Ambassador Program: Hard Data on Its Impact on My Income

[Jolanda]

I decided to crunch some numbers, and here’s what the hard data says about how the new measures affect my income. I’d love to hear from other sellers—how do you see the Ambassador Program affecting your income? Feel free to share your own calculations in the comments!

[giskard]

I don't think is Zazzle's fault everything that is happening, and we designers losing money, don´t get me wrong, I am as frustrated as you are, but it's out of our hands. We are in a trade war, (not a political statement, just in case), everything changed and right now, everything is chaoting, stock markets are falling, and costs are raising everywhere, and companies are trying to protect themselves, and the weak links (designers, customers, etc.) are paying the price. Was it necessary to unleash that kind of chaos? The answer to that is up to you and your beliefs. 

My advice, diversify and may be focus on digital assets (illustrations, patterns, prompts, ebooks, virtual courses, etc.). Just saying

[BadLands]

Thanks for the political speech.  

[CapriWedding]

The situation that seems rather precipitous to me since the beginning of 2025 is putting me toward the forced choice to leave zazzle and close my store.

How has it not been noticed that an affiliate program has been built for each forced step that is bringing us to our knees?

And what is the point of making the zazzle marketplace sales channel inactive if at the end of the day, everything remains as is?

To my surprise I see that Zazzle seems to be moving more and more toward affiliate marketing by inserting even higher programs for members and thus causing affiliates to be paid even higher royalties, but bitterly disregarding the fact that joining such a strongly constituted affiliate program should be a choice toward members and not a forced obligation to be a part of it toward everyone here. A program that definitely greatly harmed those who work and wish to earn money from their products. The royalties placed by us creatives at the end are overwhelmed by a very high curtailment.

I have always been an advocate of freedom of choice, here instead sadly a program has been imposed toward which one is obligated and from which one cannot derogate.

The paradox is that in this obligation, those who benefit are third party figures, the affiliates precisely, who are supported by very high percentages, totally demeaning and debasing the work of individuals. Thus we are getting more little than nothing or more nothing than little.

Always platforms that present their own affiliate programs also offer the choice of membership, but such a compulsion to undergo such a program only results in a total setback for the creative and his/her store.

Still a very sad choice to have to make, since I guess we entered here to sell our work and not to be forced into such a strong affiliate program.

Personally I entered here on Zazzle to work and sell my products not to seek any affiliate program or even to be me placed, forced, coerced, into the same.

[CapriWedding]

Please can anyone tell me if in order not to be subject to any affiliate programme I can simply deactivate my collections or do I have to deactivate the shop, as it is simply ridiculous to work this way? 

I am not allowed to earn money on my work but forced to maintain affiliates to whom my earnings are cut at the highest level, bringing me to my knees and satisfying third parties, also because those like me who are not at a high level as a badge suffer even more from this situation.

For now, I just want to turn everything off. 

With this job of mine I maintain a serious situation of territorial animals.

I do not wish to take down the shop, I wish to deactivate my work and not fall into the pit that despite inactivity the various affiliate programmes still benefit from it. 

It is natural that by deactivating it, I will not earn money, but on the other hand I see with sadness that this is not an income.

Unfortunately I can't find out anything in chat and any communication does not clarify or answer specific questions. 

Thank you

[CapriWedding]

By the way, it is clear that I have read that there is the possibility of making one's own store private, so that it is only visible to the owner, and I have also read that in addition to this action one must click on Hidden for all products. And this is exactly why I ask: can this second step be avoided by deactivating the collections?
Thus, the store is devoid of products and as if it were inactive.

[Barbara]

I've been looking at doing something similar, though for me, it's wanting to designate all my products as direct-only. However, your post points out some of the possible caveats. I hadn't even thought about collections. I want anything and everything designated as direct-only so it's available by a direct link only I can provide. Period. Why would Zazzle deliberately create an animosity between designers and "third" parties?

Colorwash's Home

[CapriWedding]

I totally agree with you. Maybe for the direct links, maybe you should put them in as collections as well, I say maybe because I'm not sure, if each of your products has its own direct link anyway I think the direct link for collections would help your customers view the collection in toto as well.

[CapriWedding]

Dear Barbara the possibility of addressing the collection created with a direct link, it seems to me, is not possible. I have now seen. I too had thought about the direct link, but I had believed that by disabling the sales channel like Zazzle marketplace, and I don't deny you that I have always had it disabled, the situation would not be so serious. Instead. On the contrary, the channel whether it is activated or not does not result in any subtraction of obligation to the affiliate. So I didn't understand why to provide the freedom of arbitrariness. Since nothing changes. With such a critical situation that's why I addressed questions, to have everything very clear whatever stand bye situation I want to give.

[CapriWedding]

" Why would Zazzle deliberately create an animosity between designers and "third" parties?"

