GCU Forum - It starts to stink in here >:(

_132335

Full Member
artist

Posts: 211

It starts to stink in here >:(
Jan 20^th, 2015, 4:35pm

Seems like those who has the most say about changing guidelines etc. for cards has put their fat ass pretty hard on the whole business here now, I keep getting declined, declined, declined on many of my old approved cards, a few I can agree on but .... what really pisses me off is that cards which sells well for at 200 at times getting declined shortly after ... this to me appeals like some really wants to be the QUEENS on this business, I do see how many cards they have admitted till now and that alone tells me they for sure are trying to out any else who sells well, and the only way they can do this, is by declining their competitors cards, especially those who sells well Angry

I have kept quiet for quite a while now, because I thought it was a one time off, but when it continues and the pattern seems a bit too obvious I am not keeping my mouth shot any longer.

Who runs this business now ?
Don't seem to be the ones who started it when I began here in the early days, suddenly some very greedy *beeps* got their claws into the business and wormed their way in so much that it seems they are running it now.

Good grief, I don't feel proud to be a member here any longer and am seriously consider leaving for good, and you don't have to give me any nasty comments for my opinion, just keep them to yourselves, thank you.

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Betsy_145102

Gold Member
artist

Posts: 1359

Re: It starts to stink in here >:(
Reply #1 - Jan 20^th, 2015, 5:22pm

What, What!? GCU is a business! In business you need to follow trends, colors, styles, not coddle artists not willing to learn the ropes, do their research, design for today! I am sorry you feel you have been put upon by guidelines, but what job in the world does not have expectations? It is offensive to suggest that you are being outed by those that want to sell more, they sell more because folks want their product! They have nothing to do with how your designs appeal. It is up to GCU as an experienced greeting card company to decide if what is presented to them is worthy of the greeting card market. If you do your research, try your best to learn the latest in trends, learn how to work the software people are using, then you are sure to create a quality product that the current market is ready to absorb and buy from! I am sorry to be so blunt, but I am offended as a hard working artist that thoroughly enjoys her work, and has 2 other jobs.
Your competitors have no say in declining your cards. I couldn't keep my mouth shut either...

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Dragonfire Graphics:
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Card_Review_Team

Junior Member
artist

Posts: 81

Re: It starts to stink in here >:(
Reply #2 - Jan 20^th, 2015, 5:47pm

Dear Ms. Willsen,

GCU has had an ongoing project of weeding for some time and this has been discussed a number of times on this forum.

Reviewers do not have access to artists' sales information. If you feel that some high-selling cards were declined, please send reviewers the PIDs by email to cardreview@greetingcarduniverse.com Please note that the factors that impact keeping a card would include but are not limited to: the number of individual sales (multiple sales carry more weight than a one-time large sale) and how recent those sales are. Please only submit those PIDs that meet this criteria.

GCU understands that artists feel a connection to their artwork and artists are disappointed when their work is not deemed acceptable for our use. The tone and language used in your message, however, is not acceptable. Please see the GCU forum rules of conduct http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/forum/yabb2/YaBB.pl?virboard=general;num=137 8493834 It is expected that email messages to reviewers will follow these same guidelines.

Thank you,
Reviewer 443

Quote from _132335 on Jan 20^th, 2015, 4:35pm:

Seems like those who has the most say about changing guidelines etc. for cards has put their fat ass pretty hard on the whole business here now, I keep getting declined, declined, declined on many of my old approved cards, a few I can agree on but .... what really pisses me off is that cards which sells well for at 200 at times getting declined shortly after ... this to me appeals like some really wants to be the QUEENS on this business, I do see how many cards they have admitted till now and that alone tells me they for sure are trying to out any else who sells well, and the only way they can do this, is by declining their competitors cards, especially those who sells well Angry

I have kept quiet for quite a while now, because I thought it was a one time off, but when it continues and the pattern seems a bit too obvious I am not keeping my mouth shot any longer.

Who runs this business now ?
Don't seem to be the ones who started it when I began here in the early days, suddenly some very greedy *beeps* got their claws into the business and wormed their way in so much that it seems they are running it now.

Good grief, I don't feel proud to be a member here any longer and am seriously consider leaving for good, and you don't have to give me any nasty comments for my opinion, just keep them to yourselves, thank you.

