I have the habit of trying some new stuff. It may be a simple solution for any technical requirement, a simple art or reading completely different domain subject. This time I tried Redbubble to explore the opportunity it provides online. Being inclined to the arts, I thought it would be interesting to check if we can really set up our shop online and sell our art. So, I created my account on Redbubble. After thinking about a creative name, I configured my shop online. I have already some digital designs created in Canva, which I uploaded with great excitement. Mostly, I chose those designs for all kind of t-shirts, stickers, and a few other categories if the respective design suits the item.
I know I was
overexcited at that time to post those designs and see the quick. When I
recollect that initial moment and compare it with the recent action from
Redbubble as part of my journey, I just can’t believe this really happened to
me as well. Well, like other creators, I also started uploading my design. Initially
after a few posts, when I observed no activity from any buyer at my shop, I got
little bit discouraged. However, I kept on uploading new designs preferably
during weekends, when I used to get some time apart from my busy schedule. At
that time, it was like a stress buster for me. Occasionally I used to check my
email inbox if there was any email from Redbubble.
Later, I
realized that I had uploaded similar designs to what other creator’s shops
have. So, I thought to upload some designs on completely different topics and
theme. This prompted me to think a little bit to be innovative like I do for my
IT stuff. And I created a few simple designs with nice effective catchy
messages. Finally, one day, I got an
email from Redbubble with the message that I had made a sale. I couldn’t
believe that someone really found my design worth and interesting enough to buy.
Overall, the order amount was good, but since I had set my margin as 10%, total
earnings were according to that margin percentage. Although it was a small amount,
the level of excitement thinking of future earning potential just struck my
mind. That very first email (as mentioned below) invoked something in me, maybe,
sort of a taste of future addiction.
The email was
from Redbubble congratulations@redbubble.com via
email.redbubblemail.com with subject
stating as -
You've Made A
Sale - <Transaction ID> (AU$<Amount>)
Congratulations
on your recent sale on Redbubble. You’re well on your way to becoming a true
Redbubble all-star!
Just think,
an admirer of art in Australia picked your work above millions of others. Good
thing you’re not getting paid in just warm and fuzzy feelings, right! This
message is just to share the good news and all the nitty gritty details of your
recent success.
As soon as
the order is printed and shipped we will send you another notification letting
you know that your earnings are no longer pending and will be payable. To keep
an eye on all your earnings check your Analytics Dashboard or Sales History
(please note this could take up to 48 hours to appear in your dashboard). For
all things ‘getting paid’ check our Help Centre.
Thanks for a
being a member of the Redbubble community of artists and designers, movers and
shakers!
Mr Baxter -
Chief Officer of Sending You Good News
Further to
Clause 5 of the User Agreement, you may be responsible for sales tax / GST /
VAT on sales to customers outside the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
Norway and the UK.
The current exchange rate of 1AUD = 0.650USD was used for currency conversions.
Along with the email of sale, Redbubble sends another email as a manufacturing statement stating that no further action is needed from our end. Redbubble has taken care of all steps on our behalf to ship the order to our customer. Sample email goes as below -
Redbubble
congratulations@redbubble.com via email.redbubblemail.com
Manufacturing Statement – <Transaction ID>
You may
remember that you recently made a sale on Redbubble and as promised
this is to signify that we have arranged the order to be shipped to your
customer.
We’ve
included this statement for the fee incurred for the manufacturing of the
product. Bear in mind, this fee has been paid in full on your behalf to the
manufacturer and you do not owe any money.
This
statement is solely for your records and no further action is required on your
part. Perhaps you can post it on your bulletin as a testament to your hard work
and success or perhaps you can put it in the bin for safekeeping, the choice is
yours :)
Big love,
Mr Baxter -
Head of Numbers
This fee has
been paid in full on your behalf.
Redbubble
I was pleased for my first earning with Redbubble. It was a sort of an achievement for me and feeling of huge success about encashing my creativity online. I started receiving regular emails every month which means there were buyers who were really interested in my work. I gradually realized that there was a great potential to attract more buyers. Once I upload more designs on same topic, it can give additional options to buyer at my shop to explore further. So, I followed my plan and it proved to help in more earnings. During this journey, Redbubble would use to send regular updates like below ones from The Redbubble Artist Team.
