Avoid Snake Oil Salesmen Selling Courses on How to Make Money on Zazzle

[CreativeLeahG]

Hey everyone! I wanted to take a moment to address a concerning issue in the online business world, particularly in the Zazzle community. It has come to my attention that there are individuals positioning themselves as "pro sellers" and offering courses on how to make money on Zazzle, despite being at a lower level themselves.

This raises a significant question: Should you trust someone who hasn't achieved substantial success to sell you a course?

When it comes to investing in courses, transparency is crucial. As a potential student, it's essential to demand transparency from course providers. Ask to see their pro level status and income details. If they claim to have nothing to hide, they should be willing to provide this information. In fact, I have always been open about my own income details, and I believe others should be as well.

Recently, I've had a number lower-level sellers inform me that they regret signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) because they intend to launch their own courses after completing mine. This revelation is puzzling. If they truly possess all the knowledge they claim to have, why would they need to take my course in the first place? Their argument that they won't use my methods or ideas is fallacious because once you learn something, you cannot unsee or unlearn it.

Sure, there are common needs and strategies for making money with an online business, including SEO, finding a niche, and developing a business mindset. However, how each seller approaches their Zazzle business and how each course provider delivers their content will differ.

As someone who has members who have already taken the "big course," I can confidently say that what I'm offering is very different. 

Note that those members are on my course because they are savvy entrepreneurs and want access to any nuggets that can accelerate their success (not due to any failings re the other course) and I applaud that! That's the way you get ahead.  I have a lot of respect for those other course providers, though I didn't take their course and neither have I accessed their materials, free or paid. I walk my own path. 

NOTE: I also have high-level (Gold) sellers on my course, and I am honored and privileged to have them and if they release a course at any point I am sure they will have valued information that I can learn from. They are not going to be 'snakeoil salesmen'! There are many areas they excel that I do not. On my course I make it clear where my strengths lie, namely 'innovation'. I'm not the world's best designer as an example, and yet I still managed to accelerate my income massively in the past 3 years. All things are possible.

To be a savvy student, it's crucial not to fall into the trap of giving your hard-earned money to snake oil salesmen. Instead, take the time to research and find reputable course providers who can genuinely help you succeed. Trustworthy providers will have a track record of success and be willing to share their achievements with you.

It's worth mentioning that all my course members are free (or trial) members. However, this was a mistake on my part, as it has opened me up to the abuse of my knowledge for those wishing to 'learn' for the purpose of creating their own courses. I implemented an NDA (which other reputable course providers also have in place) which, despite some people complaining (only those who advised they want to implement their own course after doing mine), is in effect and will be enforced.

In conclusion, be cautious when considering courses on how to make money on Zazzle or any other platform. Demand transparency, ask for proof of success, and choose course providers wisely. Remember, not all courses are created equal, and it's essential to find the right fit for your goals and aspirations.

Stay informed, stay vigilant, and make informed decisions on your journey towards success. Together, we can navigate the online business landscape and avoid the pitfalls of snake oil salesmen.

#TransparencyMatters #ChooseWisely

[ElizabethR]

Good advice

[MarilynR]

Leah

I am sorry that people are trying to steal your idea. It is obvious from your format and polished presentation that you have put a lot work into your course. I understand how upsetting it is to come up with a unique idea from your experience and find that someone has copied the idea. It's even worse when you look at their copy and realize that it has issues because of some lack of complete knowledge on their part. I hope everyone will listen to your warning.

Marilyn

[CreativeLeahG]

Thankyou, it isn't that they've copied my idea it's the fact they joined the course knowing they intended to do their own (soon after) and if they knew 'it all' as they professed, why were they on my course? It's not how I conduct myself. And yes it was a blow BUT I have learned a very valuable lesson here. If one does things for free you will attract 'all sorts' and most importantly, regarding the other 'big rather expensive course'. I have never done it, BUT knowing how much work goes into these things now, I can hand on heart say they deserve every single penny. And of course the main take-away from my post is, in all sincerity, people do need to 'ask to see the proclaimed results' before doing courses.

As an example if someone does a course on how to increase traffic and referrals via a lovely website. Ask to see the traffic that website generates...or is it just a pretty piece of wall art. If someone professes to be a wonderful TIKTOK/Instagram influencer yet has less than 500 followers (really?) and if someone professes to be an industry leader in PODs..lets see the income you generate as a leader in the field. And so on. It has to be about results.

There are too many people now hopping on the course bandwaggon. When I decided to do it, it was a case of one day "oh I'll do a course" and the intentnion was a few pdf docs and a facebook group. Some people said they didn't have access to Facebook so I moved it to my website and created a forum. The site lacked certain functionality as it sat on my own wedding site so I moved 'my' website away from it to its own corner of the cyberverse and have to pay $400 to get it 'back' to being on a proper platform.  

Time and money and a significant drop in my own sales (it's not a passive income) all while working my nut off to provide what remains for those members I have a FREE course (trial members excluded). 

