the release should be submitted with a word file and sent to interested parties. The artisan will then be contacted by an operator for confirmation.