For many creators, Zazzle has long been a go-to platform to showcase and sell custom products with minimal upfront costs. However, recent changes in their fee structure are making it harder than ever for sellers to maintain healthy earnings. Two key charges significantly impact creators' take-home pay: Marketing Royalty Fees and Excess Royalty Fees on products priced above a 10% royalty threshold. What Are Marketing Royalty Fees? Zazzle applies a Marketing Royalty Fee of 35% to 50% on gross royalties, depending on the product category. The company’s justification is that this fee helps cover rising advertising costs and rewards those who actively drive traffic to the site. But here’s the catch: Zazzle treats all internal clicks on its site—for example, a shopper browsing through categories like Crafts & Party Supplies > Wrapping Paper before clicking on your product—as a “referral.” This means your sale is subjected to a referral cut, regardless of whether the customer was actually sent from an external source or found the product through organic browsing within Zazzle itself. Simply put, whether the shopper comes from outside Zazzle or is navigating through the platform’s own departments, creators are paying a hefty cut—up to half of their royalties—for the privilege of being found. The New Excess Royalty Fee: When Selling More Costs You More Adding insult to injury, Zazzle now charges an additional fee if your product royalty exceeds 10% of the sale price. This means if you price your product to earn more than a 10% royalty (which many creators do to cover costs, time, and talent), you will be penalized with a further reduction. This “excess royalty fee” effectively discourages creators from setting fair profit margins. The more you try to earn for your design, the less you actually receive after fees. It’s a double hit on creators’ earnings that threatens the viability of selling on the platform long term. Why Does This Matter? Reduced Earnings: The combination of marketing royalty fees and excess royalties can slice royalties nearly in half or more, meaning creators get significantly less for their hard work. Unfair Penalties for Pricing: Creators are disincentivized from pricing their work fairly, which can force them to undercharge or lose money. Opaque Fee Structure: The system makes it difficult for sellers to predict exactly how much they will earn per sale. Rewards Traffic Drivers Over Creators: Affiliates and ambassadors receive substantial portions of sales revenue, sometimes more than the creators themselves, despite the creators being responsible for the product and customer experience. What Can Creators Do? Monitor Your Pricing: Be aware of the 10% royalty threshold and calculate how excess fees impact your earnings. Use Self-Referral Links: To minimize the impact of the marketing royalty fee, some sellers use self-referral links to maintain higher royalties, though this requires extra effort. Advocate for Change: Share feedback with Zazzle and join seller communities to push for a fairer, more transparent fee system. Bottom line: While Zazzle’s platform offers incredible reach and convenience, the current royalty fee system imposes significant financial burdens on creators. It’s crucial to understand these fees to make informed decisions about your business and pricing strategies. ... View more

just made a sale on the NZD domain, and I noticed that there is now a new notation (++) after the currency. (the explanation being: ++ Domains that include VAT (and other sales related taxes) will have 20% deducted from Sale Price before royalties are calculated). so it sounds like countries in the EU as well as Canada may now also have this deduction. ... View more

Hi everyone,  We have just announced the addition of Foil Guestbooks, here! Go check them out and let us know what you think! 😁 ... View more

With the recent changes here on Zazzle and their negative effect on royalties, I would like to give some insight. I have been selling digital invitations for over 10 years. I am very familiar with Etsy and Zazzle and what works for me and what does not.  Here is a quick comparison of my sales in April 2024 and April 2025: April, 2024 on Zazzle: Average Royalty per sale was $5.17 April, 2025 on Zazzle: Average royalty per sale was $3.68 April, 2025 on Etsy: $5.91 per sale (after all fees - including marketing) If I include "self-referrals" here on Zazzle, my average does bump up to $4.57, but that is extra time I am putting in to advertise. I do not have to do this on Etsy, as Etsy does it for me, I just set my daily advertising budget and they handle it from there. Totally worth it in my opinion. Etsy does not charge me 3rd party fees, as I am already paying my chosen budget of $1.30 per day. You can adjust to whatever works for you. $1.30 per day is much more reasonable than $1.49 per order (on average), which I am now paying here on Zazzle. Etsy also offers multiple dashboards, which I find incredibly helpful. You can view your shops stats by day, week, month and year. You can see how many views your shop and each item receive, as well as revenue. They have graphs, so you can see overtime how certain items are doing. Etsy also has a section called "how shoppers found you," where you can view exactly how people found your shop or item, as well as how you brought people to your shop. This is extremely helpful for sellers, so you can see where to focus energy.  I am not saying Etsy is better than Zazzle, I am just saying these things are helpful. I am hoping Zazzle can find a way to get royalties back up for sellers, as it will not be worth it in the long term to be investing time and energy into this platform, when the same time and energy could be put elsewhere and receive more in return.  Lastly, it doesn't feel "fair" that ambassadors receive such a large portion of each 3rd party sale, as the designer is putting in much more time. I haven't delved into Etsy's ambassador program, but I do know that I am not losing money on 3rd party sales. My royalties stay the same, no matter how the customer was brought to me.  This is my two cents. Hoping for positive change going forward.  Thanks, Kim Wilhite    ... View more

