Interview with Amy Marie AKA Shopaholicchick

The ProSeller Corner Tell the world a little bit about yourself.   

Amy Marie My name is Amy Marie and currently in am on the East Coast of the USA...I love to travel, and I have lived in NJ, MD, OK, AZ, South Africa & Germany at various times in the last 15 years since finishing High School. I take my camera with me everywhere and I have taken well over 3000 photos from my travels mostly of places and scenery, I prefer to photograph nature and animals, since they don't talk back if they don't like how they look!

I am single with no kids, I like long walks on the....oh wait wrong website...Well I am single and since I travel so much my friends are scattered around the world, so anywhere I want to go on vacation I have a place to live...which can always make it easier to travel on a budget!

I have a cat who is about 200 years old (16 in human years), his name is kitty & he is going senile and hates everyone and everything unless he needs a door or a can opened...then he will loudly complain until he gets what he wants. So, if anyone wants a cat...

The ProSeller Corner When did you start designing at Zazzle and what made you choose them?

Amy Marie Well I Started with another POD in 2005 when a friend talked me into it, she had been telling me about it for over a year but I was on dial up once I got high speed I gave it a try, then in December 2008 I began getting concerned about the changes taking place elsewhere so I began to slowly move my images over to Zazzle, and I am so glad I did....it put me about 6 month ahead of the mass exodus from that other POD!!!

The ProSeller Corner Do you have any other stores at Zazzle? (Talk about what each one is, what it is all about)

Amy Marie I have a lot of stores at Zazzle...

• Shopaholic Chick - This is my first and main store it has a great variety of designs, holidays, wedding, sports, music, go green, just a little of everything for everyone in the family. This store also links to all my other stores so you can easily find just what you are looking for.
• Addicted to - what are you addicted to? you can find it here, some with images some without, dozens of new designs added every week! 
• Alien Nation - As you can guess it is all about aliens, Martians and any other form of intergalactic life! There are aliens dressed to look human, there are mean aliens with guns, there are cute cuddly aliens, Martians playing with the mars rovers and just some strange or funny aliens. 
• Anime Nation - cute anime inspired people designs each with it's own name and personality 
• B is for Birds - Birds of all sorts in cute and funny poses just enjoying life! 
• Binderific - binders binders and more binders, what else can I say? 
• Chasing the Gnome - photography from around the globe. 
  
• Clown Town - clowns clowns and more clowns, this is my newest shop so it is still small but it is growing rapidly!
• Dragons Lair - This store is all about dragons, there are hundreds of dragons in different styles, colors and positions. There are mean fire breathing dragons, silly cute dragons, Asian dragons, water serpent dragons, flying dragons, and tons of other great dragons.
• Edibility - food food and more food!! if you love food you will find a deliciously edible design in this great shop! 
• From Santa's Desk - cards from Santa Claus & Mrs.. Claus Customized with your child's name to be sent as a thank you from Santa. these are a great way to teach you children how important saying thank you can be! 
• Graduation Station - designs for people who are graduating, perfect for gifts or party invitations.  
• Kiki Kitty - Black cat designs - dozens of cute images of cartoon black cats
• Kooblees - Kooblees are individually designs little creatures who are just adorable no matter what you age. they are perfect for a baby's nursery or a classroom to help teach shapes and colors!
• Left Handed Cards - cards for left handed people! every card appears upside down because it is design to print backwards so it will open left for a lefty! 
• Occupation Station - cute cartons of boys and girls doing some of the most popular professions on the planet!
• Peace People - hand drawn little fluffy peace people are crazy about saving the planet and keeping the world peaceful and happy. each color has it's own little theme like water conservation, solar power and so forth! 
• Same Sex Marriage - as you guessed this shop is all about same sex weddings, there are dozens of great designs to help same sex couples celebrate their wedding or commitment ceremony.
• That's My Baby - cute designs with baby stuff on them perfect for baby showers or birthday parties for little kids! 
• Triple Goddess - pagan designs for the goddess within. If you are wiccan or pagan you will find some great designs here.
• What If... - ever wonder what if? well these designs will help you get other people wondering what if!!! 
• Witches Wardrobe - Designs featuring Witches. Cutes funny, serious and evil, as well as Halloween costume witches.

The ProSeller Corner What has been you best selling product?

Amy Marie Wow that's really hard I have a few that sell well seasonally....I think different shops or sections of my shop do better at different times of the year especially with my sports designs.



I think my favorite design from my best sellers is this one
it is from my Same Sex Marriage shop and shows 2 little old men holding hands.
I have sold it on almost every product available.

By favorite though is this one. The dog shirt with the design and the words "ring bearer" underneath! So many great couples think of their pets as their extended family and children it is not uncommon for them to have a part in the wedding!

The ProSeller Corner What do you enjoy doing when you're not working on your store?

Amy Marie Travelling, anywhere and everywhere. And I always have my camera...oh wait maybe that counts as working on my shop since many of the designs end up on my store or inspire designs for my store. I also enjoy reading and attending lectures, especially those about history, I am a huge history geek and a news junkie....I check the news wires online 5-10 times a day; CNN, AP, AFP, Reuters, as well as other sites like yahoo most emailed & most viewed....sometimes I even read E! or TMZ....even though most of the time I have no clue who the celebrity is they are talking about since I don't go to movies much and rarely listen to commercial radio.

The ProSeller Corner How do you balance your time between Zazzle and life?

Amy Marie Wait I am supposed to have a life outside of zazzle? I hang out with my friends when they are around, but most of my friends work or go to school, or have kids so when I go out it is usually to the zoo, the playground or some other kid friendly place. I work on my shops a lot late at night when no one is around to bother me and I can't sleep.

The ProSeller Corner How long had you been with Zazzle before you reached a ProSeller status?

Amy Marie I got it in my 3rd month, but I had a large cache of 10,000 designs to move over from my previous POD. Also I joined zazzle just before Christmas and started loading my best sellers fast and first and the sales came in right from the start.

The ProSeller Corner Getting noticed and becoming a ProSeller takes a lot of hard work and time. What advice would you give to those aspiring to become a ProSeller?

Amy Marie Well I have a few, first start with tutorials. [They] offer several as well as links to other peoples tutorials. It is always better to get it right from the beginning and not have to redo it all later.

Second repeat this mantra: "I am not the shopper" - then take it to heart, remember you are not the shopper, just because you would not buy it on a mouse pad doesn't mean they won't so give them that chance. 99% of my sales are items I personally would never purchase, but I am not the shopper, so I will give the shopper what they want.