Updates to the Post-for-Sale Flow Experience for Creators

[James_H]

UPDATE 3/4/2026

Hi Creators,

Thank you to everyone who’s shared feedback on the updated Post for Sale experience. We hear you, and we appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.

We’re moving forward with the updated flow, and all Creators are now opted into the new experience. This is part of our broader investment in long-term marketplace growth for the entire Community.

That said, development doesn’t stop here. We’ve documented the key themes and specific feedback you’ve shared and passed them along to the right teams. Updates and refinements will keep rolling out over time, and you may have started to see some changes. If you haven’t already, please[submit feedback through the form] so your input is formally captured alongside other Community  perspectives.

Thanks for being part of this Community - your engagement makes a real difference.

Best, 

The Creator Team

_______________________________________________________________________

Hi Creators,

We’re rolling out an updated Post for Sale flow as the next step in our ongoing commitment to creating a more powerful, unified, and scalable design tool experience for both Creators and Customers. This is an important milestone in our evolution as we continue to invest in the design tool. 

Why we’re making this change

These updates are grounded in data and testing. Research shows that Customers find the new design tool experience easier to use. Customization and purchasing are more intuitive, and we’re seeing measurable improvements in shopping behavior. 

We recognize that your experience as a Creator can be different from the Customer experience in terms of workflow, efficiency, and control. While this foundation was built with customer ease of use in mind, it also provides a flexible framework that allows us to introduce new features and opportunities specifically for the Creator Community moving forward.

We appreciate the perspectives many of you have already shared. Your insights have helped inform our understanding of how Creators use the tool, and we’re committed to making this transition as smooth as possible. 

What to expect

Starting today, the updated Design Tool Post for Sale experience launched for approximately 90% of products on Zazzle. All Creators are automatically opted into the updated experience. If you previously had it enabled, your status should have not changed. 

Some products, primarily those with more complex design requirements, will continue using the previous design tool for now. We’re working to transition these products to the updated experience over the coming months.

Support during the transition

We recognize this is a shift in how you work. During this initial rollout, we’re offering a temporary opt-out option (details below), though we encourage you to explore the new Post for Sale flow as soon as possible. We’re targeting the beginning of March to retire the previous experience, but will be monitoring overall Creator feedback during this transition.   

Key changes to note

Sean, head of our Product/UX team, to show you the new updated Post for Sale process:

• The new design tool has been cleaned up and is more organized than the previous version. The context bar now sits above the design canvas and displays relevant settings and options as you work.
• As a Creator, you’ll get a better sense of what your final product will look like before you publish, since you’re now designing directly on the product within the design tool.
• All Creators with a store will see “Selling Options” in the context bar, with various Template Settings available in the Selling Options panel.
• Advanced settings are automatically enabled, giving you access to all existing Creator tools without extra steps.
• Font selections, size, colors, formatting, and other effects are now displayed at the top of the screen above the design canvas for quicker access.
• Guidelines, grids, snapping, and other global options have been moved to the Settings (gear) icon located toward the bottom of the screen.
• You now have access to royalty-free clipart and other assets, which can be used when publishing your designs for sale on the Zazzle Marketplace.

Opt-out

If you need to opt out temporarily, you can do so on your  “My Account” page. Uncheck the “Enable Zazzle Design” as seen below. Although we encourage you to explore the new Post for Sale flow as soon as possible. 

How to Share Input

If you’d like to share observations or flag issues as you explore the updated experience, please use the dedicated feedback form. Submissions help us track themes and identify areas that may benefit further evaluation for the Creator Community. 

You can use this thread to share your experiences with your peers.

Thank you for being part of the Zazzle ecosystem and for your continued partnership. 

Best,
The Zazzle Team  

[tnestico]

I will disable it for now, as I cannot use it so far, I cannot even find where my downloads are…

[Fantabulou_Stef]

I disable it because I can’t work at all on iPad without keyboard, as no context menu can be displayed and there is NO ALTERNATIVE for copy/paste of objects in the design zone!
Please re-implement the display of the context menu through long touch as it was existing before! 

