Why are the top designers silent?

[OakAndPine]

Just wondering why the top designers in Zazzle are silent on the changes since April 1st? Is it not affecting them? As per my understanding if you are making a few dollars on Zazzle you are loosing less, but if you are a top earner, your losses are greater. Right? If I previously made $50 on Zazzle, I will be making around $ 25 now , with all the changes and fees levied on us. But if I were making $1000 per month on Zazzle, I will be now making only around $500 or less. Isn't that a significant loss?

[Anne]

Just guessing here, but maybe the top designers are also the ones who get self-referrals and thus profit immensely from this change. Plus Zazzle is promoting their products (not or to a lesser extend, those of regular folks)?

[klstock]

Do you mean others referring them instead of self referrals? (We can all refer our own products to get a self referral). 

[OakAndPine]

That is highly possible. Wish some of the top tier designers could give us an insight on how/if the new changes are affecting them also..

[LMGildersleeve]

Or, because you can't see the higher tier forums, you may not be seeing their discussions. Or, they could be in direct communication with Z via email. Or, they are busy trying to figure out how to deal with this new situation. Or, or, or... you get my drift.

[klstock]

They are free to comment here or in a tier where their comments could be seen, just like the rest of us. 

[Jadendreamer13]

Some top designers do post here. I’ve seen a number of posts and responses by Pro Diamond and Pro Platinum sellers. 🙂

[klstock]

Yes, I have seen a couple but I also wonder why more haven't weighed in if it is also negatively affecting them too?

[CarlaRolfe]

While I certainly cannot speak for all top tier designers here, I can say that many simply choose to avoid the public forums - for a wide variety of personal and professional reasons. 

[klstock]

I avoid it for months at a time. But when something is negatively affecting my earnings as this is, I think public comments are necessary. 

[SORS]

It’s hard not to feel disheartened when you’ve poured your heart and soul into building something — countless hours, sacrifices, hopes for the future — and then see it shaken by changes completely out of your control. It’s not just about lower profits; it’s about feeling like years of dedication and effort have been disregarded.

After 10 years of steady, faithful work on Zazzle, I finally achieved Platinum Seller status. It wasn’t luck. It was years of consistent effort, strategy, and heart — building slowly but surely, fueled by a passion for what I create. Reaching that level was a true milestone for me, a sign that the years of perseverance had paid off. But now, with these recent changes, even with sales still coming in, the reward for that hard work has been cut drastically. It’s painful to realize that the fruits of so much labor are being diminished right before our eyes.

But here’s what I know: our work still matters. It is not wasted. Even if the numbers don’t show it right now, the love and care we pour into our shops, into our creations, into serving others — those things have a value that can’t be measured by spreadsheets.

For me personally, my shop has always been an apostolate — a way to share the beauty of the Catholic faith with others. I continue to trust in the Lord, give thanks for every single sale, and offer these new trials up for the greater Glory of God. And I will not stop.

To everyone feeling weary right now: don’t lose heart. We are builders. We are creators. We are sowing seeds that will bear fruit, even if we don’t see it yet. Your work is seen. Your perseverance is seen. Keep showing up. Keep creating. Keep trusting.

I don’t know if these changes will ever be reversed — realistically, they probably won’t. But even so, I believe the work we’ve done, and the work we continue to do, is still valuable. It’s worth building something beautiful, even when the road gets harder.

Together, we can weather this storm — and come out stronger than before.

For the Greater Glory of God.

[Mariholly]

I admire your faith and your positive way of dealing with it. I’m simply devastated and can’t see beyond it. As you very well said, this is not the work of a day. I don’t know a single Zazzler who isn’t a hardworking little ant full of hopes for the future, someone who has poured their life into creating, sharing, and promoting, only to now face these new and unfair conditions.

[klstock]

Those were very nice words of encouragement. Thanks for taking the time to write them

[klstock]

I saw a comment in this thread https://community.zazzle.com/t5/general-zazzle-discussion/zazzle-marketplace-is-data-driven-not-favo... that says the following:

Elke Clarke has advised Zazzlers to promote top-selling products to earn referral income. Promoting popular items can be a strategic way to maximize earnings, as these products already have proven demand. Her guidance generally focuses on identifying products with strong demand and proven sales potential.  This approach allows Zazzlers to maximize their referral earnings by promoting items that are already popular with customers.

That explains some of it for me. It seems many of these are auto-stamped editor’s picks and preferentially placed on page 1 as soon as they are created (as opposed to being products that “already have proven demand” or “proven sales potential” or that are “already popular with customers”). With people potentially (hundreds, thousands?) being advised to promote those specific products “to maximize their referral earnings”, it seems their success is baked in - especially now, with the new emphasis on promotion-based earnings. 

If you were profiting from this arrangement, perhaps you'd stay silent too.

I know it does not apply to all (there are many who have worked hard for many years who are not benefiting from the above practices, who are also being negatively affected). But I believe it does apply to some.

***Edited to add: I am not the SOURCE of the quoted paragraph that I linked to.