# Merch by Amazon tiers explained: how tier ups work now

Source: https://rushilo.com/blog/merch-by-amazon-tiers-explained
By om.assets, Rushilo. Updated 2026-11-03.

> Merch by Amazon tiers cap how many designs you can have live: 10, 25, 100, 500, 1,000 and up. Amazon now sets your tier from the number and percentage of your products and designs that sold in the last 12 months, not lifetime sales. Tier ups come in occasional waves, so the way up is a small portfolio where most designs sell, not more uploads.

You got accepted to Merch by Amazon, uploaded your 10 designs, maybe sold a few shirts, and now you are waiting for the jump to Tier 25 that every old YouTube video promised would come after 10 sales. It has not come. You check the dashboard twice a week.

The short reason: **the rule changed.** Most tier guides that rank today still describe the lifetime sales system. Amazon now looks at what sold in the last 12 months and how much of your portfolio sold, and it raises tiers in occasional waves. This guide explains both tier systems, what the numbers look like in practice from sellers in r/AmazonMerch, and what to do about it.

## What are Merch by Amazon tiers?

**A tier is the maximum number of designs you can have live at once.** New accounts start at Tier 10, which means 10 designs, and the ladder goes 25, 100, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000 and up into the tens of thousands, per Amazon's Merch on Demand FAQ.

Two plain definitions before going further:

- **Design tier (slots):** how many designs you may publish. One design can go on many products (tee, hoodie, PopSocket) and in many marketplaces.
- **Royalty tier:** a separate system added in June 2026 that sets how much each sale pays. It has three levels: Creator, Plus and Premium.

People mix these up constantly, so this article covers each in turn.

## How do tier ups work now?

**Amazon now calculates your tier from the number and the percentage of your products and designs that sold in the last 12 months**, according to its own FAQ. Before 2025, it was lifetime sales: sell 10 shirts, move to Tier 25, roughly.

That shift matters in two ways:

1. **Sales count only for a year.** A design that sold well in 2023 and nothing since adds nothing.
2. **Sell through counts.** Sell through here means the share of your live designs that have made at least one sale in the window. Ten designs with eight sellers looks much better than ten designs with two sellers that sold 50 copies between them.

When one seller asked support for detail, the email they shared in r/AmazonMerch said "at least 80% of your published designs should have made at least one sale" and that 85% to 90% was ideal. The top reply: "80% minimum is insanely high."

> **Watch out:** that 80% figure came from a support email, not a published rule, and real tier ups have happened well below it. Treat it as a direction, not a line.

What sellers saw in practice in late August 2026, when a wave of tier ups went out:

| Reported by | Move | Share of designs sold |
|---|---|---|
| r/AmazonMerch seller | Tier 500 to Tier 1,000 | about 60% |
| r/AmazonMerch seller | tier up, slots full | about 40% |
| r/AmazonMerch seller | still waiting at Tier 2,000 | about 36% |

So the honest summary is: **recent sales near your tier number, plus a high share of designs selling, then wait for a wave.** Nobody outside Amazon knows the exact formula.

## Why haven't I tiered up yet?

**Because tier ups are not instant.** One long time seller explained that tier ups "happen globally, as in every few months or so": everyone who qualifies moves at roughly the same time, larger tiers first. Amazon's own update FAQ says it upgrades accounts "as capacity allows."

Sellers report long gaps. One was stuck at Tier 10 for over a year with about 40 lifetime sales. Another sat at Tier 25 with 257 total sales. A Tier 500 seller has been eligible since December 2024 with all slots full and close to 1,000 sales. At the same time, a newer seller went from Tier 10 to 25 in January 2026 after around 200 sales, and from 25 to 100 in March after around 300.

**The pattern: meeting the criteria makes you eligible; the wave decides when.** If you checked last week and nothing happened, that tells you nothing about your account.

