greeting card universe 101

SECTION ONE: YOUR STORE



THE ADMINISTRATIVE SETTINGS

When logged in to your GCU account, at the top of the screen you'll see a number of links - one of those is MANAGE STORE.Clicking this link will take you to a page where you can access ADMINISTRATIVE SETTINGS for your store. I'll go through the most important options; the rest you can pick up as you get more familiar with the site.

THE BASICS

Don't forget your payment settings under ACCOUNT INFORMATION. You can be paid by check or PayPal (the best option for international artists) with a $25 minimum. In this section you can also enter/change your contact information. Keep it up to date.

Be sure to add an ARTIST PROFILE. While you can input the information here, you will need to add the Artist Profile module under STORE LAYOUT & CONTENT for the information to be visible in your store. The profile should include details on you and your work that you think potential buyers might be interested in knowing. Keep it short and sweet, avoid giving too much information, and don't forget to add a picture of yourself (which will appear as your avatar in the Forum as well).



WARNING: I will discuss the Back of Card Credits and your brand logo a little later, but you need to know that whatever picture you choose to display in your ARTIST PROFILE will also appear as your avatar in GCU Forum postings, and in addition serve as your Back of Card Credits logo unless you upload a different graphic. Please follow the advice given below as to your BOC credits and logo. If you want your profile picture and Back of Card Credits to be the same, you need upload only the Artist Profile picture, and it will be automatically used for both. Some artists prefer to use a photograph of themselves for the Artist Profile that appears in their store and on Forum postings, and a separate professional logo for the Back of Card credits. It's your choice.

TOP TIP: If you're an HTML guru, you can add links to other sites (such as any of your other POD sites) to the ARTIST PROFILE..Be sparing with this feature. Don't include big ads or re-seller widgets for other companies. The goal is to sell cards to buyers who come to your GCU store, not send them away to another site.

LOOK & DESIGN

WHAT ABOUT A BANNER?

Using your graphics program of choice (mine's Adobe Photoshop, but there are plenty of others), you'll want to create a kick-ass banner for the head of your store. The best dimensions are 945x149 pixels in .jpg format (the available space is actually a tiny bit bigger, but these dimensions ensure no distortion of your image).Remember, this is where potential buyers will get their first impression of you, so do your best work. Do not use Flash or animated files; this will significantly slow down your store's loading time. My advice? Before designing a banner, you may want to check around GCU and look at the stores of your fellow artists to see what they've done.

You can upload your banner in the section STORE SETTING (it's called a logo here, but don't be confused - this is the banner that will go at the top of your store. We'll discuss your actual business logo that will appear on the back of your card later) Here you can also choose (or change) your store's URL and the name of your store.



Some artists choose to utilize STORE COLORS to set a background color for their store. Be very careful your font color choice will be seen against the background color you've chosen (for example, light text on a dark background). Please don't go wild with your colors; have a care for your customer's poor eyeballs. Personally, I like a white background. It's clean and doesn't clash with my greeting cards.

STORE LAYOUT & CONTENT

Here you will choose the modules you want displayed in your store. The most essential modules are Search, Upcoming Holidays, Artist Profile, Welcome, Private Gallery, Contact Us, Product Gallery, and Testimonials. Other modules are more or less optional; choose as many or as few as you like. These are just the basics you need to start.

IMAGES & CARDS

In GLOBAL PREFERENCES, you can choose to set your card finish preference (matte or glossy), manage your watermark settings, add an "image by" credits text to the front of the card if you choose not to do that during the designing process (preferred), and choose how cards will be displayed in your PRODUCT GALLERY (more on that below). With each choice you make, don't forget to Apply Changes and/or Set as Default.

You can also choose whether or not to receive custom card requests from customers, set your minimum card order requirement, and add a personal message to shoppers who use this feature. However, if you're just starting out, I suggest you get some cards uploaded first, and familiarize yourself with the site before you start accepting custom requests. For now, you may want to change the default to NO.

TOP TIP: Which to choose for your card finish, matte or glossy? The rule of thumb is matte for illustrations, glossy for photographs, but that's up to each individual artist's taste. Still unsure which is best for you? GCU gives every new artist ONE FREE CARD CREDITso they can sample the quality for themselves. How do you get the free card credit? You'll see a check box to apply this credit during the ordering process.

