youngjim23

 

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gaseousclay

isn't zazzle just another cafepress-type site? I would avoid it personally. not only will the quality be substandard but it's just another get-rich-quick site that sucks people into selling their ideas for little return while zazzle reap the benefits. has always struck me as the lazyman's website for selling cheap crap

 

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Rodney

What specific questions do you have about Zazzle?

Quote: I would avoid it personally. not only will the quality be substandard but it's just another get-rich-quick site that sucks people into selling their ideas for little return while zazzle reap the benefits. has always struck me as the lazyman's website for selling cheap crap

I don't think the quality is substandard at all. The zazzle/cafepress type sites aren't get-rich-quick sites at all.

Not everyone wants to be a printer, so outsourcing to a print on demand or fulfillment company can be a smart decision, not just something for a "lazyman"

You will see big businesses and small using places like Zazzle/Cafepress/etc to do their printing. If the quality wasn't there, I don't big companies would continue to use them.

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gaseousclay

maybe their techniques have changed since they first started but I remember cafepress having cheap iron-on graphics that were destroyed through one wash cycle. zazzle looks like more of the same. if you're a business it's not the best route to go imho, especially if you're starting out. also, these sites mass produce the same things and tend to stick to the "quantity not quality" mantra of doing business. their business model doesn't inspire confidence imo. I would rather order a quality screen-printed t-shirt from a struggling company that only has 12 designs than some poor looking cafepress/zazzle company that has thousands of poor designs.

 

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Rodney

Quote: Originally Posted by gaseousclay maybe their techniques have changed since they first started but I remember cafepress having cheap iron-on graphics that were destroyed through one wash cycle. zazzle looks like more of the same. if you're a business it's not the best route to go imho, especially if you're starting out. also, these sites mass produce the same things and tend to stick to the "quantity not quality" mantra of doing business. their business model doesn't inspire confidence imo. I would rather order a quality screen-printed t-shirt from a struggling company that only has 12 designs than some poor looking cafepress/zazzle company that has thousands of poor designs.

Yes, most businesses improve over time

CafePress using high end DTG printers for their printing. Zazzle does the same.

As I said, there are lots of businesses (both big and small) that use places like CafePress and Zazzle for their printing. Talking about bigger names like Disney, Star Wars, KISS, The Library of Congress, Star Trek, March of Dimes, etc.

I don't think you can really tell the quality of printing Zazzle produces by looking at their website.

Just like all businesses, the products go through several quality control checks before leaving. Just like most businesses, humans can sometimes make an error. Even at 1% error (just making up a number), you're going to have more errors when you're doing 1000's of t-shirts per day than if you're doing hundreds.

As another member pointed out, there are people making good income, repeat customers, who have savvy business smarts using CafePress, Zazzle and other print on demand sites.

You seem to be making a lot of assumptions that aren't based on actual facts (or maybe just outdated facts).

I can definitely understand preferring screen printed t-shirts to tees that are printed on demand. There's something to be said for the beauty of a quality screen printed t-shirt, but buying a screen printed t-shirt isn't an automatic guarantee of quality just as buying a t-shirt from a print on demand powered store doesn't automatically mean a lack of quality.

I guess my point is that that painting everything with big broad brush stroke generalizations isn't taking a realistic view on what's really possible with these sites.

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t_shirtfort

If places like Zazzle and Cafepress were get rich schemes with iron on printing, then how could Cafepress have lasted almost ten years and spawned so many competitors?

I would recommend checking out the zazzle site directly to get information about them like tutorials and message boards. I use both cafepress and zazzle and they both have their own advantages/disadvantages. Cafepress costs for a premium site but you can add your design to everything at once unlike zazzle. Zazzle is free and has some cool products like shoes that cafepress doesn't have, but their marketplace doesn't get much as traffic.

Since Zazzle is free you could always sign up, set up a gallery with one design and see how you like it. Just don't expect to make sales instantly.

 

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JMGNole

I've got shops at both places, bought their products and given them as gifts. I put in a big order to CP just yesterday for Christmas presents and give-aways. I wore a Zazzle shirt over the weekend. I've got shirts from both that are well over a year old and still going strong after several washes. I've never received a single complaint from friends or family who have bought from me or received gifts.

Is it screen printed, no. Is the quality what I expected for a POD? You bet.

 

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MizzBella

I haven't purchased any of my designs but I use Zazzle as an outlet for feedback before I order ten dozen t-shirts of a new design. And I tend to be right with that formula because whatever I do well with on Zazzle tends to go over well with the college students that I eventually sell to.

 

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