CafePress Stores

[Michael Hopcroft]

Well, I just spent about twenty minutes updating a CafePress store that has generated about two dollars in commissions since it was founded.

I'm hoping some of the times I put up are appealing, but I'm beginning to wonder how to promote the store properly and whether I'm going to have to beg for customers. I'm also wondering whether it's ever going to generate revenue and whether it's worth the time.

I do have a link to it on my website, though, and I hope you will consider buying something from it, if only to prove my darkest suspicions wrong. I have a lot of good stuff there.

[Nathan]

I haven't sold much from any cafepress stores I've used. Part of the problem is that some of the stuff IS expensive, so if you try to make the shirts or items somewhat affordable, you only get a couple of bucks out of the deal. Still, I don't know why anyone has suggested using Cafepress as a print-on-demand for your games.

Check out:
http://www.cafepress.com/mysticages

I've got a poster featuring EAK art that is fantastic and a shirt with an image from EAK, but I also have a mini-poster which contains the rules to the one page 2d10 action system (which I will be releasing soon). You can also sell a pack of 6 greeting cards. Guess what those will be? Printed EAK character sheets. Sure, a little different, but why not? You can do calendars and things - what if we sold a Forge calendar and each month featured a new one page, simple game to play instead of images of Jared, Ron, and myself in bikinis?

Brilliant. I agree. :)

Thanks,
Nathan Hill

[Mike Holmes]

Part of the problem is that some of the stuff IS expensive, so if you try to make the shirts or items somewhat affordable, you only get a couple of bucks out of the deal.

Have you guys considered selling them at no profit to you? Gives your players a deal, and they wear an advertisement for your game. That's right, the purchaser is paying money so they can advertise your game. Why shoudn't that cost as little as you can make it cost?

Mike

[Judd]

How about a link on the forum's web-site rather than just on the main web-site.  I have The Forge linked to the forums, not the intro web-site.

[Roy]

My wife and I tried selling t-shirts with high quality fantasy art on them through CafePress.  

In the two months we kept the store open, I managed to draw 300,000 unique individuals to our website with 90,000 of them being very qualified.  We generated about $70 in overall sales.  

Don't expect CafePress to generate a lot of income for you.  If you're lucky, it'll pay your website hosting fees.  

Mike's idea is a good one.  Damn, Mike ... where do you get all your good ideas?  

Roy

[xiombarg]

Mike's idea is a good one.  Damn, Mike ... where do you get all your good ideas?

He steals them from me... I was going to say the same thing but Mike beat me to it. Curse you, Red Baron! *raises fist to the sky*

;-D