Amazon buyers usually want a print in a box, not a ZIP. That one fact changes your P&L: you now pay a print partner on every order.
Just Map Print is the design studio (live pin, export file). You still run POD / Amazon Custom / your printer yourself — seller hub Amazon path.
Etsy digital vs Amazon physical (pick on purpose)
| Etsy digital (typical) | Amazon + POD (typical) | |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer gets | File | Shipped print |
| Your variable cost | ≈ $0 | Print + ship (POD invoice) |
| Net per order | Higher | Lower, volume can compensate |
| Ops load | Zip upload | Template match + POD QC |
| Best first step for most shops | Often yes | After you can already produce maps fast |
If you are still learning the product, start with Etsy digital profit math. Come to Amazon when you can export a clean file in one sitting.
Unit economics (run your own numbers)
Fill this with your POD quote and Amazon fee estimate. Example only:
| Line | Example unframed 12×16 poster | Example larger / premium |
|---|---|---|
| List price | $34.99 | $49.99 |
| Amazon referral (~15% — verify category) | −$5.25 | −$7.50 |
| POD print + ship (to customer) | −$12.00 | −$18.00 |
| Returns / defects reserve (2–3%) | −$1.00 | −$1.50 |
| Net before your time | ≈ $16.70 | ≈ $23.00 |
| Design tool (Shop Pass $179/yr amortized) | depends on volume | depends on volume |
Compare to Etsy digital at ~$15 net with $0 print cost: Amazon can still win if you sell more units, or if buyers only convert on “ships tomorrow” physical gifts. It loses if POD costs drift up and you never raise list price.
Break-even on a $179 / year design pass (tool only, ignoring ads):
| Net / unit after Amazon + POD | Units / year to cover $179 |
|---|---|
| $10 | 18 |
| $15 | 12 |
| $20 | 9 |
Again: the tool is cheap relative to a working listing. Ads, samples, and returns are the real cost killers — budget those separately.
Time cost
Personalized Amazon Custom / made-to-order POD often means: read order → design → optional proof → upload to POD. If that is 20–25 minutes and net is $15, you are near $36–45 / hour before ads. If POD auto-fulfills a fixed city SKU (no personalization), minutes drop and the model looks more like catalog POD — different product, lower emotion, often lower price pressure from competitors.
What to list
Same gift angles as Etsy, but show framed product in main images:
- Where We Met / anniversary wall art
- Wedding venue / engagement location
- First home / housewarming
- Named city or neighbourhood posters
Presets to practice: Where we met · First home · Custom map.
Ops workflow
- Collect address, names, date, caption (Amazon Custom fields or a short post-purchase form).
- Design in a live editor — seller maker.
- Export the exact size your POD template wants (size guide).
- Upload to Printify / Printful / Gelato / Amazon Custom / local printer.
- Let that partner ship. Just Map Print does not FBA or fulfill for you.
Exports render at 2× (~3600px on the long edge). Match the template; for very large canvases, prefer PDF and confirm with the printer. Do not promise “300 DPI at every wall size” unless you measured it.
License & credit
Marketplace resale needs a commercial unlock (Shop Pass on Just Map Print). Keep map-data credit on the listing:
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Design by [Your Brand].Copy-paste block: seller page.
When Amazon is the wrong first move
- You cannot yet produce a map file without fighting the tool
- Your POD quote leaves under ~$8 net after fees and you refuse to raise price
- You only want digital download economics → stay on Etsy
Next step
Export one city sample at your POD’s template size, upload a draft product, and write the real net on a sticky note before you open ads.
Amazon path on seller hub · Shop Pass · Etsy digital walkthrough