In this post I’ll document how I got 100 Postcards, 50 Large postcards, 250 Business cards, and 25 magnets for $10.39.

Many of you probably are aware of Vistaprint– either for its notorious free business cards or its even more notorious habit of tricking its customers into signing up for sketchy and expensive “Rewards” programs. I, too had heard this, and stayed away from Vistaprint thus far out of fear. However, after receiving a $25 Visa credit/gift card from Wachovia’s referral program, I thought it would be the perfect chance to try out Vistaprint’s wide array of free products and deals. Can’t get to my bank account through a gift card, after all! So, I’m in no way saying Vistaprint is a good, reputable company. But if you wanna take the risk you can get a bunch of stuff for cheap!

Vistaprint has a plethora of deals running at any one time, and I did some hunting to find the absolute best coupon. You can always find their “free items” promo, but the catch is that they charge you $5.00 to upload your own image (though after the first fee it’s free to use the image.) Eventually, though, I discovered a golden link to free uploads AND products: Check it out here. Can’t guarantee how long it will be there, as it came in an e-mail.

I took advantage of this to get 100 postcards, 50 large postcards, 250 business cards and 25 magnets for my Etsy shop. I plan to leave the postcards around at businesses, etc. and slip the magnets into Etsy orders. The total came to $10.39– the price for shipping. There are a bunch of other free things you can get but I didn’t need ‘em. This would be great for your illustration marketing materials, too! I plan on using it next time I do a mailer.

The checkout process for Vistaprint IS crazy and overwhelming. The secret is to just read EVERYTHING and NEVER click on anything “extra” they offer you (Especially the $10 off your next order link. This signs you up for their scammy rewards program.) Make sure no unneeded checkboxes are checked, and at the end of your order do NOT click the “Continue” button that says in small print something about a special offer. It was actually kinda fun avoiding all the spam mines. You also might consider using an email address other than your main one, if you don’t want to look at their offers all the time. Next time I order from them I might post a walkthrough with screenshots: “How to order from Vistaprint without getting screwed.” ;)

Anyway, I got the products and they are all fine quality except the magnets are a little junky and thin. But for the price, you can’t beat it (If you’re careful)!