Zero royalty earned

[OrchardBerry]

Can anyone figure out why I received no royalty for this sale? It was for a large poster that they added a frame to. I’m stumped

[Mariholly]

@john You have every reason to be upset. In my case it has happened 2 times that I can remember and I do not understand that strange math that makes our royalties 0 when it has been sold for a fairly high value, a part of those profits must be ours. It's your company and it's your rules, that's for sure, but this seems very unfair to us. I don't think I'll do many poster designs in the future if this keeps happening, I don't want to waste my time and I guess other designers will think the same. I hope they are looking for a solution about it.

[ColsCreations]

I just noticed this posted in the Creator News section 9-18-2023:

I'm really not sure how to interpret this yet but at first glance it sounds like maybe those of you who "earned" zero royalties on your framed prints may be getting compensated.

@OrchardBerry
@CrazyMermaid
@Cat
@Laura 
@Mariholly
@CarlaRolfe 

[LMGildersleeve]

If I were one of you who have not been compensated for the frame purchase, I'd write to Z directly and ask where your money has gone. 

Thanks Col for bringing the information here. If you hadn't no one would have known.

@OrchardBerry @Mariholly @john 

[PAZP]

I received an email from Zazzle about this on Monday probably around the time that post was made. Glad to see it was investigated further. 

[Mariholly]

@LMGildersleeve I wrote Z and they replied that the calculation was correct. When I expressed my displeasure, they told me they were trying to fix it. Now it seems that they have published a note about it and will give us our royalties

[Laura]

I actually wasn't affected by this however I was very interested in what was happening and how it would be resolved.

[Mariholly]

@ColsCreations Thanks for sharing!! It seems to me that they have done the right thing, since it is really unfair not to receive 5% for a frame, which is actually usually greater than the print itself. So how will I know what that amount was paid? Will it appear corrected in my royalty history? Are they going to communicate something directly to those affected or should we search and search until we find it? It annoys me so much to have to search for something, it's so complicated when I'm looking for a cancellation that has just occurred, not to mention when there are two... It's horrible to search for something...

[Mariholly]

Has anyone received their missing royalty? How did you verify it? Additionally, will there be any royalty going forward for the framing of posters? Today, I had a sale of a framed poster and there is no royalty showing. The customer chose a framed poster with acrylic coating, but I only received the $0.99 poster royalty.

[ColsCreations]

From the linked announcement:

"Frames are defined as “Accessories” in our Creator License Agreement, but were accidentally characterized as “Upcharges” in our system during the refresh. Since Upcharges receive a 5% royalty, while Accessories are not eligible for royalties,… "

[Mariholly]

@ColsCreations  thanks!

[john]

I don't know how to check if I received my missing royalty. I am just assuming I will never get it. Comparing what I am making now compared to 2020 and 2021. My royalties are down at least 50%. I still add products to zazzle, just not at the same rate I used to.

[Mariholly]

Hi @@john I'm sorry to hear that, and I must tell you, that's an interesting and recurring topic from my side. I had my best sales on Zazzle in 5 years on January 23; since then, it's been all downhill. This year, I'll have approximately 50% less in royalties. My year was complicated due to family medical issues, and I haven't been able to dedicate time to changes in collections, covers, downloads... Designs that used to sell daily are no longer getting views and are not selling. I believe if we were to review the coincidences among designers who have been similarly affected, we would find similarities, suggesting that something specific in the changes has directly affected us. In any case, I try to make a living from this work, and I was close to reaching an adequate monthly figure; now I don't know what to do... Whether to keep working and understanding all the changes to return to the 2023 leve

[john]

This year started out great for me. Then a couple of U.S. banks failed in March. Then my sales dropped like a stone. My main income comes from posters that I sell on my websites and print up myself. Zazzle was good for paying several bills every month, not anymore. I made a mistake of relying on Etsy as a steady source of income, about 30% of my total income. When it comes to counterfeit goods, Etsy has become king. People steal images from everywhere and list them on Etsy. Unless you are the copyright holder, Etsy will not remove them. That hurt my sales a lot this year. And my competitors on Etsy have their artwork stolen and listed on Amazon. When I tell them about it and how to get it removed, they don't do anything. Amazon is full of artwork stolen from Zazzle and Etsy. Do a google search for "Etsy has become a 'clearinghouse for counterfeit goods': Short-seller". Interesting article and video. Michaels has a new marketplace called MakerPlace. I will start to add posters on there after updating my website. I just listed a few new posters on my website that I will not be listing on Zazzle. I will still list some things on Zazzle, odd things that I like, but don't want to clog my website up with. I like designing, but if next year will be anything like the last few months. I will have to look for a part-time job.

[Mariholly]

@john 

I agree with you, that's why I also believe that something shifted in Z and it particularly affected designers like you and me who had somewhat stable and moderate incomes. I've discussed this with other designers, and there are many commonalities. Obviously, this doesn't solve or console, but for me, there's a pattern, and maybe it affected us more than other designer niches. That's what I believe.

Additionally, as you say, the global situation is also having a significant impact. And image theft, everything affects... Etsy didn't convince me, and I only have a couple of items there, and I'm not doing anything.

On the other hand, I don't have elaborated designs; I create simple templates that I don't worry too much about being sold as downloads, but I must have those downloads since the vast majority already has them here.

I also need a part-time job, but it's very complicated when you have to take care of an elderly sick parent, and I myself started having some health issues... I'm not sure what the future holds for me.