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Today, we’ve reached the end of our series comparing print on demand (POD) platforms to Zazzle. This is the fifth and final comparison of Zazzle vs Minted , and today, we’re reviewing Minted. We’ll talk about the ups and downs of this platform, and there are some cons that we want to make you aware of in regards to Minted. In fact, many clients we work with have switched from Minted to Zazzle, and we’re here for that transition if it’s in the cards for you.
Both of these platforms – Minted and Zazzle – are passive models of income and are print on demand businesses. Now that we’ve checked those items off the list, let’s talk about the other aspects of the platform that you absolutely must be aware of when deciding where to run your online storefront.
This category is a pro for Minted, as it’s an easy-to-learn platform. Minted is fully stationery and artwork-based, and it allows shoppers and sellers alike to easily see each design in different colorways and orientations in one product suite.
This is an interactive platform, too, which makes it enjoyable and pleasing to use. As a designer on the platform, you’d receive specifications for creating files that need to be followed. Once you get the hang of that, it becomes simple to use time and time again.
Here, Minted is somewhat similar to Zazzle. That’s because customers can customize products themselves on Minted. This is not to the full extent that Zazzle allows, since there, customers can truly customize products in any way they please.
On Minted, though, customers can only customize items to replace things that are already there. This includes switching out text, changing the color scheme, or altering the background of a piece. But still, this is more customization than other sites allow, so it’s definitely still appealing in that aspect.
One of the first negatives associated with Minted that we want to go over is the cost. In terms of the cost of entry into the space, there’s not as much financial burden, but – instead – a lot of labor and time involved. That’s because Minted makes its sellers jump through many hoops to become a designer on the space.
Designers will need to follow very specific instructions and enter a competition with their design. These competitions typically have one winner and several runners-up. The kicker is – you need to win one of these competitions in some capacity to sell on Minted.
The downside to this is that you may spend a lot of time and energy designing something that, ultimately, isn’t chosen. Or – if your design is chosen – you can ONLY sell it on the Minted platform, as they will then own the copyright of that design.
The problem for us with this model is that it’s like you’re always on a hamster wheel. Constantly competing with other designers where you may or may not win, affecting your success on the platform. This can be overwhelming, and you’ll need to perform well in order to stay active on the Minted platform per their policies. The toll this will all take may not be financial, but there’s still an unwanted cost associated with it.
Next up, let’s discuss how many potential customers each of these platforms have. Minted is on the lower scale in terms of this, especially compared to other platforms we’ve examined in this series. They have 787k visitors per month.
On the other hand, Zazzle has 17.5 million monthly visitors, which is 22 times more sets of potential eyeballs on your products than Minted has. That means this is a bit of a con for Minted.
We do want to note, though, that Minted is known more as a luxury and prestigious brand, and the customers that visit this site are looking for more luxury and high-quality items. This goes to say that the people who go to shop on this platform may be more likely to convert to a sale than those visiting Zazzle.
Next is an important component of any POD platform: earnings potential. Minted offers a three to six percent royalty on each sale. Plus, if you win a design contest on the platform, you’ll receive a one-time award between $100 and $3,500.
On Zazzle, you have the freedom to set your royalty between five and 99 percent on each sale, plus there are additional bonuses up to 35% that you can earn. That makes the earning potential on Zazzle much greater.
This is not just because of the royalty flexibility, but also because even if you win a one-time payment through one of the Minted contests, your items may not sell once they’re posted on Minted. And remember, you then ONLY have the ability to sell that design on Minted, whereas with Zazzle you own your design copyright and can sell it wherever you want. We talk about this further below.
One other thing that we want to focus on is the notion that you can only sell your approved Minted designs on that platform. You can sell variations of it somewhere else, but you can’t sell the exact same design anywhere else. Minted will retain your design’s copyright. So, even though they’re paying you a royalty on the sales of it, they essentially own your design.
We don’t really like this, as we prefer to be able to be more flexible and open and not have to just concede to Minted to sell our designs. As we mentioned, when you sell on Zazzle, you keep your product’s copyright and can sell wherever your heart desires.
Now let’s talk about product availability on these platforms. Minted has better availability than other platforms we’ve looked at, but it’s all artwork and stationery based for the most part. They certainly don’t have as many products to offer as Zazzle, which has 1500 items to choose from.