Back to Administrative Settings: GCU allows artists to create branding by adding their own logo to the back of their cards (which will appear in addition to the store name and store URL). In the BACK OF CARD CREDITS EDITOR you can manage the information you want to appear on the back of your cards, and whether you want to use a logo at all. However, to use a different graphic than the one you've chosen for your storefront profile, you'll need to upload your back of card logo in the ARTIST PROFILE section (this would be in addition to the profile picture you may have already uploaded).

A logo is an image containing graphics and/or text that creates instant brand recognition for your product. It's like a summary of your business - who you are and what you are about. When a customer sees your logo, they should get an instant idea of your business. Avoid personal photographs, and make every attempt to create a professional-looking logo. If you can't come up with an attractive and eye-catching logo, it's better to skip it altogether than present potential buyers with a potential turn-off (and yes, there have been buyers who have decided not to purchase cards based on disliking an artist's back of card credits).

In a perfect world, you'll have your logo sorted out before you start uploading cards.

TOP TIP: For maximum attractiveness and minimum distortion, when designing your logo, make it a 200x200 pixel square. Avoid lots of shading and small details - clean, clear and simple will get you the best results.

Now you've got a store up and running, you're ready to upload your first card!

SECTION TWO: CREATE A CARD

WHAT TO DO FIRST

GCU's image requirements are:
5x7 inches or 7x5 inches (1500x2100 pixels or 2100x1500 pixels)
JPG format, RGB, 300 dpi (do not use the "Save for Web" option)
Maximum file size 3.85 MB

If you are too unfamiliar with graphics programs to understand what JPG and RGB mean, or how to put text on a card face, or how to make your images the correct size and format, I suggest you start with tutorials to familiarize yourself with the program of your choice. Many programs have on-line tutorials these days; doing a search on the Internet should net you lots of choices. For your own good, I'll be blunt - creating commercially appealing greeting cards requires more effort than snapping a digital photo and uploading it to GCU straight from your camera. Learning how to use your graphics program before you try to create cards will spare you a lot of time and frustration.

THE FRONT OF THE CARD

LET'S TALK ABOUT TEXT

Keep all important design elements (such as text, borders and images) on the front of the card to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Failure to do so may result in your design being cut off. This is one of the basic errors made by new artists.. If you aren't sure how much room to leave around the edge, use the template provided by GCU. You'll find a link to download the template by logging into your account, going to MANAGE STORE, and checking the links on the left side of the page. You'll see a link under IMAGES & CARDS for DOWNLOAD CARD TEMPLATE. Use the template in your image editor of choice.

TOP TIP: If you're determined to use borders to frame the front of your card, be aware that the printing process means the card may not be trimmed evenly on all sides. Wider borders (3/8+ inch) rather than skinny ones will help ensure fewer hiccups as uneven trims (if they occur) won't be as visible to the naked eye.

Proofread your card carefully - check the text once, check it twice, then check it a third time before uploading. While GCU requires all submitted cards to undergo a review process (see below), the review team does not extensively proofread each submission. It is the artist's job to avoid errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation. Keep in mind that errors reflect poorly on the artist, and will affect your sales adversely.

Be sure the font you choose is free for commercial use. Simply because a font is found on the Internet does not make it free to use whenever you please. Check the font's Terms of Use to ensure it is free to use on commercial products like greeting cards for sale.

WHAT ABOUT THE DESIGN?

Whether you're a photographer or illustrator, I have another lens where I give advice on designing greeting cards with the potential to sell. It's full of tips you can use right from the very beginning to help maximize your GCU experience. You can find this informative lens here.

Be aware that GCU takes copyright infringement very seriously. One issue that has cropped up fairly frequently is photographs of vehicles. While generally, the photographer owns the copyright on images they produce, in this case vehicle manufacturers hold copyright on all representations of their automobiles (whether photographs or illustrations, silhouette, caricature or other reproduction). In addition, company or business logos, sports teams, etc., are not free to use, and would be considered copyright violations, as would product labels or advertisements. If you aren't 100% positive an image is in the public domain, and you haven't researched to back-up your belief, don't use the image.

