Promote Your CafePress Store

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 37 people | Log in to rate

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Market your designs and let CafePress handle the rest

CafePress is a great way to sell your designs, music, books, and other original creations.

You provide the content and CafePress handles the production and sales.

For example, in my John Dilbeck's Shirts, Mugs, and Hats store, I have a lot of mostly text designs that are sold on, well, shirts, mugs, hats, and other items.

I create the designs, upload them to CafePress, add products that will have the designs printed on, set my prices, and do the marketing and promotion.

CafePress maintains all the computers, warehouses, production facilities, and other things that are needed to take orders, produce the products, ship them, and handle all customer service.

Then, when my commissions have cleared, they send me checks to deposit.

I'm earning from work I did two or three years ago. How cool is that?

You can, too.

Open your store at CafePress for free.

You need to remember that opening a store and uploading some designs will not earn you any money. You have to do the marketing and promotion to get people to your store so they will purchase.

The more items you sell, the more checks you'll deposit. It's just that simple.

Act on your dream!

JD

Promote Your CafePress Stores 

If you use Squidoo to market your CafePress store, you're invited to join us in our Squidoo Marketing Community where we have a section in the forum for promoting your CafePress stores.

When you customize your profile in the community, you can link to your lenses and/or your store.

Here are the latest discussions in the Promote Your CafePress Store section of our forum:

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How Satisfied Are You With CafePress? 

As a CafePress store owner, what is your opinion of the service CafePress provides to help you earn money from your original designs.

Consider all the things that are done for you behind the scenes.

Are you getting what you thought you would when you opened your store?

If you have any comments about the poll, please tell us in the feedback section at the bottom of this page.

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Learn more about CafePress 

CafePress is the greatest thing since sliced bread! 

Make money selling your designs at CafePress

I just love getting emails that tell me I just made a sale at CafePress almost as much as I enjoy depositing the commission check I receive from those sales every month.

How about you?

What do you think about CafePress? Are you making any money selling your designs there?

Tell us about it. Take a side.

Act on your dream!

JD

How do you like selling products on CafePress?

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It's great! CafePress is better than sliced bread! It rocks!

Luis2u4u says:

I made more than 1000$ in 1 year so I think it's ok!

littlebird says:

Cafepress is cool, its fun work. It make me think and be creative, I like that. I have not made sell's but I' am just starting out. So i'll keep my head up, hopefully get noticed. http://www.cafepress.com/littlebirdshop

GetSillyProductions says:

CafePress is awesome, I've only sold a few things, but I think it's great, I make enough money to buy my own stuff, so I'm happy :)

ErinRyan says:

It is one of the best decisions I ever made! Be passionate, be creative! http://www.cafepress.com/4u2wear2

lake-effect says:

I just started recently on Cafepress. I like alot about it am still learning and hope to have success with it. It's an easy site to get around and work with. The forum area is great with many helpful shopkeepers. I need to keep creating designs, post them and get better at marketing. I think things will work out. At least that's the plan.

Danes-R-Us says:

Selling products on Cafepress for 8 years - How do I like it? Well... in 8 years I can't remember a month when there was no check. Always great customer service and a whole cabinet full of mugs. What more could I ask? Seriously, it's a great add-on to my business. My customer have access to the products they want and I don't have to do the work. Check me out at danesrusduds.com and let me know you stopped by.

JeanC_ducky says:

I love it. It is a great way for me to indulge in my creative urges and actually make some money at it:) I've only had my shop open since Apr '08 and I am a head of the curve in new shop sales.

BabyLaughs says:

Cafepress is a wonderful outlet for my creativity, sarcasm, and mommy-wit. I love how easy it is to use, and the large selection of items available. I do see room for improvement in the product department as far as sizes, items, and quality, but none of those things have detoured me yet. The community is fantastic, and I love the partnerships available.

As a stay at home mom, it is a great way to earn a little extra for my family while not taking any time away from my family. I've watched my son grow, and haven't missed a minute, largely with thanks to Cafepress!

JDWheeler says:

I have had great success with Cafepress. It's a little slow starting out, but once you make that first sale, they come faster and faster. And when you "Squidoo" your designs you make even more.

You would be surprised what unique products people are looking for on the internet. I agree with John, sometimes it pays to put a higher price on your products. But don't get carried away.

sittonbull says:

This newbie thinks if its working great for you.."on dialup!" (still astounded at that!)... then whatever challenges it presents for us on DSL can be resolved with study and good marketing.

kiwisoutback says:

I love cafepress, I do well there. I wish they kept the volume bonus program the same, but otherwise, it's been great.

TinkerM says:

I have shops a printfection and Zazzle and have sold 12 things a Zazzle 3 things a Printfection. I have sold over 500 last year at Cafepress. There is no comparison as far as I am concerned and no competitors. Also the customer service is very rude at Zazzle. Cafepress does a ton of advertising for us.. the others do not just look at the search engines. JMHO..