As we mentioned, Minted is a bit more prestigious – it’s kind of like a virtual art gallery. Zazzle has these elements, too, but Minted is a bit more elevated, offering embossed and foil-printed items. However, the stationery offerings between the two are quite comparable, and Zazzle has options at a more budget-friendly price point to boot.
Minted is focused pretty heavily on people looking for stationery that they can incorporate photos or graphics onto. They’re also attractive for customers that are looking for pieces of art. They are currently branching out and trying some new things with home decor items, but they’re still just starting out with that.
As we’ve previously discussed, Zazzle has such a wide product offering that they appeal to anyone! So that’s definitely a pro for Zazzle.
What about design versatility? Well, on Minted, you’re a bit limited here. All of the designs are curated and accepted via competitions, as we mentioned. This really limits the versatility of what people offer, as does the notion that you can only sell these designs on Minted. That fact de-motivates people from posting too many designs there, thanks to the lack of flexibility and ability to sell them anywhere else.
It’s hard to be efficient as a business owner on Minted, as you have to revolve all of your designs and sales around competitions. Through these competitions, Minted really controls when you’re able to post seasonal products and how many designs you can attempt to sell.
On Zazzle, you can start posting seasonal products whenever you want throughout the year. It’s much less restricted, which allows you to be a lot more efficient in this regard.
All in all, Minted is a great platform – but it definitely has some drawbacks. Many of our clients, in fact, have come over from Minted to Zazzle. Once they do, they breathe somewhat of a sigh of relief. That’s because they can’t necessarily perceive a consistent, long-term income with Minted because of the constant need to prove themselves on this platform.
Zazzle allows for more evergreen products that will sell for years to come, allowing you that passive income you strive for.
Thank you so much for reading!
Be part of our community where we can continue the conversation on these topics and tools. Join our Facebook page
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Share on IG. Tag us @msjenclarke and @elkeclarke, so we can send some love to you and get to know you.
If you’re ready to take the first steps in starting and scaling your own Zazzle store, join The Profit by Design Academy® Coaching Program today!
Official Website: https://jenandelkeclarke.com/
Jen’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msjenclarke/
Elke’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elkeclarke/
The Profit by Design Academy®: https://elkeclarke.com/startandscale/
Etsy Traffic Analytics and Market Share: https://www.similarweb.com/website/etsy.com/#overview
Gearment Fulfillment: https://gearment.com/
Etsy Fees and Payments Policy: https://www.etsy.com/ca/legal/fees/
Zazzle Traffic Analytics and Market Share: https://www.similarweb.com/website/zazzle.com/#overview
All in all, Minted is a great platform – but it definitely has some drawbacks. Many of our clients, in fact, have come over from Minted to Zazzle. Once they do, they breathe somewhat of a sigh of relief. That’s because they can’t necessarily perceive a consistent, long-term income with Minted because of the constant need to prove themselves on this platform.
Zazzle allows for more evergreen products that will sell for years to come, allowing you that passive income you strive for.
Thank you so much for reading!
Be part of our community where we can continue the conversation on these topics and tools. Join our Facebook group!
We love it when we make new friends. Connect with us on Instagram, @msjenclarke, and @elkeclarke.
Share on IG. Tag us @msjenclarke and @elkeclarke, so we can send some love to you and get to know you.
If you’re ready to take the first steps in starting and scaling your own Zazzle store, join The Profit by Design Academy® Coaching Program today!
Official Website: https://jenandelkeclarke.com/
Jen’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
Elke’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
The Profit by Design Academy®: https://elkeclarke.com/
Etsy Traffic Analytics and Market Share: https://www.similarweb.com/
Gearment Fulfillment: https://gearment.com/
Etsy Fees and Payments Policy: https://www.etsy.com
Zazzle Traffic Analytics and Market Share: https://www.similarweb.com
Jen and Elke Clarke are a mother-daughter duo that empowers women entrepreneurs to make money online. Through courses and coaching, Jen and Elke help women (and men) become successful creative entrepreneurs on Zazzle and e-commerce. Combined Jen and Elke have sold over 15 million dollars-worth of products, and earned over $1.5 million combined through their businesses on Zazzle. Jen and Elke have influenced and transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide with their free content, paid and private coaching.
They are international, award-winning authors. Click the links to purchase their books through Amazon: Earn Around The World and Create Online and Grow Rich.
Jen and Elke Clarke have been featured in Yahoo Finance as TOP 5 e-commerce coaches.
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