If you believe another artist is guilty of violating your intellectual property rights by copying your unique design or verse, send an email to reportabuse@greetingcarduniverse.com

UPLOADING AND SUBMITTING

At the top of the page, click MANAGE STORE. In the IMAGES & CARDS drop-down menu near the top, choose CREATE A CARD.This will take you to a page where you can browse for the required files on your computer, up to five at a time. When finished, click the UPLOAD IMAGES button. Wait until your images have loaded. Once your images have loaded, SELECT one. You will then be sent to the Card Image Details page where you will need to enter some important information.



TOP TIP: Once you have uploaded a card, entered the details and submitted it for review, you no longer need to keep the card image in the Create a Card area. You can DELETE the image here safely, as once submitted, the card is automatically stored, ready to be printed when purchased.

The next part of this section will cover card title, keywords, and other important stuff!

CARD IMAGE DETAILS

THE CARD TITLE

When you upload a card and SELECT it, you'll be given an opportunity to add a card title, which is vitally important for GCU's on-site search as well as indexing by search engines like Google. The card title you choose should indicate the occasion, the recipient and/or age (if applicable), and a description of a key element. For example, suppose you have a card with a picture of a cow, and the text "Holy cow! It's your 18th birthday!" For your card title, you'll likely want to use something like 18th Birthday Holy Cow.

If you want your cards found by search engines, learn to be descriptive in your card titles. Not only should you describe the occasion, but describe the image as well. For example, a Mother's Day card featuring a pink hydrangea should be something like Mother's Day - Pink Hydrangea.

Avoid generic titles like "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Birthday" that don't include unique descriptive words. Also, there's no need to use the words "greeting card" in a title. While commas and dashes (hyphens) can be used in a card title for clarity's sake, please remember punctuation is stripped out of search results. Don't use quotation marks.

TOP TIP: When creating a series of cards (such as name, age or relationship cards) use a unique descriptive first rather than last. For example, you'll want to use "Mother Happy Birthday Flower" instead of "Happy Birthday Flower Mother. This prevents the most unique part of the card title being cut off (and therefore not viewable by a buyer) when displayed in search results.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT CATEGORY

One thing I've told artists new to GCU (and some who have been there a while) is that you'll have much better success designing a card for a specific category than designing a card and trying to shoehorn it into any category you think it might fit.

At the bottom of every page on the GCU site, you'll see a link: PAPER CARD CATEGORIES. Study this list. You'll also notice numbers beside each category; these indicate the number of cards available in that category and its sub-categories. This will tell you which unique categories need more cards, and spotlight niches where you could potentially make sales as there's less competition.

However, suppose you've made a beautiful card and now you need to find a category to put it in. Many artists have difficulty with GCU's policy on categories, so I'll try to explain in the simplest terms: you can ONLY categorize a card by what it IS, not what it COULD BE. In other words, a picture of a rose with the inner verse "I love you" is not suitable for the Valentine's Day category. Why? Because nowhere on the card does it say "Happy Valentine's Day." Remember what I said? What the card IS, not what it COULD BE.

This may require a shift in thinking, and I'm sure it will also cause some frustration until you get used to it, but GCU takes categories very literally. Don't expect to get away with subtlety, or by arguing that "everybody knows a card with 'I love you' is suitable for Valentine's Day." GCU's policy is that if the card doesn't say 'Happy Valentine's Day' or reference Valentine's Day in some literal way on the outside or the inside, it can't go in that category. Period.

Repeat to yourself: what the card IS, not what it COULD BE.

To save a whole lot of grief, I suggest you ask yourself with each card you make: which category do I want to put this card in? And design accordingly to fit. If that includes adding text to accommodate a certain category, so be it. And keep in mind the same card cannot be placed in a "General" and a "Specific" category.

I realize this is a sore point for some artists, however that's how GCU works.

I'll tell you the absolute truth without beating around the bush: it doesn't matter what you're used to or what's allowed on other POD sites. GCU wants things done a certain way. It's their playground, so if you want to play in their sandbox, you have to play by their rules. If you feel this policy is too much to bear, and you refuse to compromise your "artistic integrity," then to avoid any hair-pulling annoyance or hurt feelings, you should upload only those cards that adhere to GCU's guidelines, or choose another POD to host your greeting card empire.

TOP TIP: Once your card has been approved, if in the future you need to change the category (for example, a new, more specific category has been created), post your request including the card's ID# to the Thread for Misplaced Cards on the Forum.

