Monday, October 28, 2013

The Admin Shop at CP Amuses Me

Well, a recent post on the CP forums said that CP would be auto-generating new products with our designs on new products in our Admin shop.  I was curious about what new products were added and skipped into my admin shop to check out a preview.  Well, guess no sneak peak for me....


Yeah, all those product number 114, 115, ect. were not visiable...but I did see some older stuff they had added to my shop.  Like this...




Here's the same design with rounded corners, larger...



Really CP?  REALLY?   You know, there's a reason why I haven't added any yoga pants.  I just don't think my artwork is best displayed on someone's butt (or crotch?  Which is it?  I've never been able to tell).   And this particular one...it looks like they're looking at, ah sheesh, nevermind.  (UPDATE:  When I posted this on the CafePress/Zazzlers facebook page I was told it's printed on the bottom, not crotch.  And someone commented that if you flex your butt muscles the ladies could kiss... I laughed my undecorated butt off at that! )  Still, deleted the product and hope they don't add it back.  

I also thought these were amusing...


So, CP, you think people want wine coolers and cocktail shakers with a baby crib on it?





Ok, MAYBE someone might buy that...but not likely.   Sheesh, this is why product addition should not be automated.  


Friday, October 25, 2013

New Ability to Create Collections On Zazzle

You can now create custom collections at Zazzle, and it doesn't use tagging.  You can pick whatever products you want to include.  Find the full details here.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

CafePress Finds One More Way to Pay Us Less. Thanks CP.

CafePress is changing it's Content Owner Agreement once again, and once again, it ain't pretty.  If in the last three months you have not done the following, your commission could be reduced to as much as little as 5%:


  • Logged  in to CafePress
  • Uploaded at least one design
  • Gained a follower on CafePress.com
  • Followed another designer on CafePress.com
  • Have a designer profile that is at least 80 percent complete

When they first introduced this, they sort of glossed over the fact that many people could see their marketplace commission lessen, emphasizing that some would see an increase.  Well, turns out that only some hand-picked by CafePress would be able to participate in a bonus program and possibly see their commission increase to 15%, and only on specific products/designs.

So, in stead of rewarding good participation they're choosing to take a punitive role (hey, why not when it means they get to keep more of their money).  It's sad, really sad.  When I first started selling through them CafePress they encouraged promotion through the affiliate program, and maybe because of that or maybe just because of the great community they had going, people really supported and promoted each other.  Participation levels were high.  That all came to a crashing halt around 2008 when they made changes that took away our ability to set our own prices in the marketplace, and reduced people's commissions to 10%.

You know, I was really encouraged when they set up the dashboard to encourage participation and interactions among artists here...I thought it was a good move towards rebuilding that community.

But now this had put a sour note on all of it.  They COULD have just made this a benificial thing, rewarding those with high participation.  But they basically said "Participate or else" and now this whole thing is feeling much less fun.

Meanwhile ALL SALES MADE THROUGH 3rd PARTY SITES will receive a 5% commission.

CP  also made some changes to their permission to use our designs--this isn't that much of a difference from what came before so I'm not too concerned about that. Though they are wrong that they "The Content Owner Agreement has always granted CafePress the right to automatically add your content to any of our assortment of base goods." No, I specifically remember when they added that, and the concern that our designs would suddenly appear on products we didn't want them on. Saying they can reposition items doesn't really change much though, so I'm not as concerned about this.

NOTE:  Click here for a great post on how to find out your current CP ranking/commission.




Saturday, September 14, 2013

Zazzle - New Product Check

If you have any cases, go check your new products on Zazzle.  Zazzle has automatically updated your cases to new ones, but you may need to make some changes to alignment.

And, make sure to check out all the new products added this September (and the end of August...sorry I missed those) including new apparel items, Wallets, and Wallpaper.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Zazzle Adds Scarfs and Leggings!

