A note I never thought I’d write about the marketing fees.

Discussion Forums Ambassador Program
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For a long time, I poured energy into promoting my products Facebook posts, Pinterest ads, email boosts, blogs and showMe. I promoted  consistently. And yet, many of my designs never got views, never made sales. It was discouraging.

I’ll be honest: I was upset about the marketing fees at first. It felt like one more cost without a clear return. But over time, I’ve come to see things differently. Zazzle’s promotion of my products has brought in customers I never would’ve reached on my own. That’s a gift. And for that, I’m truly grateful.

Just today, I sold 150 invitations + and instant download and prior to the sale that invitation only had 3 views.  I also sold 30 other invitations and prior to the sale I only had 5 views.  Lately, I’ve seen sales on products with under 5 views proof that something is working behind the scenes. I now believe Zazzle’s marketing is a quiet blessing. Even with my own paid ads, I never saw this kind of traction.

Here’s the trick that helped me stop feeling totally upset about the marketing fees: I increased my royalty. Mine is currently set at 19.3%, and I earn, on average, about 12% royalty from total sales. That feels fair to me. I don’t think it’s wise to go much lower. 19.3% seems to be a sweet spot. It keeps my products competitive while still allowing me to earn enough to feel okay about the exchange.

I’ve noticed that the marketplace is flooded with products set at 5–10% royalties. And while I respect every creator’s choice, I can’t help but wonder if many are earning pennies per sale. When royalties are that low, it skews the perception of value across the platform. I believe raising royalties even modestly could help balance things out and support a healthier creative economy.

So yes, I’m okay with the marketing fees. The excess royalty fees? That’s a separate conversation and one I’m still not comfortable with. But I wanted to share this shift in perspective, because it surprised me. And maybe it’ll resonate with someone else who’s been feeling the same way.

? Are you seeing more views on products that in the past weren’t getting views and sales on designs that never sold before?

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That’s good to know that their marketing efforts are bringing in results! I too raised my royalties, and haven’t noticed a decrease in sales (except for a few products that I mistakenly put too high, when I was first adjusting them). It would be great if everyone raised their royalties, but there’s always going to be some people that like to undercut the competition, even if it means devaluing their work and the perception of the whole platform. I’m hoping that most people will see the obvious benefits of raising their royalties, though.

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I feel marketing fees should be a flat rate, having them tied to our prices doesn’t make sense. Zazzle’s marketing efforts do not change based on what rate we choose to set.

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The only thing I really think we should be pushing back on is the fact that we only make 50% max on digital products for self referrals. If the intention of the marketing fee is to drive traffic then we shouldn’t make more from “none” than self and I really wish they’d work to fix this. Or even acknowledge that it’s an issues. 

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That could bankrupt Zazzlers. My royalties vary from 4 or 5 cents per sale to hundreds of dollars. If they impose a flat fee of say $4 on everyting - a $4 levy on a sticker is terrible - imagine a day when you sell 50 stickers in a row. Your sales won’t cover the fee. 

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Well, then stickers would cease to exist on the Zazzle marketplace because designers won’t be creating any new designs for them. Not a problem because stickers have never been big money makers.

I’m all for having a reasonable flat fee. What’s bankrupting designers is the new Ambassador Program. Any way you slice it, it’s unfair to designers.

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I’ve remained silent on this topic, waiting to see what the results were going to be.  I have not noticed much change in my sales. I did not raise my royalty which was set at the highest 14% on lower cost items and lower royalty percentages on higher priced items. I however am raising my royalty on new products I create. What I have a problem with is the fact that I am not getting my referral royalties and instead am being charged a marketing fee on those.  I product the products as “direct only”, send my customer the link, and still no referral royalty. I email them and get a long story about the algorithm or maybe the customer used an old link or some other non-sense. No one at Zazzle seems to care! I feel like maybe they don’t want or need us.  I should become Pro Bronze any day now.  3+ years in, I delete product that no one “views”, keep my content fresh and have worked hard at it. I feel really bummed right now! How do we get someone’s attention to address this problem?  An another interesting this is that there is a “view insights” icon at the top of you product page, sometimes, if it shows a result at all, it will show that viewers found my product via “direct or other”, not via Zazzle Promotions. So, again, I don’t mind the marketing fee, but it sure doesn’t make sense for me to create content exclusively for my customers to purchase, if I am not going to get my referral commission. Sad, Sad, Sad!!! 

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i’ve only been at this a few weeks. havne’t sold anything and my royalties are all 5-6%, but that’s partially because i’m not an artist and my products prolly suck​:face_savoring_food:

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I think  a more reasonable fee would be 15–25%,  it aligns with actual platform costs and industry norms.  What we have now 35 to 50 % is excessive