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AP Product Labs: Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? We've got some answers! Let's see if they fit.... Take a look at some of these common questions we get; chances are, we've heard your question before, and have composed a convenient source of answers for you! So take a moment, read them over, and consider yourself more educated for it.
What, exactly, is the AP Product Labs platform all about?
Is it true that cockroaches can live for up to 9 days, even after their heads have been cut off?
How much money do I make from each item that I sell?
Once I make a sale, how do I get my money?
What is Item Sharing? What is a Shareable Item, and how do I make one?
How much money do I make when I sell a Shareable Item, which someone else designed?
How can I put a design that someone else made, into my store?
Can I edit the design on a Shared Item?
Can I change the markup on a Shared Item?
What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?
Who owns my artwork, once I upload them to the APPL platform?
How long does it usually take, before my items are shipped?
You've gotta charge something, right? I mean, how do you make money off of all this?
What is the best format to upload my artwork in?
ANSWERS!
What, exactly, is the AP Product Labs platform all about?
The AP Product Labs is designed to allow you, the artist, to create a totally customizeable web store for your MySpace page, website, blog, or other Flash-enabled spot on the internet. Once installed, you can use the AP Product Labs platform to design and sell your own custom products, like T-shirts and hats (we will be adding plenty of additional products, as we move forward). Simply upload your designs, or browse through our collection of clipart, design your products, and see what the base cost for manufacturing would be; add your own markup to create the "retail price" of your custom item, and place it in your store! Its that easy.
APPL is just an abbreviation for AP Product Labs; don't let it confuse you! You will often hear us refer to "the APPL platform"; this is what we are referring to.
Is it true that cockroaches can live for up to 9 days, even after their heads have been cut off?
Yes. Gross, eh?
How much money do I make from each item that I sell?
The amount of money you make on each item (otherwise known as your "markup") is completely up to you! You can sell your item for as low as the manufacturing cost (no markup), or as high as you want (unreasonably high markup); each item can have a different markup, so you are never tied into one price point.
Once I make a sale, how do I get my money?
In order to cash out the balance in your account, you must first have greater than $20(US) in your online account; you can check this amount by logging in to your account at www.approductlabs.com and selecting Stats / Reports. If your account balance has exceeded $20(US), you may request to cash out via PayPal, or a traditional check.
What is Item Sharing? What is a Shareable Item, and how do I make one?
Item Sharing is designed to leverage the social aspects of the internet, allowing you to place your custom items in other people's stores across the web. How does this work? Every time you make a custom item, you have the option of making your item "Shareable"; if you select this option, any other store owner on the network will have the option to purchase your item from your store, and subsequently place the Shareable Item in their store for resale. If another store owner winds up selling your Shareable Item from their own store, then you would both split the pre-designated markup amount (for instance; if your markup is $10 on a single Shareable Item, but another store owner is selling it from their store, then they would make $5 for each sale, as would you).
Item Sharing is meant to simulate real world market situations; when you design a product, you don't just want to sell it in your own store (especially if you only have one location!). Instead, you would try to have other stores pick up your products for resale, at which point you would share profits with the store that sold your goods. This is not any type of networked marketing, nor are there multiple levels of payout; the profit for each item is only split between the original artists, as well as the store owner who actually made the sale.
In the Product Lab, as you are designing each custom item, you will see check box for indicating whether or not an item is "shareable"; simply toggle this check box to set up your Shareable Items!
How much money do I make when I sell a Shareable Item, which someone else designed?
As mentioned, above, the pre-designated markup amount for each item is split 50/50 between the person who originally designed an item, and the person who actually sold it. Finding popular, Shareable Items to put in your custom store is one way to build up your online t-shirt business; try browsing around for different items that you would like to purchase, and then add them to your store once you've bought them!
How can I put a design that someone else made, into my store?
In order to place a Shareable Item in your own store, you must purchase it from another store. Although you do not need to purchase the item from the original artist, in order to share it, you do need to purchase it from someone. This is to ensure that items do not propogate throughout the online store system, without securing a tangible return for the original artist. Also, this will help to avoid over-exposure of certain items, by limiting the resale stores to those who have already purchased a tangible copy of an item. Hey, you shouldn't really be selling something you're not personally familiar with, anyways, so get over it.