Zazzle just added SCARVES and LEGGINGS!  Woo hoo!
Scarfs come 9 colors in leggings come in 12!  You can see the size of the area you can use in the examples below (both sides of the scarf can be utilized, though the one below just shows one side).  More info here.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

CafePress Just Added New Products!

Shoes, more cases, baby stuff, maternity tank tops...wow. It's to late to do a full post tonight, but I know I know I'll be busy adding stuff tomorrow!

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

So Many Changes!

There have been so many changes in recent months at both CafePress and Zazzle, I don't know where to start.  I will be talking about these in more detail eventually, but for now I'm just going to list them.


At Zazzle
  • Major Changes to Volume Bonus Program 
    Basically, they reduced the bonus, made it only available at a higher volume, and made it only apply to sales you referred, not sales from the marketplace.  Yeah, it sucks.  I understand that they were being very generous before...but I hate to see this become so unattainable for most sellers.
  • 5% Mark Up Available
    You can now mark your products up by 5% if you want to.  You don't have to, but you can.
  • Major Site Layout Change 
    Zazzle changed their layout to better fit iPad, iPod and other mobile devices.  We lost some of our ability to customize.
  • New Products
    They have added flip flops, watches, candy tins, and Case Savvy iPad.  The flip flops come in black and white in both mens and womens styles.  The candy tins and watches come in various styles and colors.  See a few examples of the watches and tins below...


At CafePress
  • New Profiles and Dashboards
    CafePress is now a lot more interactive.  You have a profile where people can see your latest designs (which they can like and follow).  You can follow others and get news about other CP artists designs, as well as news about your sales and such.  Very nice...I like this.  More on this here.
  • New Commission Changes
    They are making marketplace commission changes based on volume sold of certain designs.  It would raise some marketplace commissions to up to 15% but lower others under 10%.  They are framing it as a "reward" for high sellers, but I'm very leery of what this may do to a lot of little guys.  I don't sell much on CafePress anymore, but when I do sell, I'd like it to AT LEAST get 10% commission.  More on this here.
  • New Products
    They have quietly, without announcement, added Neoprene lunch bags and diaper bags.  The lunch bags show up under new products, but the diaper bags you have to search under Baby to find.
  • New Products
    They have quietly, without announcement, added Neoprene lunch bags and diaper bags.  The lunch bags show up under new products, but the diaper bags you have to search under Baby to find.
  • New Products
    They have quietly, without announcement, added Neoprene lunch bags and diaper bags.  The lunch bags show up under new products, but the diaper bags you have to search under Baby to find.



Whew!  Good changes and bad changes all mixed together there.  Sorry I didn't get these announcements posted sooner.  Been busy with real life (and a MESS at Squidoo, where there's been a lot of changes going on too.  More on THAT later too, hopefully,  for those who use that service).  





Tuesday, July 16, 2013

POD Giveaways

Here are all the giveaways I could find from various print on demand services and POD shops (whether they're sponsored by the POD or by individual artists who work through them.) If you know of any others, please let me know!



Artist/Shopkeeper/Blogger Sponsored Giveaways

These giveaways are sponsored by artists who work through PODS.   They are usually for specific items from the artist's shop.  (I haven't found any yet this week...so if you know of any please share)

Yam Yam Giveaway (Winners Chosen Every Friday Until July 30) - Zazzle

I Love My 2nd Graders Hoodie (6/12) - CafePress




POD Sponsored Giveaways
The following giveaways are sponsored by various print on demand services.  I list the blog it's posted on as well so you can better keep track of which ones you've entered.

CafePress Cassette Tape iPhone Case (7/24)

$25 CafePress GC at Sweeps 4 Bloggers (7/27)

$25 CafePress GC at MommyFactor (6/3) - Low Entry

$25 CafePress GC at Elitemama (6/6)

Retro phone case from CafePress at Hip Mama's Place (6/8)

$25 CafePress GC at Just Us Girls (6/11)


$25 CafePress GC at Savings in Seconds (6/16)

$50 CafePress GC at A Little Umbrella (6/19)











Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Design Tips and Tricks

Various articles to help you get your designs looking their best.


