@James I am starting a new thread due to the fact I can't find the other one where you were to get back with me and I haven't received an email with follow up. Any time frame that the decoupage papers will be back in stock.  This happened last year about the same time frame. I would think that as large a company as Zazzle is that they would prepare for this time of year to not let this happen.  Yes I do offer other items but my main is the decoupage papers.  Thank you  Rena    ... View more

Hi everyone, I wanted to ask for some honest opinions from experienced Zazzle sellers. With the recent changes in Zazzle’s policies (Marketing fees, excess fees..) and considering the current global economy, do you think it’s still realistic to make Zazzle a full-time job? Specifically, I’m wondering whether earning around $700–$1000 per month consistently is achievable today, assuming regular uploads, niche research, and active optimization. I know results vary depending on design quality, niches, and time invested, but I’d really appreciate hearing real experiences, especially from those who’ve been selling for a while or who’ve seen how the newer policies affect earnings. Any insights, tips, or reality checks would be very helpful. Thanks in advance! For reference this is my store: https://www.zazzle.com/store/youtopia001/products ... View more

Everything is saying sold out.  Are they out of tissue paper?  ... View more

Since I’ve been doing so much reading about how AI handles uploaded images and digital copyright, I ended up wandering into the history of AI too and it turns out, AI is much older than most people realize. I’m not an authority on any of this; I just read a lot, usually late at night while listening to my husband’s breathing pattern and keeping my phone close in case I need to call for help. Research has become a kind of therapy for me, something steady I can focus on during those quiet hours. So here’s the simple, interesting version of what I learned. Most people think AI started in the last few years, but the idea actually goes all the way back to the 1950s, when early researchers began asking, “Can a machine think?” and built tiny programs that could play checkers or solve simple logic puzzles. Nothing dramatic  more like digital experiments. Then came the 1980s, which was AI’s first big moment. But AI back then looked nothing like today’s tools. There was no internet, no image scraping, no giant datasets. AI learned from rules, not images. Humans literally typed in thousands of “if this, then that” instructions. These were called expert systems, and they were basically giant flowcharts pretending to be smart. Early neural networks existed too, but they were tiny  more like baby neurons than anything we use today. The AI we use now the kind that can understand language, generate images, and help with creative work didn’t really take off until the 2010s, when computers finally got fast enough and we had enough digital data to train them. That’s when machine learning and deep learning became possible. And even then, the training wasn’t about copying or storing anyone’s work. It was about learning patterns, the same way a camera learns light or a child learns shapes. And since creators often ask me what AI “trains on,” here’s the part that helped me understand it better: modern AI models are trained in large batches before they’re ever released to the public. These batches come from a mix of publicly available information, licensed datasets, company‑owned material, and optional user‑contributed data (only if you turn that setting on). Public datasets are simply collections of information that are already out in the open the same kinds of things search engines have been indexing for decades. They help AI learn broad patterns, not store or copy anyone’s work. Your personal uploads aren’t added to these datasets, and the training doesn’t happen every time you use the tool. AI models don’t keep images or maintain a folder of creator uploads. They don’t store your mockups or remember your designs. They learn mathematical relationships, not artwork. That’s why platforms like Microsoft, Google Gemini, and Canva all publish clear documentation explaining that your uploads are used to process your request and then cleared according to their privacy settings. Training happens long before the tool reaches your screen, and your images aren’t part of that unless you explicitly opt in. I like knowing this because it reminds me that AI didn’t suddenly appear out of nowhere, and it isn’t quietly absorbing our personal files. It’s been slowly evolving for decades, built on published research, transparent datasets, and clear privacy controls. I’m not trying to convince anyone to use AI if it doesn’t feel right for them I just like understanding how things work, and I’m sharing what I’ve learned in case it helps someone. If you ever want to read some of the material I started with, Microsoft has a clear overview here: The History of AI. It walks through the early years, the breakthroughs, and how we got to today’s generative AI.  https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-life-hacks/privacy-and-safety/the-history-of-ai ****  Oh I forgot to add this part, and it always surprises people: AI isn’t new at all. The name artificial intelligence was first used back in 1956, but the ideas behind it were already floating around much earlier. Researchers were sketching out early neural networks in the 1940s, and by 1966 there was already a little chatbot called ELIZA carrying on simple conversations. In 1997, IBM’s Deep Blue beat chess champion Garry Kasparov, and machine learning really started gaining momentum in the 2010s. By the time today’s generative AI showed up, the groundwork had been building for about seventy years…. Fun History of AI ... right?   ... View more

I'm constantly surprised by your product prices. I seriously wonder how this is justified? Take the mugs, for example—the prices are outrageous! You can get brand-name porcelain for that. I could understand it if it were full-surface printing. But the design placement is so limited, and sometimes you can't even use the entire surface. On the Favor Jars, the print band doesn't even go all the way around. There's a gap. It's incredibly embarrassing! And the scented candles, $40? Seriously? That's a cheap glass jar. You can get them at any discount store for $3. Even if the personalization argument is valid, and maybe that's why they find buyers, the price is still completely exorbitant because the printer doesn't care whether it's a name or just a pattern. So, there are cups, including espresso mugs. Great! But where are the saucers? Or even porcelain plates? That's so sad. But that's just a side note. My real concern is the prices and how low our earnings have become. What I love about Zazzle is the enormous product variety. You won't find that anywhere else, and that's what makes Zazzle unique for me. That's why I'm still here. But it's becoming very worrying when prices for buyers keep rising while commissions for designers plummet. Especially considering the current economic and political situation in some countries. I hope you still have a good time, stay creative, and don't let the madness of this time get you down. All the best grafXthings ... View more