KEYWORDS

Keywords are another important part of the upload process. Be sure the keywords you choose provide a description of your card's design as well as its intended purpose. Let's take the Holy Cow 18th birthday card I used as an example above. Suggested keywords for such a card would be: happy birthday, 18 birthday, 18th birthday, eighteenth birthday, 18 year old, eighteen year old, holy cow, humor, humour, funny, humorous. If the card has a polka dot background, you could add "polka dots" to the description.

You could also add your name to the keywords to help spread your brand recognition, if your name isn't the name of your store (BTW, the name of your store is already included in on-site searches). As an example, the name of my store is CorrieWeb Store, but my name is Corrie Kuipers, so I add my name to my keywords.

Think about what terms a potential buyer might use in a search for your card. Space is limited, so choose your keywords with care. Quotation marks are not necessary or even desirable; use commas to separate keywords as shown above.

TOP TIP: Since search engine bots can't read the text on the front of your card as it is part of an image, making the most out of your card title, keywords, artist's note and categories ensures your product will be seen by potential buyers.

ARTIST'S NOTES

During the card upload, you have an opportunity to add ARTIST'S NOTES which will be visible to buyers as well as the review team. You can use this feature to add information about the card which you feel buyers may want to know (for example, a photograph of a bridge might include where the shot was taken and any historic/interesting tidbits). In addition, the area can be used to provide potential buyers with the front text of cards where the wording is extensive and in a smaller sized font, and therefore might not be entirely legible in the card's preview.

TOP TIP: Always use ARTIST'S NOTES to provide an English translation for foreign language (non-English) cards you design. Buyers who aren't native speakers appreciate it, and you'll likely make more sales.

WARNING: I can't state this strongly enough - if you are not the native speaker of a foreign language, do not rely on translation programs you find on-line for your text. They are often faulty! It occurs that buyers purchase a card in a foreign language to send to a friend or family member, but they don't speak the language themselves and rely on the artist to get it right. If you aren't sure, ASK! GCU boasts an international community of artists who are some of the most helpful people you're likely to meet. Posting a question on the Forum will usually result in an answer. And if you do speak the language, and spot a card with errors, don't be afraid to send a private message to the artist. They'll appreciate the heads-up.

NOTES TO REVIEWERS:
This NEW field allows artists to write notes that will be seen only by the card review team, but will not be seen by customers. Here you can give reviewers important information like if you have a model release on file, if you are the owner of copyrighted material, or you want to make a case for a certain category for your card. Do not use this field when you have to RESUBMIT a card. Instead, send an email to the review team.

PRIVATE CARD, FAST TRACK & WAIVE REVIEW

When creating a card, you will see a check box PRIVATE CARD. Check this box if you want the card in your PRIVATE GALLERY. You will also see a FAST TRACK check box, to be used if you want the review expedited because a shopper is waiting. Another option, WAIVE REVIEW, is also available for private cards only. However, if you choose to waive review, that means any errors are your own, and you may be financially responsible if a customer buys your card and returns it for a refund because of a mistake you've made. WAIVE REVIEW should be used sparingly and with caution, the exception rather than the rule.

TOP TIP: Fast Track is NOT to be used to get quick approval on holiday or seasonal cards you've decided to upload at the last minute. Such cards will have to wait for the usual approval time, so don't procrastinate! Upload seasonal and holiday cards at least 3-4 months in advance. For example, you should be uploading Christmas cards in September..

MORE ABOUT THE PRIVATE GALLERY

The PRIVATE GALLERY is mainly used to hold greeting you have customized for a buyer or for yourself. Cards in this section will not come up in site searches, although they can be viewed by anyone clicking on the PRIVATE GALLERY link that appears in your storefront. To use this feature, you must be sure to have the PRIVATE GALLERY module enabled in STORE LAYOUT & CONTENT in Administrative Settings.

Next, we talk about verses, reviews and more!

THE INSIDE OF THE CARD

Since experience shows that cards with inner verse sell better than cards without, you may want to include text inside the card. GCU provides a spell-check function with their text editor. Use it! Double-check for errors like "your" and "you're," and "their," "they're" and "there." Again, poor grammar, punctuation and spelling will not make you any sales.

