Switch mid-campaign
Halfway through a card? Bring it with you.
Keep the progress you have made. Recreate your current card, mark the spots already paid for as Sold offline, and keep selling the open ones in 9x12 Tools.
By Dustin Myers · Sources and corrections
Last updated
You have a mail date, a partly sold card and advertisers who have already paid. You can bring that campaign to 9x12 Tools now. The step that makes it possible is Sold offline: record an existing sale against a spot so the card reflects where your campaign actually stands.
For example, if eight spots on a twelve-spot card are already paid for, record those eight sales here. That leaves four spots to sell through the published campaign. Your existing advertisers keep their placements and do not pay again. This is an example of the workflow, not a customer result.
1. Recreate the card you are already selling
Create a campaign for your current mailing. Use your existing city, routes and mail date, then match the card format, spot layout and prices. Rebuild the placement layout in the card builder and add your existing artwork to the matching spots.
This is a manual setup. A design file from another tool does not automatically become a card with individually tracked spots. Have your current layout, advertiser details and payment records beside you as you work.
Saving your routes automatically generates a ranked list of local businesses to approach. You can work the free prospect allowance while bringing your current card up to date.
2. Mark the spots already paid for as Sold offline
In the campaign’s card, select an open spot that an advertiser has already paid for. Choose Sold offline and fill in:
- Business name and Advertiser email.
- Amount collected: the amount you actually received, including any agreed discount.
- Paid by: Cash, Check, ACH / transfer, Zelle, Card elsewhere, Trade / barter or Other.
- Business category and an Internal note, if useful. A note can identify the original receipt or payment date.
Choose Record offline sale. The spot is marked filled, with the advertiser, order and recorded payment attached. Repeat for the other paid placements until the card matches your current campaign.
“Offline” includes money collected online through another tool. If an advertiser paid using your old site’s card checkout or a separate payment link, choose Card elsewhere. This records the sale without running a new charge.
Use this for payments already collected. An advertiser who has only said yes still has an unpaid commitment. A complimentary placement has its own Give away action.
What your advertiser receives
Recording the sale sends the advertiser a spot confirmation with a private workspace link. They can use that workspace for their ad details and proof approval. Let them know you are organizing this mailing in 9x12 Tools so they recognize the confirmation.
What the payment record means
The new record is dated when you enter it. Keep your original receipts, transaction dates, processor fees and refund records with the provider that collected the money. Sold offline brings your card’s current paid placements up to date; it does not import the old provider’s transaction history.
3. Publish and sell the remaining spots
Check the card against your records: the right advertiser in each paid spot, the right amount collected, and the remaining spots available at the prices you intend to charge.
Publish your campaign free. To collect online payments, choose a paid plan and connect Stripe. Share the new campaign or prospect pages for the spots still available. New online purchases connect the advertiser, payment and sold spot automatically.
Update or retire old sales links when you switch selling to the new campaign. The two platforms do not synchronize their inventory, so an old checkout should not continue offering a spot you are now selling here.
You keep doing the advertiser outreach and preparing the artwork. Your printer and mailing arrangements can stay in place. Use the generated prospects and follow-up queue to work on the spots still open.
Your contacts, artwork and domain
Contacts: import your existing lead list by CSV on a paid plan. Importing contacts does not assign them to spots or record payments; those paid placements are handled through Sold offline.
Artwork: add the files you already have to their matching placements and review the card. Existing proof approvals from another tool are not imported; you can send a proof through the advertiser workspace when you need approval here.
Domain and printed QR codes: moving the campaign and changing your domain can be separate steps. Connecting a domain you control requires a paid plan. Before changing DNS, inventory the exact URLs and QR destinations already printed or shared. Arrange equivalent pages or redirects and test them. Keep the old destinations available until their replacements work; keeping the same domain alone does not preserve every old path.
Recurring commitments: existing recurring charges and saved payment arrangements stay with their current provider. Recurring drops in 9x12 Tools remain a limited beta, so they should not be the basis of your migration.
Start with your current card
You can build, record existing offline sales, preview and publish before subscribing. Your own domain, advertiser checkout and contact import require a paid plan; Stripe must be connected to collect new advertiser payments.
Watch the campaign workflow, then use your own card to try it. The spots already sold are progress you can carry into the platform today.
Straight answers
Before you ask.
Still not covered? Ask directly and you will get a reply from a person who runs these campaigns.
Can I switch in the middle of a campaign?
Yes. Recreate your current card, select each spot already paid for and choose Sold offline. Enter the business name, advertiser email, amount collected and payment method. Those spots become filled, and you can publish free, then choose a paid plan and connect Stripe to take payments for the remaining spots. You do not have to wait for the next mailing.
Will advertisers who already paid have to pay again?
No. Sold offline records a payment you already collected; it does not charge the advertiser. Card elsewhere is an option for payments taken through another tool. The advertiser receives a spot confirmation with a private workspace link.
Does my old payment history import automatically?
No. You record each paid placement manually. That creates a new advertiser, order and payment record in 9x12 Tools, dated when you record it. Original transaction dates, receipts, processor fees and refund history stay with your previous provider.
Can I bring my contact list?
Yes. Contact CSV import is available on a paid plan. It brings in leads; it does not fill spots or import previous payments. Use Sold offline to record the placements already paid for. Saving your routes also generates ranked local prospects automatically.
Do I have to move my domain at the same time?
No. Set up and review the campaign first. Connecting your own domain requires a paid plan. Before changing it, check every URL and QR destination already shared or printed and arrange equivalent pages or redirects. Keeping the domain alone does not preserve old paths.
What can I set up before subscribing?
Create the campaign, recreate its layout, choose routes, set prices, record offline sales, preview and publish it free. Your own domain, advertiser checkout and contact CSV import require a paid plan. Connect Stripe to collect new advertiser payments.
Bring the card you are already selling.
Set up your current layout, routes and prices, record the spots already paid for, then preview and publish the campaign free. Subscribe and connect Stripe when you are ready to take payments for the rest.