Okay so this probably will only make any sense to fellow Amazon Merch sellers or anyone who sells apparel or has a brand, but anyone who sells on Merch by Amazon knows about the non-sense takedowns that are rampant. Essentially someone can copy your shirt design, e-mail Amazon with no proof and say they own it and it's their design, and Amazon will remove your shirts.
After going through this over and over for the past few weeks I've decided to strike back. I filed a trademark for this brand/niche. I was able to do the entire process online, it took less than 15 minutes and cost $225. It's going to be a few months before I hear back but assuming I filed everything correctly I'll have a trademark and will be able to protect my brand as well as go after those who infringe upon it.