TOP TIP: While GCU provides a spell-checking option, I suggest you first write your verse in a program like Microsoft Word, taking full advantage of the program's grammar and spell-checking features to help avoid errors, then cut and paste the text to your card's inner verse during the card creation process.

Buyers can customize the inner verse of cards they choose to buy, however experience has shown that some customers don't use this function, preferring to purchase the card as-is. I'll repeat myself: be kind and PROOFREAD every verse with your most critical eye. You'll avoid embarrassing mistakes and believe me, you'll be thankful you did.

Don't plagiarize another artist's verses (or images, for that matter). This may seem like a no-brainer, but there are people who believe anything they find on the Internet is free to use as they wish. That simply isn't true. Copyright is copyright, and plagiarism will get your card removed from GCU. Don't do it. Be original.

IMAGE REUSE

GCU allows artists to use the same design for three different cards, although they must be in different categories, and strict rules apply. The exceptions are age specific, name specific, and relationship specific cards, and also include certain kinds of foreign language (non-English) cards. Rather than repeat the information here, I'll give you a link to the GCU Forum where our very own Mindy has made the definitive post on this subject.

TOP TIP: To keep abreast of important news that may affect you, be sure to visit the GCU Forum often, especially the topic GCU News & Announcements.

CARD REVIEW

Unless you're creating a custom card for a client and have waived review, any greeting cards you upload will undergo a review process required by GCU. How long does it take for reviewers to review cards? Expect up to 7+ days review time as of this writing, longer right before and during the holiday season.

TOP TIP: Plan to upload holiday and seasonal cards three or four months in advance of the holiday to avoid delays in card approval, and allow sufficient time for search engines to index your cards. For example, for optimal results, Christmas cards should be uploaded no later than September, Valentine's Day cards in November, etc.

What do reviewers review? Reviewers do a once-over on each card for obvious errors, but DO NOT extensively proofread either the front or inside of the card. That's the artist's job. I'll repeat, since it's an important point: it is your job as an artist to proofread your own cards for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.

In addition, reviewers check each card:
- to be sure important design elements are within the cut-off lines
- to ensure the design does not violate GCU's terms and conditions (no frontal nudity, no profanity, no references to drug use, no glaring copyright or image use violations, no hate speech, no violence, etc.)
- to make sure the card is in the correct category (or categories)
- to make certain keywords and card title are relevant to the card
- to review design to ensure highest print quality by weeding out overly candid photographs or shots that are out of focus or blurry, too dark or oversaturated, too cluttered, or any design that will not print well due to a variety of reasons
- to ascertain whether artist has a release on file if the card design uses a photograph where the model's face is visible

As a rule, reviewers do not make changes themselves - not even category changes - but return cards to the artist for edits. Here is the card status terminology:

Pending-Submitted: In the review queue, awaiting first review
Pending-FastTrack: In the review queue, ASAP requested, awaiting first review (allowed only for customer requests and time sensitive private gallery)
Pending-Resubmitted: In the review queue after being returned for edits and resubmitted by artist, awaiting second review
Pending-Held: In the hold queue awaiting further review
Approved: Card has been approved
Declined: Card has been declined
Returned for Edits: Returned to the artist for edit and resubmit

In the MANAGE CARDS section (found in Manage Store - Administrative Settings - Images & Cards), you will see the status of cards you have submitted. You can also edit the card title, inner verse and keywords.



You will receive an email notification if your card has been returned for any reason, and the notice will include reviewer's comments so you know what requires editing.

Keep in mind that on some level, while GCU has guidelines in place, each reviewer brings their own subjective opinion to bear on your card. If you've had a card returned to you for editing or declined by a reviewer, you have the option of contacting the reviewer to state your case for reconsideration if you feel the requested change are not reasonable. Please remember to be polite; the reviewers work hard, and it's a mostly thankless job. Don't expect to always win your argument. Sometimes you'll have to compromise.

Finally, your cards have been approved and are ready to be sold! Good luck and happy selling! Oh, and don't forget one of the biggest and most important things to help build your greeting cards business: self promotion and marketing. I've got a Squidoo lens with tips and advice on just this topic. Check it out.

And now here's a bonus on how to manage your store once you've uploaded the first of what may be hundreds of unique cards to GCU!!