Testing Fonts and Dark Stroking on Dark Shirts
Article shows a test of various font sizes, and the difference between color areas with a tiny dark "stroke" (1 pixel outline) and without (on CafePress Dark Shirts). VERY USEFUL!
CafePress Color Swatch Test
Shows a color swatch and font size test on various CafePress shirts. I like this one because you can download the original color swatch so the you can sample the colors.
Kerning
A technique for good looking text designs.
CMYK vs. RGB - Things You Should Know
Helps you learn how to best use color so that your designs look the same printed as they do on screen.
List of Cool Color Tools
Helpful resources when picking out your colors.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Pod Reviews

Trying to find a good print on demand service?  These review sites may help.



My POD Reviews
A detailed comparison of the four print on demand services I've used:  CafePress, Zazzle, Printfection, and ArtsNow.   

Which POD Gets Your Nod
This article by Tees in a POD (my new favorite POD blog) gives a detailed comparison of six major PODS: Zazzle, Skreened, CafePress, Printfection, Redbubble, and Spreadshirt. They compare print size, printing method, affiliate programs, payment, and more. I highly suggest this article!
CafePress vs. Zazzle
A squidoo lens comparing Zazzle and CafePress.
CafePress vs. the Competition
This lens compares Cafepress to Printfection, Zazzle, and Spreadshirt. It's a good comparison, but some of the information on it is old (like, it says on Zazzle you can not set your own mark-up, which now you can.)
T-Shirt Printers Review
This site reviews 10 different t-shrit printers. While most of these aren't print on demand, they do cover most of the major print on demand prodiders.
What's the Best POD Service
This lens does a very good job of reviewing the major POD services (though a few items he mentions are outdated): CafePress, Zazzle, Printfection, Spreadshirt, RedBubble.
Selling Art on CafePress, Zazzle, RedBubble
This lens shares one artists experience with several PODS and opens a discussion about how these sites use your images and whether they misuse them.
CafePress vs. Zazzle
A short comparison of CafePress vs. Zazzle - written in March, 2012. It includes some stats on traffic and earnings as well as the shopkeepers personal experience.

Monday, July 8, 2013

POD Giveaways

Here are all the giveaways I could find from various print on demand services and POD shops (whether they're sponsored by the POD or by individual artists who work through them.) If you know of any others, please let me know!

Artist/Shopkeeper/Blogger Sponsored Giveaways
These giveaways are sponsored by artists who work through PODS.   They are usually for specific items from the artist's shop.

Set of 5 x 7 Pretty Poison Prints by Elvenstar Art (7/12) - Possibly Zazzle


POD Sponsored Giveaways
The following giveaways are sponsored by various print on demand services.

Spoonflower Fabric and Collete Pattern (7/9)

$50 Zazzle Giftcard at the Mommyhood Chronicles ( 7/10)

CafePress Gremlins Bag (7/11)


Where to Find Free Graphics to Use Commercially


The following places have free graphics which you are allowed to use on CafePress. Each site may have specific restrictions on this, so make sure to look for site rules and read them.
Anita Vallle Art
Some fun graphics, free to use, even commercially.
Graphics Fairy
She posts free public domain images. She asks that you not use any more than 6 on a page or single project.
Open Clip Art Gallery
Free clip art that can be used commercially, no strings attached.
More Places to Find Free Graphics
Theres some more places to find free graphics here...but not all are to be used commercially, so review their terms carefully./
Free Commericial Use Resources | BedazzledByZazzle.com
Bedazzled by Zazzle has a bunch of graphics free for commercial use which can be used POD products: Calendars, Backgrounds, Clock Faces and More!

Free Calendar Graphics - 2013
Calendar graphics free to use in print on demand shops.

Free Clock Graphics
Useful clock faces free for commercial use!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

A List of Print On Demand Services

Print on Demand companies allow you to sell printed products with your own artwork or photography online without covering the printing cost first.  Generally they allow you to create a store where you sell products with your designs, and they usually also have a public marketplace where all products by contributing artists are sold as well.  Items are only printed once a customer buys them.  You earn a mark-up or commission, but they handle the printing, shipping, etc.  





