Hello! Can I update my product without creating a new one?

[calartcreations]

Hello! I have many products that I create in the past and would like to update them, some of them already bring me some sales so I don't want to delete them but still I would like to improve the design and/ or the template. Can I update my product without creating a new one?

[idraw]

@calartcreations 

Unless you have access to the update/replace tool, then no, you would have to create a new product.
(An exception is this— the first roughly 24 hours, before your brand new product has been indexed and has zero views, you can remake it and delete the zero view product which has errors such as a missing text template for example. You won’t lose views or product placement, because you fixed it in time)
As far as I know, to date, there have been no new announcements and the post about the update/replace tool from below still stands. I for one still do not have access as of yesterday to the update/replace button. Some few shops do tho, and a few of those say it works intermittently and/or not at all.
On 12/22/22 I found and posted this in the forum—-
Which was posted  earlier by zazzle—-

• Unfortunately this is a feature being tested by a few select Creators and we cannot provide access for it at this time. However, should the tool become usable by the Creator community as a whole, it will be announced on the community forums" 
  when it is announced you should see it in creator news/latest creator updates. Watch for the announcement!
• Also read here about the slow rollout of the tool—-
  https://community.zazzle.com/t5/technical-issues/no-access-to-the-replace-product-button/m-p/31908
  

[Barbara]

I did have the ability to update for a while but don't seem to anymore. I discovered I couldn't add a text template and promptly stopped using the update because text templates were my only problem. I believe some people used it to change those fonts that were taken out of the list, but beyond that, someone else would have to explain the worth of it just in case it's brought into full use here. I'm not sure about changing graphics.

Colorwash's Home

[calartcreations]

Thanks!

[Barbara]

Yesterday and today I discovered two things: (1) I had a spelling error in one of my products that has already sold 4 times (eek!), and (2) I still have the ability to replace a product without having to recreate it. I fixed the error this morning and some hours later, the product was back in the running.

The "replace" feature, by the way, is mostly for corrections.

Colorwash's Home

[Zorinda]

I have access to the “Replace” tool and I’m finding it frustrating to use.  I have submitted a bunch of designs, mostly changing inflexible .png frames in designs created years ago with the newer flexible “Elements”, and updating text fields.  In most cases they have become live again without any change leaving me to wonder ‘why did I bother?’.  It’s also difficult to remember what’s been submitted.  The designs do not show up in “Under Review”.  Are others who have access to this tool having similar issues?  I’d love to update my older designs but so far it’s been a massive waste of time.

[Barbara]

Did Zazzle ever supply a detailed list of can-do's and can't-do's for the replace feature? I don't personally remember anything, but I don't remember lots of things.

@Zorinda: Sadly, they never instituted and under-review thing for replacements, and if I were going to do more than one at a time, I'd create a list of them so I could search for them to check. Not the least ideal, of course. The products do go under review, so why aren't they placed in that section to begin with? I absolutely agree with you. Also, I'm very leery of making text corrections because of my own experience with them.

Here's what I think the rules should be:

You can correct images that are flawed, but you can't replace an image with another totally different one.
You can replace placeholder images with better ones.
You can replace text if it needs improvement.
You can reposition text and switch fonts.
AND, I think you should be able to add text templates where they ought to have existed in the first place. I learned that this can't be done, so I deleted the products in need of templates, remaking them from scratch. Bummer.

Colorwash's Home

[plumb4me]

In reference to @Barbara post, you can do all of the things listed. I find it very useful, when I started making collages, I used really bad images as placeholders, so I used the replace product tool to change to better images. I also used it to change the years from 2022 to 20XX and changed fonts. And no you cannot make any major changes and add a text template. I tried to replace an image and change the entire text on a card, so it basically looked like a totally different card and I received the rejection email from Zazzle, that a design cannot be significantly changed and have noticeable visual differences. It really is a way to just clean up any minor mistakes, without losing any stats and sales you may have on that product. The products you use the replace product tool on, go in the saved designs, not in the under review section.

[Barbara]

So, you can spruce up what's already there, but you can't add what wasn't there before. Hence, my inability to add a text template.

I do wish, however, they would place the attempts in the under-review section. The saved section is always quickly cluttered with this, that, and the other thing we happen to open in the design tool to simply check on something. Also, what we've unsuccessfully tried to replace stays there forever and ever.

Colorwash's Home

[plumb4me]

I do agree, I have pages and pages of saved designs, that I cannot delete and it is so cluttered and messy looking.

No matter how many times I try to delete the saved designs, that I used the replace product tool on, they will not delete. I have posted in another thread about the issue and I think I read, that the Zazzle tech team is working on a solution.