Created a Mug for a Customer. Sent Link. Came in 3rd Party. 😡

[NigelSutherland]

I had a customer on Etsy ask me if I could send a cricket-themed birthday mug from the UK to Australia. I replied that I could, but the postage for such a parcel would be very high.

As a suggested alternative, I created the same mug on Zazzle, put my commission at 20%, and sent the link to the customer in a private message (via Etsy). I gave the link to the product on the Zazzle.au site and also the Zazzle.co.uk site. 

Today I awake to see that the purchase has been made. It's noted as being "3rd Party", and my fee is a paltry 81 pence!

Zazzle - this isn't fair. Do something about it!

[Andrea]

Did you also get charged a Marketing Fee? We need more transparency on where the referrals came from.

[NigelSutherland]

Yes, sadly.

[SORS]

I hear you, and I feel the same way. It’s really discouraging to pour time and love into our work, only to see royalties shrink and marketing fees take such a big bite. I know we’re supposed to be grateful for the platform and the reach, but it’s getting harder and harder to justify the effort when the return keeps dwindling.

You’re not alone in this. So many of us are feeling the same frustration, especially those of us who treat our shops like real businesses and not just a hobby. It’s not just about money—it’s about feeling respected for the work we do.

Whatever you decide going forward, know that your designs matter and your voice is needed. I'm walking this same road beside you as are many other designers on this platform. 

[SimplyDesigned]

Only thing I could think of is ask the customer if prior to reaching out to you, or any time in-between, if there were on zazzle at all. Zazzle is counting them as 3rd party but the only thing we can do is rule out all the variables. If they hopped on to make an account, very good chance they got a popup "save X% on your purchase click here". While I can't say for sure, i'm almost positive clicking one of those would make the customer 3rd party.

[NigelSutherland]

Interesting - so Zazzle could be using that pop-up as a device to help limit the chances of having to pay a referral. 

[SimplyDesigned]

Well.. I wouldn't specifically say to "help limit" there's a lot of websites when you click on them, they have "enter your email now for X% off your order". I'm just assuming on my part that there's some sort of cookie or tracking in there if people enter their info.