Thus far there are no groups of banded artists although this was mentioned in the last few days because of the change in commission. It would be one hell of a job dividing up profits in a group of artists as to who sold what amount, discounts, bulk orders, percentage of commission etc.
 
Not my idea of fun.
 
Cheryl

Quote from Scott_235570 on Jul 2^nd, 2013, 9:11am:

 
Hi, Scott,
 
Welcome to GCU.  I think that the "Umbrella" store that you're suggesting is already in place; it's Greeting Card Universe.  
 
As you sell cards, you'll see that the email notifications that are sent out will tell you how the customer found your cards.  Many times you'll see that your card(s) was found via an internet search (MSN, AOL, Google, etc.) for a specific search term, such as "graduation card for firefighter."  Or you may see that the customer did an onsite search for "orange bridesmaids cards."  Sometimes you'll see that the customer was browsing through the category Birthday, etc.  
 
Since each store "owner" has his/her own email address and payment method set-up, as Cheryl said, it would be a nightmare to try to divide up the monies at the end of the quarter.
 
I do believe that there are a couple of stores that are set up with a mix of artists, but earnings are donated to charity, which is really only one payee.
 
As for "box" sales, GCU does offer some really great pricing on bulk orders, all cards the same.  And also, discounts for mixed orders of different cards.
 
I hope that this helps!
 
Penny

Quote from Scott_235570 on Jul 2^nd, 2013, 1:25pm:

 
Hi, "Peter,"
 
Your analogy about searching through a variety of clothing items to find the perfect pair of bell-bottoms is a good one.  It can be (sometimes) acceptable in a brick and mortar store, but online, customers tend to want to get what they want and move on to the next thing on their to-do list.  So, for the most part, customers come here and search for what they want, rather than browsing through tons of cards.  This is not speculation on my part; Mindy has told us this many times.
 
Having a store with many different artists won't change that, unless all of the artists can drive a lot of traffic to that specific shop.  (And I'm not saying that it can't be done.)  But once in your shop, a customer can use the search bar at the top of the page and then they are no longer in your shop, but out in the "universe."
 
As you spend more time here, you'll come to realize that the majority of our customers do not recognize that GCU is a collection of individual shops and artists.  Most of us will have a story about a friend, family member or customer who thinks that they have purchased one of "our" cards, but actually it was from another artist.  It happens.
 
As for (what I think that you're talking about) a collection of artists who are submitting to one store.  I think that someone from GCU will have to make a determination on that, if it's allowed or not.  I am, alas, just a lowly artist.  
 
For my opinion:  I think that having one email address for the shop would be problematic.  I do understand that you're thinking that all of the artists could pool their resources, sell more cards and thereby reach the threshold each quarter.  But think about getting a return for edits, decline, etc.  How would those situations be handled?  Who uploads the cards?  And, again, would GCU allow that?
 
It just seems to me that a collaborative shop would be way more trouble than it would be worth.
 
So before you can say, "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia," that's my 2-cents, for what it's worth.
 
Good luck with your shop, Scott!
 
Penny    

Quote from Scott_235570 on Jul 3^rd, 2013, 7:11am:

 
Hi Scott,
 
Here's a thought ... you would gain much needed promotion and backlinks, if you were to create a HUMOR Greeting Card Group on Facebook and start enlisting people like Tom Rent and other humor card artists to join the group.  Then you are posting humorous cards in one place and at the same time promoting yourselves to potentially millions of people who don't know about your cards ... just a thought  

Thanks for the idea Doreen.  I checked out Tom Rent's cards and although fantastically funny-- not illustrations.  Regardless, that idea is sound and outside of annoying your social media connections with a "buy my stuff" pitch... it could eliminate the roadblocks the GCU payment issues might cause.     An alternate web site that directs actual orders  to the GCU sales links would also help with the separation of each artist.  This way promotion of said site is very specific to the carbuyer I want to reach.  
 
Penny: can key words be changed after approved?  

Quote from Scott_235570 on Jul 3^rd, 2013, 9:15am:

 
True, but when marketing oneself, always think outside the box.  Humorous cards are humorous cards, customers like good humor and don't care whether it's illustration or not  Also, you aren't seeking to annoy friends/family those are separate areas of social media, you are marketing to attract customers for humorous greeting cards.  Do what feels right, just don't limit your options for growth. Doing that puts a stop sign in front of your marketing efforts down the line.

Quote from Scott_235570 on Jul 3^rd, 2013, 12:28pm:

 
Makes perfect sense to me  
 
And I do understand what you are saying.  I am classified as a Master Class photographer and though I love photography, I find it often difficult to find photographic imagery by others that meet my 'high standards'.  I tend to be very, very picky about image quality ... just kind of happened without me realizing it after years in the profession    So, I have greatly expanded over the years my love of all things creative, but I too find myself drawn to certain styles and not to others ... isn't art wonderful that way