Ready to ship or made to order: Is one better?

[Former_Member]

I'm just wondering if you notice buyers shying away from custom orders? Are they more likely to order if the product is already made and ready to ship? I had an email from a buyer who wanted to know how quickly an item would ship. Luckily, I had one ready and could ship the next day, so she ordered ( Yay!) but would she have if she had to wait for me to make it? Obviously we can't all have stockpiles of our pieces sitting around :)

[Former_Member]

I think it depends on the buyer but I think most shoppers on Etsy understand most handmade items are not going to be "ready-to-ship" and those that cant wait, well I think it is okay to have a few items ready for them to buy right now.
I've had the most success having some of each.

[TheSSSeamstress]

I think you need to have a decent selection of ready to ship items, but be open to custom orders. That said, it really depends on the item. I sell both aprons and goodies like syrup and mixes. Since an apron can take me a good week to finish, people almost always want ones that are ready to ship. But for all of my other stuff, it would get kind of gross if I had that sitting around so they are always made to order. For a shop like yours (which is super cute, by the way) I think a lot of fun could come from custom orders, but I would definitely want to at least see a large selection of your work so I would know what kind of style and quality to expect, which a bunch of ready to ship items would help with.

[Former_Member]

The wait time for made to order items is the one drawback against the many benefits of buying handmade. I think buyers are aware of that. I know that I am happy to wait a few extra days for my beautiful, thoughtful, and well made items!

[susanstreasures]

Depends on what you sell. Buyers have to expect a longer turn around time with knitted and crocheted custom orders. Since etsy is my day job, I can have a faster completion date.

[sherrytruitt]

Over half my shop is custom made to order map jewelry. The wait can be 10 days to 3 weeks. I rarely encounter a problem. That's simply how long it takes.

Custom made anything takes an artisan time to craft it whether they sell on etsy or not. If someone can't wait, I thank them and tell them I hope they will consider my shop when time is not of the essence.


@Susan, congrats on your 5 years at etsy. Mine is coming up next month.

[TailsandSnouts]

I personally like having most of my items already made up. They tend to take up some space, but I figure since I can't guarantee that I'll have time to make them it's better that way. Nor would I want to overwhelm myself with too many made to order items.

[Former_Member]

I've not noticed one being any better than the other.

I have had numerous sales when someone has seen something in my shop and requested that something be made based on that design but with their own flair.

My custom order items can take a few weeks at times to complete and nobody has ever been critical of that at all.

[Former_Member]

Great input- thanks! I've been open a little less than a month, so I'm still figuring it out. I've been trying to keep the Monster Cookie Mugs and Zombie mugs in stock because they are the most popular. Most everything else I have one of, and if that sells then I'll re-list it as a custom order until I have time to get another one made up.

[CopperLeafStudios]

I have a mixture of ready to ship, made to order, and custom items in my shop and they sell equally well. I don't make a huge deal about made to order vs. ready to ship, because I can typically turn around made to order items in 3 days, so it isn't long enough for anyone to really notice the difference. Just be clear about what your timeframe is, and your customers won't be disappointed :)

[Untwistedsister]

Most of what I list is already made but I do offer custom but so much of my things are one of a kind that I don't get that many custom orders.

I like to buy things I can get pretty quickly.

[Former_Member]

Custom orders are popular at my shop. I do have ready to ship items, as well, but I find most people don't mind waiting a little longer for something custom. Because I make toys, some customers like to let their children choose the colors.

[ModernSwitch]

If you don't have something listed, you can't cater to impulse buyers. You want to cater to them, because if they can't buy it now, they will find somewhere else to buy it. In the time it takes you to respond to a custom order listing, they could have already found it elsewhere.

I experimented with offering some made to order items in my shop. Overall, I do think it is working, people understand when they buy the listing it takes 1-2 weeks for me to make. I have only done it with my popular sellers, and I plan to add in more, as I really think it has helped with impulse shoppers. I am going slow in adding them, as I want to make sure I can keep up with demand, so far so good, I probably list about 1 style a week as a set.

Here is an example of what I am talking about.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/93237085/sock-monkey-children-decor-light
http://www.etsy.com/listing/93237032/sock-monkies-children-decor-light-switch
http://www.etsy.com/listing/93236947/sock-monkey-nursery-light-switch-plate

A customer can just pick out which one they want to buy, with out having to convo me and tell me exactly what they want and me setting up another listing for them.

[Former_Member]

Just custom made to order here...baby and kids artwork that is...

[Former_Member]

Mine are all made to order. . .

[Former_Member]

Most of my sales are custom orders mainly because buyers want something in my shop, but want it in a different color or personalized for their child. I think a good mixture is good, based on what you sell.