Zazzle

SR Merchandise

As we build the Stitching Remnants brand, we’ve decided to merchandize using a Print On Demand (POD) website.  This keeps our initial costs down and gives greater options to our followers. The first source we’ve selected for this endeavor is Zazzle.  We have created a Stitching Remnants store on their website.

Zazzle has been doing print on demand since 2005 and is one of the larger POD companies. I personally started sharing some of my artwork and photography on Zazzle at the start of 2013. Having designed Tiffany’s logo for Stitching Remnants, I decided it was a good place to create a store to help expand her brand. I already buy the occasional t-shirt and the annual family Christmas cards through Zazzle. I also take advantage of their shipping program called “Zazzle Black”. It only takes 2 purchases in a year to pay for itself, so I would highly recommend it to anyone who intends to shop there regularly.

Having been a customer with them for so long, I have seen both the good and the bad of the company.  They are definitely geared towards customization and take advantage of large brands. You will find major brands like Disney and Marvel as well as independent artists all in one marketplace.  Customizable products and templates allow their customers to make one of-a-kind products, or buy already designed products.  Having tried the design tools on other websites, I have found Zazzle’s to be one of the easiest to use. Zazzle utilizes “Makers” to produce some of their products and also produces some of their own products. This allows them to provide a wide variety of products. One of my best selling items on their site is a light-switch cover (below).

While I have plenty of high praise for them, I also want to share some of my other experiences.  With customized products there are always going to be issues and mistakes to correct. Many of my early experiences with their customer support were very positive and resolved quickly.  I did have one recent issue which required me emailing multiple times before I finally had a CSR who responded quickly and resolved the issue. It was not the ideal result, but they treated me fairly and did make good on their commitments.  They do have a return policy that states, “If you don’t love it, we’ll take it back.” In some cases I have found them to be almost too generous. Fortunately for me it was a promotional item as opposed to a present for someone. If this had been my first and only experience with the company I would likely never shop there again so I want to make sure our followers don’t get a bad first impression.  For that reason, we are currently limiting some of the product options available for our logo and our own intellectual property (photos/artwork/designs). More designs and products will be made available over time.  

The relationship between Zazzle and their designers is an interesting one.  There are many designers who are die-hard supporters of the company, but it isn’t without its critics as well.  Since the company is primarily a fulfillment center it can be hard for a new designer to get established. It is especially difficult when paired against behemoths like Disney.  There is a definite challenge in balancing the On Demand needs of the consumer against the “Non-Demand” starving artist. It can be a very hard place to start and most of the responsibility for marketing falls onto the designer.  I cannot fault them for taking this approach.

What Zazzle does provide that makes promotion of products better than some of their competitors is their affiliate program.  It is by far the most generous affiliate program I have found among the POD websites I’ve researched. It allows them to concentrate on filling orders instead of doing the heavy marketing.  Of course, this is likely why when I mention Zazzle to people they often have no clue what I’m talking about. If you do click any of the links in this post and make a purchase you will be helping us through their affiliate marketing program.  That includes products not related to our own brand. We certainly welcome feedback on your experiences. We want the Stitching Remnants brand to have a positive association; so we want to hear about any issues with any external website or vendor that is linked to through our website.