I completely agree with that as well. I believe in my small way that everything could possibly be done. Because we are in a time of great recession, perhaps there should be a bigger push on the wheel of the economy. But if this is a let's say somewhat peculiar social moment that we are all experiencing, most countries, you could give a push in a different way. The curtailment that is so strong and obligatory under this program as I have already written, is bringing those more who are at low badge levels,and anyway the whole system, to its knees the most. so it is endangering the work of those who create. It should not be a system obligation for the affiliate program, but it would become a want to acquire it the moment you have freedom of movement. The obligation of such acceptance as a program has cut earnings and depleted revenue. It is clear as Barbara writes, right that constructed in this way, an affiliate program, could create lividity between creatives and affiliates, and it is not nice at all. Anything else is very sad.
Because it is very important here to be all together. I have always believed in solidarity. It is solidarity that makes one strong and brings growth into the economy. Here how? Giving a lower royalty percentage to the affiliate would allow the creatives to receive that something that would give them the correct boost in wanting for their work promotion, the sponsorship of the third party, the affiliates, who in turn would get a pretty good return based on the amount of creatives added. And affiliates would help the growth of creatives, maybe especially those who can't promote much, who can't sponsor much, who don't make much of a living on social. So creatives and affiliates could live and coexist hand in hand. And the economy would grow. Because being able to sell with the help of those who would go and sponsor products, so that there is room for both, would generate a very serious boost in a time of economic crisis. Because here nobody has to fight and war, nobody against each other. This would set in motion a circular machine where no one would be dissatisfied and indeed, where there would be complicity, one towards the other, the creative towards the affiliate. And the affiliate towards the creative. And I in a free economy system here would feel like asking the affiliate with the biggest of smiles: "Shall we help each other? Let's see how it goes? Let's work together'.
Because the rule has always been that the more you sell, the more you make for both

[Wesha]

Very valid point discussed 👍

[CapriWedding]

Thank You, Wesha :))

[katkat1959]

They have made a big mistake by doing this. I market differently and it is just horrible now since 4-1-25. I have been with them for 11 years and with the new program and am forced to make some decisions. I have so much invested as well. 

[NicheNest]

April is usually a good month for me. This will be my lowest ever April month since I started besides Covid in 2020. Down around 35-40% from last month (usually March and April are similar) / down 35-40% from April 2024 and down approx. 65% from April 2023. I'm sure this is common. I hope these changes are reversed soon. 

+

[Westerngirl2]

Well, with 24 days of this new "system" under my belt, I have had 86 sales. 78 of them are 3rd party, which is WAY higher than I've ever seen before. 7 of them are none, and 1 measly referral.

I have stopped referring my own products. And I can't see much point in referring ANY product, at this point, as my efforts there have netted exactly zero.

The marketing carve outs are killing what used to be a decent, if not lucrative, monthly paycheck. My only other source of income is Social Security. I've worked for 14 years building up my stores, and I admit I've enjoyed most of that time.

But frankly, I'm starting to feel like a chump to continue. This is futile.

[kashmier]

I have been giving this a hard try and am just loosing so much money. The last months I have made less than what I made four years ago. I slowly worked it up with a goal each month only to fall into a pit. Things I was making sometimes $9,00 dollars on, never lower than $7.00 I am getting $4.39 on.  Over the years I think I once made the volume bonus. For all my sharing and advertising I rarely made any referral sales and this new program is killing my income. Is there any way we can opt out of it?  

[InkgoeswildAK]

I wish we could opt out, kashmier!  I've completely quit building my Zazzle shop.  I've had it, and have been obsessed with building it up and promoting it, for the last ten years.  Now I feel like everything I put into it was a huge waste of my precious time.  On the bright side I'm no longer consumed with it.  

I have never made a significant income from it but I looked at it as a long game.  I thought that eventually, so long as I kept working at it, it would turn into a decent income stream.  On the bright side I loved the opportunity I had to be able to add my artwork to so many wonderful items without having to invest a dime in inventory.

I may look into opening a Redbubble shop, but I just haven't had the time, energy or motivation to do so yet (what if Redbubble decided to screw all their designers and creators too down the road?).  In the meantime I'll keep my Zazzle shop.  I can't see closing it after spending thousands of hours building it.

Corinne

Ink Goes Wild Alaska

[kashmier]

I had a Redbubble site and they just closed it and as far as I know kept all my designs. After a few months trying to find out what the problem was and not finding my page anymore I just gave up. I would think twice before you open one of those but who knows maybe I opened it at a time like Z is presenting now and it works good at this time. Did you have your shop when Z was telling us to write our own code HTML for the page? Just curious that was the first thing that became a big no no for me with this place. 

[SJoy]

I don't think there will ever be a way to opt out. Someone from Zazzle (in another thread) said that this is how they are going to be working for the foreseeable future. What I find interesting is all these new "graphics" and elements options they are adding to the design tool. Surely they are also usable for customers so they can create their own designs possibly eliminating the need for us "creators" on the site. IMO this makes sense and falls inline with the drastic cuts to our royalties as we become a less of a value to Zazzle's business. Just my thoughts. No business would think that doing something that would halve their profits would be sustainable and profitable.

[kashmier]

The newest editing that blows my mind is the remove background. I remember when I had to have at least one art program to do the actual work. We were able to afford these because of the ability to use Z and pay for it. Don't they realize that some of us paid a pretty penny to build their site? I think they should consider compensating creators who have been here since they started in some way. I know dream on.