For example, update sample 1:
An Important
Update to Your Redbubble Artist Payment Dates
Redbubble updates@t.redbubble.com
In the coming
months we’ll be making some updates to the technology and accounting processes
behind artist payments. In preparation, we’re adjusting the date range used to
calculate your monthly earnings. There are no changes to the timing for artist
payments. Monthly payments will continue to be processed around the 15th.
Currently, we
calculate sales made from the 15th to the 15th. From the start of May we will
be switching to a calendar-month period, calculating sales made between the 1st
and the 31st.
The April pay
run will happen on the 15th, followed by a pay run at the start of May to cover
the shorter period of the 16th to the 30th of April. We then switch to
calculating sales made from the 1st of the month, and your earnings for May
will be processed around the 15th of June.
Switching to
calendar months will make it easier for both artists and Redbubble when it
comes to record keeping and reporting, and by making this change at a quieter
time of the year we hope to minimize the impact on artists.
We appreciate
your patience and sincerely hope that the new calendar-month payment cycle
makes it easier to manage your Redbubble shop. Please visit our Help Center for
more information.
For example,
update sample 2:
An Important
Update to Your Redbubble Account
Redbubble updates@t.redbubble.com
Redbubble is
introducing a new tier structure for artist accounts, and an account fee for
some accounts. We understand that this is a big change for the artist
community, so we want to be transparent and clear about what's happening.
The new
account tiers are intended to encourage actions that are positive for the
marketplace and recognise and reward artists who invest time creating and
promoting unique products. From today, your account will be classified as
either Redbubble Standard, Redbubble Premium, or Redbubble Pro. You can find
your account classification on a new Account tiers and fees page on the Artist
Dashboard.
Redbubble
Standard accounts will be subject to an account fee. The fee is a flat fee
based on your monthly earnings and only applies if you make a sale. If you make
no sales during the payment period you will not be charged a fee, so artists
are never out of pocket. The monthly earnings period will begin with orders
shipped from the 1st of May, 2023 and end on the last day of each month. As
recognition for positive engagement and investment in the Redbubble
marketplace, Premium and Pro accounts are exempt from the fee.
Redbubble
Standard accounts will be subject to an account fee. The fee is a flat fee
based on your monthly earnings and only applies if you make a sale. If you make
no sales during the payment period you will not be charged a fee, so artists
are never out of pocket. The monthly earnings period will begin with orders
shipped from the 1st of May, 2023 and end on the last day of each month. As
recognition for positive engagement and investment in the Redbubble
marketplace, Premium and Pro accounts are exempt from the fee.
To help you
fully understand these changes and how they will impact your account, we’ve put
together these detailed guides:
• Introduction
to the new account tiers and fees
• How
accounts are reviewed and classified
• Understanding how the new account fee may apply to you
User
Agreement Updates
To reflect
the new account tiers and fee for Standard accounts, we have updated our User
Agreement. We encourage you to read
the new version in full here. These changes will apply to your account as
of 1 June, 2023. By continuing to use Redbubble after this date, you are
agreeing to accept the new User Agreement. However, if you don’t want to accept
the changes, you have the right to end your agreement with Redbubble by
deleting your account.
View User
Agreement
We’re always grateful for your thoughts and insights. Once you’ve read through the guides, we’d welcome your feedback via this link. If you have any questions about your account or need any assistance, please feel free to contact us via the Help Center.
Sometimes there is any new modifications in payment structure. Redbubble keep us updated sharing details about new payment structure. The change can be in terms if payment threshold value, payment dates per month or yearly payment revisions. Regularly, I also received updates like one as below:
Changes to the
Yearly Artist Payment
Redbubble updates@t.redbubble.com
We wanted to
share an important update about the yearly artist payment.
Redbubble has
a payment threshold of $20/20€/£20. If your earnings meet or exceed this
threshold, you receive payments each month. For artists who have earned over
$2/2€/£2 but have not reached the $20/20€/£20 threshold, we make a yearly
artist payment.
Earlier this
year, we made changes to the payment period. Previously, each artist payment
included sales from the 15th of one month to the 15th of the next. With the new
changes, artist payments are now based on the calendar month.
Due to this
shift in payment periods, we will be moving the yearly artist payment to
January 2024. This adjustment ensures that artists who haven't reached the
threshold will be paid for any December sales and won't have to wait until the
following year.