NotChris says:

I have learned so much from CafePress from the various forums on how to customize my Premium shop. It is a great company and I enjoy doing business with them. My only suggestion would be to better organize the Marketplace. I find it confusing to find designs.

johndilbeck says:

Good evening OhMe.

Yes, CafePress products are priced higher, but that's because they print and deliver customized items at low (usually one) quantities.

Actually, I sell more of my designs since raising the prices a few years ago. If you have a design someone likes, he or she may be willing to pay extra.

Selling is a result of marketing: put your designs in front of the right people and they'll buy.

Act on your dream!

JD

Uysbee says:

I'm only starting out, but it's fun and exciting

mbrownauthor says:

I'm a newbie, but I'm sure it'll be great!

TinkerM says:

Very happy wish they would feature more of my sales!! But who doesn't?

rogerme says:

http://www.cafepress.com/FlyingEagles
http://www.cafepress.com/Lovethyneighbou
http://www.cafepress.com/rogerme

GypsyOwl says:

CafePress was my first online gallery. I am very happy with everything and primarily the customer care, and the consistent shop keeper updates & support. The gallery is automated, easy to manage, and the tech keeps getting better.

johndilbeck says:

I have had a premium shop at CafePress for a few years - John Dilbeck's Shirts, Mugs, and Hats - and it started as a way to promote my blacksmithing business.

Over the years, I've added an eclectic mix of designs to the shop and I love getting those commission checks.

CafePress makes it easy. I just create the design, upload it, put it on some products, and market the store.

CafePress handles everything else, including printing, shipping, customer service, returns (not many), and every things else.

CafePress has always provided first class service and they pay on time.

If my designs don't suit you, there are hundreds of thousands of other designs from which you can choose. Every one was created by someone like me - or you - and CafePress has brought all of us together.

Thanks, CafePress!

Act on your dream,

JD

CafePress sucks. Are you kidding me? I haven't sold anything there!

spunkyduckling says:

It was okay last year but this year no way. Not with that slap they hit their loyal members

QuasarEcho says:

Disappointingly, Google won't index our Cafepress store. It's been up since July 13 and has relevant keyword and description meta information in place. We're not sure if Google is censoring us or not; it's evidently not a Cafepress issue. It may be that our subject matter is considered controversial by the Google gatekeepers. If so, it seems quite unfair. What happened to free expression? http://www.cafepress.com/zodium

Jak71004 says:

Cafepress is way over priced. Printfection.com and Zazzle.com have far better clothes, lower prices on clothes, and free customizable shops.

TinkerM says:

poop I just typed a whole thing and it never posted...Anyway Cafepress screwed me over big time for the holidays. Got not one marketplace order after getting many every day. They somehow took all my good sales off and there are nothing but old sales and shops that designs are just thrown on things not even fitting them. I did a lot of work for nothing. Got sales from my website but 1 only all month from the marketplace. Have written them and nothing has changed. The marketplace is a joke..

OhMe says:

Haven't sold anything and I think they are very high priced.

 

Resources for CafePress store owners 

This is a list of resources to help CafePress store owners (new and old) get the most from their design creation and marketing efforts.

If you know of good resources not listed here, please contact me.
Kimberly's Most Successful CafePress Shops
Don't think you can really make a living off CafePress? I'll tell you a secret: even though I tell everyone I'm a writer, most of my income is from a passive stream of sales on CafePress. Learn what sells by taking a peek at the items below, and learn how to create your own success with the links at
Promote your CafePress Shop on MySpace
With millions of people on MySpace, it's no wonder why any ambitious CafePress shop owner would want the opportunity to market their store here. Find information about setting up your account, customizing your page, using your blog wisely, and joining the most appropriate groups for your merchandise
CafePress Product Setup Tips
Work.com invited me to write an expert article on making money using CafePress, and it is currently featured as one of the most popular and most helpful articles! Read the entire article and find out more about making money using one of the hottest business building tools of Web 2.0.
Success with CafePress Headquarters
Success with CafePress Learn how to successfully use CafePress to make money. Whether you want to try it as a hobby, supplement your income, or work it full time, CafePress offers you the flexibility to fit it into your lifestyle. You can get started for free! The rules: If you have a CafePress lens
How to Run a Successful CafePress Shop (and make lots of money!)
CafePress is THE online place to become your very own entrepreneur quickly and easily. All you need is a computer, Internet connection, and a graphics program, and you are on your way to making major money! Get all the CafePress goodness here with help on setting up your store, managing it, and mark
Free Fonts to Download and Use
Whether you use them for newsletters, designing great CafePress gear, or just fooling around with your website, fonts are FUN. Find out where to get the best free fonts, learn more about typography, and see some of our favorites. Fonts aren't just for letters anymore!
CafePress Shops On APSense
Hi fellow CafePress Shopkeepers! This group is for anyone interested in creating and selling your designs on CafePress. Not an Apsense member? Join for free.

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by johndilbeck

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John Dilbeck lives in the mountains of western North Carolina, near the small town of Murphy. He loves living in the southern Appalachian mountain... (more)

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