When excitement precedes insult: Disappointed this morning

Discussion Forums General Zazzle Discussion
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Hello, friends. 
It has been quite some time since I’ve posted here, but my experience over the last day compels me. 

Yesterday, I received an email that I had been invited to participate in the green room. I had heard whispers of this group of elite designers over my time here, so needless to say, I was honored. 

I was a little surprised, too. I haven’t been creating much here lately, and on top of that, the product type assignment was unexpected given my niche (No, I won’t identify it here. My understanding is that I’m not allowed to . . . But maybe this rule no longer impacts me? )

Because you know what, this morning I received a retraction of my invite. 

Yep, just over 12 hours since my surprising, confidence-boosting email, I’m now left massively more disappointed in Zazzle than I was before I even received the communication. 

And I’m sharing because it is an unfortunate addition to the disheartening message that we have increasingly received from Zazzle: That dedicated designers who aren’t in the very top percent of designers no longer matter.

We all know that the new terms have not benefited creators. In a busy marketplace, too, it is getting harder and harder to carve a spot for ourselves. Then on the rare occasion that we break through, it’s often (at least for me) for about $ 0.50. 

Yesterday’s invitation was out of the blue and out of my usual niche, but it also gave me a ray of hope:

       Perhaps someone had finally noticed my work.
       Maybe I could get just a *small* boost by getting some designs in ahead of the masses. 
       
       And finally, I felt a spark to begin creating more regularly here once again. 

There are a lot of creators who are still plugging away here regularly. They may be new, or they may have been here for years, and much longer than me. 

Think about their last 24 hours. 

To @James  or @Heather  or whomever has the ear of the person (because the email said “I”) who sent, and then unsent, this invitation:

Please tell them that telling us we have a “jump start” on others who didn’t get the original email is insulting and degrading. What they should have done if they cared about the humans on the other side was just let it ride. Let people submit early for once. Don’t insult them by saying you’re not in the “chosen” group. They might even be surprised and find some talents that are quietly flying under the radar, doing the work, and pouring their heart into an endeavor that pays less and less every day. 

I am massively disappointed in a company I once championed everywhere I could. This is not how you treat people. 

Amanda

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I’m so sorry to read what you’ve been through. I can only imagine how disappointed you are. I’ve been with Z since 2009 and I’d never heard of the “green room”. I knew some people are invited to start making new products ahead of the release but nothing more. I hope someone is able to clear this up for you. 

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I don’t know if the Green Room invite is for “elite” designers, as much as a randomly selected group of designers — like the group who had access to the Replace feature for a couple of years, while other designers (like me) didn’t have access.

But it would be nice to get clarification — on this forum — to eliminate any confusion. And it would be nice to get clarification on why your invite was rescinded. Maybe the product supplier fell through, and everybody’s invitation was rescinded.

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Hey there,

I’m so sorry. I also got this email and the follow up. I think both were mass sent. I didn’t click on any of the links to see if I have access, though. I maybe have 1 or 2 products targeting the specific buyer they’re wanting designs for on that product right now (and they are definitely not big sellers). I just figured they meant to send it to shops who maybe have successful products in that certain category?

But I hear ya. It is kind of a kick to feel chosen and then have that ripped away. Keep that inspiration tho! Run with it! Start writing out designs to put on them when the product is open to the public and then show them who’s boss! Take that energy and inspiration (even if it’s hurt/anger) and start building collections for that specific buyer out of spite. Each successful jump I’ve had on both Etsy and Zazzle was born out of frustration, feeling hopeless and then “I will show them! I can do this!” It’s the absolute best energy for catapulting to the top : )

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Hi Amanda. I understand your disappointment very well, but I think, it’s probably just a mistake. Maybe the first e-mail was sent to the wrong group of creators or something like that. I don’t think that the « green rooms » are for elite designer, because I was myself selected for several of them end of last year, even though I didn’t even have the pro status and not so many sales at this moment. And I add that even though I quickly jumped  on these opportunities, for now I didn’t sell any of the products I designed during these green rooms. So, maybe it’s not exactly the springboard you imagine for the sales. It’s first of all a way for Zazzle  to test the easiness of designing on new products, and sometimes these new products are not successful with customers or the first ones that are sold have not a good quality and customers are frustrated.  So from my point of view designing early is also more risky of having your products removed because the range of product is stopped or have to change a lot of things afterwards. After these first experiences with green rooms I thought that maybe if I had to be selected again I would think more about the interests of these products for my customers before rushing to create new ones. 

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This is a really good point! I was selected for something last year, and later when I looked at the reviews for the actual product (not for designs - because it was many different designers), they were all 1 star because of printing issues. So sometimes “tested products” could end up reflecting poorly on your store. I’m glad you brought this up!

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Yes, I know exactly which product you’re thinking of !

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Hi Amanda,

Thank you for sharing your feelings on this, and I’m sorry for the disappointment it caused.

I want to start by saying this was a mistake on my part. The invitation you received was sent to the wrong program entirely. Because of that, the necessary access was never in place for some who received it, which is why the follow-up was needed to avoid confusion. Anyone who did reply to my email, was given access if they were still interested. That email was not intended to invalidate you or anyone else and I apologize it came across that way. 

I also want to address the Greenroom program directly. It is not reserved for top pro level creators. Selection is based on a range of factors, including product type, design niche, and more, and it’s something we continue to evaluate and refine.

Your feedback matters, and I appreciate you taking the time to share it.

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This is excellent advice to start designing for that future product now. It will give you the same advantage of being a green room designer, even if the invite was rescinded.

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Thank you, Mark for the clarification. :slightly_smiling_face:

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s’right! Show em how it is! Ha! I love that energy for creating drive. Wish I had some right now. Intense, focused, “I will show everyone” drive : )

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Thank you, @James  , for the explanation. Had I known it was you who sent it, I probably would have been a bit more gentle in my post. I have always appreciated your help and responses here, which is why I always tag you! :blush:

It is nice to learn more about the Greenroom program. I do think that the mystery/rumors of some things when it comes to Zazzle can cause unnecessary strife and speculation. (I think also of the mysterious Z Rank calculations in this case.)

In this case, however, I think receiving an “invite” to something implies that there has been some sort of selection criteria. “Elite” was probably the wrong word here, as others have noted, but the mystery surrounding the program has definitely led some (obviously, me) to believe that those who have been tapped for this work are favored for some reason or unique skill. The wording from the follow-up email saying, “That specific program is currently limited to a very small, niche group of creators” then came across to me as a nice way of saying I did not fit within the necessary criteria. 

Having early access not only to know about a product but also to be able to create for it is  clearly a great boon for one’s business. Some of my most successful products as someone who has not been around for *that* long have come from when I designed for a product that was newly introduced to the marketplace. I am not sure what the selection criteria are, and as you mention, it is still being evaluated. From a creator perspective, however, it would definitely be nice if this opportunity were not always to the same group of individuals (if that is currently the case). I know I have read from a few designers that they have been selected for this on multiple occasions.

In the end, however, without divulging the product, I will say I was *VERY* confused as to how I would have been selected in the first place and why I would have been chosen after not being as active for awhile. Prior to this, I was also under the impression that once someone was in the greenroom group, they were in it for everything, so I was hopeful that something later might be a better fit! This, unfortunately, made the disappointment more poignant.

I am happy at this point, and I truly appreciate your sincere reply. Thank you for taking time to explain things a little farther. 

Sincerely, 
Amanda

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Goodness, I meant James….

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I almost asked. I figured it was an error. : )