CafePress Marketplace vs. My Shops

My products sold through CafePress can be found both in my shops and in the CafePress marketplace.   There are some differences between the shopping experience of these two places, which I talk about below.


Most Items Cost Less In My Shop!
Even though I generally earn more on items sold through my shop, you usually pay less!  Some items, like ornaments and tile coasters are drastically less!

A Few Items Are Often Less In the Marketplace
You can find products with my designs in the CafePress marketplace by searching under scribbleprints (for artistic designs) or galesgiggles (for humorous designs).  Prices fluctuate in the marketplace and I don't have control over them, but the following are usually less there.

• Light Sweatshirts (excluding children's and juniors)
• Dog T-Shirts 
• Journals (which I call note-pads in my shop)

But Sales Can Change Everything
While the regular prices are usually much more in the marketplace, sales there often bring prices much lower.  That's why I often blog about marketplace sales.   Unfortunately, coupons good in the marketplace don't work in my shops.

WHY THE PRICING DIFFERENCE?
In the marketplace CafePress sets the prices and I get a flat 10% commission.  In my shops, CafePress sets a base price I can't go under, but I set my own mark-up above that, and so get more control over how things are priced.   There are some items offered in the marketplace for less than the minimum mark-up on those products in my shop, so I can't go under them.  Also, marketplace prices fluctuate, so if I tried to make my own prices match theirs I'd spend all my time on that, which would be no fun at all.

PRODUCTS ARE DIFFERENT TOO!
In the marketplace, some items in my shop are not available (like my best priced T-Shirt, the Value Tee).