We all want Spreadshirt to remain a place for creative exchange, so we’re making a few adjustments to the criteria for rejecting designs. These will become effective March 22, and initially affect so-called design series, also known as scaled designs.
The Spreadshirt Marketplace connects exciting designers with customers looking for something special. To help these customers find truly unique designs, it is in everybody’s interest to dam the staggering torrent of designs that look all too similar.
In the future, we will reject series of designs in which only individual elements vary. These include, for example, “Vintage since YEAR” with years numbered from 1920 to 2025. Or “5 Star JOB” featuring all professions from accountant to zookeeper. Possible combinations are sheer endless, as are the resulting masses of designs that are uploaded every day.
Demand is no longer in proportion to the high volume of design series uploaded in the last year, the quality of such design series leaves much to be desired.
All designs passing our review after March 22 (even if they have already been uploaded) will also be checked for this criterion. We’ll apply this guideline to oly the Marketplace.
We really hope that this measure will promote creativity and give all designers the chance to improve their chances of selling.
This blogpost was edited on Friday, March 23rd 2018 at 2:58pm.
Any chance you’ll at least enable design series for the Shops again? I’ve been waiting to do so for months and moved to other platforms to be honest. Have a great day! Niek
Hi Niek,
This is possible for Shops! Feel free to upload them to your Shop. Should you have any difficulties, please get in contact with my lovely colleagues at legal@spreadshirt.net
Thanks,
Lena
Any technical solution for this? Merch Amazon now is selling in Eu, and these niches they are very good at. I think Spreadshirt should focus on this more seriously.
No news. We will let you know of any news in this blog.
Thanks!
Would you think when we get the solution? I think a lot designers need a more detail answer.
A more detailed answer for which question? Can you please let me know what the exact question is? Thanks!
You could simply add variants for the single design. In this case you will have a single page for the product with as many words variant as needed.
The internal search engine will always show no more than 1 result from the design, based on the keyword of the variant.
It’s simple as that! Please allow us to publish again series designs, it’s just a technical limitation, not a problem of the designs itself.
It is a technical limitation indeed. But from an entrpreneurial perspective there are currently more important tasks to focus on technically unfortunately.
Thanks for your patience and for understanding that this measure was put into place so that waiting times are not too long.
so, it’s as I feared. I uploaded a few (about 3 to be exact) of a design series, and waited and waited for it to be reviewed. They were rejected. If this is the “update” I doubt I’ll be continuing on Spreadshirt, such a pity since they were starting to take off.
We need an estimated time when these updates will arrive. I haven’t uploaded designs in months exactly because of this.
There’s no timeline that I can openly communicate yet, I’m afraid. The respective technical teams are looking into options but other features currently have a higher priority. Sorry 🙁
Any update? My income dropped dramatically. It’s terrible. When will Spreadshirt give us tech solutions?
No update yet but we’ll keep you posted in our newsletter and blog.
The truth is that I congratulate you on such a good decision.
I’ve been waiting for something like this for a long time.
What Mr. Michael Jessimy says, in a way he’s right.
One possible solution would be a basic design and the rest would be written by the final buyer.
Hi Ariel,
Yes, we wish to find some sort of technical solution at some point but for now we need to restrict these designs. But please be assured that we are working on a solution that will make everyone happy 🙂
Best,
Lena
What about a system were only one base design is visible but the “sub-element” of the design is an option and not showing up in the marketplace, just like colours and such? It could also save review work if some similar pattern automatic thing was applied along with this. But it could even to some extent do so without too probably, if the creator uploads all variations at the same time and only the base design needed approval. I had a single pattern in pending state for like a week now, so I guess these things pile up even if not all nearly the same.
Well one of the side-effects of this new rejection reason is hopefully that the waiting times for your designs to be visible on the Marketplace will have gone back to “normal” waiting times of ca. 24-48 hours.
I think that would be a mistake. In no simple terms those designs do bring in loads of sales for me, and in turn spreadshirt, meaning that people are actually looking for them. Instead, a better plan would be to mimic the way Amazon merch does it; remove designs after 90 days or so on. That way, it is given the chance to sell. I know i by no means have the analytics to influence your business decisions, but I personally am experiencing success with it, and if that be the case I fear I may turn my attention away from Spreadshirt and to other venues that allow me to. I urge you to revisit this change; analyze the needs of both creators, buyers and your business goals
Thanks Michael for your feedback. We are closely monitoring the reaction of our partners in regards to this announcement. The majority is as happy about this change and push for creativity as we are. But of course your opinion is important and we will keep you up to date with any future changes.