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Laura_142481

Gold Member
artist

Posts: 583

Re: It starts to stink in here >:(
Reply #3 - Jan 20^th, 2015, 5:49pm

I'm so sorry you are feeling this way. I find the reviewers extremely helpful when a card is declined. The creative business is always changing as far as rules and trends. I personally find the changes challenging and it's what keeps me on my toes as far as creating images. All companies, in every market, are out to make money ( look at FB forcing page owners now to pay for their posts to reach their audience-it wasn't that way before ). Looking for ways to succeed is key to having a successful creative career. I was an art director in big ad agencies ( mad men style ). Talk about changes and rejection... yikes. I admit, in the early days I'd go to my office and cry and the creative director would ask if it was that time of month for me. Yep. The good old days.
You have many beautiful cards and really seem to enjoy what you are creating. Sometimes a different direction and change in attitude is all that is needed. It truly is a business of resiliency.

Good luck to you in your creative endeavors. I wish you the best with much success.

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The Art of Laura J. Holman:
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/TheArtofLauraJHolman

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Mindy

GCU Administrator
Community Manager

Posts: 6537
Gender: female

Re: It starts to stink in here >:(
Reply #4 - Jan 21^st, 2015, 1:15pm

Inge, I can understand your frustration with older cards being declined, however this is nothing new. As shared by Reviewer 443 a site-wide re-review of cards has been underway since January 2012, 3 years. During that time we have encouraged artists to do their own self-weeding in light of the Submission Guidelines.

GCU's guidelines have brought great professionalism and consistency to our product offering. You can discount them or embrace them. The dedicated artists who have chosen to rise to the occasion are reaping the benefits in more ways than just growing sales.

You are certainly welcome to your opinion however I find your accusations disrespectful and hasty. I assure you there is no conspiracy, no one is removing cards to minimize competition and "out" other artists. If your accusation is directed at the review team it could be no further from the truth. I can assure you each member is impartial, fair-minded and professional. If you have a specific instance contrary to that please share with me.

You ask, who runs this business now? The same dedicated people that started GCU in 2007, one of which is me ... no Queens, no claws ... just a hard working group of folks working hard every day to sell your cards.

As offered and standard practice, if you feel any of the cards that have been declined have great merit in sales history and should be reconsidered we are happy to do so. The assessment is based on several factors: substantive, recent, frequent and relevant.

If this is too much for you to cope with and you'd like to close your store as you suggest, please let me know and we can put those wheels in motion for you.

I hope in reflection you are interested in reinforcing your efforts here as you've been part of our GCU Community since 2007 and have assembled a nice collection of work.

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_132335

Full Member
artist

Posts: 211

Re: It starts to stink in here >:(
Reply #5 - Jan 21^st, 2015, 2:41pm

Mindy, there are no such as professionalism to cutting off competitors so that those who want it all can do what they like and keep being held high on their pedestal, you just forget who were with you from the beginning and helped you to get where you are today, but instead you just got smitten by a few artists you took in as your pets and let them control too much and now it has really taken overhand, big time I'll say.

And we just have to clap our hands, smile and agree with all your silly ideas to make it so much more sour to get any earnings at all, those ridiculous cents we finally gets, if at all, is a joke and a slap in ones face, instead you should thank us in a better way for providing any sellable materials.

Well, I can only say you are walking in a hazy cloud with yellow glasses on and won't see the truth, sorry to say this, but I am not the only one with this opinion, I am obviously the only one who dare open my mounth and speak out.
I also have customers who have mailed me privately asking me what is going on at GCU, they find it far from a pleasant exsperience at times, really!

It is your opinion to think I am disrespectful and hasty, really, I don't think I have been on that road yet, just because I am saying what I am experiencing.

If anyone is working hard to earn any money it is the artists who just has to be glad for any little cent they get, it is a ridiculous amount per card and a slap in the face to any hardworking artist, and yes you are still here Mindy, but there are also too many others in here who has used their elbows and pushed their ways in so noone else can have a say.

I know if I am going to re-submit the ones I suddenly have had rejected even though they are best sellers, they won't go through, you just don't want certain people to succeed nor having too many cards in their store, as I recall, from the early days you said, get as many cards in your shop as possible, the more you have the more visibility you will get and the customer will see you and buy your card ... right ?

I have never said or suggested that I wanted to close my shop, but I knew it would come up from you, as a nice way to say get out by your own or we will close you down, so just to make you happy I am not going anywhere but stay on and keep a closer eye on things

But I know you might be deleting my whole shop now and throw me out for having an opinion and saying it out loud, seems like it's never allowed to say anything negative in here, at all.

