Same Designers Always Featured

[Beautiful_Vibe]

Hello,

I have been using this website for about 7 years an have noticed a trend of the same designers always being featured on the "Home Page" or their artwork suggested while browsing.

I understand the concept of promoting your friends and spouses but it just seems so "in your face" nowadays. 

I have been taking screenshots of MOODTHOLOGY and Redwood and Vine, and their variants for a while now.

In the long term, I feel that this practice could cause more harm than good,

[klstock]

The reason I ask is because yesterday in this thread I asked if any members of the 'content team' are also designers who have the ability to give themselves editor's picks and early today I got 2 emails that my products were being removed due to being in violation of content guidelines...

I do my own artwork so it wasn't that - when I asked for clarification I was told that it is because the phrase I used is a no no in regards to signs. Ok fine, I looked into it and see that is true. What is curious to me is the timing - coming just hours after my asking if any designers were members of the content team.

The two designs of mine that got removed today have been up for over a year. They have sold. There are other designers using this phrase on the same tapestry/backdrop that I used and they have not been removed. 

[CreativeLeahG]

It could be another member who you upset recently with a contradictory comment. 

We are very popular with people who dislike us, they follow every thread with an eagle eye and like making complaints. They need to stop stalking and just do some work. Far better to uplift members than knock them down 🖤 

I think this is more likely than the content team being aware or taking pops at people due to anything said on the forum. 

[klstock]

"It could be another member who you upset recently with a contradictory comment". 

That seems to be the case because I just did a trademark search and it shows that this phrase - especially as pertains to signs - is dead/abandoned meaning that specific application or registration is no longer under prosecution or pending within the USPTO, and would not be cited by a trademark examiner against an applicant. There are caveats/exceptions to this as to whether the trademarks is really ok to use - but my point is that it is unlikely that a representative for a dead/abandoned trademark just happened to be surfing around the internet looking for violations to report and just coincidentally found only mine on Zazzle. 

And the response from Zazzle had interesting wording now that I read it again -  "We have previously been contacted by representatives from Synergy Licensing and Dorel Industries Inc, owners of the "Baby on Board" trademark;  and per their request, we remove designs that infringe on their rights from the Zazzle Marketplace ".  So that gives the impression that the person complaining about my products was not Synergy/Dorel - just that in the past they have complained about other products. 

So who/what brought this to the attention of the content team? 

[CreativeLeahG]

Exactly, and they're just wasting the content teams time.

[Photocrazy6]

It is disheartening to see so many creators down play legitimate affiliate issues. Clearly you have made a lot from both and to dismiss it as "just focus on designing." Umm it takes a long time to design and even longer to promote. To be promised a 35% return on the sale of your own product is a nice offer... assuming you don't just hijack the link and not even show the actual product that they were sent to. It is wrong, and for all of the designers only that don't use the promoter program, it is even more wrong to dismiss it. 

The issue was brought up in a respectable way, showing the reasons behind it. Zazzle dismissed it but for others to argue why it shouldn't matter that people wasted time and energy to now have to go back and delete everything is even worse.

[CreativeLeahG]

Some people take any opportunity to knock others down.   They have nothing better to do.. clearly.

[Lais]

I think they must have several people working as "The Editor". Also, because there are many different styles, one single person wouldn't be a specialist in everything. 

[Jadendreamer13]

I believe the Zazzle contact team hand picks Editor’s picks. Prior to getting notification about some of my editor’s picks, I received notifications that the same items were added to a Zazzle collection.

[DiamondWillow]

I have one Editors Pick in all my 13 years with Zazzle.  It is not longer showing the Star.  What gives with that

[almdrs]

Are the organic search results a thing of the past? The rise of "curated" and sponsored stuff?
Even when using Google it's getting hard to find what you're looking for. Sometimes I just go to Reddit to find what I want. 

[LMGildersleeve]

Although many of my best selling Christmas cards have been pushed down a page or two though I keep selling them. But then there are a few of my best selling products which have punched through all those special designers' products to remain contenders. 🎉

[igiftcenter]

This is a business first and foremost: they have to make money and they have to increase and at the very least maintain their sales. The way to do that is to promote what sells, what brings back the highest return on their advertising dollars. If I ran this site I would do the exact same thing..... and if those designs from those popular designers ever went out of style or started to show signs of diminishing trend in sales.... I'd find some fresh new designs that also will bring me the best return on my advertising dollars and sales. 

I have had a few editors picks.... none of which really sold all that well (no fault of the site). So this is not a guarantee of sales by any means. I'm sure many designs that are featured on the home page or promotions are sometimes featured because the colors in the designs match up with the scheme of the landing page where they are being displayed on. 

Your time is better spent designing excellent products that sell then fussing over who's designs are being promoted and chosen as editors picks. That includes me for posting this 🙂

I wish you all continued success.

[klstock]

Do not presume to tell me where my time is better spent

[klstock]

Much of what is being auto-catapulted to the front are newly created items , not 'what sells' or has earned a place there via sales. I don't think it is right for those who want to garner favor to try to do it off the backs of people expressing legitimate concerns.

[CreativeLeahG]

You're not wrong, on any of it! Lots of top sellers are reporting off-site NO SALE days (panicking as they have grave concerns) or sales reduced by 75%.  Designing designing designing isn't helping anyone's sales, clearly!

If Zazzle is doing 'amazing' despite these many complaints of income being substantially down, then 'yes that's business' as long as 'that business' is ethical, transparent and operating within legal parameters and honoring contract terms. I am very familiar with how businesses should operate for optimum success as I've ran them, owned them and been a successful 6 figure a year PODster. I've undertaken contract work for multi-millionaire businessmen and women in the past and learned a lot from how they operated. I'm quite a long way from naive when it comes to business matters. 

I'd just keep doing what you're doing and NICHE down to counteract any changes and being stuck in a saturated niche. Re referrals, those not in the P2 program who've never done any/much affiliating just have no clue what our concerns are because they never made an income from referrals. I've deleted around 100,000 links to Zazzle so far (still sending around 800-1000 to Zazzle daily however) but hence forth will only share collections or items via my sites with rf codes added. Image for full transparency.

[igiftcenter]

My apologies... I didn't me to come off as presuming where your time is better spent. I was attempting to be helpful as I always try to do. And while you are right it may be that your time is better spent bringing up concerns about how the site is run... I wish you nothing but continued success.

I can tell you that I have myself gotten caught up in focusing on "things" about the site and I can remember spending an unhealthy amount of my time focusing on it in the forums and spending too much time away from my core responsibility of creating fresh content and promoting wherever possible and effective.  That reminds me... that's exactly what I need to do right now.

Peace

[Mariholly]

Not a single sale yesterday.... I don't remember the last time this had happened... I came here looking for some kind of general error for everyone, but I guess it's me.... My stores that a year ago were making reasonable sales, Nothing exaggerated either, but interesting sales, now they no longer sell.... I don't just want to regret, I want to understand what happened and solve it because this is the only source of income I can have for reasons that are not relevant here.

[CreativeLeahG]

It's not you, top sellers are also having no sale days. I'm not one of them ( so far) but sales are down. It's more common than you realize. Take heart.

[CreativeLeahG]

Update re landing page issue and P2 program and 'linkovers' here

[kashmier]

Wish I would get picked