Zazzle
One of the major leaders in the POD world, this site has a great product selection and an established customer base.  See my full review of this site here.




CafePress
CafePress is one of the first and most popular Print on Demand Services.  It has a large selection of products and a good customer base but if you rely on that base in stead of your own shop you can only earn 10% profit.  See my full review of this site here.  
Spreadshirt
Another well established print on demand company, mainly for apparel. They have shops for both the UK and North America (US and Canada). Their American storefront is at Spreadshirt.com (linked above) and their UK site is at Spreadshirt.org. Unfortunately, you have to set up a shop in both if you want to sell in both markets.   
Image Kind
Image Kinds is mostly art oriented, and was acquired by CafePress several years ago but run is still run separately.

Deviant Art is primarily a social art sharing site with a focus on fan art, but they also allow you to sell prints and number of other printed items through their Print Shop.  Artists earn 20%, though you can pay for a premium account and set your own prices (and get your own products at base price). You can find out more about selling prints on their FAQ page.
Customized Girl
Customized girl offers a wide range of shirts, pants, shorts, and gift--and not just for girls, but for men and kids too (though I imagine women and girls are their main audience).  They have been selling custom clothes and gifts for many year, but just recently began to offer storefronts.  The storefronts are fairly simple--just your logo with products below.  Commission rates vary from 10 -15% depending on the product.  Customers can add customization to any of your products.  
SmugMug
This site has a program for photographers selling printed products with their photos.  It doesn't look like it has a marketplace--it's probably more tailored for professional photographers offering photo gifts to their customers, though I know of people who sell art through them as well.   Though it seems like they have a higher profit margin than most sites, so if you can promote yourself this might pay more. 
Printfection
Printfection's focus is apparel, and they have a good selection of styles and colors.  They also have a few other items like mugs, bags, and such.  See my full review of this site here
Lulu
Primarily for book printing.

Tone Threads
This is a POD specifically for musicians.  You can sell through your own shop/site or through BandCamp.com.
Boom Boom Prints
A print on demand shop aimed mainly at baby and kids clothes and room decor. 
This site offers a set commission rate of $3 to $6.50 per item on T-shirts, Phone Cases, and Prints.
Oarttes
POD site focusing on full bleed, artistic t-shirts. 
Print All Over Me
As the name suggests, this site features items that can be printed completely, all over every inch.
Deny Designs
A site primarily focused on home and decor design.  They are looking for artist but don't give many details about commission rates, how the site works for artists, ect
Screened
An eco-conscious service for selling T-shirts and Tote Bags. They have a very long print area for their shirts.  (Though not as much as CafePress's ALL OVER t-shrits...but those cost a lot more).  
PrintMojo
NOT technically a print on demand service since they do screen printing and embroidery and you do have to actually buy the T-shirts, but they print them, store them, and sell them for you.
Yersies
They mainly sell shirts and offer some features like puffy print and stitched designs (text or their pre-made designs only) as well as regular design printing.
T-shirt Monster
Canadian based - nice range of T-shirts.
My Soti
UK based POD offering t-shirts (men's, women's and childrens), posters, and lap-shades. You set your own mark-up.
Combotique
POD based in France (I've linked to the UK storefront so you can read in English) offering a wide selection of shirt styles, plus mugs, bags, and badges.  You can set your own profit margin, but it can't exceed 5 £ per shirt. 

StickerMule
Sell Stickers and skins in various shapes and sizes.
Spoonflower
Spoonflower sells fabric, wallpaper, and decals...and if you sell through them you get a flat 10% commission. You have to buy at least a $5 swatch for each design you sell to proof it. After that selling through them is free.

Galloree.com
Has a nice selection of shirts, and a smaller selection of gifts.  You set the mark-up.  There doesn't look like there's a public marketplace, so it's all on you for promotion.  

