Other designs you may like . . . (royalties set at 10% or less)

[WBartworks]

It seems many people have set their royalties at 10% or less, as I can tell by looking at the "other designs you may like."  That's really sad!  All the hard work put into creating and designing, now is worth pennies.  I guess if people come to Zazzle for a bargain, lower priced items will sell first.  Although I think bargain shoppers go to Walmart or the Dollar Store for bargains, as they are way cheaper than the products sold at Zazzle, even if the royalties is set lower than 10%.  Therefore, I don't understand why creators would set their royalties so low, unless they think their product isn't worth that much.  In that case, I think it would be best for them to find another (and easier) way to make money.

[Jadendreamer13]

I like to tell myself that “I am not on sale.” It’s a good reminder to always know my worth and value my work.

[WBartworks]

Well put!

[LMGildersleeve]

"I guess if people come to Zazzle for a bargain, lower priced items will sell first."

Honestly, there is no way to prove this. I know sellers who have raised their rates and still selling products like gangbusters. You're also assuming the "lower priced items will sell first." You have no proof of this. Customers buy something because they like the design whether it is higher than another design or not. 

[osea]

I'm agree about this. Setting royalties too low is like making customers lose the Zazzle sense of high quality product and designs. This, step by step, can become a damage.

I do not know about the trends of designs for designing on products like cards for most traditional/local events, but when I design new graphics on Zazzle products I consider Zazzle customer target as worldwide.

Personally I'm facing with much damages against me, while arising working on online platforms as freelancer, on Zazzle too, after errors, anomalies, scammings not created from. It is really much ununderstandable how supports and general authorities too are so indifferent, leaving everything to the case.

When the worldwide overall intelligences and trends are stupid, clogged and dull, many others are dragged along who remain blocked. So, it opens a new false hoping...

Personally, I cannot do anything more...

[Mariholly]

I think that although it may seem incredible to us, many designers are not aware of the changes and keep their royalties. Others have maintained them because of their Zrank and positioning. Others may believe that it is better to sell for a few cents than not sell anything...

Personally, I have valued what I believe is fair for me, and since it was not possible to change all my royalties at once, as the percentage depends on the product, I am sure there are still some products with old royalties that I will adjust as they appear. And no, those don’t sell either even though they are cheaper. I was already selling less, and now it is even harder, but I don’t want to give away my creativity.

[osea]

Personally I wrote on this Zazzle forum months ago about adding an advanced way for designers to manage royalties easier and quicker.

[sm_business_car · Accepted solution]

Zazzle should give the customer the option to easily view designs with higher royalties. Yes, we are increasing our royalties because we don't want to work for pennies, but also because many of us are very talented and offer unique / high-quailty work and refuse to cheapen ourselves. Discerning buyers willing to spend a little more should have that option to find our work just as easily as the 10% designs. I feel this would be beneficial for designers AND Zazzle.

[LMGildersleeve]

"Zazzle should give the customer the option to easily view designs with higher royalties."

If you are shopping in the MP there is an Add Filter > Price way to search. But honestly, would a shopper think, "Gee, I want an expensive wedding invitation." I think in the majority of cases that thought would never enter their minds. IMO

[sm_business_car]

Yes, as a discerning shopper, I’d definitely be curious to explore the higher-priced designs. What makes them premium? If I were struggling to find the quality or a specific style I had in mind, I’d be willing to look at more expensive options to see if they better aligned with my vision. And if I found it, I would purchase it. I can't tell you how many times I have had customers randomly message me to personally thank me for creating a design that they had been looking all over for months.  For example, spending $2 - $4 more on a set of business cards that truly reflected my brand and professionalism would be totally worth it. 

There is a reason there are price range options on other popular retail platforms. Customers use them.

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[SnowOwlMoon]

I keep my royalties low, because *I* won't pay $50 for a tote bag or $90 for a pair of leggings.  I don't care how much I like the design--I don't have that kind of money for luxuries.  I figure some customers will feel the same.  :::Shrugs:::  I don't make a lot of money doing this, but I do make enough to keep me interested in continuing.  

