What is de-listing? If a design for sale in the Marketplace is at least two years old, has not sold in the past two years, and has less than 50 favorites, the design may be removed from sale by Spoonflower (“de-listed”). De-listing is not deleting. A de-listed design will be made private and maintain all data associated with it (number of favorites, who favorited it, whose collections it was in, etc).
Why is Spoonflower de-listing designs? We hear over and over from many shoppers that they feel overwhelmed by the number of search results, often receiving hundreds of pages and thousands of results to wade through. We made this decision to condense search results, make new designs more discoverable, and encourage more design diversity. While it would be easy to assume that a higher volume of designs would equate to more success on the site, it turns out that the average number of designs uploaded per week by the top 10% earning artists on our site is 12. Knowing that the overall average of new uploads by all artists was 15, we brought up the number a little to 50 to accommodate for change. Successful designs become trendy for a number of reasons (outside of volume) and we think this is the perfect time for all of our artists to consider how they curate their own collections and hone in on their personal aesthetics. It not only makes it more appealing for our customers but elevates your individual shops as well.
Will I be notified before a design is de-listed? You will not be notified ahead of time. However, one way to see which designs could be at risk for de-listing would be to sort your design library from “oldest to newest”. While the exact date of upload is not shown, you can still evaluate which of your older designs may need a little love in terms of title, tags, description, etc.
How can I tell which designs were de-listed? To see which designs have been de-listed, you will visit your Design Library and filter with a new “Previously for Sale” filter.
How often will designs be de-listed? We will de-list designs that meet the de-listing criteria in early 2024. The efficacy of the first sweep will determine how many and in what frequency will happen thereafter. (3 months, 6 months, 12 months, etc.)
Can I re-list a design? Yes! You are welcome to re-list any of your de-listed designs by marking it available for sale again. Remember that more is not always better when it comes to designs, so when choosing which older designs to re-list, some questions to ask yourself are: Do I think this is a strong design? Is there something I could improve about the design before re-listing? Can I better optimize my title, description, and tags for improved findability?
What are the listing limitations and when are they in place? Starting on February 12, 2024, all designers may only list 50 designs per week in the Marketplace. You can find more information in Proofing Your Design. This 50 weekly limit includes any brand new designs as well as de-listed designs that you have chosen to re-list. A re-listed design will not be eligible for involuntary de-listing for two more years.
What can I do to avoid having my designs de-listed? Your designs are only at risk for de-listing if they meet all three of the de-listing criteria: at least 2 years old, no sales in the past 2 years, and less than 50 favorites. However, there are ways to increase your sales and favorites to avoid your designs meeting these criteria. Here are some suggestions:
- Promote your designs on social media
- Optimize your designs with relevant titles, tags, and descriptions
- Participate in Spoonflower challenges and events
What will happen to my designs that are de-listed? De-listed designs are made private, not deleted. They will retain all their data, including the number of favorites, who favorited them, and which collections they were in. You can choose to re-list them at any time.