Shirt City
Shirt city offers three different printing products. In addition to shirts they offer hats, undergarments, and a nice variety of gifts including, mugs, colored dog shirts, lanyards, bags, mousepads, buttons vinyl decals. They don't seem to offer paper products (like stickers or cards).
MagCloud
Create your own magazines for 20 cents a page (you can add your own mark-up after that). Your book is listed in their marketplace and can be ordered in single quantities.
EnGreet
The just sell greeting cards. People can customize the cards and send them directly to their recipients, or order them to resend. You earn 20% commission.
RedBubble
RedBubble offers t-shirts, prints, and greeting cards.
Card Gnome
They only offer cards. Their cards are customizable, printed with organic ink on recycled paper, and mailed directly to the recipient. You earn $0.75 on most cards, $0.50 on discount cards.
Greeting Card Universe
Sell cards customers can customize and send directly to their recipient. You earn 15% - 20% (I think...percentage varies based on volume ordered).
Lollypins
Pins only! Artists receive a 15% commission.
Inktastic
You can sell a nice variety of shirts, gifts, stuffed animals, stickers and skins here. They have the best variety of baby and children's clothes I've seen, plus they have maternity. You earn 30% commission.
Minted
This is not actually a print on demand service, but worthy of mention. Like Threadless you can submit designs which are voted on, and if yours is chosen you can win prizes and also receive 6% commission. They also have a photographer program where photographers can set up a shop where their customers can buy prints, cards, etc. and they recieve a 10% commission.
Fine Art America
Sell art online through Fine Art America. Set your own prices and keep 100% of your profits. I believe they only do posters and canvas art, with various framing options.
Selling On Society6 | Society6
Society 6 allows you to sell a small set of products: art prints, iPhone cases, iPhone, iPod, iPad and Laptop skins, Tote Bags, T-shirts, Hoodies and Throw Pillows. On all but the Art Prints the commission is set for you.
Teespring - Crowdfunded Custom Apparel
Teepring is sort of a combination between a traditional print on demand shop and quick-starter--just for t-shrits. You set up a design on a t-shirt (just one, as far as I can tell) and then set the goal for how many t-shirts you want to sell, and then they print them when you reach that amount. The profit margins are much higher for these shirts than for a traditional POD. This seems really good POD for someone who has ONE t-shirt design, and a good way to promote it.
Wordans
You can sell apparel and iphones through this shop.
Arts Now
ArtsNow is a POD based in Hong Kong.  I used this service several years ago and at the time they had poor shipping practices (things arrived poorly packaged and damaged), inconsistent quality, and had some labeling issues that could make it illegal to sell their clothes in the United States.  See my full review of this site here.  



Custom Drop-Shipping Sites


These are similar to Print on Demand in that they but generally you have to provide the online storefront.




Submission Based Sites


The following sites take submissions from artists and pay you for your work if it's accepted. Though not print on demand, they also offer opportunities to artists wanting to earn money from their work.

Threadless
You can submit graphic designs and text slogans to Threadless and if any of yours are chosen you can earn $2,000 in cash, a $500 store credit, and $500 more any time the shirts are reprinted.
Vida
Vida sells ethically sourced* dresses, scarfs, shirts, and pocket squares...artists get 10% commission.    They require exclusive rights to sell your design in the selected product category that you create, but you are free to sell that design on products outside of that category (for instance, if you design for a top, you may continue to sell that design for all product categories other than tops.  They also support a social impact program which provides a crash course in basic literacy, specifically basic reading, writing, and Math skills designed for those who have never received schooling.

Good Joe
$1 of every shirt sale goes to artists, and $1 goes to charity. They accept artwork submission on a number of themes.
Minted
This is not actually a print on demand service, but worthy of mention. Like Threadless you can submit designs which are voted on, and if yours is chosen you can win prizes and also receive 6% commission. They also have a photographer program where photographers can set up a shop where their customers can buy prints, cards, etc. and they recieve a 10% commission.