Thank you though, I think

... for your last kind words, but it is really hard to feel they are well ment since I keep getting rejections of my cards, and I'll almost bet there will be a lot of mails in my mailbox the next coming days now, filled with rejected card till there isn't any left in my shop Wink

Yes Laura, things change, I know that, but there are also customers who doesn't change but feel comfortable to get old fashione cards, cards there are not too fancy, I have no problems in selling my cards there have been thrown out here, other places, so the question is starting be more like, has this place become a snobby place!

And, for the anonyme one (card review team) saying, no one knows which cards are selling well, that is not true, everyone can see which cards are best sellers of the day on the front of GCU.

Betsy, get in the game when you have more experience, you are allowed to your opinion but it has nothing to do with this, really, some certain artists DO have a say in the review, wake up sweetie

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Inge's Card Store:
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/ingescardstore

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Mindy

GCU Administrator
Community Manager

Posts: 6537
Gender: female

Re: It starts to stink in here >:(
Reply #6 - Jan 21^st, 2015, 4:08pm

Quote from _132335 on Jan 21^st, 2015, 2:41pm:

Mindy, there are no such as professionalism to cutting off competitors so that those who want it all can do what they like and keep being held high on their pedestal, you just forget who were with you from the beginning and helped you to get where you are today, but instead you just got smitten by a few artists you took in as your pets and let them control too much and now it has really taken overhand, big time I'll say.

And we just have to clap our hands, smile and agree with all your silly ideas to make it so much more sour to get any earnings at all, those ridiculous cents we finally gets, if at all, is a joke and a slap in ones face, instead you should thank us in a better way for providing any sellable materials.

Well, I can only say you are walking in a hazy cloud with yellow glasses on and won't see the truth, sorry to say this, but I am not the only one with this opinion, I am obviously the only one who dare open my mounth and speak out.
I also have customers who have mailed me privately asking me what is going on at GCU, they find it far from a pleasant exsperience at times, really!

It is your opinion to think I am disrespectful and hasty, really, I don't think I have been on that road yet, just because I am saying what I am experiencing.

If anyone is working hard to earn any money it is the artists who just has to be glad for any little cent they get, it is a ridiculous amount per card and a slap in the face to any hardworking artist, and yes you are still here Mindy, but there are also too many others in here who has used their elbows and pushed their ways in so noone else can have a say.

I know if I am going to re-submit the ones I suddenly have had rejected even though they are best sellers, they won't go through, you just don't want certain people to succeed nor having too many cards in their store, as I recall, from the early days you said, get as many cards in your shop as possible, the more you have the more visibility you will get and the customer will see you and buy your card ... right ?

I have never said or suggested that I wanted to close my shop, but I knew it would come up from you, as a nice way to say get out by your own or we will close you down, so just to make you happy I am not going anywhere but stay on and keep a closer eye on things

But I know you might be deleting my whole shop now and throw me out for having an opinion and saying it out loud, seems like it's never allowed to say anything negative in here, at all.

Thank you though, I think

... for your last kind words, but it is really hard to feel they are well ment since I keep getting rejections of my cards, and I'll almost bet there will be a lot of mails in my mailbox the next coming days now, filled with rejected card till there isn't any left in my shop Wink

Yes Laura, things change, I know that, but there are also customers who doesn't change but feel comfortable to get old fashione cards, cards there are not too fancy, I have no problems in selling my cards there have been thrown out here, other places, so the question is starting be more like, has this place become a snobby place!

And, for the anonyme one (card review team) saying, no one knows which cards are selling well, that is not true, everyone can see which cards are best sellers of the day on the front of GCU.

Betsy, get in the game when you have more experience, you are allowed to your opinion but it has nothing to do with this, really, some certain artists DO have a say in the review, wake up sweetie

You can share your opinions and negative comments however it should be done in a professional and constructive manner. If you continue to post in the same manner as you have in this thread GCU will
revoke your privilege to post per the Forum Rules of Conduct:
http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/forum/yabb2/YaBB.pl?virboard=general;num=137 8493834

The principle here is pretty simple, if a card approved prior to the Submission Guidelines does not meet those guidelines it will be returned for edits or declined. There is no foul play or favoritism. If you feel a deleted card should be reconsidered based on sales history you have the opportunity to request it.

None of our artists are in control of GCU policies. GCU works fairly and diligently for the benefit of all artists and the company on a whole.

This reads to me that you are considering closing your store:
"... I don't feel proud to be a member here any longer and am seriously consider leaving for good ..."

We have not given the review team access to sales data. With this statement we are sharing that there may at times be a strong selling card that has been declined. Again, if this is the case we are giving the artist the recourse of reconsideration.

Betsy need not reply to your uncalled for and inappropriate comments.

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