Buyer wants to send me fabric

[AshleyPowellCreative]

I have a potential buyer that wants to send me hard to find fabric to make her a flower. I was wondering if anyone has ever had a etsy buyer send them something before?

Does anyone know if it goes against any etsy rules or anything?

Thanks in advance!

[Former_Member]

I have not had someone send ME something, but I have sent fabric to a seller for custom curtains that were tie dyed.

[kidsstore]

I have, but don't encourage it. I know what I prefer to sew with, and what works the best for the items I make. An example is a customer wanted to make baby sheets out of a heavy fabric that would normally be used for drapes. She really didn't know the difference, until I explained it to her. Also, sometimes the pattern design on a fabric won't work for the item you are working on. It might be too large, too small, or not line up right.

Before you agree to it, make sure the fabric is something you can work with, and if you use the fabric the end product can be the same quality that you usually produce.

One third piece of advice, if you do use their fabric, make sure you have extra in case the first item tried doesn't work out the way you want it to or takes more than you figured as you might not be able to get more of it.

[Former_Member]

I agree with above, I would get her to send you a picture of the fabric and tell you about what kind of fabric it is and if it looks like something you usually work with or like something you could work with, then I would do it.

I think the most wonderful thing about Etsy is the chance to work closely with someone on something unique for you.

[Former_Member]

beautiful work btw

[EmarcidOrchid]

I just had one similar case: one customer sent me a gemstone to make a custom necklace for her. I did that and we both thought it was perfect.

[EmarcidOrchid]

I do think you'd better know what kind of fabric you are gonna receive from your potential customer. If that's something very hard to work with, it may not be worth taking a risk. I once had a customer hoping me to make a custom ring for her with a piece of very fragile material, and I just told her it was too risky.

[PatchHappyPauper]

Do you offer Custom Orders? If so and there is no reason not to give the customer what they want- go for it. If there is some concern as to whether the fabric will be appropriate let the buyer know ahead of time. Simply say that you will evaluate the fabric for the properties that are required to make ______. I would feel flattered that this person is willing to trust you with this piece that is obviously important to her.

[AshleyPowellCreative]

Thanks Roxie!

And thanks everyone for the great advice! I'll have her send me a pic and describe the fabric before she sends it.

[littlecherryhill]

Perhaps the potential customer could send you a small sample (if she can spare it) of the fabric?? I would definitely find out more info before you commit.

[JaneStaufferPaperCo]

You have a really reasonable price for your flowers....

Chances are the next request will be that you lower the price since you used
her material....Which would be workable if we were talking about an item that is much more expensive...
But with all you have to do and the potential for problem...I would nicely shy away from this request.
Cheers

[Former_Member]

I have, this lady send me her organic yarn and made 2 pair of baby shoes for a craft fair.

It went really well!
I do offer custom orders

[compassionmalas]

I've used pendants or beads that customers found and really liked. It worked out well a couple of times! But it seems that it would be harder with fabric to make sure it was high enough quality.

[Former_Member]

I've had customers send me specific yarns that they have wanted used for custom orders with no problems.

I've just specified how much to purchase so that they got enough for the projects.

Its worked out really well in all cases. Yes, I do charge less for the finished item but the price is only discounted for the cost of the supplies.

[MythOfTheWild]

I don't know if it's against the rules, but I have always thought that if someone is requesting a custom piece and they want a particular fabric (afterall, they're buying the piece that is made especially for them) that is hard to find, or they just want to make sure it's the precise fabric, then there's nothing wrong with it. It can save you the panic of whether or not the fabric is quite right, and you know for a fact that they'll be happy with that part of it. I've considered sending materials to people myself for pieces I've requested! I've never done it, though, because I've never had the money to actually request anything :P

[UneekDollDesigns]

If there is time, maybe she could send you a little square of it first to see if you can work with it?

[TailaStudio]

Through a different venue (not Etsy), a customer sent me a piece of fabric to make a ribbon flower for her. She couldn't find a ribbon to match and neither could I. She told me what she wanted and I specified how much material I needed. Weeks went by and it finally showed up in the mail and she said needed it within 4 days. I managed to meet her timeline and everything else went smoothly.

As other have mentioned, make sure it's a material you can use, enough material for you to make, and enough time to make it.

Good luck! Love your flowers!

[Former_Member]

I've done this before with no problems. She's one of my favorite customers now and still sends me Fabric everytime she wants more pillow covers etc made for her. She always shows me what she is sending first just so I know what I am working with. I offer custom orders, so I try to accommodate everyone so long as it doesn't put me out or drive me crazy :)

[Former_Member]

I have been making things for years with the customers on materials. Sometimes they bring the fabric to me, and sometimes they just send me pictures or links to the exact fabric they want. I know that for the types of items you make fabric selection can be critical. Most of the time when working with customers own materials (COM) you have to be aware of the fabric style and what they want to make sure it is compatible.

However I do not think that as far as acceptable on Etsy a customer sending you fabric would be breaking any rules. You are still going to process the sale in Etsy, yes? Also I have always felt that when customers have some input in custom items they send more people your way. I was in Wal-Mart the other day and over heard a person telling someone about how they ordered their baby hammock thing on Etsy. She wrote down the name of the shop and everything. Word of mouth is very strong, and catering to customers preferences I think makes them push your product for free!

LOVE FREE MARKETING!!!

[SilverMoonBathandSpa]

I'm all about doing what's necessary to give a customer what they want so I see nothing wrong with it. I would be very specific in the custom listing and also let the customer know ahead of time if you think there might be a problem working with the fabric she sent you.

There are hardly and B&M stores we can walk into today and actually be "serviced". Speaks volumes when you can get better service from Etsy online than in person!