And we shan't mention that my relationship ended because I was too tired and too preoccupied to devote time in that direction.

Despite it all, I am passionate about delivering the best course that I am capable of delivering and elevating those members' successes.

And having learned valuable lessons myself from setting it all up, managing it etc, and creating content I WILL re-release it all in a much more accessible way (inexpensively) for every Zazzler to benefit from. 

[Barbara]

I'm not the least surprised by the lack of ethics you've seen, given that we can't help but trip across it all over the internet. What IS surprising is the hubris of those who've stupidly admitted that they have no ethics. The sad thing is you can't really do anything about it other than what you've done here, which is to warn people to watch out for it. The one thing you can count on is that your own knowledge and ethics will shine through.

I wish you good luck and much success.

Colorwash's Home

[CreativeLeahG]

Thank you Barbara, much appreciated.

[MarilynR]

Leah

This post is addressed to those who are thinking about doing what you are describing. A course is a lot of work to set up and maintain. It is not a get rich quick scheme. Then, you have to deal with the students/customers. Every state and country has consumer protection laws that you have to comply with. I posted that Elizabeth and I would write blogposts and product descriptions for Zazzlers, but I sent them to Fiverr even though they take 25%, so that a knowledgeable third party with rules would handle disputes.

Another issue is the reputation of those, who want to do what they told Leah. I would have hoped that most course enrollees would make the comparisons on their own that Leah is suggesting. What she is not mentioning is the reaction to any future courses that may be offered. My sister and I aren't in the market, but we would notice other course offerings and compare them with Leah's. Then, we would privately make our own judgement about whether the course sounds like a knock-off similar to the design thieves that are railed about on the forum. Our reaction would not just be toward the course but also toward anything else any copycat does. I am sure Leah's friends and supporters would react the same way. So copycats could be damaging their reputations and other business endeavors with others on Zazzle, who would be less favorable to them in the future.

[AntiqueImagery]

Excellent post! Over the past few years there has been a massive increase in "affiliate marketing" scams masquerading as informational, educational or training. Not surprisingly, the AI boom has trashed the market for indie writers authoring garbage for such fraudulent sites. Why hire a writer to churn out multiple versions of the same template when you can get AI to do it cheaper. 

The problem persists. Yours is one of the few true educational programs. The vast majority are based out of IP in Pakistan and Mumbai, India with a handful out of China. Some IP addresses spoof through the Cayman and Canary Islands. Sorry for the tangential tech stuff. My librarian genetics require questioning and researching.

If it's ok with you, I'ld like to post your service at my blog https://www.toolemerapress.com 

[CreativeLeahG]

Thank you for those words of support I appreciate them very much. You can post to your blog though this course is closed now BUT I will be working on a way to release it in another more accessible format. I have a few ideas but need to get this next module done and then I can think more creatively about the next phase, while working on the 3rd module!

Thank you

[AntiqueImagery]

when you go live with the more accessible format, I'll be sure to do some blog posts for you. The more legit services we have, the more the scammers lose.

[CreativeLeahG]

A reminder to avoid Snakeoil salesmen setting themselves up as 'experts' offering tips on Zazzle. Ask for results, proof of income before offering them your confidence. Unless they're 'experts' in other fields which translate well to this medium.

[CrazyMermaid]

I can't imagine anyone listening to them, when they have you.

[CreativeLeahG]

aww thank you. 

[CrazyMermaid]

I guess it is buyer beware. I am not clicking on any links anymore. I clicked on a link in a recent post and got a scary warning from my computer security suggesting that I not open it.

[CreativeLeahG]

My website did that for a day while I was changing domain names. Something to do with Godaddy not serving security certificates or something, I don't really understand it, but thankfully, it was back to normal the next day, when I transferred the domain across to Wix. It had been freaking out for a day!

[CrazyMermaid]

I appreciate that you have been a consistently active member of this forum for ages and that you are an active Zazzler figuring out cover photos, digital downloads, niche warfare and Editor's Picks like the rest of us. 

[waterart]

I haven't seen any zazzle courses offered here except the one by Elke and the one you Leah are offering

[waterart]

Never mind my earlier post, I see now what started this thread

[zehda]

I don't know what course sellers you are talking about, but my mentor that I took courses from has helped me to increase my yearly sales from 2500 a year to 23,000 a year. Not a snake oil salesman.

[waterart]

Would you mind saying who that mentor is?

[1234Shine]

@zehda  Congratulations on your big jumps in sales!  What are some of the things you've learned that you did not know before taking the courses?  ( I am not asking you to reveal any 'Secret Sauces" that you've paid for.  You could be as general as you like in your response, thanks!)  

[zehda]

Sorry but I am bound to keep the course content confidential. There are a lot of videos on Zazzle shop development on You tube. Start there and you can find info on courses.

[1234Shine]

@zehda Thank you very much for the reply.  I totally respect your decision not answering my question but just to be clear, I wasn't asking about the course content.  BTW, how about "who is that mentor" asked by @waterart?  (I apologize in advance if that's also confidential.)