Shareable Items are indicated by a small blue circle in the image tile; if you hover your mouse over the small blue circle (upper left corner of the tile) it will let you know that it is Shareable. After you have purchased the item, you will be offered an opportunity to place the item in your own store; at this time, you will also be told what your profit would be, for each sale you make.
Can I edit the design on a Shared Item?
No. The only person who can edit a Shareable Item is the original artist; once a change is made to the original design, they will be reflected throughout the entire network. Besides, you obviously liked the design the way it was, or else you wouldn't have purchased it! Leave well enough alone, why don't you?
Can I change the markup on a Shared Item?
Sorry, but no.... We can't have different stores competing again each other on price point for the same items, so we leave it up to the original artist to determine their own markup. You will always receive 50% of the item markup, when you sell someone's Shareable Item in your own store; why don't you just take that, any be happy with it?
What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?
42.
Who owns my artwork, once I upload them to the APPL platform?
Well, as long as you owned the artwork before you uploaded it to the APPL platform, you'll still own it after you upload it! We value the hard work you put in to make your custom creation, so we think that you deserve all the credit! All we do, is manufacture your items, and send them to your customers.
Of course, it is important to note all the fine legal details; for instance, by uploading any artwork into the APPL platform, you warrant that you are the sole owner of all related copyrights, patents or legal protection that goes with it. Although we will monitor content uploads the ensure copyright standards are enforced, we have no feasible way of knowing who owns every copyright or claim to every piece of unique content; if you have a dispute over anything you see on our platform, please don't hesitate to report the item, using the handy link we provide (which is visible whenever you zoom in on an item in a store).
Will everyone see my items, once I create them? What if I want to keep them private, and only purchase them for myself?
If you decide you want to make a few items for yourself, which the rest of the public should not be privy to, simply do not check the "Add to Store" check box, in the Product Lab! There is a "Buy" button, located directly within the lab, which allows you to purchase your items while bypassing the store, entirely.
Our t-shirts are printed using state-of-the-art DTG printing equipment; we pre-process all of our artwork, to ensure the colors are well suited for DTG printing. Each of the products that we offer, can be found within the Product Lab, itself, along with appropriate details and specs.
How long does it usually take, before my items are shipped?
For most items, the time between ordering and shipping is about 7 business days.
Thanks to our ingenious software, there is NO COST associated with using our custom store applicaion. The only time you spend any money, is if you decide you want to buy some of your own items, or someone else's. This makes our platform 100% risk free, enabling you to easily build your custom t-shirt business in your spare time, or full time, without a care in the world.
There is absolutely no monthly fee associated with using the APPL platform!
You've gotta charge something, right? I mean, how do you make money off of all this?
Geez, is this thing on?? Let me say this, one more time: the AP Product Labs platform is completely free to use. You can install it for free, place it on your MySpace or website for free, design your own custom products for free, add your markup and show your item in your customizeable store, for free...... Do you get what I'm saying, here?
We make money when you buy or sell any items, since we do the manufacturing and shipping for said items; this means, of course, that we only make money when you make money! We promise to always strive to improve our platform and product offerings, to allow you, the store owner, to easily build a passive income stream in your spare time. Use our application on your website, use it on your MySpace, or use it on your blog! Basically, use it anywhere you think you might be able to generate some sales, and we'll do the rest!
What is the best format to upload my artwork in?
We prefer PNG format, but can also work with JPG images (keep in mind, JPG does not support transparency, so if you use one on a dark garment, you will see a large white square around your image). You artwork should be 180 dpi, with a transparent background. Remember that we don't have some magic process for making low-resolution images look better; although we strive to ensure that all images are printed at the highest possible quality, it is important to note that the final result will only be as good as the original artwork.
We will be adding many more artwork tips, soon!
What is your refund policy?
We are looking for 100% customer satisfaction; if you are not completely satisfied with your custom purchase, just let us know within 10 days and we will gladly exchange your item or refund your money!
The AP Product Labs name, all logos and all site content are properties of Archangel Printing - All rights reserved - Copyright 2009. No images or content may be reproduced or reused for any private or commercial purpose without the express written consent of Archangel Printing. For questions, comments or assistance, please contact an Archangel Printing representative by visiting the CONTACT page of this site.
PRIVACY POLICY / REFUND POLICY
