Finding vectors and logos for Merch by Amazon is hard. I often find myself trudging through site after site looking for the “perfect” vector to use on my Merch shirts.

Once I finally find the image I like, I go to download it…and end up getting redirected to a paid resource like Shutterstock. Annoyed, I head back to Google to start the research process again. I’ll probably find a couple more that would work, but then I have to go through the trouble of figuring out if these vectors can be used commercially.

Most of you research vectors and artwork the same way. We’re all looking for the cheapest way to create t-shirts. Our thought process is “If I can create a design using free fonts and free vectors and upload that to Amazon, then any of my sales will be pure profit!

When a platform like Merch by Amazon comes into existence, new tools and services are bound to emerge. Developing a “first to market” product is usually a great way to solidify yourself as the defacto “best tool” for that particular platform.

For example, you’ve probably heard of Merch Informer, Pretty Merch, and Merch Buddy. Those were all the “first” products created in their respective categories. Merch Informer dominated the t-shirt research market, Pretty Merch dominates analytics, and Merch Buddy streamlines and simplifies the t-shirt uploading process.

But, being first to market doesn’t always mean you are the best. When I created MerchReadyDesigns, I wasn’t the first to market. I just did it better than everyone else at the time.

In the world of Merch by Amazon, data is king.

New and longtime sellers alike have used data at one point or another to boost t-shirt sales. Data is used to determine which t-shirt colors sell the best, which genders to target, which niches to upload to, and which trends are popular.

Now that Merch has been around for several years (and millions of shirts have been uploaded), getting your shirts noticed is getting even harder. Tools like Merch Informer have made it easier to find best-selling shirts, but when it comes to finding out trending shirts, it’s not always the best solution. A lot of these Merch by Amazon research tools use historical data.