To ensure a seamless payment process we ask you to review and confirm your payment details, so you don't miss out on your well-deserved earnings.
• What
is the Artist Payment Threshold?
• Where
can I check my outstanding balance?
• How
to verify your PayPal account
• How Standard account fees may impact the Payment Threshold
Congratulations
on your sales, and thanks again for being a part of Redbubble. Now go and check
those details so we can make sure you get paid!
Redbubble also
sends email addressing your shop name with summarized updates as recap information.
It might have new updates on fee structure or payment revision details. It can
also include new updated guidelines or terms and conditions. For example, as below
one:
An Important Update from Redbubble
Redbubble updates@t.redbubble.com
Hello <shop
name>,
In 2023 we
made significant improvements to the Redbubble marketplace, thanks in large
part to feedback from you and your customers. To recap, here are just some of
the ways we’ve made changes to create a healthier platform.
• Implemented
additional proactive measures to decrease the volume of low quality designs and
fraudulent accounts that may crowd out legitimate artists and designers.
• Changed the
way tagging works to reduce tag spamming and further improve relevance of
search results for your customers.
• Implemented
additional AI and machine learning tools to detect copycat and stolen designs
to prevent them from getting onsite.
• Upgraded
over 22 thousand accounts from Standard to Premium due to various signals such
as uploading new designs, engagement with the marketplace, and reaching a sales
threshold.
We are
dedicated to providing more value to our artist community and continuing to
roll out updates and features that will ultimately help you to generate more
sales. As part of our commitment to improving the marketplace, we will be
updating the account fee structure that is charged to Redbubble Standard
accounts.
This will
include a fee increase of less than $1 for most artists. The fee will continue
to be a flat fee based on monthly earnings and only applies if you make a sale.
Based on feedback, we have expanded the number of earnings brackets so that
someone who earned $100 is not paying the same fee as someone who earned $150.
View the new fee table here.
As a
reminder, these fees will only apply if you successfully sell products on the
Redbubble Marketplace during the earnings period, so artists are never out of
pocket.
The updated
fees will apply to the monthly earnings period beginning with orders shipped
from February 1st 2024 and will be reflected in the pay run of March 15th 2024.
As the account tiers and fees are meant to recognise and reward artists who invest time in creating and promoting unique products that resonate with their customers, Premium and Pro accounts remain exempt from the fee. If you’d like to request a re-review of your account tier, please complete this form. And for tips on how to improve your account to qualify as Premium, take a look at this blog post.
You can find
the updated fee table in the following resources:
• Understanding
how the account fee may apply to you
• How
is my payment calculated?
• Do I have to pay to have a Redbubble account?
You can also find a record of any account fees assessed in previous pay cycles on the Account Tiers and Fees page in the Dashboard.
We are dedicated to making Redbubble the best place on the internet for artists, and we truly appreciate all that you bring to the marketplace. Thank you for being the best part about Redbubble.
Additionally, Redbubble share quarterly basis Sales History details. The transaction details may include data for any of three months like for example Oct to Dec of that particular year. Sample email which I used to get was like one of below format:
Sales History
Redbubble aboutmyearnings@redbubblemail.com
If you have
any questions about these documents or their contents, please contact our help
center.
Check out up-to-date sales and earnings on your Dashboard.
The sales
history also includes an excel attachment showing detailed information on
following attributes:
Order
Date
Ship
Date
Work Order #
Product
Fulfilment Country
Destination
Country
Destination
State
Status
Quantity
Retail
Price (USD)
Manufacturing
Price (USD)
Artist Margin (USD
Suddenly one day I received an unexpected email stating that my Redbubble account has been suspended due to few reasons like fraudulent activity, designs created by me may not be original or inaccurate quality etc. Additionally, few reasons might be totally strange like Redbubble account might be associated to a disabled account or may be the account might be operated by person who is less than 16 years of age.
Within the same email, Redbubble also gives final warning not to open any
new account as they may again suspend your account if found to any way related
to usernames and email addresses of previous accounts in suspend state. All our
friends who got suspended might have received sample email as below:
Your
Redbubble account has been suspended – <your shop name>
Redbubble account-integrity@redbubblemail.com
Hello
<your name>,
We’re
writing to let you know that your account has been suspended.
Accounts
may be suspended for the following reasons:
• There
was fraudulent activity connected to the account.
