Platinum Designer Feeling the Impact

Discussion Forums Ambassador Program
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I’ve voiced my concerns before, but I feel like nothing is changing.

I’ve been building my Zazzle store since 2016 and reached Platinum status in 2022. I’ve spent years creating, promoting, and bringing customers directly to this platform. Like many of you, I was hopeful when the new Earnings page launched. Transparency is a step in the right direction.

But what it has revealed is deeply discouraging.

I now clearly see how much of our royalties and self-referral income is being withheld through fees and deductions that were previously less visible. For those of us investing in marketing and consistently bringing our own traffic, this feels like a significant setback. My profits have dropped by 30 to 40 percent—what used to be fair and motivating compensation now feels unsustainable.

We are not passive contributors. We are actively helping Zazzle grow. We design, we promote, we drive traffic, and we convert. But we’re watching the return on our effort steadily diminish.

I want to be clear that this post is shared in the spirit of constructive feedback. I value this platform and the opportunities it has given me over the years. My goal is not to criticize for the sake of it, but to advocate for fairness for those of us who have remained loyal and invested deeply in our stores.

To my fellow long-time designers: if you’re noticing similar trends, I encourage you to respectfully share your experience as well. Honest feedback, shared constructively, can help move things in the right direction.

Zazzle, we want to see this platform thrive, but that has to include the creators who make it what it is. I hope this is an opportunity for honest reevaluation and renewed collaboration with the community that has helped build this marketplace.

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While i don’t like the changes either, I realize that Zazzle has made this decision and won’t reverse it. Perhaps they can’t reverse it and still stay in business. The best that we can do is cope by raising our royalties, and try to do more promotion to hopefully get those elusive self-referrals.

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I agree as a Platinum designer definitely seeing a 30-40% pay cut overnight from 1 April. 60% drop from a couple of years ago. It does makes it tricky to continue on the same way as before when you are forced to take on other work.

I understand the need for the change and have accepted that, and will continue to keep going and try to increase earnings… however I guess in the long run you would have to expect the quality of designs will reduce across Zazzle as some of the top designers will no doubt move on to where they are better compensated for their time, whether that be a job or business etc. Smaller designers who do Zazzle as side business may start to drop off as well as they may not feel it is worth their time. As such Zazzle may need to adjust their plans after awhile to better cater to designers if they want to keep the same quality and range of designs for customers 

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I see in the new Zazzle design challenge that they are specifically asking for new wedding invitation designs, so maybe that is already happening.

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I respect your opinion my only concern with rising our royalties and Zazzle charging more we are running the price of the products up and they will be too expensive for people to buy.  I see pocket folder for example are anywhere from 15.00 to 20.00 dollars a pocket folder here on Zazzle (I understand people want special design) but I can go to any department store and buy a pocket folder that has all kinds of designs on them for less than 4.00 (four dollars) I just went school shopping with my Granddaughter she got a fancy binder, pocket folder and notebook for 15.00 (fifteen dollars) same with a lot of other products on Zazzle. I love Zazzle and want only the best for them just afraid it will simply be too expensive for people to buy it products anymore. When Zazzle fees rise and designer’s percent rise just simply trying to make a decent fee for our hard work I worry if people will buy or go elsewhere. I think lower sales and views prove it. I am sorry about sounding negative but I’m 68 soon 69 years old and mouth filter is gone.  Love Zazzle, love the products and I wish Zazzle the best hope they are around for a very long time.

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What I don’t understand is the Excess Royalty fee. If Zazzle is taking away almost 35%-50% of my royalty as Marketing fees , why should they charge me an additional excessive royalty fee also? Do they want us to work for pennies? I mean, if I set a high royalty on my product and if it is still being bought by customers, what problem does Zazzle have with that? Why punish me for setting a higher royalty? Does Zazzle have to make greater efforts to market a higher royalty product? Is there a reasonable reason for this? Would appreciate an answer from Zazzle please.

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I want to echo what this designer shared and add my own concern.

One of the most frustrating things as a Zazzle designer is the Excess Royalty Fee. If Zazzle is already taking 45–60% in Marketing Fees on certain sales, why is there an additional penalty for setting a higher royalty? If customers are still purchasing despite the markup, doesn’t that indicate the product is valued? Why discourage that?

It becomes even more discouraging when doing custom designs for customers. These take extra time and care—and yet I can’t even mark up the product enough to fairly recoup that time. The system penalizes me with an Excess Royalty Fee if I try to build that time into the price. So I end up doing it out of love for my customers, but there’s no incentive to keep offering customization when the platform doesn’t support fair compensation.

I really hope Zazzle will consider this. Designers who go the extra mile for customers should be supported—not penalized.

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@SORS  It’s 35 - 50% Marketing Royalty Fee not 45–60% https://help.zazzle.com/hc/en-us/articles/30810357489175-Ambassador-Referral-Commissions-Creator-Royalties

If you are being deducted 60% MRF I would contact zazzle directly as that is incorrect

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I don’t see why larger ones wouldn’t leave first. With proven methods, designs, and followers if they can make more money elsewhere, why stay here? Unless they are getting exceptions.

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As a Platinum designer, I can say honestly there’s no sign of preferential treatment. I’m dealing with the same reduced royalties, marketing fees, and excess royalty penalties as everyone else.

If larger designers are staying, I don’t think it’s because they’re getting special exceptions. It might be because they’ve invested so much into their stores that it’s hard to walk away, even when the platform becomes less rewarding.

But that’s also part of the problem. When loyal, long-time designers feel stuck or undervalued, it sends a discouraging message. I think we all just want transparency and fair treatment across the board, whether we’re just starting or have been here for years.

