Thursday, May 14, 2009

Bye Bye Cafe Press

I've always been a proponent of Cafe Press. I opened my first shop there in May, four years ago, and during my four-year association with Cafe Press, opened several more. I enjoyed designing for t-shirts, and all the other varied products Cafe Press had to offer. I could work out of my home, which in itself, was a blessing since I became disabled many years ago and had been unable to work. Cafe Press became my savior, gave me my self-esteem back, and the Cafe Press community itself was filled with wonderful, caring people. Cafe Press allowed us, as shopkeepers, to set our own prices on our merchandise, gave us the opportunity to set up outside websites to promoted our designs, so we were given the opportunity to "own" our own businesses at a fraction of the cost of opening a "brick and mortar" store. In addition, I was able to supplement my meager social security check each month. Sadly, last month Cafe Press decided we shopkeepers would no longer be allowed to set our own prices, and beginning June 1st, will pay us a 10% commission on all sales through their marketplace. What that means to the shopkeeper will probably be of little interest to you, dear reader, but to all of us who made our living while being associated with Cafe Press, well, let me just say, thousands of shopkeepers will be ruined. I know of one shopkeeper who had quit his day job to work full-time on his shops at Cafe Press. He and his wife had just welcomed a new baby into their lives, and now they will have no income. Another shopkeeper I know was putting herself through college without benefit of scholarships or aid from her family. She will no longer be able to do that, because of Cafe Press' decision. A close friend of mine whom I met through Cafe Press is her sole support, and is scared to death what will happen when June 1st rolls around, and she's receiving a paultry 10% for her efforts. None of us will be able to support ourselves and many will have to look for work. Some will be lucky, some won't, since the job market is in a recession at the moment, and shows no signs of improvement.

Most shopkeepers work long hours, designing, adding products to their shops, and promoting their designs. I can honestly say that I work from 10-12 hours a day, so the POD (print-on-demand) business isn't for the lazy. It's hard, tedious work, and the payoff isn't always good. Some days the sales may not come, and other days I'll be pleasantly surprised with a ton of wonderful sales. Working with POD's, though, gives people the opportunity to work at home and still make a decent living. Stay-at-home moms are at the top of the list of shopkeepers, college students working their way through college, social security reipients like myself, and people from all walks of life. Cafe Press' decision to stick their hand in our pockets and steal...yes, I said steal the money we worked so hard for, is beyond comprehension. How a company could be that greedy and uncaring is something I have yet to come to terms with.

Obviously, I am no longer a proponent of Cafe Press, and have switched my allegience to Zazzle. So, dear reader, when you're looking for unique t-shirts and gifts for special occasions, please consider shopping at Zazzle. Most Cafe Press shopkeepers have moved their allegience to Zazzle, because we're being treated very fairly. We're allowed to set our own prices, open our own free stores (Cafe Press charges a fee for theirs), and belong to a wonderful community of caring people. Zazzle has welcomed us all with open arms, and continues to do so. Not only have they welcomed us with open arms, they continually create wonderful tools for us to work with, including a special customization tool you, as the customer, can use to personalize your own products. If you're looking for special t-shirts or gifts for family or friends, I urge you to stop by and see us at these Zazzle stores: Cowpie Creek T-Shirts And Gifts, SagArt T-shirts and Gifts, and Peacock Cards T-shirts and Gifts.



Father's Day is Sunday, June 21st, so don't forget your dad! If you're looking for special Father's Day gifts for your special dad, check out the great t-shirts below!







Posted by wolffie at 9:40 AM
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2 comments:

lucy tyler said...

I've had a premium shop at Cafe Press for 4 years. I am furious about their greedy, sleazy change in terms to 10%. Did you notice, before you closed your shops, that shoppers could no longer make their way to your storefront/shop by clicking on the shop name with a teaser to see more? In this way, they made sure ALL purchases come from the marketplace instead of from the shop directly.


Last night, I changed my whole storefront to an ad encouraging shoppers to BOYCOTT CAFE PRESS! Today, mysteriously, my storefront has disappeared. I am pissed off. I hope Cafe Press goes under. I'm going to join you at zazzle.

Good luck at zazzle. Hope you make a LOT more than you did at C.P.

Lucy Tyler
Lucy Dog Design

July 19, 2009 9:08 AM
zazzleupload said...

Hi Lucy,

Yes, it's all about greed, isn't it? Every time I get a sales email letting me know I've made a "whopping" 10% commission on a design I may have spent hours creating, my blood boils. Cafe Press is getting richer and shopkeepers are headed for the poor house.

I could have told you your store front would be gone. Cafe Press doesn't allow any negative comments about itself, or any positive comments about any other POD. Cafe Press has turned into a dictatorship I often compare to Nazi Germany. "Freedom of the press" is a right they don't recognize.

Thank you for the encouragement. I'm happy to hear you're heading over to Zazzle, as it's the only place to be right now. Instead of taking benefits away from its shopkeepers, they keep adding them. Good luck to you, Lucy!

July 19, 2009 9:23 AM

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