Sandelei
This site is exclusively for flip flop sandals.  Designs must be approved before inclusion.  



Physical Art Venues


These are venues to sell actual, physical art pieces.


Tuesday, June 11, 2013

POD Resources

I hope you find the following sites, tools  and articles useful.  These shopkeeper resources used to be hosted on Squidoo, and the formatting came out a little wonky when I copied them over (so my apologies for the crazy font selection).  



VARIOUS PODS

BLOGS:

POD Person
Great blog with lots of freebies and tutorials.
Creative Artists Blog
A blog featuring artists who sell their work on print on demand websites.
Tees In A Pod
Excellent blog and pod-cast about the print on demand business.



VARIOUS:
POD Helper
A great site with helpful articles, news updates and a forum.
Creating Fan Art Through Print On Demand
Learn about the different branded products (like movies, t-v shows, video games) that you can legally create designs for through a POD fan portal.
52 Ways To Monetize Your Photos
Got a hard drive full of pictures? Wish you had a bank account full of cash? If you've got good photos, you've got an opportunity to make some useful

Check out the suppliers of print on demand ( POD ) services for Art Prints / Art Books & Catalogues. Review what artists think of them & traffic to their sites. Find...
The T-Shirts Forums
I love the T-Shirt Forum. I've gotten so many insightful, detailed, and helpful answers here.
Tee Banter
I just discovered this forum...but it seems to be pretty active! It's aimed more at buyers then sellers. In their own words: "Primarily an interest group for collectors and general t-shirt fans interested in discussing the huge variety of t-shirts out there." But there are sections obviously for sellers to post in. You can showcase your designs here but make sure to read the rules because there are specific ways to go about it.

CAFEPRESS
Beginner's Guide to Starting a shop on CafePress
A great three part guide covering opening a shop, designing, and adding products.
Success With CafePress
Great tips for making your CafePress shop successful.
Pictures fo Promote Tile Boxes
Beautiful artistic photos that show the inside of the tile boxes sold through CafePress.  A great resource if you're promoting these on your blog or website.

How To Run a Successful CafePress Shop
Some good tips.



PRINTFECTION



Tee Plates
Free Printfection themes! Completely customize your Printfection store without ever learning or writing a single line of CSS.

ZAZZLE
Design Image Guidelines 

How to Make and Use Your Own Zazzle Quick Create Template
A great tutorial if you want to use Quick Create in Zazzle to create products.
Zazzlit
This is a widget similar to the Zazzle flash panel which fits nicely in the side-bar of your site, and gives you more control over what products are featured.
Zazzle to Squidoo Tool
A tool for promoting your products on Squidoo.
Temporary Guide Files for New Zazzle Phones
Useful guide if making designs specifically for the new phones (and you want to make the dimensions exact.
Making a Zazzle Squidoo
How to make a great Squidoo for your Zazzle shop.
How to Show Off Zazzle Products Using Text Modules
A guide on how to show off your products in Zazzle text modules using Zazzle's affiliate tools...needs to be updated since recent Squidoo changes, since the sizes of Squidoo modules have changed.  But it shows how to alter the size on the images and that's still useful.
Posting Linked Images on Zazzle Forums - Video Tutorial
This is useful if you want to share your products on the Zazzle forum.
Special Days on Zazzle
A list of the "Special Days" categories on Zazzle.
Zazzle Paper Invitation Quality
A photographic description of the Zazzle invitation paper quality, with pictures capturing all different types of paper colors and textures and notes on the sturdiness of the different paper types.
Zazzle Invites Samples, Quality and Sizing
This covers all the paper types at Zazzle, and has really great examples.
Zazzle n' Tweet
An overview of twitter for Zazzlers.
Zazzlers with Twitter
Are you a Zazzler looking to network with other Zazzlers on Twitter? Find a list of Zazzlers who twitter here.
48 Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Zazzle Shop
A great article on ways to get more people to your shop.
















