The #1 Thing I’d Do Differently If I Were Starting Over on Zazzle

When I first started on Zazzle back in 2019, I remember very vividly creating every product possible and putting any and every design I thought looked cool on all the products.

To be fair, I did go in and manually place each design so it looked as good as possible. But I was a brand‑new designer and seller at the time. My designs weren’t the best and I’m sure my metadata was nowhere near on point, which definitely didn’t help.

Looking back now, that shop hasn’t performed particularly well over the years. (Not including the major mask sales – details here.)

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for purchases made through links in this post, at no extra cost to you.

What Happened to That Shop

Out of over 4,500 listings I created in that shop, only about 1,100 are still public today. The rest went so long without a single view or sale that Zazzle automatically hid them from the marketplace. And a few different product types have been discontinued from the marketplace.

Regardless, that number alone shows the quality, or lack of strategy, behind what I was making at the time.

I learned a ton from that experience, so I wouldn’t change it. But if I were starting over, I’d do things very differently. I want to pass that information along so you can either skip that “throw spaghetti at the wall” phase or at least get through it a lot faster than I did.

What I Would Do Differently

1. Pick a niche and an intentional customer

Decide who you’re designing for before making anything. Your shop will grow faster if your products are cohesive and appeal to a specific audience.

2. Create a base of 200 high-quality listings

Each one should be planned, niched down, and designed with purpose. From there, build up to 500, then 1,000 listings over time.

3. Shift focus to marketing

Once I had those first 200 intentional listings, I’d shift my focus to driving traffic rather than endlessly creating more products. Pinterest has been the most effective platform for me to market my products.

How I’m Approaching My Shops Now

This is also how I’ve built my most recent shops. I’ve been much more intentional from the start. Before opening the shop I’ve created a clear plan including who my target audience is and what products I will put my designs on.

I’m only recently getting serious about marketing, but I finally feel like I have a handle on it. Results are slow, but they’re starting to come in.

Marketing has been the missing piece for me for a long time, and I know many sellers can relate. It’s such a mental hurdle to overcome. But the reality is that, at least in my experience, you have to bring customers to Zazzle yourself if you want your products to rank higher and make enough sales to generate meaningful income.

I don’t think any print-on-demand marketplace has a big enough built-in customer base to consistently provide a full-time income for a niched-down shop without some form of marketing.

Should You Still Make an “Unintentional” Shop?

If you still want a space to create whatever you feel like in the moment, which is great for creativity, make a second shop for that.

This style of shop can also be really helpful for experimenting with new niches or design styles. Sometimes that’s how you stumble across a niche you never would have guessed could be profitable.

But with your main shop, choose a niche and build it out intentionally, then market the heck out of it.

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Why Marketing Matters

The more you generate your own sales, the higher your products will appear in Zazzle’s organic search results which will lead to even more sales.

If Zazzle sees you driving traffic from outside the platform, they’re far more likely to promote you, especially once your products are proven sellers.

Final Thoughts

If you’re just starting out, or even if you’ve been at this for a while, focusing on intentional listings and marketing can save you years of wasted time and effort.

This approach has made a big difference for me, and I wish I had done it from the beginning.

– My Recommended Tools –

Below are my personal favorite tools that I use regularly in my POD business.
The below links are affiliate links meaning I may receive a small commission for anything purchased through these links at no extra cost to you.

Creative Fabrica – My favorite place to get graphics with a straightforward commercial license for print on demand use.

Adobe Illustrator – I use Adobe Illustrator for at least half of my design creations. It’s pricey but so worth it when you choose to take the business seriously. Get a free trial to Adobe Illustrator here.

Graphics Tablet – My partner got me this exact tablet as a Christmas gift when I was just starting out with creating my own designs. It has served me well now for several years and it was a very low cost investment that made a big impact in my POD business.

Ergonomic Mouse – If you spend long hours at the computer like me I highly recommend investing in a good ergonomic mouse. Over the years, I have caused an injury in my hand/wrist from being at the computer so much, but my pain has gotten significantly better since getting this ergonomic mouse on Amazon.

Gel Memory Foam Keyboard Wrist Rest – I love this gel memory foam wrist rest. I actually have two sets, one for home and one for work, because it made such a difference in my arm pain from overuse. It’s super affordable and has helped a lot with wrist and arm pain, especially during long days at the computer. Highly recommend if you’re at a keyboard all day. Check it out here.