[sm_business_car]

I get that, and agree, but there are also many products that have a lower price point that this issue would not apply, as it would be just a few dollars difference.

[dotellabelle]

I think this is such an important conversation. Everyone values their work differently, and pricing strategy can depend on many factors — from testing how products perform in search to simply not realizing how low royalties impact long-term earnings.

Personally, I’ve found that valuing my designs fairly is not just about income, but also about sending the message that custom, independent artwork has worth. Bargain hunters will always exist, but Zazzle isn’t Walmart — our customers are usually here for something unique and personalized that they can’t get anywhere else.

It might take time and experimentation, but in the end, setting sustainable royalties helps both creators and the marketplace as a whole. After all, if we don’t value our own work, it’s hard to expect customers to do so.

[Jadendreamer13]

I agree with you, Victoria. My experience as a life-long artist and designer is that folks are always trying to acquire my designs for little to no cost—from my friends, my family, my church, volunteer-based organizations, coworkers, and even small and large corporations. Bloggers and social media influencers often contact me wanting my designs “in exchange for exposure.” (That’s a no.)

This is unacceptable and I always tell folks making these types of requests that I do not work for free.

As a group, it seems (to me) that designers also don’t value their work, because if they did they would not settle for a royalty of 5%.

Zazzle may run daily sales to attract customers, and they may try to claw back 50% of my royalties, but I am not on sale, and I do not work for free. Zazzle can recommend that designers set their royalty at 10% (ultimately leaving them with a 5% royalty), but designers do not have to accept that deal. That’s only a deal for Zazzle.

When I worked in the art departments of various large companies, coworkers would sometimes approach me to ask for free design work. That infuriated me, and it was an awkward issue to address professionally. Eventually, I would respond to these work-for-free personal requests from coworkers like this: “I’ll create graphics for your college project, soccer team, church, etc., if you come over to my house on Saturday and help me wallpaper my bathroom.” They’d look at me strangely and ask, “why would I want to do that?” And I’d respond, “Exactly.”

The moral of this long response is this: if we don’t value our own work, then who will? It’s up to us as a group of professional designers to step up to the plate and show (not tell) Zazzle et al that we will not work for free.

[osea]

A customer can buy freely thinking as his/her preferences. The topic is just this: Not everyone can become, see things, think as an artist/designer. (In an other sense, just like me, buying a bottle of water 🙂)

Everyone have the money to buy a good Zazzle product some day for appearing better, it just for example needed they renounce to excessing drink...

[mcmxmas]

I'll chime in... What I have discovered after the 2025 "Terms" change is that if you set your royalty at 10%, AND don't directly send your customer to your store, you will realize 5%. The marketing fee will take 50%. Also there is a fee to discourage us from shooting above 10%, that will be deducted too. So I have decided to go higher rather than lower and set the mark up so that I will at least get 10%. I will also remind you as "Licensed Artists" which is what we all are, in the big wide world outside of Zazzle an average royalty is in the 6-10% range. Here is a list of the average rates expected to be realized if you were to license your art to a manufacturer / distributor.  Dated 2020, yes but these rates don't really ever change. Its a long game.

 

[osea]

To cover all designer needs, I think it is needed an advanced royatly management option for Creators. I try to resume some example that can be gruped in a mixed final optput for web programmers works:

1. Enable to set royalty separately for each Zazzle product, not design only (Example All Tshirt on a store, All Business Card on a store, All Leggins on a store, each ones with different royalty). This can be applied also to collections, categories.

2. Enable Creators detect and change separately same amount royalties on different products in a store.

3. Enable Creators to detect and create groups of products with the same royalty amount, keeping them separated from other royalties amounts/groups

Of course it has to be developed carefully. The Creators will chose their favorite option.

Hope this helps.

(Right now, however I see again royalties can be edited in groups by selecting products, I forgot it, I apologize).

[osea]

I understand only now, while setting, we can already use some ways to edit royalties in groups.

For example browsing product departments and/or category, we can also create hidden categories for that.