# Tell me about CafePress...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-cafepress/492025>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [April 5, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-cafepress/492025 "2009-04-05T02:30:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-cafepress/492025/1 "2009-04-05T02:30:53Z")

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I’ve got two sites that I manage, one for news and one for games, and I’m thinking that a brand extension using CafePress might be a good idea for both. Can anyone tell me about CafePress, how it works and whether it is E-Z to use and convenient?

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**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-cafepress/492025/2 "2009-04-06T02:07:12Z")

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I have no direct experience of them, but have known several entrepreneurs who used them. My impressions:

1. They’re honest.

2. They’re overpriced – but since the idea is to market ‘souvenir’ stuff, the people who want it will pay it. (If you’re a _real_ Lois McMatter Bujold fan, having a coffee cup that’s labelled “property of Barrayaran Imperial Security”, complete with horus-eye logo, is worth $15.95.) And you the entrepreneur get a fair cut.

3. You don’t make a whole lot through them, as a rule. But it’s a ‘free’ source of income for minimal effort on your part.

4. Promotion is strictly in your ballpark. They do, however, give you a webpage template for displaying and promoting your merchandise.

Hope someone else with more direct experience can comment on this.

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**Author:** ![EpicNonsense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-cafepress/492025/3 "2009-04-06T02:37:43Z")

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Alternatively you can try out Zazzle. ([zazzle.com](http://zazzle.com))

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**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-cafepress/492025/4 "2009-04-06T02:44:30Z")

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I used Cafepress a few times, mostly to buy things I made for myself… weird t-shirts, mugs, whatever, that nobody would get 😛

They’re great! Easy to use but expensive. Pretty much what **Polycarp** said.

The only difficult part is the graphics editing… you should probably know a little Photoshop or know a graphic designer or the final product is gonna look like crap.

Also, I think back then they did not have black t-shirt and Zazzle did… everything else seemed pretty much the same.