Zazzle aims to dazzle with on-demand merchandise

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- When it comes to a product with pizazz, "It doesn't get any better than this," says Zazzle.com co-founder Jeff Beaver.

He's talking about a '70s-era Star Wars poster, not widely available in any retail store, featuring Princess Leia, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker in a fantasy setting, rocking out on stage at a concert. Customers of Zazzle can have the design printed on posters, T-shirts or mugs.

"We have thousands of these types of designs," Beaver says. Deep stock is "the beauty of on-demand merchandise."

Love that Goofy T-shirt but want it in red instead of white? No problem. Can't figure out where to get a Barack Obama "Yes, I Can" bumper sticker? Zazzle can help you there, too.

"Anything you can imagine being sold in a mall, we want to offer online as a custom-made product," says Beaver, 28, who co-founded Zazzle with brother Bobby while both attended Stanford University. "We think the future of commerce is in micro brands."

Zazzle sees itself as an eBay-style marketplace for buyers and sellers. At Zazzle, once you've uploaded your custom design, you can sell it online. You can link to your Zazzle goods on your website or blog.

Custom T-shirts and the like may not be big business today, but it will be, says Marshal Cohen, a fashion industry analyst for market tracker NPD Group.

"Consumers — and, in particular, the younger generation — are expecting this kind of customization from products," he says. "Just look at the iPod. You design what you watch and listen to."

After a few years of tests, Zazzle got off the ground seriously in 2005 with T-shirts. The private company is shy about releasing sales statistics. It is not profitable, but it says business doubled in 2007 and is growing fast.

In February, it sold 900,000 different items to customers, up from 500,000 the previous February. All told, Zazzle says, it has sold 30 million products.