• The
products listed in the shop may not have been originally created by the user,
such as mass produced art reproductions, stock images, or vector packs.
• The
shop may have contained products that could be misleading to consumers, such as
claiming to be products not offered on the Redbubble marketplace or possessing
inaccurate qualities or materials not offered on Redbubble.
• The
account was created after an associated account was disabled.
• The
account was found to be owned or operated by someone under 16 years of age.
More
information:
FAQ
• Why
was my account suspended?
• Can
my suspended account be reinstated?
Redbubble
Policies
• Intellectual
Property and Publicity Rights Policy
• Community
& Content Guidelines
Do not
attempt to open another account. Usernames and email addresses found to be
connected to a suspended account will be disabled.
Thank
you for understanding,
Redbubble
As you can
see Redbubble also sends links of FAQs and policies wherein you can explore the
underlying reasons of your account moved to suspend state. And whether you have
any chance to reinstate your Redbubble account. Before you do try to reinstate
your account, you should also read carefully about Redbubble’s User Agreement,
Intellectual Property and Publicity Rights policy as well as Content guidelines.
This will help to understand better about actual reasons and chances of getting
your Redbubble account to active state.
Eventually, keeping some hope, I thought let’s give it a try and request for account reinstatement. While I was filling in the form, I was not so confident as if I already knew the outcome of my request. Soon I got the acknowledgement that the request to reinstate Redbubble account has been submitted. In case my appeal is eligible, I will get my account reinstated within two weeks. However, without patience, if I reapply the request multiple times, that will not improve any chance of reinstatement. So, let’s keep patience during that period. You can see following sample email acknowledging my request to Redbubble:
Suspended
Account Appeal
Redbubble support@redbubble.zendesk.com
Hi ,
Your
request for account reinstatement has been submitted.
A few
things to keep in mind:
• If
your account is reinstated, you should receive a response within two weeks.
•
Submitting multiple requests, forms, or responding to this email will not
improve your chances for reinstatement and could make your appeal ineligible.
• Please
ensure that all of the required information in the Appeals Request Form has
been included to prevent any delays — the information you provide will help us
with our investigation process.
If your
request is reviewed by someone from our specialized team, we will let you know
in a separate email.
In the
meantime, please review the following published policies:
• Intellectual
Property and Publicity Rights Policy
Thanks again for your patience and understanding.
As you can
see in the above acknowledgement, Redbubble again shares the links of User
Agreement details and policies on Intellectual Property, Publicity Rights and
Repeat Infringer. So, they request to review this content while waiting for
response from Redbubble on account reinstatement. As I had expected, I received
a final response from Redbubble, which was not a surprise for me! Redbubble
updated that they reviewed my appeal, but my account can’t be reinstated as
they found it as not eligible due on of the reasons about fraudulent activity, violation
of User Agreement, Published Content policies or relation with disabled
account. You can below sample email which I received from Redbubble:
[Redbubble]
Re: Important words about your Redbubble account
Redbubble support@redbubble.zendesk.com
Your
request has been updated. To add additional comments, reply to this email.
E.F
at RedBubble (Redbubble)
Hi <your shop name>,
Thank you for getting in touch with Redbubble.
Your appeal has been reviewed and your account is not eligible for reinstatement.
Your
account may have been suspended for one of the following reasons:
•
There was fraudulent activity connected to the account;
• the
account was found to be in violation of our User Agreement and/or other
published content policies;
• the account was connected to a previously disabled account.
Please do not attempt to open another account. Usernames and email addresses suspected of being connected to a removed account will also be disabled.
Thank you for understanding.
E.F
at RedBubble
Marketplace
Trust and Experience Team
One thing I
forgot to mention here. Being an occasional visitor to Redbubble, I mean I used
to only visit to upload my designs and most of the time, I used to only check
the updates through my emails. My inbox shows the regular updates of my Sales
on Redbubble. Gradually, I never thought of withdrawing my balance to my PayPal
account. I know, you might also feel the same state of emotional mind which
just can’t express anything except regret. As of now, I will not tell you the amount
which I lost in Redbubble account. Perhaps, next time in any other similar
article.
Anyways, it
was a great creative as well as financial learning which will help me act smart
in future. I hope you also might have learned a few important lessons from my
journey. One thing, I would like to emphasize that please try to use your own
original art in any of your digital art and strictly follow guidelines set by
the host site instead of regretting it later!
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