@ColsCreations and @Heather_B , Right, I understand all that… That’s not the problem though. The problem is simply that the customer has no real shot at actually seeing or using my template, because Zazzle is using a program that intercepts right over mine.
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Back when they launched the secondary content program, it was all tied to the “create tool” which was pretty much the same as the “design tool” except that it was aimed at customers who wanted to make their own designs from scratch rather than browsing the marketplace. But one of the things it had was a collection of templates for various products (many of them digital rather than print products.) Anyhow, they discontinued the “create tool” around the same time that they discontinued the secondary content program (well, it still exists for re-orders, but the create tool is gone and the designer made backgrounds no longer appear in the design tool.) ANYHOW, I’m sorta wondering if this is an attempt to integrate some of the ideas from the “create tool.” I’m not sure how or if they marketed that program to the public, but judging by the number of my backgrounds that were used on CYO products, I’m guessing that customers starting from scratch is a bigger chunk of Zazzle’s business than we realize.
Definitely agree with you. And sorry for the neologism, I’m French and sometimes a few French words can appear in my posts. ( we often say “complexifier” in French. ) 
I think they prepare an integration of the designer tool in something else. We’ll probably have a surprise in a short time. ( I guess for us it will be for the worse as all the modifications they have deployed these past years.)
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@Fantabulou_Stef No need to apologize for the creative vocabulary! I actually thought it was a great word!
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Exactly!!! This!!! I am hoping it reaches the right people! Sometimes zazzle mimics etsy( add 10 photos and video of a POD design?), Sometimes canva! It was actually really ok of zazzle being zazzle it was such a win win for everyone!
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There are a lot of things I hate about Canva’s entire system. 
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Ok, now I have a question, did Zazzle change how fly in template/s work? Or is it just me?? I can see the Swap Designs showing at the top of every page now, instead of flying over my designs. I think the fly in, for me, was the worst part of all this. I don’t feel so mad about it anymore, being offered at the top. Just not shadowing my promoted products, when I’m working hard at promoting them.
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I’m not sure, but I just randomly looked at a product and the ‘swap designs’ is at the top. Then my product (like normal here) and below it is 15 rows (insane) of ‘other designs from this category’ that aren’t even remotely related to the design of the product. And THEN after all that is the product collection. Why would customers care about 15 rows of random unrelated products over the complimentary designs? Insane.
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@Jo_P I agree! When landing via a direct link, the Collection, ‘Transfer design,’ and product specs/descriptions should sit right below the product. This matches the standard Zazzle product pages. Separating them with 15 rows of alternative designs makes them hard to find. I think customers expect to see them together. Collections are intended to help customers find complimentary designs, and as a customer, I always want to read the product specifications and description!
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Oh man, I didn’t even get to the product descriptions part, you are right, that’s not good either!
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Since this latest Zazzle change, my sales are down about 50%. I am concerned.
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Ditto. My sales have especially taken a hit since this new addition. 
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My sales have dropped so low since this has been added. This is very discouraging!
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If it aint broke, don’t fix it
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At the very least, the collection should appear above the ‘other designs from this category’ list. If a customer has clicked to view a product, it’s safe to assume they like it so showing the collection first makes more sense. The collection isn’t a tall element, so the customer could still see the other designs directly below it.
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I simply do not understand this. For most of 10+ years my referral links did not work. At least 100 a day and after years of getting one or two referrals in an entire year it just got to be too much work for naught. Now this new system is more confusing and I have seen zero referrals this month,
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I have been on Canva for years and I think it’s way more confusing than it needs to be.
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A lesson I was taught while working for many years in a large computer corporation – include the implementers with the planners.
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Absolutely agree! I still use it obviously, but some of the things they do just make zero sense. They hide everything and make annoying pop ups… sadly it seems the new design tool is copying those aspects.
The one thing I would LOVE for Zazzle to copy from them is the ‘micro movements’ I call them, where when you use the arrow keys it BARELY nudges the item over/down instead of big jumps like we currently have.
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Most software packages call that feature the “nudge” feature. It typically works by holding down the shift key while using the arrow key. In Photoshop and Illustrator you can set the nudge increment to as small a space as 1 pixel.
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