It's Friday and.......... apparently "Improvements coming soon! We're enhancing your Earnings reports following our updated terms of use" has finally happened====> Just noticed a clickable eyeball to the far right in my royalty history>sold item in my list. It's on every item. Click on it, and----you get: transaction details. published product details. earnings summary. quick links> share product, edit product, view insights, add to collection, view store, add media, transfer design, create another. order item details. customer details> customer name> customer location. royalty breakdown. royalty. ... View more

Hi everyone, With Zazzle’s latest tissue paper mockups now live, I wanted to open up a friendly conversation about what really works when it comes to showcasing these products and what doesn’t. As sellers, many of us rely on visual storytelling to connect with customers, and tissue paper deserves a presentation that enhances its beauty and potential. Just to share a bit of context before shifting into digital design, I spent 10 years as an Area Visual Merchandiser for the Fang Brothers Group (parent company of Episode), based in Hong Kong. I oversaw retail stores throughout Florida and Atlanta, where visual presentation strategies were essential in connecting customers to products. Much of what I recommend for mockup styling today is drawn from that experience in large-scale fashion retail especially when it comes to showcasing texture, clarity, and emotional appeal. From my perspective, the new Zazzle mockups unfortunately fall a bit short. Rather than elevating the designs, they often flatten clarity and dull the resolution especially when framed. For intricate seasonal patterns or woodland-inspired motifs, a frame mockup doesn’t convey the richness or purpose of the product. Plus, when the most compelling part of the design is minimized or cropped, it’s unlikely to inspire a purchase. A few mockup alternatives to consider: First, try showing the tissue paper as a lightly folded sheet with a small gift (like a tie set) placed in the center. Add a gift bag off to the side with the same tissue paper peeking out from the top. This visual pairing tells a powerful story how a wrapped gift and matching bag come together as a complete presentation. It subtly encourages customers to buy both at once. Second, for craft and decoupage audiences, lay the tissue paper perfectly flat on a white background to preserve clarity and color accuracy. Around it, include crafting elements like scissors, Mod Podge, and a brush to evoke the creative process. Off to the side, show a completed craft such as an ornament, plate, or decorated jar featuring the same tissue paper. This creates a strong visual link between inspiration and execution. In my experience, Zazzle's frame mockups rarely do justice to tissue designs. They compress detail, dull vibrancy, and rarely connect to how the product is actually used. At best, they can highlight a small swatch but they’re not ideal for selling a seasonal or decorative product intended for wrapping or crafting. Thinking ahead, before creating your mockup, take a moment to consider what you want to achieve. Are you promoting a singular product like tissue paper on its own or are you trying to show the customer’s need for a coordinated set, such as tissue paper paired with a matching gift bag? That decision shapes everything: the layout, the props, the emotional tone. A bundled visual often encourages duplicate purchases, while a focused shot may highlight design detail. Both have value it just depends on your goal. If you're ready to create your own visuals, here are some free platforms that make it easy: Pixelied’s Free Mockup Generator (https://pixelied.com/mockups), Canva Mockup Generator (https://www.canva.com/create/mockup-generator/), Freepik Mockup Generator (https://www.freepik.com/mockup-generator), FlexClip Mockup Tool (https://www.flexclip.com/tools/mockup-generator/), and DesignHub’s curated list of mockup tools (https://designhub.co/best-mockup-websites/). I’d love to share my visual vision with all of you, if you're open to it. After all, helping each other is one of the surest ways we open doors to success ... View more

