Opportunities Ahead: New Ambassador Program & Important Terms of Use Changes

[Heather]

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. 

1. Why does it seem like the Excess Royalty is taken out twice for the Self-Promotion?
2. Why am I being charged a Marketing Royalty Fee for Self-Promotion Sales?
3. 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.

[Amanda23]

Found it. 

Thank you!

[Lea]

Thank you for these FAQs. Still overwhelmed, but the example scenarios were very helpful for my comprehension.

[jessletterman]

Q: What happens if I use my Referral link in a paid ad?
A: You cannot use Zazzle's brand or trademarks to generate Referral Commissions via paid search ads or display network advertisements. Doing so violates the Ambassador Program terms and may result in withheld Referral Commissions or removal from the program.

Can we use Pinterest ads to promote our Zazzle products, given that we don’t mention Zazzle on the pin's photo or in the description? Since referral links are automatically included in our URLs, I want to be sure this doesn’t violate the ambassador program terms.

[Lea]

Here's a scenario I'm unclear on -
If someone clicks my self-promotion link but then buys another creator's design, I know I do not get anything but does that other creator still get a 15% marketing fee deducted? Or they would get their royalty on the full amount without a referral deduction?

[Sara_H]

@Lea  I imagine they would have departmental MFR deducted seeing as they didn't "actively" promote their own product

[Lea]

I wouldn't think it would be the full fee - if anything it would only be 15% (but hopefully not!).

I guess boiled down my question is will we now see every single sale with a 15% fee or is there a scenario where there isn't that deduction.

[Sara_H]

@Lea  🤣😂🤣 probably not

[Lea]

@Sara_H- Right. I figured as much but doesn't hurt to be absolutely sure.

[Amanda23]

But if they DO promote it, don’t they have a fee as well?

I would hope that if I refer someone to Zazzle with a clean link, and the customer decides on someone else’s item, that it would become “none” so at least the creator would get their full amount. I’m guessing, however, this will count as Zazzle showing it and keeping the “3rd party” fee?

[Sara_H]

@Amanda23  I have no idea 😂

[Lea]

I think we're asking the same thing? Basically is there such thing as "none" for a referral fee or will that default to Zazzle taking the 15%.

[Cat]

I can confirm that I've gotten a few "none" sales since the implementation of the new program. They are few and far between, but still there.

[SBS]

There's no 15% marketing fee. It's 35-50%.

"This fee can range between 35% and 50% of your Gross Royalty, depending on the Product department. In
other words, it reflects actual marketing costs associated with promoting your Products."

[Lea]

Ugh. I thought I had this mostly figured out and now I’m actually more confused. Did I make up the 15%? I guess I just assumed the cut was equal to what the referrer was getting paid.

[Lea]

Since I cannot edit my post, I'd like to resubmit my question to ask if the marketing royalty fee comes out of every single sale. Just pretend like I never said 15%, everyone. Thanks to those correcting me. This is a lot to process! 😩

[Lea]

I wish I could delete this question because I think it has been answered. I just got a sale that was "none" for referral and got the full amount. Like in the old days (yesterday).

[Fantabuloustef]

Hello, I was reading the ambassador presentation from your link above and when clicking on “Ambassador Center » on the screenshot below, I have a 404.

[James]

Thanks so much for pointing this out @Fantabuloustef . I have now fixed the re-direct. 

[Tareeqkhan]

Hi 

I am actively working to attract more customers through social media, reaching a wider audience who can visit my store and make more purchases. I also have additional ideas to expand my reach further.

[maureenanders]

I'm a tad confused. Is this ambassador program in ADDITION to what we would make on our own stores?

[tiffjamaica]

In the Ambassador FAQ, at the bottom of page 8, there is an example of how the self referred sale is calculated. The Excessive Royalty Fee is taken out twice. Once when calculating the Royalty and then again when calculating the Referral.  @Heather Is this a misprint? 

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.

[SBS]

I think, that's taken out twice. It should be 15.48. My royalty is over 10%.

[MasterpieceCafe]

Why are we paying a Marketing Royalty Fee if we referred the sale?