[Adri]

I don’t mind the new version, it is easy to use , once you know where what is. The only issue so far I had with a transferring a design to a postcard, where it kept the Vertical position and could not figure out how to change it the horizontal format, ending up posting the vertical version.  Mostly I was interested in the layering, as I do use it a lot, this function seems to work better than prior one, with grouping, ungrouping and locking some layers was working great.

Still need to test photo templates, masks, and seamless pattern .  

[funchi777]

i suggest that you make a dummy greeting card and practice with the buttons, im learning (hopefuly)

[tnestico]

So, I decided to not disable it yet, and I tried it out, it’s actually no bad, I like it a little. But I cannot find the copy and paste, which is not a big deal as I just right click and I do it that way. The other thing I cannot find is the tool to enlarge or make it small pictures/graphics, but again , I can do that in another way as well…so, I’ll keep in practicing until I find everything I need. But honestly it’s no bad.

[whimsywhim]

Good Evening,

I have two questions (so far).  I am so tech unsavvy, it’s pitiful.

1.  On the old design layout, when you put the customized product on the marketplace, there is a personalize button.  But on this new design layout, the personalize button is nowhere to be found.  How do I know if the product is actually customizable?  I don’t want to do all the work only to discover the product is not personalized.

2.  I recently read on this thread (if I understood it correctly) that we have to lock every layer now.  Is this true?  If so, why?  Does that make it customizable for the customer?  

Thank you.

[Jo_P]

@whimsywhim  you do not have to lock all layers. We were just saying that there is an issue that makes it LOOK like layers are locked when they are not.

As far as the seeing what is editable/personalizable. If you click on ‘Edit’ in the top left inside the design tool, it shows you what the customer can customize. So essentially what is templated.

[Bliss]

My biggest problem so far is that the text color dropdown appears over the design, and I can’t see the design clearly. It’s very difficult to work like that. 

[whimsywhim]

Jophb,

Thank you very much for the information!  I was so confused!  I really appreciate - thanks again!

[Beth_from_Zazzle]

Hi @Adri  

There’s an orientation button in the bottom left area of the design space. This allows you to choose the orientation of each side of the product, so that your design will appear/print correctly when published. Hope that helps! 

[Beth_from_Zazzle]

Hi @tnestico   @whimsywhim  

Locking one or multiple layers won’t change the way that your customer can personalize the various fields, they simply keep that particular layer fixed in position.  This is good for some templates (eg things like seating charts or product designs where the placement of a lot of layers is important to remain intact) and perhaps less necessary on others. 

Your template options as a seller can now be accessed using the “selling options” button on the top menu bar, which will cause a menu to appear at the left side of the space for the options for that template. (image 1) To have the personalize button appear on the main product page, you will need to “make this a template object” and the menu will then expand to offer the option of “Allow editing on product page” - selecting this will then result in the “personalize” button menu.  (image 2) 

Regarding the size of the designable area, in the bottom left area icons, you’ll see a percentage drop-down where you can zoom in/out of the design space to work on the designs in the scale you wish. (image 3) 

Hope this helps! 

[whimsywhim]

Beth,

Thank you.  I did that regarding personalization and, for some time, the button didn’t show up.  I guess it took a bit of time.  Thanks again.

[Natalia_Linnik]

Adding my voice to what @Fantabuloustef  already posted about working on iPad: there is no access to Edit menu! Copy/paste/cut/select all etc., can’t find those anywhere. The only prominent button available is Delete, which ironically was missing (but badly needed) from the original drop down menu. Implementing long touch, iPad alternative to right click, with edit options available would definitely be helpful. Just to clarify, I’m accessing Zazzle website through Safari browser on iPad.

[Custom_Collage]

Is there a way to crop the image inside the crop tool using + and -, without using the handles and without actually making the entire image larger or smaller?

[James_H]

For those of you looking for copy/paste etc, these can all be performed with common keyboard shortcuts. You can access this menu as shown below.  (sorry iPad users, the right click seems to be your only option right now unless you use a floating keyboard)

So for example, select your element,  “CTRL + C” (copy) then “CTRL + V” (paste). Voila! 

Take a look at the list. i think you will be surprised by what you can do with  keyboard shortcut. 

Also @plumb4me  , i think what you might be trying to achieve is possible by locking the aspect ration while your in crop mode. If you go to crop and it doesn’t keep the original shape, then try holding Shift while you crop. This will lock the original shape. Once you scale the the size you want, you then move the image by clicking and holding the faded portion of the image. 

