Take an image. Put it on your own site. (save to your
server please) Link it back here, let people know what's happening. You can
help. Just by helping inform others of what's going on, you can help the fight
against oppressive, money-greedy corporations that steal from all of us. Make a
stand, tell them you won't accept such treatment. Tell them that your images and
your commissions are
your own!
It worked! See below...
Update:
July 2003 - Member Agreement Has
Changed
Changes are listed effective June 24th, 2003
AND ARE IN EFFECT IF YOU ARE STILL A MEMBER AS OF JULY 1st, 2003.
From their "what
has changed page"
Thanks to all those members who submitted feedback regarding our New Member Agreement. We have made some changes, and you can view our revised agreement by visiting:
http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/help/memberagreement.aspx.
Some of the changes we made:
1) We eliminated the proposed 5% transaction fee on all markups. Instead, the 5% transaction fee will only be imposed on markups over $15.
2) Sections 5.5 - 5.7: Accounts which have earned commissions less than the $25 payment threshold can now hold their commissions for a year, after which we may automatically mail a check minus a $5 administrative fee. Members can always spend the full value of their commissions using CafeCash.
3) Section 6: We clarified all language regarding Intellectual Property Rights in Section 6.
The New User Agreement will go into effect as of July 1, 2003. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our Customer Service department by visiting:
http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/help/index.aspx
Over 30,000 visits have been
counted to this page. It really did make a difference. Thank you to everyone for
your support and for helping tell greedy businesses that they can't get away
with treating their customers like dirt!
Update:
June 17, 2003 - TOS Policy Changes Underway! Well,
well, well...would you look at that. We really DID make a difference - together.
Here's a list of some of the changes underway to the TOS.
Sorry for the long delay in getting this information online. We are updating the Member Agreement to clarify a number of issues. In addition, we've been listening to your feedback and have made a number of changes. And the changes are (drum roll please).....
1) Regarding Section 5.5: We will now accrue commissions for 365 days. If a member still doesn't reach the payment threshold of $25 within a year, we will automatically send them a check for the amount they have earned minus a $5 administrative fee. As always, members will be able to spend their commissions within the year period using CafeCash.
2) Regarding Section 5.6: If you cancel your account, we'll send you a check for your earnings minus a $5 administrative fee.
3) Regarding Section 5.2: The 5% transaction fee will only be imposed on markups greater than $15.
The entire Section 6 is being re-written to clarify ownership of content. Members will as always continue to retain ownership of any content they sell through the service.
The new and improved Member Agreement is back with the laywers getting their final blessings. We will post it online as soon as possible.
In addition, we'll probably reset/clean up the forum related to Member Agreement changes so that posts related to the previous version do not cause confusion.
Thanks!
-Maheesh
(Maheesh Jain, VP Cafepress)
Source: http://pub80.ezboard.com/fcafepressstoreownersforumfrm1.showMessage?topicID=110.topic
*Update:
June 8, 2003 - Bigger then Expected (Need your help) I
don't want to have to do this, but oh boy did this get a heck of a lot more
attention then I ever dreamed. I am on the 8th day of the month and already over
my bandwidth allotment. This doesn't even include the fact of the rest of the domain
(my personal site) still has content (such as photography and a blog) that
already have established, normal traffic.
(Note: as of June 16th - 15 days live, we've had 16,105
people come by so far and more people everyday) This is where I could use your help.
Even a buck would do wonders. If you support the idea of the little guy (or gal
in this case) being able to have a voice and share information which needs to be
shared with the world, then give a buck (ok,
$1.37 including fees leaving me a net of a buck)
towards my overage. If you're really
cool, give five ($5.45 including fees). At this point, anything would help. We're making progress and
we're effecting a change. If this information is useful to you, or has helped
you, please consider paying it forward. I'm not trying to get rich, I'm just
trying not to be forced to close down my site due to overage fees.
Though we've long since peeked in traffic, with over 30,000 visits and counting,
this still is a major source of bandwidth for my domain. If this helped
you in any way, and you'd like to hit the tip jar, it's appreciated. Thank
you to everyone for your support.
Or just Pay-Pal
to webmaster@giveneyestosee.com
*Update:
June 4, 2003 (Part 2)
So, they started emailing
me today. And, while I can't say we have 100% success in changing the
policies in relation to fees and commissions, I can say they are now promising
that within 24 hours, they will adjust their wording on the TOS to clearly
indicate their lack of legal right to your images.
This is a big victory and it goes to show that
even the largest corporation can - and will - change and listen to their
customers when you stand up for your rights. Thanks to the power of all of our
voices together though message board posts, journal entries, and calls and
emails to their customer service, the word got out! (to a tune of over 6,500
people in just one day visiting this page!!) They took us seriously when they
realized we wouldn't stand for their changes. I will post an update when they
post their revised TOS and any further correspondence that I receive from them.
Imagine the power of one voice. Don't ever forget to let yours be heard!