Hello everyone! I'm Spontanious Thots, a designer passionate about creating bold, innovative, and fun designs, especially on T-shirts featuring wildlife, animals, and expressive art. I'm excited to connect with fellow artists, share their experiences, and learn more about growing on Zazzle. I look forward to collaborating, joining this creative community, and learning from your amazing creativity. ... View more

Hi everyone, As we move through seasonal sales cycles like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Winter Solstice, and Christmas, it’s easy to focus on individual product tags but don’t overlook your storefront tags. These quiet champions play a big role in Zazzle’s internal search visibility and external SEO. Recently, I realized my store tags hadn’t been updated since 2009 (😳), and when I refreshed them with trend-driven, seasonal keywords like “Christmas in July,” I saw a clear increase in traffic and sales. Within five days, I sold a table lamp and 21 sheets of tissue paper. Coincidence? Maybe. But when your storefront  speaks the language of the season, customers (and algorithms) tend to listen. So what does updating store tags really do for you?  Features of a Seasonal Tag Refresh: Highlights your current niche, such as “Halloween decor,” “Yule gifts,” or “Christmas in July tissue paper” Helps Zazzle correctly categorize your shop for algorithm placement Aligns your brand with current search behavior and seasonal buyer intent  Benefits You Might See: Increased impressions during trend-driven searches More engagement with in-season products Sharper brand identity that evolves with the calendar Better alignment between About Page, homepage visibility, and customer expectations How to Update Store Tags Effectively: Use 5–8 specific keywords that reflect current offerings Rotate quarterly or monthly depending on your niche Explore trending phrases in Zazzle’s search bar or Google Trends Keep the language customer-friendly and seasonally relevant (e.g. “Spooky Halloween Invitations” vs. “October cards”) If your store’s still rocking tags from a bygone decade (guilty as charged), consider giving it a seasonal refresh your future views and sales might just thank you. Footnote: The strategies shared here came out of some weekend house cleaning. While updating my About section, I scrolled down and realized my store tags hadn’t been touched in years and they no longer reflected what was happening in my shop. I updated them using SEO phrases based on how customers actually search when shopping online. For anyone curious, Zazzle offers its own tagging recommendations in the Maker Manual: Make Your Tags Count and their broader Title, Description & Tagging Best Practices guide.   ... View more

Zazzle, you've had a lasting effect in my life, ever since I came across you in 2013. You've made a huge impact in my life, all positive. Zazzle has been such a great platform for all the designers, all these years - its technology, its customer centric approach, the excellent Zazzle support team, the backend Zazzle Creator Team - one can't ask for a better set of professionals - people - fellow Zazzle designers who've always lent a helping hand when it was needed the most. Pushing the boundaries of the designers with the constant introduction of new products, the challenging market scenarios - everything has pushed one to do better. I will never be able to thank you enough Zazzle for everything. You've no clue how important a role you've played in my life. And I thank everyone in the Zazzle Team for these years and I wish you Zazzle a hundred anniversaries more. Thank You! Happy Anniversary! Vipul iCoolCreate iSmiledYou ... View more

So, apparently Printful and/or Printify are now offering ceramic ornaments with a non-glossy, mat finish. Folks who have ordered samples say the mat finish is superior to those with a glossy finish because the print quality is crystal clear. If you’ve ever seen a Zazzle ceramic ornament in person, the glossy finish results in a product that looks a bit blurry with colors that lose their vibrancy. I was a bit disappointed in the print quality. I would love to see Zazzle offer ceramic ornaments with a mat finish. Is there any way to secure and have these products available for the holidays? Thanks. ... View more

With the introduction of Zazzle’s marketing fees in April, many of us began reevaluating what our creative work is truly worth. I tried to offset those costs by raising my royalty rate hoping it would balance the equation without disrupting sales. Instead, my sales plummeted. I assumed shoppers were passing over my now higher-priced products in favor of similar designs at lower price points.  Longtime gift shop buyers who used to stock my cards and tissue paper disappeared. Then in June I lowered the royalty on my most popular items, and soon after, the orders returned. Did I discover my “sweet spot”? Not quite. What I found was my long-lost repeat customers and while selling to them again brings joy, earning significantly less for the work I’ve poured my heart into remains discouraging. So now I’m curious: Have you adjusted your royalty rate to accommodate the marketing fees? Did it affect your visibility or sales? How do you strike that balance between pricing with integrity and staying competitive? Let’s talk about what’s working, what’s not. ... View more