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I apologize for the typo. You are correct. It is 35-50%. 

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@AirTwin

Now I’m small potatoes compared to SORS, for instance, but I think moving on to another platform would be easier said than done, especially for established longtime Zazzlers, for the very reasons she details below and elsewhere.

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@SORS

All I can say is a heartfelt “AMEN, sister!” (but I fear we are talking to a brick wall).

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I see that too. I have a had a present here since 2012 and on other print sites as well. 

Why wouldn’t you be getting an exception(s) as a Platinum, You and other top levels are driving a lot of the sales. What is the purpose of the sellers levels if there are no perks?

What I posted came off wrong or with the wrong tone, I mean you should be in your words getting “preferential treatment”, you are a great asset for them. Because why should anyone at any level stay if we are being punished for selling here.

To me it should be called a ‘marketplace fee’ or listing fee and not a marketing fee, because I know I’m not being actively marketed by Z.

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I forget to mention when I post in these types of threads, that since 2010 I have been active on many print on demand sites. Not being valued here for years, I don’t list most of my designs here now, only ones I think fit this place. Before April 1st I had listed less design because the products I like to design tend to go away.

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 I just want to share something that’s been weighing on me lately. You know, as independent designers on Zazzle, we’re not employees. who pick up a weekly paycheck. But we’re the ones bringing fresh designs, putting our heart into promoting them, and doing the legwork to get customers to the site. That’s real work and I think it deserves real respect and a fair compensation when the product sells, and not the excessive marketing and royalty fee.

I get that sometimes companies need to restructure, but seeing 35–50% of our royalties go toward marketing fees feels… off. Especially when so many of us are already running our own promo without any budget or ad assistance. It’s hard not to ask: why should creators the people growing the platform be the ones to bear the biggest cost?

Maybe there’s a better way. What if Zazzle considered a small, across-the-board price increase say 7–12%  to help offset those marketing expenses instead? It would distribute the cost more fairly and let creators keep the royalties we’ve earned.

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I’ve been thinking a lot on the state of Zazzle lately not just as a creator, but as someone who truly wants to offer quality products at fair prices. I recently came across data suggesting Zazzle’s sales have declined by 10% in the last three months, and honestly, that didn’t surprise me. It feels like the pricing structure isn’t resonating with customers anymore.

Just the other day, I saw 826 bath towel sets priced at $104. That’s a steep tag for a product that’s 40% cotton and 60% polyester, with a texture that doesn’t come close to luxury standards. These aren’t Neiman Marcus towels, and customers can tell. Many likely view this as price gouging, even if creators are simply trying to offset Zazzle’s rising fees by increasing their royalties.

I’ve raised my own royalties too not because I want to overcharge, but because the margins have narrowed so much. It’s frustrating. I know my customer base is being impacted, and that weighs heavily on me. A lot of my products now feel overpriced, and that’s not the kind of experience I want to deliver. Zazzle customers shop for quality at a reasonable price, and when we lose that balance, everyone suffers creators, customers, and the platform itself.

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Dear Friend, “preferential treatment” is called "favoritism. We all work hard and deserve better treatment. Maybe Zazzle should renegotiate with the suppliers for better coast prices on the products. Maybe Zazzle should relook at how they are using money to advertise. Maybe Zazzle should be working with Pinterest, twitter or whatever sites to automatically post our products if we choose that option, provide an automatic button we can choose to forward our stuff to sites, the same as their ambassador program just click on it and it’s there.  We are artist and designers not cooperations that is their job that’s why we use their Zazzle site. I love Zazzle to just want to be able to enjoy it and not be a mini cooperation for them to profit. Everyone should have a fair chance no matter what if a design is better than another one the customer will know, and it also is what are people’s personal taste. What one person loves the other person may not. I do love Zazzle too just wish they would do better for us and for them to take a deep look into how they are making a profit at our cost. Congratulations on 13 years of Zazzle that is awesome.

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Thank you. It feels like a long 13 years.

One problem is the name itself, calling it an ambassador program implies that we get paid a set lump sum like other online brand ambassador programs.

Designers buying their own designs from their own shops should be except from marketing fee. Zazzle store owners are a large buyers group. 

Designers used to be able to get free business cards at bronze level and above. That is a perk.

The newsletter emails have been full of funneling to special treatment under the guise of trends for the entire time I have been here.

Editors picks page that never change and never have see new designers.

Is Disney still selling here? The name alone is special treatment let alone that they get on front page permanently. We all know they will drive sales to the sites on name alone.

Volume bonus is gone too. Perk gone.
“As of April 1st, 2025, the Volume Bonus program has been retired. Bonuses will still be paid for all sales made before April 1st, 2025.”

Designers are changed a non-contribution fee after 15 month. Even if you are top level designers who probably should be except.

Items that have sold are already except from being automatically de-listed, if this is still true. That is special treatment of an individual item.

I see favoritism all over, and less every year given to loyal designers.

Now a new marketplace fee or hosting fee with an efforts to keep out a i sellers and drive slow sellers away.

I’m saying we should be getting something, or there should be marketing of products that have sold IF they are getting a marketing fee. Maybe charge it once, and after it sells don’t charge that item again. Something.

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All artists and designers should be treated the same no matter what. I love Zazzle but they are by far not the artists and designers’ best friend by any means. There is less and less profit to make this worth doing just too many hours spend creating and posting not to mention the cost to make the art and designs it’ s self along with income tax to be paid if you should make any real money doing this very disappointing. Pennies for the artists and designers very unfair.

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