Update:
June 4, 2003 Despite receiving several
threats and very rude emails from "random" people (who all say almost word-for-word
the exact same thing, and all mention they're not working for cafepress -
yeah right), I am not stopping the spread of this information. We will not be
silenced. This is not a hoax, their terms of service revisions can be found
here: http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/help/new_memberagreement.aspx
and is exactly quoted on this site. I AM NOT DISCUSSING THEIR OLD TOS.
THE OLD TOS was this:
6.3 You grant CafePress.com permission to reproduce your Party Marks in CafePress.com marketing and advertising, provided CafePress.com credits you and/or the original artist as actual owner of the Party Marks. CafePress.com will not represent ownership of any of your designs.
The NEW TOS DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY OF THAT. They no longer need to credit your
work, nor will they refrain from misrepresentation of ownership of an image.
This stops being effective July 1, 2003 at which point they do NOT need to
credit you and can represent themselves as the owner of your images. Don't
fear the big business or let them bully you into changing your mind. You have a
right to stand up for your rights, to demand changes to Member Agreements and
you have a right to choice whether or not you In
just three short days, we've already had over eight thousand people come here and
read this information. Cafepress can either change their TOS or lose business.
We DO make a difference.
Vanity
Note:
Oh yeah, just because I'm sick of people assuming I'm a
guy, I'm not. 100% female, thank you very much. I'm also not a kid. I'm a
26 year old, professional woman, who's worked in corporate environments for over
eight years. I'm only doing this to help spread information freely because it's
not fair that companies can get away with doing whatever they want to us just
because people didn't notice, or didn't feel they could make a difference.
A
Great Look at Selling your Merchandise Online I
came across the article, Show
Me the Muggy! Merchandising on the Web and wanted to give people the
link since it really does a great job hammering out the numbers to show just how
little you get under Cafepress.com's rule and what other options are out there
if you're willing to put forth just a little more work up front. A really good
article and well worth reading for anyone - though it's aimed at web comics -
who has traffic and members to support selling items.
Other
Resources - Alternatives to CafePress
Having been asked what
other services are out there, I've been informed of a site called Zazzle.com
which does not have as many items, but does offer shirts (in multiple colors and
designs) as well as cards and posters. I have not used them myself, but they
came recommended by an artist friend of mine. I get no referral bonus for
recommending them, I'm simply passing along info of an alternative provider.
**Note: Someone emailed me with a
snippet from their TOS
which claims they get perpetual rights to use your images (non-exclusively) for
advertising and assorted. It was brought to my attention because the do not
claim an expiration date for the rights to use your image. I can't comment
either way as I've not delved into their TOS, but as always, if this lesson's
taught us one thing, it's to read the fine print. The good thing about them is
that no matter what, at the end of the year, they pay your whatever commission
you've earned. A friend actually got a $1.72 check from them at the end of the
year; they never just fail to give it to you, or absorb it as
"administrative" costs.
Someone else mentioned via email the site which
Neopets.com uses that offers personalized products, http://www.99dogs.com/
Again, I don't know anything about them personally, do not get a referral
bonus and have not used their
services (nor read in-depth on their TOS,
which I suggest you do before signing up!) but, I wanted to pass along the info
just in case.
The site, http://www.4imprint.com/
offers a huge assortment of items available to be customized with your designs/logo,
however, they do require that you order in bulk quantities. (A quick scan of tee-shirts
listed minimum of 36 pieces) Not for everyone, but certainly a good resource
option for those who do a lot in quantity. Their Help
pages include their privacy statements and policies. Thanks to Sabrina for
giving me the link. (Again, I do not get a referral bonus for this link) Lorien emailed me
with another suggested alternative, http://customink.com
They require a six shirt minimum for screen-print and a 12 shirt min for embroidery
(oh, that's nifty) but they have a really nice selection of items from
drinkware, bags, hats and tons of shirts (even denim). Their TOS can be found here.
Might be a good alternative for people who know they need a certain quantity of
items. (Again, I do not get a referral bonus for this link)
Stephen Fraser, of Lulu.com
dropped me an email to inform me about his site. Targeted at authors who want to
publish their books without giving up their copyright, it's a really great way
of being able to print on-demand as opposed to a vanity press where you have to
print a run and then hope you sell them. Their Member Agreement can be found here.
(Again, I do not get a referral bonus for this link)
I have also been informed that the site
thinkgeek.com
offers the ability to sell custom items though I've not explored what, or to
what lengths/costs. Apparently all the people who suggested this link
were incorrect. From thinkgeek.com co-founder, Jen Frazier: "Although we do make custom items for a select few partners (Megatokyo, O'Reilly, etc.) we don't provide this as a service to the general public."
Sorry for the confusion.
Updates
Archives:
June 17th
- EVEN MORE THINGS TO BE CHANGED!
Items are now marked with quotes from Cafepress on their plans to
change/adjust policies.
June 8th - I really need your help.
June 4th
- read
the transcripts here
June
5th - Read the Proposed New TOS
Here
My personal thoughts and notations are here
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