If you mean the short URL that looks like this - zazzle.com/z/au9kid8x - that appears in the Share panel after you modify something, then no, it's working for me tonight, copying link from Firefox and pasting it into an anon browser, it opens to the product showing the changes I made.
(The "link" in my post was just madeup characters, that's why that one goes to a 404 page)
I just picked a product from your store.
https://www.zazzle.com/registered_nurse_visiting_angel_medical_business_card-256073493231043765
I'd consider that the full real URL.
If I click the little share icon from your product page, that's the URL shown and the one provided if I use the "Copy Link" button. (But with my RF added to it of course.)
If I modify the design and then click the little Share icon, the URL changes to the
/z/randomcharacters one.
You can share that URL with others and they'll see the customized version.
https://www.zazzle.com/z/38kymzzd
This is true even if the design isn't actually modified. Just clicking the Personalize button that opens the template panel will change it to the custom /z/ URL. This is what Roy was referring to, that for her this "short" link is not opening to the customized version as it should.
Is there some way to shorten a Z product URL and have it work as a link? (other than using a URL shortening service)
Yes. So your product URL again:
https://www.zazzle.com/registered_nurse_visiting_angel_medical_business_card-256073493231043765
You can instead just use
https://www.zazzle.com/256073493231043765
I tested this short PID style link pre-April 1 changes and it worked with both an RF# added for 15% referral and as a "clean" link earning the 35% Promoter referral. I can't speak to whether it'll still work as a "clean" link earning the higher Self-Promotion rate and that's actually the most maddening thing to me re all the program changes - that we can no longer easily test these things out ourselves because we can no longer control all the variables of the "cookie" situation. 😠
