Low Earnings

[HoBiNi]

I recently had sales with 440 invitation cards, zazzle made 1250 dollar  And I made 57 dollar. Another one with 130 invitations, I made only 9,63 euro. With 6000 linkovers from pinterest  I made only one referal of 1,10.  So with this making the math, you can work all day long, with no reward. I have 3 shops, 6000 designs, work every day on it and get peanuts, because of all the fees zazzle takes. Because of the 3rd party sales, fees, marketing, you will get 5 percent of a sale. For one card you sell, you will get 5 to 10 cents. How many cards do I have to sell for 100 dollar? Yepp, 1000 invitation cards. A wedding average card demand is 20 to 40 cards, means 40 to 80 guests. To earn 100 dollar, I have to sell  between 30-50 times my wedding invitations. That is a lot with all the competition. I make sales, yes, but it is very very low, I am still pro not even half to bronze. It is definitely not worth the time and money, but I like designing. Is this your experience, too? 

[Susang6]

the math can feel discouraging when you break it down. I’ve had similar experiences, especially around the holidays. Christmas has always been my strongest season, but this year my earnings were about half of what they were last year, even though my stationery sales were steady. Like you, I suspect the growing fees and royalty cuts are a big part of the decline.  What makes it harder is that we’re the ones stocking the marketplace with designs, promoting them, and driving traffic to our stores…and yet we never see referrals, everything is a 3rd party sale.  It doesn’t seem fair considering the time and creative energy we invest.

For me, the only reason I keep going is because I genuinely enjoy being creative. But I agree  the fees feel excessive, and it’s hard to understand why Zazzle would reduce creator earnings when we’re the foundation of the platform.  I don’t think it’s “worth it” financially for most of us, but I do think it’s worth continuing if you love the creative process itself.

[HoBiNi]

Yes, it is not the money anymore, it is the love for creating. Lets see, how the new design tool is going to work next year. Happy christmas time. 

[MasterpieceCafe]

Yes, the new fees are taking too much IMO. Several designers have closed their stores and left because of the new fees. CP did something similar in 2009 and that's why so many people left CP for Zazzle back then. We use to be able to make a decent amount of money and make it worth our time, but working for pennies an hour isn't sustainable.

[Jadendreamer13]

When I’m sitting at my kitchen table creating artwork only for myself — and artwork that reflects my personal taste and interests — then I’m creating art for the love of creating.

When I’m creating art for strangers (i.e., customers), that reflects their taste and interests, then I’m creating art for income.

These are two different things. Unless something changes, Zazzle’s Ambassador Program is not sustainable for creators.

[HoBiNi]

I totally agree with you. I create what I love and put it on the market, and I create also trending items and put it on the market. It is a mixture of both. But I do it also for earning money of course and I put a lot of work in. So I do it for rewards at some point, business and love of creating