GETTING ORGANIZED

THE PRODUCT GALLERY

Some artists like to arrange the greeting cards shown in the front of their store, showcasing holiday cards for example, while others prefer less organization. Whether you arrange your PRODUCT GALLERY or not is your choice.

When customers visit your store, they have a choice of viewing cards sorted by Artist's Choice, Newest, and Most Popular. You'll see these links on the right side of the PRODUCT GALLERY. The Artist's Choice is where you can customize what customers see. When a customer clicks on this link, they will see cards sorted the way you have chosen.

You can sort your cards in any order, though if you have lots and lots of cards, constantly arranging and rearranging your gallery may prove tiresome. However, if you crave organization, here's what you can do:

First, you'll find GLOBAL PREFERENCES on the ADMINISTRATIVE SETTINGS page under IMAGES & CARDS. Under NEW CARD POSITION, choose LAST (this means that new cards you upload will appear last in your gallery instead of first).

Now under IMAGES & CARDS, select ARRANGE GALLERY. Choose view ALL. (you'll see the text link on the right side of this page).Beneath each card you see listed, there is a box POSITION and a number. Assign the number "1" to all cards you want moved to the front of your gallery, being sure to click SAVE before navigating to the next page. When done with your selecting, you can further refine the sort by dragging and dropping each card into the right position, again not forgetting to SAVE.



There is an advanced positioning option you can use as well. As an example, if you've put in the keyword 'Christmas" in a number of cards, you can use this option to select cards with that keyword and move them into a higher or lower position as desired. However, this method supposes you've had the foresight to use keywords that will group certain cards together..

FEATURED PRODUCTS

This module (you can add it to your store in the STORE LAYOUT & CONTENT section of ADMINISTRATIVE SETTINGS) allows you to feature cards you choose to display in your storefront, such as holiday or seasonal specific, or a collection of cards. Unlike the PRODUCT GALLERY, this module's contents are always on display to your customers. Some artists choose to use FEAUTRED PRODUCTS, some do not. The choice is yours. If you choose to use the Featured Products module, you can drag and drop it into position either above or below your Product Gallery.

In the final section below, you'll find Frequently Asked Questions.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I know what I've sold and how much money I've made?
To see a report on how many cards you've sold, go to MANAGE STORE; at the top of this page you'll see REPORTS & ANALYSIS. The drop-down menu will give you a link to your STORE REPORT. Go here to see a report which will not only show you cards sold, but how many visits and clicks you've received each day. Because the report currently shows the last 60 days, you may experience a fluctuation in your numbers after a while when the report begins to roll over. For the most accurate numbers, simply adjust the date box on the left to reflect the exact dates you want the report to show. Don't rely on the Quick Site Statistics shown in the Administrative Settings area; these numbers are updated every 24 hours, and may not reflect the most recent information.

Can I have more than one GCU store?
You sure can! Each store must be registered under a different valid email address. Unfortunately, at this time artist commissions cannot be combined between stores, so you'll be paid for each one separately (which means each store will have to reach the $25 minimum pay-out for you to be receive the commission owed).

Where are my card comments?
On the STORE REPORT page, you'll see a link on the right CARD REVIEWS. This is where you will find comments that buyers and fellow artists have left on your cards. Reviews (sometimes referred to as comments) are not the same as TESTIMONIALS, which are submitted for your approval (you'll find the notice and approval options on your Administrative Settings page) and appear on your storefront.

My store clicks and visits seem to be disappearing!
On the STORE REPORT page, you'll notice a date box on the left side. Adjust the beginning and end dates, and click Update.

I made a sale (or saw my cards at) at Big Dates, Date Boxx, Birthday-Calendar, Reminder-Center, Birthday-Reminders, and/.or Reminder Spot! Who are they?
These businesses are owned by BigDates Solutions, which also owns Greeting Card Universe. Your cards are automatically included and sold at these sites, and you make the usual commission on sales. Check your email notifications to see which site has sold your cards (although for technical reasons, you won't get notifications from Reminder-Center, but your sales still count).

What do the stars in the Forum mean? How do I get more stars?
Stars are awarded according to how many Forum posts you've made.
1 star = 1 post (GCU Newbie)
2 stars = 50 posts (Junior Member)
3 stars = 100 posts (Full Member)
4 stars = 250 posts (Senior Member)
5 stars = 500 posts (Gold Member)

Where do I find info on the artist's discount I've heard about?
On your ADMINISTRATIVE SETTINGS page, on the right side you'll see a code you can use when ordering cards to get an Artist's Discount, giving you a card cost of $1.61 each. The actual price you'll pay at checkout will be $1.89 per card, but since you get commission of 15%, the cost to you is actually $1.61. Please do not post this code in the Forum!