We should be getting the $12-.60 (excess royalty fee) = $11.40

Plus the 35% self-promotion earnings = $35 

The royalty and the self promotion should be two different earnings.

We should get $46.40, not $27.20

[tiffjamaica]

The royalty and referral are now intertwined. So according to whatever the "department rate" of the product is, that's the total amount you can get. In the example it's 35%, but it can be 35-50% depending on the department.   The positive spin they're putting on it in the Creator FAQ said the marketing fee is "effectively offset by the higher referral commission calculation" which is just not true. 

[Connie]

THEY STILL TAKE OUT THE MARKETING FEE WHEN WE DO OUR OWN PROMOTION?????? How on earth is that even REMOTELY fair????? It's not costing them anything for marketing when WE are doing the marketing ourselves!!!!!!!

[Heather]

Hi @tiffjamaica - Thank you for your comment. I verified with the team it is not a misprint. 

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.

I hope this helps! There seems to be a misunderstanding on how Self-Promotion calculates so we will be sure to address in our next round of FAQ's. Thanks so much. 

[tiffjamaica]

Thanks for that clarification.

[Malissa]

I don't really feel like there is a clear explanation here.  It seems like the math is too complicated to explain clearly.  Are you saying that you use the formula separately on the royalty and then again on the referral and that is how it is figured.  And not twice on the total of the two?

Also, is it being called a "Self-Promotion Earnings 'Goal' " because it is fluid and shifts depending on so many variables, such as our royalty rate? If so, since the goal post is whatever is set by department, we need to meet that goal by lowering our royalty so that combined with the referral goal, it gives us the maximum percentage?   It's so complicated I am not even sure how to word things to ask a question clearly. 

[Malissa]

Never mind the previous questions in my reply.  Someone has helped me to understand the math a little better. 

[Dave_G]

A word about non-contributor fees - Non-contributor fees do not help creators. The combination of withholding royalty payments until a high threshold is reached while at the same time taking deductions for lack of creating new products is a double-whammy to creators. I believe this devalues creators and shows that you have contempt for the busy independent sole proprietors who are simply trying to eek out a few extra bucks to supplement their income.

A better solution in my view would be to make royalty payments available immediately upon sales. This would in my view better incentivize creators to keep contributing. This would be mutually beneficial to both creators and Zazzle. 

[Joel]

The royalties cannot be paid upon sales if there is a refund period available to customers.

[Dave_G]

If this is so, then they can send creators their cut after the refund period has passed.

[Joel]

Indeed. But then there's the payment threshold getting in the way. Hoops, hoops and more hoops, that's how it feels like, especially now. 😬

[Veloz]

thank you

[nikkileigh]

Why do I make less money on a product that I self referred than one that has NONE in the referral. I self referred a digital invite and earned $5.00 and then $.42 so in total I made $5.42 on an item I self referred, if that item had sold with No referral I would have made $10.55. This makes no sense to me! 

[Connie]

I agree! It's totally ABSURD that they take out the Marketing fee when WE do the marketing!!!! And also totally absurd to take it form digital downloads!

[jophb]

It makes NO SENSE at all! This is so messed up it's not even funny.  And digital products shouldn't even be included in these fees since they require practically nothing.  I too go the dreaded $5 digitals today. Literally half what I would have made yesterday.

[mylittleeden]

YES this how do we sell these for the price we did before? 99%? and even then it would not be as much and the customer would take a bigger hit ...

[Ricaso]

Yet that isn't what it says ... 

It says in the FAQs that - : How are my earnings calculated when using a Self-Promotion Link?
A: With Self-Promotion Links, your Earnings, which includes both your Royalty and your Referral
Commission combined, are estimated to be the percentage listed in the Referral Commission
Table (35-50% of Net Referral Sales) for the relevant department. Your Earnings may be subject
to the Excess Royalty Fee.
For example, if your department rate is 40% and Your Royalty Rate is 10%, your total Earnings
would be 40% of Net Referral Sales. While the Marketing Royalty Fee is technically applied in the
background, the Referral Commission is calculated so that your total Earnings equal the full
department percentage. 

Is your referral amount + your sale amount the correct percentage for the category?