Tuesday, April 16, 2013

POD Giveaways

Here are all the giveaways I could find from various print on demand services and POD shops (whether they're sponsored by the POD or by individual artists who work through them.) If you know of any others, please let me know!

Artist/Shopkeeper/Blogger Sponsored Giveaways
These giveaways are sponsored by artists who work through PODS.   They are usually for specific items from the sponsor's shop.

Jane Austen Card and Magnet (5/16)  - CafePress

KP Designs Thank You Card (5/20) - Zazzle (I think)


CafePress Giveaways
These are either sponsored by CafePress or by a blogger/website who is not an artist through CafePress and are generally gift cards or your choice of product at CafePress.

CafePress Owl Pillow (5/20)

$25 CafePress GC at Saving Said Simply (5/20)

$25 CafePress GC at Perry Moppins (5/20)

$25 CafePress GC at Three Different Directions (5/21)

$25 CafePress GC at Minding My Matters (5/22)

$25 CafePress GC at Minding My Matters (5/23)

$25 CafePress GC at It All Happens in a Blink (5/23)

$25 CafePress GC at Real Reviews by Savvy K (5/23)

$25 CafePress GC at Sew Can Do (5/24)

$20 CafePress GC at Books and More (5/26)

$25 CafePress GC at Life is a Sandcastle (5/26)

$50 CafePress Gift Card at Mommy's Busy (6/1)

$20 CafePress Gift Card at Mommy's Block Party (6/3)

$25 CafePress GC at Jenn's Review Blog (6/3)

$25 CafePress GC at Musings (6/4)

$25 CafePress Gift Card (6/5)

Various Father's Day Gifs Including CafePress Gift Card (6/19)




Zazzle Giveaways

These are either sponsored by Zazzle or by a blogger/website who is not an artist through Zazzle.


Various Cool Items Including a Zazzle Gift Card (5/23)




Monday, April 15, 2013

CafePress Maternity Shirts - Now in Bold Color!

There are three new colors for my maternity shirts at CafePress! Navy, orange and blue! (It seems that they discontinued pink however, which used to be available on their light maternity shirts.)


These colors already existed at Zazzle, which just added maternity shirt this past year and still has more colors.  (I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that probably let CafePress, who had been the only POD with maternity for a while, saw the colors at Zazzle and decided to play some quick catch up).   CafePress is still lagging in colors, but Zazzle is lagging behind in adding belly printing (something they say is in the works).

Thursday, April 4, 2013

POD Giveaways

Here are all the giveaways I could find from various print on demand services and POD shops  (whether they're sponsored by the POD or by individual artists who work through them.)   If you know of any others, please let me know!


Artist Sponsored Giveaways

1 Custom Commissioned Painting by Ryan Conners, 1 Print From Her Shops (Unknown End Date - Started April 3) - Her shops include Etsy, RedBubble, and Zazzle


CafePress Giveaways

CafePress GC at The Simple Moms (4/4)

$25 CafePress GC at Toddling Around Chicagoland (4/6) 

$25 CafePress GC at Just a Country Gal (4/6)

$40 Cafepress GC at Java John Z's (4/9)

$40 CafePress GX at Spiller Kustoms (4/9)

CafePress Infant Onesie (4/14)

$25 CafePress GC at BassGiraffe (4/19)

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Zazzle Special Days Categories

I just finished a list of all the "special days" categories on Zazzle. While I doubt many people find their way to this section of the tree, it can be a good place to add things you don't know where else to put since there's also not a lot of products listed there.  I wanted to have all the "Special Days" in one place for easy reference.  You can use the search function in your browser to find days that fit your products.  I can see a lot of people using categories like "Pet Day" or "Aviation Week."    I suspect I will be using the "Flower Day" and "Texas Day"  categories a lot!    And it seems this would be a great place to get ideas too.  Wouldn't it be fun to make some designs for "Eat What You Want Day" or "Answer Your Cat's Question Day?"  

Saturday, March 16, 2013

POD Giveaways

Here are all the giveaways I could find from various print on demand services and POD shops  (whether they're sponsored by the POD or by individual artists who work through them.)   If you know of any others, please let me know!

