diff --git a/encode.go b/encode.go
index 792bde5..0535808 100644
--- a/encode.go
+++ b/encode.go
@@ -487,3 +487,40 @@ func isAVEqual(a, b *dynamodb.AttributeValue) bool {
 	}
 	return false
 }
+
+// isNil returns true if v is considered nil
+// this is used to determine if an attribute should be set or removed
+func isNil(v interface{}) bool {
+	if v == nil || v == "" {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	// consider v nil if it's a special encoder defined on a value type, but v is a pointer
+	rv := reflect.ValueOf(v)
+	switch v.(type) {
+	case Marshaler:
+		if rv.Kind() == reflect.Ptr && rv.IsNil() {
+			if _, ok := rv.Type().Elem().MethodByName("MarshalDynamo"); ok {
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+	case dynamodbattribute.Marshaler:
+		if rv.Kind() == reflect.Ptr && rv.IsNil() {
+			if _, ok := rv.Type().Elem().MethodByName("MarshalDynamoDBAttributeValue"); ok {
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+	case encoding.TextMarshaler:
+		if rv.Kind() == reflect.Ptr && rv.IsNil() {
+			if _, ok := rv.Type().Elem().MethodByName("MarshalText"); ok {
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+	default:
+		// e.g. (*int)(nil)
+		return rv.Kind() == reflect.Ptr && rv.IsNil()
+	}
+
+	// non-pointers or special encoders with a pointer receiver
+	return false
+}
diff --git a/encoding_test.go b/encoding_test.go
index 4665bbf..1715e7a 100644
--- a/encoding_test.go
+++ b/encoding_test.go
@@ -167,6 +167,17 @@ var itemEncodingTests = []struct {
 			"A": &dynamodb.AttributeValue{S: aws.String("hello")},
 		},
 	},
+	{
+		name: "pointer (value receiver TextMarshaler)",
+		in: &struct {
+			A *textMarshaler
+		}{
+			A: new(textMarshaler),
+		},
+		out: map[string]*dynamodb.AttributeValue{
+			"A": &dynamodb.AttributeValue{S: aws.String("false")},
+		},
+	},
 	{
 		name: "rename",
 		in: struct {
@@ -390,9 +401,31 @@ func (tm *textMarshaler) UnmarshalText(text []byte) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+type ptrTextMarshaler bool
+
+func (tm *ptrTextMarshaler) MarshalText() ([]byte, error) {
+	if tm == nil {
+		return []byte("null"), nil
+	}
+	if *tm {
+		return []byte("true"), nil
+	}
+	return []byte("false"), nil
+}
+
+func (tm *ptrTextMarshaler) UnmarshalText(text []byte) error {
+	if string(text) == "null" {
+		return nil
+	}
+	*tm = string(text) == "true"
+	return nil
+}
+
 var (
 	_ Marshaler                = new(customMarshaler)
 	_ Unmarshaler              = new(customMarshaler)
 	_ encoding.TextMarshaler   = new(textMarshaler)
 	_ encoding.TextUnmarshaler = new(textMarshaler)
+	_ encoding.TextMarshaler   = new(ptrTextMarshaler)
+	_ encoding.TextUnmarshaler = new(ptrTextMarshaler)
 )
diff --git a/update.go b/update.go
index 1af41d2..d2fbfeb 100644
--- a/update.go
+++ b/update.go
@@ -59,9 +59,13 @@ func (u *Update) Range(name string, value interface{}) *Update {
 }
 
 // Set changes path to the given value.
+// If value is an empty string or nil, path will be removed instead.
 // Paths that are reserved words are automatically escaped.
 // Use single quotes to escape complex values like 'User'.'Count'.
 func (u *Update) Set(path string, value interface{}) *Update {
+	if isNil(value) {
+		return u.Remove(path)
+	}
 	path, err := u.escape(path)
 	u.setError(err)
 	expr, err := u.subExpr("🝕 = ?", path, value)
diff --git a/update_test.go b/update_test.go
index 6e1ed1f..a2d5235 100644
--- a/update_test.go
+++ b/update_test.go
@@ -73,3 +73,49 @@ func TestUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error("expected ConditionalCheckFailedException, not", err)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestUpdateNil(t *testing.T) {
+	if testDB == nil {
+		t.Skip(offlineSkipMsg)
+	}
+	table := testDB.Table(testTable)
+
+	// first, add an item to make sure there is at least one
+	item := widget{
+		UserID: 4242,
+		Time:   time.Now().UTC(),
+		Msg:    "delete me",
+		Meta: map[string]string{
+			"abc": "123",
+		},
+		Count: 100,
+	}
+	err := table.Put(item).Run()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error("unexpected error:", err)
+		t.FailNow()
+	}
+
+	// update Msg with 'nil', which should delete it
+	var result widget
+	err = table.Update("UserID", item.UserID).Range("Time", item.Time).
+		Set("Msg", (*textMarshaler)(nil)).
+		Set("Meta.'abc'", nil).
+		Set("Meta.'ok'", (*ptrTextMarshaler)(nil)).
+		Set("Count", (*int)(nil)).
+		Value(&result)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error("unexpected error:", err)
+	}
+	expected := widget{
+		UserID: item.UserID,
+		Time:   item.Time,
+		Msg:    "",
+		Meta: map[string]string{
+			"ok": "null",
+		},
+	}
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(result, expected) {
+		t.Errorf("bad result. %+v ≠ %+v", result, expected)
+	}
+}