Jul 30 2008
Apalled at Cafepress.
So a while back I had a poll about selling “game related goods” for RenAi Blogger. Now I didn’t expect many people to want anything (it’s a free game after all) but a couple people voted yes so I figured eh for the couple of you willing to spend a few bucks I’ll set something up. I dug up my old cafepress account and for those who actually visit the site (not just use google reader 
) you may have noticed a small “RenAi Blogger Goods” widget in the side bars. So everything was fine & dandy and last night I got an email telling me that my images were possibly “infringing copyrights.”
Wow that’s funny. Should I be insulted that you compare me to some idiot selling Naruto manga cover tshirts with you faggots, or should I be honored that you think my image is awesome enough that it passes for a professional work of art? 
Needless to say I was really pissed and I sent them a letter telling them that they were original characters drawn by me and not infringing anything. They’ve yet to respond - however I decided to do more research.
I was shocked to discover that they apparently charge a 5% in addition to their already ridiculous pricing. Their shirt quality is poor, I know this because when I ordered an apron for myself with a design I printed, after 2 washes, it’s almost faded and unreadable. In addition to this, they will charge a $25 maintenance fee if I don’t make $25 within 180 days. Considering this shop would be for a limited time only, there’s no way I’d reach that amount. (Hey, I’m being realistic, I know not everyone wants a shirt or a mug or whatever.) So I looked for alternatives. Zazzle seemed good until I found this site.
Anyway I plan to close my Cafepress account (I mean where do they go off thinking they can ask for people’s SSN’s when their prices are so high no one would make over $600 a year anyway) and reopen the shop at Artsnow - which my friend recommended to me this afternoon. Hopefully by the time the game is released, that will all be squared away so the post will be coherent with proper links and no more cafebullshit. So for those planning to sell (or are currently selling) cafepress crap, I’d re-read their TOS and check what you’re really making from those weasels. 
Tags: rant, reader opinion, renai blogger project
9 Responses to “Apalled at Cafepress.”
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mmm too bad i would have loved a poster i like ur drawings haha well anyway i will try to find a site where u can sell posters cause i want one so i will do research and try to find a good one and i will tell ya so i’m gonna do research and by the way too bad the shugo chara! comments the people that think (that i really wanna think i’m one of those with brain lol) can’t really say what they think on a great blog like yours haha keep up the good work
Onyx> I’ve been thinking of a different approach for the Shugo Chara posts. Maybe leaving comments open for 1-2 days then closing it. Most of my annoying spammers come in months after the post is up begging for scans etc…while the regular readers will comment right away.
Is it bad that for me the annoyingness of your situation is outweighed by the awesomeness of the image you used?
Seriously, of all the stupid cat images on the web that is one of the best I have ever seen.
I hate it when people rip off people. Honestly! If you going to sell stuff make it good! People have no heads these days!
I think leaving the comments open for a day on the Shugo Chara posts would be a good idea. The people who read regularly can have their say, and the spammers will…well, hopefully go away.
Wow. You shoulda read the fine print before you even bothered setting up there cuz you wasted your time with idiots!
I don’t think Zazzle is too bad. The whole star thing is kind of tricky, but you could just make sure people click on the star version when they buy whatever. Besides that their products are probably a lot better quality than CafePress.
Hung> I found a place called Artsnow.com - their prices are way cheaper than cafepress and zazzle and they dont have any kind of bullshit with their payments or with the way you make money
And to think I almost wanted to use this service to hawk those Kyonko shirts.
I don’t know if it’s still available but Artsnow had this special promotion where you could custom make your own mouse pads for only 3 bux including shipping.