Starting a new project and I have a few questions about public / private and Direct Only settings...

[PacifierCity]

I just want to make sure I have the proper understanding of a few things as I build this new store and decide how pubic I want it...

1. You can set anything, store, collection, or product to private and no one will be able to see it but me, even if I give them a direct link.  Correct?

2. You can set a store to private, but make products either public or DO.  If public they appear in the MP and anyone can see them.  If DO they do not appear in the MP but you can promote them with Direct links and customers can shop that product only.  Correct?

3.  If one were to set all products in a store to DO, then the only product a customer would be able to see in that store, if set to private, is the product whose link they clicked on.  They would not be able to see any other product in the store.  Correct?

4. One could build a collection of products that are DO.  But the collection either has to be set to public or private.  If private, no one can see it.  If public, how would DO products be affected?  Would they all be visible because the collection is public?  Or would it look like the collection is empty if linked to?

5.  If you add a DO product to a collection that has a single public product, then it becomes visible in the collection. Correct?  Does it also become visible in the MP, or just in that collection?  And the same for adding a single public product to a collection that otherwise contains only DO products.

6. There is no way to make a collection DO.  Correct?

7. There is no way to make a category DO. Correct?

8. If one were to make a category and fill it with DO products and then link to it, the incoming customer would not see any products because they are DO. Correct?

9. There is no way to set a store to DO. Correct?

10. There is no way on Zazzle to give a customer a link to ones store, and have them be able to see all products, without making the products in the store public? Correct?

ETA: 11. How is a link altered or encoded differently for a public product vs a DO product?  Or are they the same, but it is the setting here at Z that affects the customers ability to view other products?

I think that's all.  In the end I will probably make everything public.  It seems the only way not to is to have an external site that links directly to each product.  I'm not against that...  Is there an automated product puller / publisher or program that could quickly copy your Zazzle store to an external site?  Doing it individually, product by product, is just too time consuming.  If I were to do that then I should just build an API store and I've already learned that I don't have the tech skills to do that...

Thanks in Advance for your answers or confirmations of my understanding of they way things work.  I'm a few months out from needing to make any decisions.  For now everything is private.

Cheers,

PC

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[idraw]

This link might help—-
<https://community.zazzle.com/t5/share-your-tips-tricks/how-to-make-a-collection-direct-only/m-p/4490>

Also,I believe it’s possible to add direct only links to a separate collection, then make that collection private. Then when you send someone the link,only they will see it. Haven’t got a lot of DO links, so haven’t tried it.

[PacifierCity]

@idraw- FYI - Something set to private can not be linked to.  It is always only for your eyes when logged in.

The link you provided reinforces the fact that one can not make a collection DO.  You can come close, but the collection can always be seen via the designers profile, collections tab.  Even if you can "hide" it in the store.

I did not know if anyone else has played around and found a way to make it truely work, or if Z had changed something that I was/am unaware of.  So I asked the question/s...

And funny things happen when you mix product visibility types in collections... hence those questions too.  Although the linked post does answer a least one of my questions concerning this matter.  Thanks

If I don't hear from more folks I'll have to play around in one of the other stores I have...

PC

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