Shopkeeper Sponsored Giveaways

Embrace the Watch Mug and Bag giveaway from Very Pink.com (3/27) - Zazzle


CafePress Giveaways 

$50 CafePress GC at Reviews and Giveaways and More (3/18)

$20 CafePress GC at Mammamoiselle (3/19)

$25 CafePress GC at Love From Elle (3/21)

$25 CafePress GC at Freebies in Mailbox (3/22)

$25 CafePress GC at Lost and Tired (3/24)

$25 CafePress GC at Sonya's Happenings (3/24)

$20 CafePress GC at After Nine to Five (3/24)

$20 CafePress GC at Thrifty Mom (3/24)

$50 CafePress GC at Everything for Ana (3/27)

$25 CafePress GC at Saving 4 Five (3/27)

$25 CafePress GC at The iMums (3/28)

$20 CafePress GC at Love My 2 Dogs (2/28)

$25 CafePress GC and TONS of Other Prizes for Moms at That Bald Chick (3/29)

CafePress GC at Nolies Place (3/29)

CafePress GC at The Simple Moms (4/4)


Zazzle Giveaways

Zazzle Pacifier (3/27)

Pull to Sound Alarm Pacifier (4/3)


If you know of another giveaways by a PODs or POD artist please leave a comment to let me know and I'll add it!  If you would like to sponsor a giveaway on this blog, please e-mail me at ecarian@yahoo.com.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Do you have giveaways? Facebook Rules...

Facebook changed their rules so the info below is no longer current.  You can see the new rules here and find a good article commenting on it here.

---THIS INFO BELOW IS OLD AND NO LONGER ACCURATE.  I AM KEEPING THIS ON THE PAGE FOR HISTORICAL PURPOSES ONLY --

There are some other facebook guidelines that could get you in trouble if you make "liking on facebook" a requirement for your giveaways---it all depends on how you word it and how you count those likes. You can learn more at the following links...

Facebook Giveaway:  Rules, Contests, and Regulations Esplained (Rafflecopter Blog)

Facebook Promotions Guidelines Training (Facebook's Own Site)

My takeaways from these articles are this...

1.  You can give people entries for liking your facebook page...only so long as you record that some other way than through their like (i.e. like this page AND leave a comment saying you did).  The important thing is that they aren't automatically entered when they like your page.

2.  You do need to word it carefully so they don't think they are automatically entered for liking your page.  In other words, you can say "To enter you must be a facebook fan and leave a leave your e-mail in the form below", or "All my facebook fans get an extra entry if they leave a comment below" but not "Like my facebook page to enter."  You have to make it clear that new or existing fans can enter, so ou should avoid any text that specifically says "Like this page to enter, "  since that could make it sound like it's only for new fans, or that it's actually the action of clicking the like button that enters you (which is against facebook terms)

3.  "You can’t ask folks to directly “Share this promotion on Facebook” and award them an entry or a point for the physical act of sharing."  (Rafflecopter Article)  But you can reward those who send you traffic from facebook or otherwise in other ways (such as asking entrants to say who referred them, and then giving entries to those who referred them.)

4.  You still risk getting "fake fans" which could hurt you.  So, something to consider.

I have also read one account about someone getting in trouble because she got too many likes from fake facebook accounts! Since "sweepers" (people who enter a lot of sweepstakes)  are often the ones with these fake accounts, this is a real danger.  But I've only heard about this happening once.


One other thing unrelated that can cause you trouble is if you don't have a current phone number listed on facebook it could slow down the process of getting your facebook page back online.  Another blogger I know of was not able to get her facebook page back up because they wanted to confirm that she was the owner of the page by text, and she had an old number listed.  You can set your phone to unlisted, but make sure it's current, or that could cause you problems.  It's somewhat unlrelated to giveaways, but I thought I'd mention it here anyways.



For more rules you should know about hosting giveaways, click here.