Question about sending a custom order

[RomaMiaTradingCo]

So, around Christmas time, an acquaintance messaged me about doing 2 dog sweaters for her. At the time, I was slightly backed up on orders, so I was able to finish them around the beginning of Jan. I had to remake them for her due to a sizing issue.

I finished them about a month or so later, and I messaged her to let her know that I was done. We went back and forth over 2 messages about delivering the new sweaters to her (I even created a listing for her and asked she pay that way but she didn't want to do it that way), and communications stopped on her end with me trying to finalize a time. I did see her in the meantime, but it was at a funeral and I didn't think it was appropriate to ask if she still wanted them.

Now that its May, and she still hasn't gotten back to me, what should I do? Should I still hold onto them, or just try and sell them since I haven't heard from her. She as of this point hasn't paid for them.

[StuckOnSilver]

Nikki, so sorry this happened.

Unique items (different sizing requiring the sweater to be remade) are probably best listed as the custom order. Then wait for the customer to pay. Some people begin a custom item with a non-refundable deposit.

Phone your acquaintance and ask if she wants to buy the sweater, especially since you made it specifically for her and remade it so it fits her perfectly.

If she doesn't, use this as a learning moment and list it as a ready to ship item. ( I don't mean to sound condescending--you may do custom orders all the time...)

[Former_Member]

Yes, reach out to her using her preferred method of communication (or even blast all methods she has been using, to be sure she gets the message) and give her (don't ask her for) a deadline to pay. If she doesn't meet the deadline, list them as ready-to-ship.

If you end up feeling ready to list them to the general public, you could always send her the link to the listing and let her know they're available there if she changes her mind.

[Former_Member]

I think you are probably out of luck on this one. But you might want to try contacting the person one more time.

In the future you might want to consider that its not an 'order' until you have the money in your hands. Up until then its only really an inquiry.

[LydiasWeb]

I guess perhaps I am a little confused about the way Etsy's custom order process seems to work. If as @crochetgal and @Bev say that you should have either a deposit or the whole cost of the item before proceeding to make it, how would you do that? And if the customer didn't like what you created, wouldn't you want to give them the option of declining the order? My first custom order went very well, and the customer was extremely pleased, but I found Etsy's path to finishing the order to be kind of awkward. Do most of you not use it and enter custom orders as a regular listing? I could use the advice of someone with experience, too.

[OohlalaBeadtique]

Nikki,

I've been in similar situations few times, where a customer ordered a custom order, communicated with me, and eventually backed out. I think crochetgal is right, it appears that your customer is not interested anymore.

Having said that, when your customer ordered the dog sweaters in December, it was cold weather, now it's spring going into summer. She is not in urgent need of dog sweaters anymore.

She is possibly thinking, that she has whole summer before it gets cold again to look for other dog sweaters and deals. She figured she will find cheaper sweaters in the summer.

OR may be her dog is sick and she doesn't know if she will have a use for the sweaters in fall.

OR may be she is too busy, with some serious issue that is bigger than shopping for her dog right now.

May be I'm wrong. Nevertheless I believe in proper business etiquette. So this is what I'd do. I'd message her one last time. I'd write a brief polite email, just a friendly reminder, that her custom sweaters are ready and available for purchase at her convenience if she is still interested. State in the email that if you won't hear back from her within next 10 days, you will presume she is no longer interested in the sweaters and you will put them up for sale. Even thou she is your acquaintance, and she knows your contact info, write it all out in the message: your email address, your phone number. As much info as you feel comfortable sharing with her.

If you won't hear back from her in 10 days, you know what to do :)


Laura,

Congrats on your first custom order! :D

There are number of ways how custom orders work.

Firstly you can mention in each of your listings that you take custom orders, or you can set up your Etsy profile, which in my opinion is more straight forward for potential clients.

Follow steps in this link to set up your Etsy shop profile to accept custom orders:
https://www.etsy.com/ca/help/article/3923

Second step is decide if you will take deposits or not. This is what I do. If I'm working on a very expensive custom order worth several hundred dollars or more, and it's the type of order I can't re-sell if my client changes his/her mind (eg. a pet portrait painting - I have other business besides making jewelry, which is fine art) I ask my customers to pay ahead 50% of the final product cost. If I get a custom order that is around $100 and I will most likely be able to re-sell if she/he changes her mind I take down 25% deposit only. Any order less than $75 I don't bother taking deposit for, unless I believe that I won't be able to sell it if the client changes his/her mind.

From time to time I have clients that insist on paying ahead, even thou I don't ask for deposit. Eg, I had custom order of rosaries for a bridal party, where the bride wanted to pay ahead. She said she has so much on her mind with planning and she doesn't want any loose ends. In this situation I just set up a custom order listing with general image since there was no product image yet, and in the description I wrote down as much specifics as we agreed on in our communication. I did this to avoid future misunderstandings, because this is black on white agreement, and client needs to be reminded and informed ahead of all the details.

I will share an example for others benefit:

https://www.etsy.com/transaction/191637360?

The Etsy listing above can function multiple ways. I can set it up so the client pays entire custom order ahead, as this client insisted on. Or I can set up and call it instead of Custom Order, "Custom order 25% Deposit" or 50% and so on. And again I write out as much detail in the description so it is recorded in black and white what the client is paying for to avoid future misunderstandings. Once the custom product is ready, I can create final listing for the client to pay the difference. Each Etsy listing is $0.20, but that is a small cost that gets absorbed.

Last scenario is where I have clients who are very finicky and insist on seeing photos of final product, so they can review them before paying any cent at all. In that case I set up a normal Etsy listing with photos of the product and full description, except I add before the product title RESERVED FOR (name of client)

Example:
https://www.etsy.com/transaction/190536700?

Some customers use the build in Esty custom order feature which I've mentioned before. Last time I've used this feature, it allowed only for one product image. So I've added extra images of the product into the Etsy email for the client to view.

I never had a customer who declined order after they paid deposit or full fee. And I had several custom orders. I notify customers, and I write it in the invoice that the deposit is NON-REFUNDABLE (on Etsy I'd add this into the listing description) I do this only for higher priced items and items that I won't be able to re-sell. If a situation would arise where a customer would change mind about the order, and insist on refund I'd issue the refund. This is for good client relations, and professional business conduct. I'd do it. I just don't advertise it ahead so I don't get abused :)

If I were to be stuck with a custom order that I can't re-sell I'd run a raffle and give it away. Free giveaways are great for store promotion. Or I'd donate it to a charity, fundraiser, which would be again a great promo for my store, and tax deductible :)

This is how I go about my custom orders and it seems to work fine. Others might do it differently. I'm curious :)

Wow this must be the longest tread response I've ever posted. Laura or anyone else message me if you have more questions.

Kvetka
Ooh-la-la Beadtique

[Plektra]

I agree with others, I wouldn't start an order unless I got paid for it first. And I know this can be awkward when the order comes from someone you know, but still you will buy the materials and spend time making the items.

I think I wouldn't call her, though. I wouldn't think she is interested now. If she is an acquaintance, she is able to reach you.

[Former_Member]

Send her a Paypal invoice.

[RomaMiaTradingCo]

Thanks for all the advice!

Unfortunately, when i started the order back in December, I was pretty naive about doing custom orders. In the months since, I have implemented a policy that it needs to be paid upfront in order for me to even start the project.

I'll reach out to her one last time asking if she wants them, and have her go through my Etsy site to pay for them and I can ship them out to her. Luckily, if this deal falls through, I can easily re-sell them.

[RomaMiaTradingCo]

And I think the same as @crochetgal. I think she's not interested. :(