## What is the Merch by Amazon tier ladder?

**The ladder below is the design tier, with the rough sales sellers report needing.** Treat the time column as a range, not a promise.

| Tier (live designs) | What sellers report before moving up | Typical wait reported |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Starting tier, all new accounts | Day one |
| 25 | 10 or more recent sales, most of your 10 designs sold | A few months to over a year |
| 100 | Around 25 to 300 recent sales, high sell through | Months |
| 500 | Around 100 or more recent sales, high sell through | Often a year or more |
| 1,000 and up | Sales near your tier number, plus sell through | Waves months apart |

The old rule of thumb was "sell your tier number to move up." That is still a useful floor, but now it has to happen within 12 months and with most of your portfolio selling.

## Can you be tiered down?

**Yes.** The same 12 month look back works in reverse. In r/AmazonMerch, one account reported moving from Tier 100,000 to 60,000 to 50,000 in a single year, and others with thousands of unused slots expect cuts.

Listings also disappear on their own. According to AMZ Prep's 2026 guide, products that make no sale for about 18 months are removed. So a portfolio of idle designs both drags your sell through down and slowly vanishes.

## What are the Creator, Plus and Premium royalty tiers?

**Since June 2026, every account is on a royalty tier as well as a design tier, and it decides your pay per sale.** It has nothing to do with slots.

| Royalty tier | Requirement | $19.99 standard tee pays |
|---|---|---|
| Creator (default) | Nothing; Amazon search and browse traffic | about $2.44 |
| Plus | 15% or more of monthly unit sales from traffic you bring | about $4.88 |
| Premium | 35% or more from outside traffic | about $5.27 |

Figures are from AMZ Prep's November 2026 royalty table and Amazon's royalty page. Outside traffic means social links, email, a blog or Amazon Ads tracked through Amazon Attribution. For the full price by price table, see [Merch by Amazon royalties per shirt](/blog/merch-by-amazon-royalties).

The two systems do pull in the same direction: designs that sell, with some traffic you drive yourself, help both.

## How do you tier up faster under the new rules?

**Upload fewer, better designs, remove the ones that do not sell, and keep your portfolio's sell through high.** Here is the order that matches how the rule now works:

1. **Research before you upload.** Each slot is precious at Tier 10. Pick niches with steady buyers and little copycat noise; [print on demand niches that sell](/blog/print-on-demand-niches-that-sell) walks through how.
2. **Check every word for trademarks.** Rejections and removals cost you slots and time. One Tier 2,000 seller noted that even after a browser extension cleared a title, Amazon still rejected it.
3. **Price so a sale is worth it.** Launch tees around $17.99 to $19.99, not $13.99. Cheap pricing buys sales but barely pays at Creator tier.
4. **Give each design 60 to 90 days.** Then look at your sales report and mark which designs have made zero sales in the window.
5. **Replace non sellers.** Support's own advice was to "regularly remove non-performing designs" and replace them with new ones. Swap the weakest, not the whole portfolio.
6. **Bring a little outside traffic.** Even a small social or Pinterest presence helps you toward Plus and adds sales to your 12 month count.
7. **Keep going and ignore the calendar.** Waves are unpredictable. A seller who keeps sell through high is ready when one comes.

The [Print on Demand pack](/print-on-demand) has the niche research checklist and the trademark check routine that make step 1 and 2 repeatable, which is most of what decides your sell through.

> **Tip:** sell the same designs elsewhere. Merch designs are not exclusive, and one Tier 500 seller said a separate Etsy or KDP outlet gave their extra designs somewhere to live while slots were full.

## What mistakes keep sellers stuck?

**Most stuck accounts are doing what used to work.** From the threads:

- **Uploading for volume.** Under the old rule more designs meant more chances. Now ten designs with two sellers is a 20% sell through, far below anything that has tiered up.
- **Buying your own shirts to "start" designs.** Several sellers say they bought one of every design to get a sales rank. It may count as a sale, but one Tier 10 seller did exactly that for every design and was still waiting a year later. It is not a reliable tier up plan, and asking friends for reviews breaks Amazon's review rules.
- **Waiting instead of pruning.** A design that has not sold in a year is hurting your ratio. Delete and replace it.
- **Running ads at break even prices.** Ads can lift sales and help reach Plus, but at $13.99 they usually lose money. Price first, advertise second.
- **Expecting Merch to be the whole business.** Several experienced sellers now spread across Etsy, Shopify or KDP because tier ups are slow. Plan for that from the start.

