March Payment Cut Off Date a week early?

[CreativeLeahG]

Hi, has anyone else noticed that the cut-off date for cleared payments for March was not the 31st March but perhaps as much as a week earlier?

I always take a screenshot of earnings on the last day of the month and there is a substantial amount that was carried over to April, meaning the cut-off date was not the end of the month.

Anyone else notice this?

I have contacted proseller support but no response as yet.

@Scott 

Thanks

[CrazyMermaid]

I am not as organized as you are, but I did notice like you that "a substantial amount" was carried over. I admit that I didn't contact anyone. Accounting is not my strength. So thank you for looking into this. I would appreciate an update if you ever find out why.

[shellifitz]

Same here, although I don't keep as close a record on dates... I have more pending for payout than I expected.  I was thinking it might be because Feb is a short month ( ? )

[Cat]

I don't pay close attention either, but my guess is that @shellifitz is right and it's because the payment is actually for sales that happened in February, and there are only 28 days in that month. That's only a difference of 3 days, not a whole week, but it could account for some of the discrepancy.

Honestly, the reports are soooo vague and oddly done that it's virtually impossible to get a clear picture of what's going on financially. A while back they said they were going to re-vamp them and asked us all for input. I remain hopeful that it will actually happen at some point, so we'll be able to get clearer information.

[CreativeLeahG]

@Cat @shellifitz @CrazyMermaid 
Thank you all for replies, glad it isn't just me. 
My understanding is that the cut-off is for cleared items as of 31st March. 
I will update if I get a reply. 

[DesertSky]

I'm not sure if this is what you're referring to, but I've always noticed that when sales clear (become green) they rarely clear on the corresponding day the sale was made on. In other words, sales made on the 5th of one month don't necessarily clear on the 5th of the following month, they may clear before or after that date. This is because the number of days in each month vary. In the end, I don't think it really matters because it appears Zazzle reconciles the month and makes payments only after the full month has cleared. The payment I'm getting in April is exactly what I expected for February 1-28, and I'm sure the May payment will correctly include all cleared sales for March 1-31.  

[Connie]

It doesn't matter so much when a particular sale clears, whether it's 30 days later or 100, only that whatever has cleared at the end of the month, is supposed to be what we will get the following month around the 15th.

[Barbara]

I'm not sure what's being referred to here. Is it the the current cutoff date in March where cleared sales are, for me anyway, as of March 10 and so have a ways to go yet but are slightly ahead since today is April 7, or are you speaking about something else? All looks as it should to me.

[Connie]

I definitely noticed a huge discrepancy! But unfortunately I don't have proof, because I never remember to screenshot the total on the last day of the month! this isn't the first time it has happened to me, either.

[CreativeLeahG]

Same here, this is why I now screenshot the last day with a time stamp. No reply from seller support as yet. I think people will only notice if the amount is substantial.

[Barbara]

Where is the mentioned cutoff date stated? I always watch in the Summary, and mine is simply counting up as my sales clear, and it continues to do so. When I look at my royalty listing, I expect it'll do what it's always done before, which is to show me what will be included in the next payment. When it reaches the last day of the previous month, I know that what I see in the summary minus anything beyond the end of this month is what I'll be paid. I see no discrepancy.

Is everyone looking at some other listing?

[DesertSky]

I'm unclear on what is meant by "the cut-off date for cleared payments for March". I've never heard of a "cut-off" date. We're always paid for a full calendar month of non-canceled sales. The sales occur during any given month, then we wait throughout the following month for them to either clear or be canceled. Whatever isn't canceled by the end of that month is what we're paid for on the 15th of the next month. For me, I see no discrepancy either, I'm getting paid April 15th for all of my non-canceled February sales. I expect that on May 15th I will correctly be paid for all of my non-canceled March sales. Personally, I've never had a situation where it hasn't worked that way. Whatever the issue is, I hope it's resolved soon for those affected by it.  

[Shakenbake · Accepted solution]

I thought it was a rolling 30 days basis so I always based what I will get paid on the 15th of the next month as the number that has cleared by the 28th on the summary. And I know that what is paid in March is sales from January that cleared in February, for example. But basing it every month on the summary of the cleared earnings by the 28th has always been how I've done it. That has usually been accurate for me. It will adjust slightly for exchange rates up until the payout date I believe. The payouts aren't pushed until somewhere between the 1st and maybe the 5th or 6th sometimes, but its based on the previous month, so then earnings clearing from that date are still going to accrue in the summary. Is it the entire month? I dont think it is? I really thought it was 30 days and up to the 28th of each month because of February's. So every month on the 28th I check to see what number that is and I estimate what the payout will be and its usually around that amount. 

I might be wrong, and would love clarity! 

[CreativeLeahG]

Not according to the terms, but they might well be doing it this way. If that is the case, the terms need updating.  EDITED - I just clicked on the link which I never noticed before, and yes it is confirmed as you stated but 30 days rolling, thank you! I just need to know now what day we are at re that 30day cut off. Do you know?

[DesertSky]

I’m unsure how the statement, "NOTE: Your cleared earnings (royalties plus referrals) are totaled at the end of each calendar month," indicates payment is based on 30 days rolling. To me, I understand the statement to mean that payment is based on a full calendar month. When clicking on the statement that reads, “For more information on your next payment, please click here,” this is a portion of what displays:

“Each month-long earnings cycle is followed by 30 days of clearance before payment of the accrued earnings can take place. After the earnings have cleared the system, they are queued for processing and are dispersed within the next 15 days.” It also says, “For example: Earnings accrued in April, clear in May and are issued by the middle of June.”

The example they gave (“Earnings accrued in April”) also indicates it’s for a full calendar month. For some unknown reason Zazzle hasn’t responded to this thread to alleviate any confusion, so it may help to verify it yourself based on earnings you’ve already been paid for. You can easily verify that it’s based on a calendar month by using the CSV spreadsheet tool Zazzle provides. Check a full calendar month of cleared sales (i.e., January sales you were paid for in March) and see if the total matches the payment you received. 

Granted, it can be confusing. I seem to remember that many years ago there was a discussion about this in the old forum. People were confused about what got paid when. Once I realized it’s based on a full calendar month, everything made sense. I use the CSV spreadsheet tool on the last day of the month to get a rough estimate, keeping in mind currency fluctuation and that there may be a few cancellations. Once Zazzle posts the upcoming payment amount, I use the CSV tool again to confirm that the full calendar month is being paid and that the amounts match. For me, it's always correct.   

If none of this is applicable to your situation, I apologize in advance for the long, detailed information. I’m just attempting to (hopefully) help, based on my own experience.

[CreativeLeahG]

Thank you for reply. I did a screenshot on 31st March so I know what the total cleared earnings were at that time. I haven't had a reply to emails either, so yes some clarity would be appreciated. 

I am avoiding looking at the cvs thingy, because it's a new 'thingy' (to me) as in I haven't actually looked at it before. But yes ... I will venture there.

[DesertSky]

I certainly understand your hesitancy to use CSV since you've never used it before. It's unfortunate that Zazzle doesn't provide ongoing payment totals without it, especially since not everyone is familiar with spreadsheets. Hopefully improved royalty and payment reporting is in the works and will be more thorough and easier to understand. I hope you get clarification from Zazzle sometime soon.  

[CreativeLeahG]

edited as the above link in screenshot confirms what shakenbake said, thankyou