[Adri]

As the layers do not have names now,  it is only possible to find your own elements you store within Zazzle only as a visual search by scrolling the media manager. 

Prior, I could search for " Bird", and anything I named bird would show up. I guess I have to clean up and delete all the covers I have uploaded to be able to scroll through the elements & backgrounds I have there faster. 

Time to clean up. Did not find any other issue and made about 15 products so far with the new designer.

[Custom_Collage]

@James  “Also @Custom_Collage  , i think what you might be trying to achieve is possible by locking the aspect ration while your in crop mode. If you go to crop and it doesn’t keep the original shape, then try holding Shift while you crop. This will lock the original shape. Once you scale the the size you want, you then move the image by clicking and holding the faded portion of the image.”

I tried this and it does work. I just wish it was easy to crop like the old design tool, where you just click crop and then move the image around inside the crop box.

Thank you the help.

[GabrielaG]

While I personally preferred the previous version because of how quickly everything was accessible at a glance, I understand that updates are often necessary to support long-term improvements and platform integration. I imagine that some of these adjustments toward a more streamlined and minimal interface may also be part of preparing for broader integration with the upcoming Hobnob app and future mobile-focused experiences.

Although I found the previous designer tool more intuitive from a workflow standpoint, I do believe it is a positive step for the designer interface to closely mirror the customer editing experience. In the past, when assisting customers with questions, I frequently had to log out of my account and view my own product from the customer side in order to see exactly what they were seeing. Having greater alignment between the two views makes more sense.

There are a few specific functional observations I would like to share. 

1)  Access to image file names is essential for designers. Many of us manage large collections with layered artwork and similar design elements across multiple products. Customers regularly request coordinating pieces months or even years later. Without visible file names, it becomes very difficult to identify and reuse the correct assets to assist them. If keeping the interface minimal is a priority, perhaps file names could be hidden by default for customers but accessible to designers through a toggle or advanced view.

2)  Another workflow challenge involves template layers and product page labels. In the previous tool, it was easy to see which layers were set as templates and confirm their assigned labels order at a glance. In the new interface, the selling options drop-down menu covers all the layers, preventing us from checking them easily, and even if we were able to see the layers, they do not display the template labels at a glance.  Now, on the final review, we are required to open each layer’s selling options individually again. It’s easy to get off track, it’s time-consuming, and it increases the likelihood of errors, particularly for products with multiple template layers, such as invitations or seating charts. I have also noticed that even when assigning product page labels and URL parameter names, the “Personalize your design” section sometimes displays them in a different order than assigned. For example, a text label as “Text 4” appears on “Personalize your design” on the first text box.

3)  The current “Crop” function also appears to replace what was previously labeled “Adjust Image.” While I understand the intent to simplify, the previous wording and functionality were more intuitive for customers who want to reposition their photos quickly. While “Crop” fits better in a small button, keeping with the minimal look, it might reduce conversions to sales, as customers leave if they can’t figure it out. 

4)  There also appear to be a few technical issues. Text alignment is not functioning correctly; when aligning text left or right, the entire text box shifts rather than adjusting the text within the box. Additionally, on certain products, such as thank you cards, selecting horizontal orientation does not update the editor view accordingly.

That said, there are features I truly appreciate. The updated font selection tool is excellent and much more efficient, and the background remover is a very welcome addition.

As with everything new, a few adjustments from all parties are needed, and with a bit of time, all the wrinkles will get ironed out, we’ll find a common ground, and become accustomed to it.

[Connie]

“Advanced settings are automatically enabled, giving you access to all existing Creator tools without extra steps.”

There ARE extra steps involved, though! Before, all the formatting and effects were permanently on the right side, always accessible. Now, we have to click the relevant tabs at the top, then move all the way to the left side to access them. And then those tools override the layers panel temporarily, so we have to close out to go back to the layers. This is very clunky and time-consuming. And then there’s the major issue of the color panel covering the design, so we can’t see what the colors look like on the actual design.

The old design tool was so much better than any other POD site as well as Canva. Now, you’re trying to be like Canva, and losing all the efficiency and advanced capabilities that you used to have.