PRIVATE ORDERS CREATED THROUGH MESSAGES -- CLIENT CANNOT FIND THIS LISTING

[VKVDesigns]

What's going on with the Private Custom Orders listing tool?  My client cannot get to it, even though I provided the link.   

[NanaLetha]

You might be providing a link only you can access. They should have received an email with link.

[VKVDesigns]

I never received an email.  Even though I published it, the client could not get to it.  Something has changed with it since I last did a Custom Order.  But, it still doesn't work.  I had to make a new listing as a regular, non-private listing.  She hasn't purchased yet, so I'm not sure she can see that one or not, yet. 

[ButterflyFeetDigital]

One thing I've noticed is that custom order private listings are no longer showing up in first place on the front page - maybe too likely someone else will end up buying it. Are you sure the customer isn't just looking for it on the front page? Could be several pages back. 

[MaynardMillinery]

Private custom listings are not ever shown to the public. They are only visible to you and the buyer. No one else.

[TastefulArtisan]

If you created the private listing through a convo the link to it is in the convo stream. When I do one, which I loathe because of the no true photo and the lack of setting location, I reply to the client that the link is above my reply. And then I paste the link again if I've had the opportunity to change the ugly blue box and update the shipping location/profile before they purchase.

Done that way, it will never show up on your storefront. If you set up a public listing and copied an existing listing, I've noticed that when it finally shows up in the store, it's next to the item you copied, not as the newest listing if yours is set to sort that way. Weird. Didn't used to be that way.

I really find that blue box placeholder irritating.

And...doesn't that blue box completely contradict Etsy's own new policy regarding photos showing the actual item or a reasonable facsimile of same?

So many questions, so little answers.

It's always fun to jump out of an airplane without a parachute.

That's how I feel every morning when I sit down to work.

[GlassyFields]

I had issues with private listings years ago and haven't used them since. I just create a regular listing and call it 'Reserved for ...'. I copy and paste the link and send it to the buyer. 

I've never had anyone try to purchase someone else's listing. Some do get a surprising number of views. So, I like to think that these serve to let buyers know I do custom orders. If someone other than the buyer did purchase a custom listing, I'd offer to do a custom order for them.

I am wondering about the new photo requirements will impact my custom listings. They are for something that doesn't exist at the time of the sale so I can't take a photo of it. I've been using similar photos or a placeholder that says Reserved Listing. I won't be surprised to see these to cause problems under the new photo guidelines. Not trying to use the Private listing again will fix that ... will have to see how this all rolls out ... or unravels.

[ButterflyFeetDigital]

Okay, this is what I have always done as well. 

[MaynardMillinery]

Your buyer will have received a link to it from Etsy, direct to their email, and their will also be a link to it in your message thread on Etsy.