In addition, when placing an order yourself, you can combine your artist's discount with a free shipping promotion if one is currently being offered, but you cannot combine the artist's discount with any other type of promotion. Other promotions are meant for GCU's new and existing customers who would otherwise pay full price.

I like to send out my own cards to friends and relatives. How can I edit my on-line Address Book or add addresses from another source like Outlook?
As a shopper, your GCU Address Book can be found and edited here.

Why don't I see my cards in the MOST POPULAR sort on site searches? Why aren't my cards coming up on page one during searches?
Once again, I point you towards the lovely Mindy whose Forum post on this topic says it all:

Who chooses GCU PICKS?
The GCU staff, of course! Cards here are favorites with GCU employees. Every month, GCU PICKS highlights different holiday and seasonal cards from various artists.

I sold a card, but made less than 56 cents commission! Why?
GCU pays artists a variable commission rate based on the TOTAL number of cards sold in the order. For example, if a customer buys 100 cards IN TOTAL, and one of those cards is yours, you will receive a commission rate based on the total cards sold, not just your single card. I'll explain further so there's no confusion.

With each sale you make, you'll get an email notification from GCU. In this notification you'll see the source of the card order (such as a search, or a buyer browsing a category), which card you sold, when it was sold, when the card will be mailed out, where the card was ordered from, YOUR CARDS and ALL CARDS. Let's start with YOUR CARDS.

Under YOUR CARDS, there's Total Quantity and Total Price. This is the total quantity of your cards in the order, and how much per card the buyer paid for your cards.

Under ALL CARDS, there's Total Order Quantity, Total Order Price, and Price Per Card Paid. These numbers indicate how many cards were ordered IN TOTAL by the buyer, how much the order cost in total, and what price the buyer paid per card.

You will also see three other pieces of information: ARTIST COMMISSION, SELLER COMMISSION, and TOTAL COMMISSION. The Artist Commission tells you how much commission you earned per card. Next, since GCU pays registered sellers a commission on new customer card sales, if you or someone else earned this commission, it will be listed under Seller Commission. Finally, Total Commission is the total of your earnings on the sale.

As of December 2009, here's how the commission structure breaks down:
- 1-24 cards, buyer pays $2.79 per card: you earn 20% (56 cents per card)
- 25-49 cards, buyer pays $2.49 per card, you earn 20% (50 cents per card)
- 50-99 cards, buyer pays $2.29 per card, you earn 20% (46 cents per card)
- 100-199 cards, buyer pays $1.99 per card, you earn 15% (30 cents per card)
- 200-499 cards, buyer pays $1.79 per card, you earn 12% (21 cents per card)
- 500-999 cards, buyer pays $1.49 per card, you earn 10% (15 cents per card)
- 1000+ cards, buyer pays $1.39 per card, you earn 10% (15 cents per card)

Sales promotions run by GCU such as a percentage off the card price can affect your commissions earned. However, promotions involving free shipping or a free card do not affect your earnings. GCU absorbs those costs.

Why is the commission structure graduated? Because while GCU gives buyers a discount on bulk orders to remain competitive, as a POD retailer, their costs per card remain the same.

My stats say I've made a sale, but I didn't get an email notification!
Chances are the sale was made at Reminder-Center.com. Currently artists do not receive notification of sales made on this site, although they still receive commission. If you aren't receiving any email notifications at all, check your mail program's spam filter.

What is a Photo Card?
See this Forum post for the scoop.

I want people's opinions on my new cards!
Fortunately, there's a Forum thread for just this purpose: Check Out My New Cards

I made a sale and I want to celebrate!
Congratulations! Post a notice in the Forum thread, Celebrate Your Sales

I still need help!
Check the Artist FAQ section at the GCU site (you'll find a link at the bottom of every page) if you have questions I haven't answered here. If all else fails, post a question on the Forum. GCU's artists are a friendly, helpful bunch.

Good luck, and I hope you sell loads of cards at Greeting Card Universe!