Cafepress

[andysocial]

Argh! Cafepress has changed their terms of service. Although it makes no difference to anything involved in the store itself, there is one new feature that worries me - if I don't make $25 in commission in 6 months, they can close my account. I'm a little concerned, since I've made $28 in commission in 12 months (the age of the stores).

Anyone have any ideas for new designs? Surprisingly, nobody has bought an Eat Me thong yet.

Comments

[webbitch.livejournal.com]

i know! i got that email too. it worries me that my store will be closed :(

[andysocial]

You don't have a lot of fans either, eh? I've got a dozen different designs, you'd think I could get $25 in six months. Nope. I've got 13.50 coming soon, from April through September. That's $2.25 per month. Maybe I need to raise my prices...

[andysocial]

I looked all over your site, and I can't find your store link. Might be why you don't get many sales. :-)

Re:

[webbitch.livejournal.com]

heh. only been down since yesterday, going to try to "revamp" it.

[talitha-oy.livejournal.com]

What you need here is more advertising....people can't buy things if they don't know it's there!
:)

PS:

[talitha-oy.livejournal.com]

My fashion maven friend Brendi suggested "lose the flames" on the Sassy Bitch line, it might move better that way. :)
We also think a line of "Sarcasm Wear" would sell really good. My friend Ed has this great sticker that says "Hi. I don't care, thanks." Stuff like that sells real well. :)

Re: PS:

[andysocial]

Without flames it looks kind of plain, but I agree the flames are too much. Redesign of those items tonight. :-)

Advertising

[andysocial]

And I would advertise where? I got no money to advertise, and traditional advertising kind of goes against the point of a cheapo store like CP anyhow. I need to find some way of getting people to notice it, but I've come up empty repeatedly.

I've had like 4 sales of Origami stuff, although I've advertised (discreetly) on the Origami Mailing List. I've had a few military things bought, but nothing too overwhelming. Grr...

Re: Advertising

[talitha-oy.livejournal.com]

Well, there's all kinds of free advertising....for starters, head to Yahoo, and submit a request to have your site listed there, under certain categories. That way, when people search for stuff like "military gear", your store will come up. I did that for my "ban the lap bar booster seat" severals years ago, and I actually got a few dozen hits that way. And saved three kids from that style booster seat. (At least, three was how many moms wrote to me thanking me.)
Then, get every friend you know who has a web site to stick a little banner link to your store on their sites....nothing big, and that won't reach a HUGE group of people....but let's say you get five friends to do it, and they have each 10-20 family and friends that visit THEIR websites...that's between 50-100 people that are finding your store...and that's a good number of potential customers!
Then, you can also make little basic flyers, and ask little "mom and pop" type stores in your area to stick them on the counter. Alternative record and clothing stores would be a good pick, they ALWAYS put out that kind of thing. Military "outlet" stores too, for that military gear line you have. Heck, I can whip up a simple but eyecatching ad for you on Publisher in like two minutes! We can even do targeted ones for each line, depending on where you want to put them. Whip 'em out on your printer, stick them somewhere, and sales will start pouring in. :)

Re: Advertising

[andysocial]

None of my friends seem able to work a website. Link exchanges don't work too well, anyway. And, my site is listed on Google, Yahoo, etc. Alas, you can't really tweak the listing on any of the big engines without paying them anymore. Capitalists!

I may actually put together some stickers. It works for MSN, right?

Re: Advertising

[alparrott.livejournal.com]

Nope. We're all pretty dum.

Re: Advertising

[andysocial]

OK, how about, "most of my friends" instead? Dufus.

[alparrott.livejournal.com]

Givin' ya grief, dude. Besides which, you're right. I can't. I let FrontPage do it for me.

FP

[andysocial]

I may have mentioned this once or twice, but just in case, "Frontpage sucks."

:-)

Re: Advertising

[talitha-oy.livejournal.com]

I'm telling you, the flier thing will work too....I can even make some and put them in stores around here....it's a website, the fliers can be ANYWHERE in the country! ;)

Re: Advertising

[andysocial]

Must make more sarcastic, non-military, designs. Since you have Publisher, I could do up a flyer and email it to you, if you want.

Re: Advertising

[talitha-oy.livejournal.com]

Okay, and I'll stick it in shops around here. Make a military specific one, I'll put some in the surplus stores around here. :)

[alparrott.livejournal.com]

Let me rub my two brain cells together and see if I can't come up with some ideas.

I know that if you could make available some more unit-specific stuff in the vein of the "Battle For Knowledge" design, it might snap up. I think the products themselves are great ads. When I got my BFK and Korling mugs at the Deuce, I proudly used them all over and left them in prominent places (BFK mug on the CSM's desk, SDNCO's desk, BC's desk, NCO club, etc.) I had dozens of people asking after them, and I gave them the link. Odd how you didn't see a bunch more orders come in. Maybe we should make flyers and send them to someone at Essayons to distribute. You'll have $200 in short order.

[andysocial]

Unit-specific stuff - Alas, the units I'm familiar with have all been shuttered, usually weeks after I left the place. The exceptions are 102nd, 3rd, and GAFB. Anti-authority stuff won't really play well in TRADOC, so I'm left with 3rd and 102nd. I suppose I could make a "Winged Ignorance" design.

I was really surprised that so few people have bought the BFK stuff, myself. Bunch of cheap KPs. :-)

[alparrott.livejournal.com]

Oooh! "Winged Ignorance!" I like it!

I remember seeing BFK on the 102nd bus stop on Hovey in 1992. It's obviously popular, and we're notoriously antiestablishment (and the few that aren't get that way after one tour at the Deuce). I have no clue.

[subbes]

Why *would* anyone buy an "eat me" thong? If I ever got so far with a girl as to see her underwear and she were wearing that, I would run like hell because, unless she was being ironic, the girl is an idiot.

[andysocial]

Cuz it's funny?

[subbes]

See, that's the excuse I hear from the girls who wear t-shirts with "lick me till [picture of icecream cone]" on them. But I can't see what's funny about wearing a shirt carefully-coded to say you're a slut.

But maybe that's just me.

[andysocial]

Ah, so the "SGT Slut" line of clothing is right out then?

I wouldn't wear anything so blatantly self-degrading, but it was a suggested design and it is funny, if a bit twisted. Not that anyone is buying it, anyway.