First: I am not here to complain in any way with this post. I’m making a suggestion that I think makes sense. Let us designers see what we really make net net and put that information right where it should be in the royalty you will earn section.
I’m displaying two royalty calculator screenshots. First is how it looks right now and second is how I’m suggesting it should look…the one that shows the ad fee percentage cost. Mind you: I did not do an exact calculation here (obviously) so only use my figure show where it should be shown
To the Z team: I would appreciate it if you would take my suggestion seriously so we as designers can really really see what our net royalty is front and center.
I agree, @igiftcenter . But there’s one number that has been consistently missing from the reportage: the actual percent of the sale we really receive! A Royalty Percentage of 19% means diddly-squat when the actual percent of the sale we really receive is only 10% in your example. I’d like to see that number reported here and on the ‘eye’ flyout in our earnings statements.
I agree. Since there are four possible earnings situations (None, Cross-Promo, Self-Promo, or 3rd Party) it’s not very helpful for the royalty calculator to show only what you would earn on a rare None sale at list price. If it can only show one scenario, it should be the 3rd Party one as that is the most common sale type these days. Showing all four would be ideal though, not just because it would provide transparency but also because it would show how much more one’s total net would be on a Self-Promo sale compared to the others which would encourage people to self promote using “clean” links as Zazzle wants us to do.
We were promised a new royalty calculator when April’s Fools Doomsday occurred, but it never materialized. So, come on @zazzle please get this out, it’s been way too long. We see questions and angry reports about the royalties at least once a week.
That…is a great point Colscreations. In my quest to have an accurate net net of our royalties displayed hadn’t even thought of the fact that there are several scenarios where this would be affected. Thank you for pointing this out and the link to your royalty calculator. If your calculator involves excell spreadsheets, I’m doomed as a dummy when it comes to that lol
We are being shown a royalty percentage that gives the impression of what we will earn, but in practice, that number rarely reflects the actual outcome.
As designers, we are making pricing decisions based on incomplete information.
When a product shows a 15–20% royalty, but the real earnings after marketing fees and sale type adjustments are significantly lower, that affects everything, pricing strategy, product viability, and long-term sustainability.
At the very least, the calculator should clearly show:
• Net earnings after all fees
• The true percentage of the total sale we receive
• A realistic scenario (3rd party sale, since that is most common)
Right now, the system requires us to reverse-engineer our own earnings or rely on outside spreadsheets just to understand what we’re making.
That shouldn’t be necessary.
Clarity at the point of creation would not only build trust, it would help designers price more accurately and ultimately strengthen the marketplace as a whole.
@SORS : As per usual, you chimed in with a post that nails down the exact ramifications of the point I was making below. What superficially looks good on paper at first glance doesn’t translate into real-world results, results that creators need to know. However, I still maintain that the true percentage received not only needs to appear on the royalty calculator listing page but also on the final sales report in the ‘eye’ flyout of our earnings page. That’s where the results would really hit home, I think, for most creators.
Also:
@ColsCreations : I must not have noticed (or forgot that I noticed) the lines in your updated calculator that show the real % realized by the creator from a sale. Your tools and forum contributions are always valued and appreciated. I can’t help feeling, though, that this kind of information belongs to everyone and should be Zazzle-provided.
And, lastly, @Anne and @igiftcenter ,: It’s well past time that a new advanced calculator be provided. Thanks for bringing this important subject (back) up.
Thank you, I truly appreciate that. I think you’ve identified where this would make the greatest difference. The calculator offers an initial estimate, but the final sales report is where creators are actually evaluating results. Reflecting the true percentage there would bring a much greater level of clarity and would be a meaningful step toward helping creators make more informed decisions.
