Since the new TOS went into effect, I've been feeling a renewed grumpiness about having to help customers with their orders. I've long been a proponent of the "good karma" approach, figuring that assisting customers with designs might not pay off immediately, but that in the long run it will because even if I only make a few dollars on their purchase, it will bump the product up in the algorithm and that will in turn lead to more sales. But with the new system in place, my already small royalties are becoming so ridiculously small, that I'm really not feeling at all enthusiastic about helping customers in that way. There are customers that I've literally been working with for months to perfect their wedding designs, and it seems incredibly likely that in that time they will have picked up a 3rd party cookie somewhere, so when the order is finally placed I'll make practically nothing, despite the MANY hours I have devoted to helping them. Then suddenly today it occurred to me that when we create a direct only product for a customer, it really ought to count as a self-referral. I mean there is no way that they could even access a direct only design unless I sent them the link, so by definition, I have referred the customer to that product. It seems to me that crediting sales of direct only products as self-referrals would totally change the dynamic of the whole custom request situation, and it would be a fair and reliable system, unlike "cookie madness." At the VERY least, direct only products ought to be exempt from marketing fees.  ... View more

Not sure if that title makes sense or not, but I've been doing some promoting and sometimes I want to use a different view for the share link, which adds a parameter to the link like this: https://www.zazzle.com/rustic_purple_watercolor_roses_wedding_website_enclosure_card-256543704518477376?view=113643097329661494 Same thing when I'm promoting someone else's product: https://www.zazzle.com/boho_blush_burgundy_floral_green_gold_wedding_tapestry-256023259418239862?view=113462613225639812&rf=238780250923643573 Does this impact the referral in any way?   ... View more

Hi Creators, First and foremost, we want to express our sincere gratitude for your valuable feedback and insights. We truly appreciate the time you’ve taken to submit your questions and feedback through our form regarding the updates to our Terms of Use, which are effective today, April 1st. We’ve carefully reviewed each of your questions and, based on your feedback, have put together a comprehensive Creator FAQ and Ambassador FAQ to help clarify the changes and provide more detail.  As we all know, the world around us is constantly evolving. Marketing costs are rising, and competition for Customer attention is higher than ever. In order to keep up with these changes and continue thriving together, we too must adapt and grow. We understand that change can be challenging, but it's essential for us to stay dynamic and align with the ever-evolving landscape. For almost 20 years, we’ve been proud to be a marketplace where Creators from all walks of life can sell their Content, and many have even built a sustainable income doing what they love. Creators are the heart and soul of our platform, and we truly appreciate the partnership we’ve built with all of you.  With the launch of our new Ambassador Program, we want to ensure that Creators who actively promote their Products and drive traffic are properly rewarded. The new program simplifies the Earnings model, ensures a fairer fee distribution, and aligns financial incentives with Creators’ success. Whether you’re actively promoting your Content or allowing us to handle it, we’re here to support your growth.  We’re hopeful about the new opportunities this opens up for you as a Creator. This update means you’ll have the chance to earn what we would pay those “other guys”—and we hope you see it as a way to grow your Earnings in meaningful ways.  To keep the discussion and questions for us organized, please reply below and we ask you to continue to submit your questions to the form. We also opened an “Ambassador Program” board for Creators to discuss specific topics together.  Once again, thank you for your continued contributions to our community. We can’t wait to see what the future holds as we continue to evolve together in our marketplace. Warmly, The Zazzle Team   UPDATE - 4/2/25 Hi Creators, We’ve heard some common questions that we’d like to address and clarify. We've added these questions to our FAQ and will be addressing more questions soon.  Why does it seem like the Excess Royalty is taken out twice for the Self-Promotion? Why am I being charged a Marketing Royalty Fee for Self-Promotion Sales? Why in some cases did I make more money in the Promoter 2.0 Program?  Q: Why does it seem like the Excess Royalty is taken out twice for the Self-Promotion example below?  Example 1: Self-Promotion Link (own Product) in Clothing & Shoes with Your Royalty Rate set at 12%  Product Price (= Net Referral Sales for this example): $100 Your Royalty Rate: 12% → $12 Gross Royalty Excess Royalty Fee: → 5% of $12 = $0.60 (applies because Your Royalty Rate is above 10%. The fee is 5% of your Gross Royalty)  Marketing Royalty Fee: → 35% of $12 = $4.20 (applies to all Referred Sales. For Clothing & Shoes, it's 35% of your Gross Royalty)  Royalty: → $7.20 (after deduction of Royalty Fees) Referral Commission for a Referred Sale via a Self-Promotion Link Department Rate: → 35% of Net Referral Sales (Clothing & Shoes) Self-Promotion Earnings Goal: → 35% of $100 is a $35 Goal. (from this $35 goal, you’ve already earned $7.20 in Net Royalties and the $0.60 Excess Royalty Fee applies) Referral Commission from Self-Promotion Link: → $35 - $7.20 - $0.60 = $27.20 Your Earnings = $34.40 ($7.20 paid via Royalty, $27.20 paid via Referral Commission). Note: Because Your Royalty Rate was above 10%, the Excess Royalty Fee slightly reduced the total Earnings you could have received from the Referred Sale via a Self-Promotion Link. A: If you look at Example 1, the Self-Promotion Earnings Goal is $35, and the Excess Royalty Fee is $0.60. Your Earnings are $34.40 ($35 - $0.60). So while we need to deduct the Excess Royalty Fee from the Gross Royalties to help calculate the Royalty - which we then use to calculate the Referral Commission by deducting it from the Self-Promotion Earnings Goal - it is more to do the math to figure out the amounts you’ve earned rather than actually being taken out twice. Q: Why am I being charged a Marketing Royalty Fee for Self-Promotion Sales? A: The Marketing Royalty Fee applies whenever a sale is referred, whether by you, another Ambassador, or Zazzle. This structure helps our systems run smoothly across all types of Referrals.  So in order to make sure your Earnings hit the Self-Promotion Earnings Goal (which is based on the Department Rate), we calculate your Referral Commission to make up the difference between the Self-Promotion Earnings Goal and your Royalty.  The math can be a little bit complicated, but the end result is the same - your Earnings for that sale do not change. Q: Why in some cases did I make more money in the Promoter 2.0 Program?  A: Promoter 2.0 was originally a "beta" program, and we're now expanding it to all Creators. The Ambassador Program is designed to serve a wider population of Creators, while reflecting current marketing costs, so while there were situations where former Promoters benefitted more, this new program is designed to benefit the whole Ambassador community more overall. ... View more