## Is it still worth starting Merch by Amazon with Tier 10?

**It can be, if you treat Tier 10 as a testing ground rather than a waiting room.** Ten carefully chosen designs that mostly sell teach you more than a hundred random uploads, and that is exactly what the new rule rewards. Results vary widely: one seller in the threads earns around $20,000 a year after years on the platform, while others have sold under 50 shirts. If you need income fast, Merch alone is the wrong tool.

## Where to go from here

1. Open your Merch dashboard and count how many of your live designs sold in the last 12 months.
2. Mark every design with zero sales in 90 days for replacement.
3. Research and trademark check each replacement before it takes a slot.
4. Price new tees at $17.99 to $19.99 and add one outside traffic source.
5. Check your ratio monthly, not your tier daily.

The [Print on Demand pack](/print-on-demand) gives you the full 21 lessons in 6 modules, the niche and trademark checklists and listing templates for Amazon, Etsy and Shopify for $19, and all 16 Money Printer packs are $39. For other options, see [the best print on demand course](/blog/best-print-on-demand-course).

## Frequently asked questions

### What are the tiers in Merch by Amazon?

Tiers are the number of designs you may have live at once: Tier 10 for new accounts, then 25, 100, 500, 1,000, 2,000 and higher. Since 2025 Amazon sets them from the number and percentage of your designs that sold in the last 12 months. A separate royalty tier, Creator, Plus or Premium, sets how much each sale pays.

### How do you tier up on Merch by Amazon?

You need recent sales roughly equal to your tier number and a high share of your live designs selling in the last 12 months. Support has quoted 80% to sellers, but in an August 2026 wave sellers moved up at 40% to 60%. Remove designs that never sell, replace them with better ones, then wait for the next wave.

### How long does it take to tier up on Merch by Amazon?

Anywhere from a few months to over a year, because tier ups arrive in account wide waves rather than the day you qualify. One seller went from Tier 10 to 25 in January 2026 and Tier 25 to 100 in March. Others report sitting at Tier 10 or Tier 500 for a year or more while meeting the criteria.

### Can you be tiered down on Merch by Amazon?

Yes. Because tiers now look at the last 12 months, accounts with many unused or unsold slots have been moved down, for example from Tier 100,000 to 50,000. Listings that sell nothing for about 18 months are also removed. Keeping a smaller portfolio that sells protects your tier better than a large idle one.

### Is the design tier the same as the royalty tier?

No. The design tier limits how many designs you can publish. The royalty tier, introduced in June 2026, sets your pay per sale: Creator is the default, Plus needs at least 15% of monthly unit sales from outside traffic, and Premium needs 35% or more. A $19.99 tee pays about $2.44 on Creator and $4.88 on Plus.

### What is the best way to learn Merch by Amazon tiers and print on demand?

The Rushilo Print on Demand pack is the best value starting point because its 21 lessons in 6 modules cover niche research, trademark checks and listing for $19, which is exactly what raises sell through. Pair it with your Merch dashboard's sales report so you can see which designs to keep and which to replace.

## Sources

- [Merch on Demand FAQs (Amazon)](https://merch.amazon.com/resource/201846470)
- [Tier Level Update FAQ (Amazon)](https://merch.amazon.com/resource/E7XTY8UJ74CNDTW)
- [Amazon Merch on Demand 2026: Royalties, Tiers and Updates (AMZ Prep)](https://amzprep.com/amazon-merch-on-demand/)
- [Information I received from support on the new tier up system (r/AmazonMerch)](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmazonMerch/comments/1k7uc9q/information_i_received_from_support_on_the_new/)
- [I Just Tiered Up (r/AmazonMerch)](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmazonMerch/comments/1vzxcaw/i_just_tiered_up/)
- [Tier up to 1000 or 2000 in 2026? (r/AmazonMerch)](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmazonMerch/comments/1ua1w41/tier_up_to_1000_or_2000_in_2026/)
- [Several doubts about tier up and more (r/AmazonMerch)](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmazonMerch/comments/1nkgupw/several_doubts_about_tier_up_and_more/)
- [Why we don't get a tier up? (r/AmazonMerch)](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmazonMerch/comments/1pbnkfc/why_we_dont_get_a_tier_up_beginners_question/)