Store

I just changed the name and description of my CafePress store. If you go to www.cafepress.com and enter QlownTown or some of the keywords that lead to my products, it'll show you the products but never direct you to the actual QlownTown store at www.cafepress.com/qlowntown. Anything you buy in their Marketplace is their pricing, and I pay them more and receive a smaller profit than if you purchased the same thing through the QlownTown store.

I had hoped that the name and description change would show up when someone was shopping in the Marketplace, so they'd get the message that merchandise costs less if you buy in my store, not theirs...but they've cleverly set it up so you never see the store owner's description. So if someone visits the Cafepress website but doesn't know about QlownTown, they'll never get directed to the QT store. They have to enter the address manually.

What they're doing is competing directly with their own clients, who already pay a monthly fee for a store. They're taking my money for the store, then trying to offer a lower price than I do on my own products! So today I went through and lowered the price on almost every item. A few key items (that are likely to sell a lot, of course) cost me more to put in my own store than CafePress sells them for in theirs, so those items may be a little pricier, but my in-store prices now beat them on almost all items. Hah!

I keep the shop open with them because I do get some sales through their Marketplace, but I hate paying a monthly fee and then having them compete with me. So, if you're shopping for QlownTown paraphernalia, shop direct!