A small overview of the actual income of various products compared before and after the introduction of the new system. I haven't done the exact math, but on average it's 40% less now. In other words, IF sales stay the same, I get 40% less per month. That's really a lot (for all the work I put in). I'm just leaving it open for discussion and more tips... And did I understand correctly that all self-made promotion links from last year (that have the rf code) are now disadvantageous (i didn't read all discussions, and i also don't expect you to repeat everything :))?   ... View more

I consistently pin my Zazzle products and normally get regular engagement, but since April 1st, every pin is showing zero views. It's an abrupt deviation from the usual pattern. Has anyone else experienced this, or is there a known issue with product pins right now? ... View more

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! ... View more

Since everyone, myself included, is so confused about how to calculate our earnings in the new Ambassador program, I decided to make an educational video that breaks it down in a simple (and dare I say, cute) way. Hustler example 1, wedding invitations at 10% royalty: https://youtu.be/482F1xKZiC8 Hustler example 2, wedding invitations at 15% royalty: https://youtu.be/CfwiiVKwQjU ... View more

Seen a lot of questions about this so just want to say, your "Ambassador ID"  is the same as your former "Associate ID" which was/is commonly referred to as one's RF ID#. This number, whatever you call it, is just your member number, which you and everyone else can see if they view your Member Profile. So like for me, it's https://www.zazzle.com/mbr/238499276722080691 So you don't have to jump through hoops to find it and add it to your links - it's just your member ID. ... View more

I checked the items on both US and EU sites to see if there were any options available to change the price. There are none so the totals should be for 18.9% of 4 pillows, The following is how it shows up in my account with todays royalty changes. How do you explain the price I got?   Thanks in advance. The only thing I can figure is there is someway for a buyer to add options even when there are none available. The normal sale price for the 4 pillows should be in US  $254.52  -  I figured the % made at 2.33%     I would love to know how the options could have been applied. Thanks again     ... View more

Why am I making less money when it is SELF referred instead of NONE?  When I sell a digital download with no referral I make $10.55 When I sell a digital download with 3rd party referral I make $5.00 When I sell a digital download with SELF referral I make $5.00 and then $.42 so $5.42 total. This is a mistake correct?  can someone from Zazzle please answer this? ... View more

I remember when we were first starting, there were designers complaining when someone promoted their product because they lost 15%. Right now, we just came off a month long case of the flu or COVID-19 and are not absorbing this issue well. We had a sale on 4/1 that wasn't 3rd party and we didn't lose anything. This is no option to block being promoted, but my sister and I could stop promoting our own products to avoid the cut out or we could double our royalty to 60% to cover the cut out. Then we would market to the haves out there in the MP. I agree with those who talked about devaluing their work and I see that some have mentioned raising their royalty. We only have til 4/15 to decide. I will be sharing this with another designer who doesn't get to the forum as much any more,  So will somebody please give us some guidance. ... View more

In order to be able to address the downgrade in royalties, we need the ability to select all products from one type. For instance, if I want to change the royalty for backpacks, I need to be able to select ALL backpacks. Secondly, I need to be able to accurately calculate and set the royalty based on actual information. This means, not having to GUESS what royalty might work or not. I know it's all been mentioned before. The first one several months ago, without any action from Zazzle's part. Honestly, these are basic tools that should have been available BEFORE the new royalty rules became active. And REMOVING the royalty calculator on a moment like this??? I rest my case, it's like talking to a wall. Thanks for listening. ... View more