I’ve been thinking a lot about lifestyle mockups lately, especially the ones we use for blankets and home décor, and I ended up wandering into some research about whether adding a cat or dog actually makes a difference. And honestly, it was such a pleasant surprise to see how much it can help. It turns out that when there’s a pet in the scene  a sleepy dog curled up on a chair or a cat tucked into the corner  people tend to linger a little longer. The whole image feels warmer and more inviting, almost like you’ve stepped into someone’s quiet afternoon. It creates this gentle emotional pull that a plain product photo just can’t match. I found myself smiling at the examples, because it really does change the mood. Of course, the blanket still needs to be the feature, but a pet resting nearby adds a sense of life and comfort without taking over. It’s the difference between showing a product and showing a moment that animal lovers can relate to. Do your mockups with pets seem to get more attention, or do you prefer a clean, pet‑free look?   Here’s one of mine…When your Golden Retriever loves your fleece blanket you know it’s a keeper! Botanical blue and pink Hydrangea by Susang6 ... View more

For about the last few days I've been getting many visits from the same places- City exactly matches Lanzhou (China) in conjunction with  visits listed from City exactly matches Singapore. The visits are landing on quite a few (hundreds) of my zazzle products. I hope they're not copying the images to clone my items.     ... View more

A few months ago, I began creating only manual pins on Pinterest. My views, clicks, impressions, etc. rose 1,000% (but not my sales). That’s the actual number, not an exaggeration. Pretty impressive, right? However, creating manual pins is a lot more time consuming. So, I have a question regarding adding tags to Pinterest’s Tagged Topics data field: Is it necessary and/or beneficial for me to enter tags into this field, especially since it’s not a cut-and-paste type of field. I can only choose from a variety of pre-set Pinterest tags — which only appear (or not) when I type something into the field. Many of the options are not appropriate for the design. This process is the most time-consuming part of the manual Pinterest pin process. So, will it affect my Pinterest clicks, views, impressions, or sales if I leave this field blank? Thanks for any insight you can provide. ... View more

A lot of Zazzle creators have been asking me what different AI tools actually do with uploaded images, mockup images especially when it comes to AI training data and digital copyright, so I wanted to put everything I’ve learned in one place. I’m not an authority or anything like that I just read a lot, and because I’m a full‑time caregiver, I tend to do my research late at night when the house is quiet. It helps me stay focused and calm, and when someone asks me a question about AI, copyright, or privacy settings, I like to go find the answer. One of the biggest questions I get is whether uploading an image into an AI tool means the AI takes it for training or affects your copyright ownership. With Microsoft AI tools, uploading an image does not transfer your copyright. Microsoft confirmed directly to me that I retain the copyright on my mockups and any uploaded images. Their privacy settings and documentation explain exactly how uploaded data is handled, and nothing is automatically added to AI training data. If anyone wants the official source, Microsoft publishes everything here: https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement. Since many Zazzle creators also use Google Gemini, I checked that too. I asked Gemini directly whether I keep my copyright when I upload my own images, and they told me yes  especially when the image is something I created myself. Google’s documentation supports that, stating that they don’t claim copyright over what Gemini generates and that users keep ownership of outputs created with their prompts. Their privacy settings explain that uploaded images are stored temporarily for processing and may be used to improve AI models only if you opt in. You can also manage or delete your data in your Google Account activity. When I was invited to be a beta tester for Google’s AI several years ago, they required an explicit opt‑in for data use, and I chose not to opt in after reading the fine print. And just yesterday, Gemini didn’t follow my instructions and the mockup came out terrible, and a human actually reached out afterward to see what went wrong, which I appreciated because it shows there are real people involved in quality control. Google’s official privacy hub is here: https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/13594961. Since Canva is another tool a lot of creators use for mockups and design work, I looked into Canva’s privacy settings as well. Canva is very clear about how they handle uploaded images and AI training data. Your content on Canva is not used to train their AI unless you turn that setting on yourself, and that permission is off by default. You can check all of this in your Canva privacy settings  they let you control whether your content can be used to improve AI, whether your general usage helps them build features, and whether your design activity is shared with collaborators. Your designs are private unless you choose to share them, and Canva employees don’t automatically see your work unless you specifically share something with support. Canva’s official documentation is here: https://www.canva.com/help/manage-privacy-settings/ and their Trust Center privacy overview is here: https://www.canva.com/trust/privacy/. I’m sharing all of this because I like to understand how things work, and when someone asks me a question about AI, copyright, or uploaded images, I want to give them the most accurate information I can find. Copyright still belongs to the creator, and Microsoft, Google Gemini, and Canva all publish exactly how they handle uploaded data. If anyone has questions or wants me to break anything down, I’m happy to help. If you have any questions, just ask…or send me a message at Susan’s Nature & Seasonal Studio ... View more