They say the smart person learns from their own mistakes…
but the smarter one learns from the mistakes of others.
I thought this could be a great reminder for us here. We all make mistakes along the way — whether it’s with designs, SEO, marketing, or just figuring out how Zazzle works.
So why not share some of those lessons?
What’s one mistake you made when starting out that you wish others could avoid?
It could really help a lot of beginners (myself included ) and save everyone time and frustration.
Looking forward to hearing your stories — let’s learn from each other!
@mahmoud3 Creating rated products because nobody will ever see them since Zazzle‘s filter does rarely (or not at all) work. I wasted so much time and effort for nothing.
That is a great one. Never minding random shoppers browsing the site having no idea there’s a filter they need to turn off so they wont see anything rated over the basic G it defaults to, they won’t be able to see anything even with a direct link to it unless 1) you tell them about the filter and how to adjust it and 2) that actually works. Mine hasn’t worked since I first posted the issue to Tech back in April 2024.
@ColsCreations@mahmoud3 So true. I even created a „help“ page (https://sanfrancisco.zone/help/) on my domain to educate my customers. And I occasionally posted about it in the forum but it seems its definitely not a priority for Zazzle to look into that one. So why even offer a rated section at all?
But I still love Zazzle with all it’s many features, in my opinion it’s still unmatched if I compare it to other platforms.
The very first mistake I made is choosing a store name that I hate, and now I’m stuck with it…lol! The URL can’t be changed. Think long and carefully when you pick that name cuz you’ll have to live with it. Once products start selling you won’t want to delete them and start over with a new store, or you’ll lose any traction you’ve created in the marketplace.
My biggest mistake was not understanding that templates, in particular text templates, are almost a rule here. I thought a lovely illustration was more than enough. Oddly, it was several of my products that had no text nor needed it that became my bestsellers. Because of this, I carried on with a lack of templates, not realizing those sales weren’t the rule. Once I realized my error, it ended up taking several years to either edit or eliminate the non-templated products.
Hi Barbara, I know this is a bit off-topic, but I noticed you’re active on Benable. I was curious — has Benable been useful for you in terms of traffic or sales? I was thinking about trying it, but I’m not sure if it’s worth the time investment.
I’m doing very little to promote my Zazzle products on Benable–some, but only in the arena of posters that vaguely mesh with my larger focus on books. Where I’ve made a few sales has been via Amazon. Other people, however, have mentioned managing some Zazzle sales, but I don’t know if they’ve continued to do so.
I didn’t eliminate those bestsellers–they’re still in my store. It was mugs, for instance, with decent designs but without text that were remade with text templates. I’ve deleted only the oldest, most unremarkable designs that neither customers nor I cared for. So it was mostly editing and then some deletions.
Some of my best-selling pillow designs have no text or text templates. I personally would not display pillows that contain text, monograms, or photos in my interior spaces. Although I do offer pillows with text templates for customers who want them.
What’s one mistake you made when starting out that you wish others could avoid?
) and save everyone time and frustration.
