Working With Custom Orders

I have a love/ hate relationship with custom orders. Though custom orders are 98% of my business, it's not all sunflowers and oceans. It does get a bit stressful at times but there is a positive side to it all.

Custom orders can set you apart from the competition. One thing that is amazing about most Etsy shops is the customer has a say in what their purchase can look like, feel like, or even smell like. It all depends on what you are selling.

My experience with custom orders is really what keeps my days different from being the same ole thing every single day. The upside of having custom orders is being able to make something special for that person to give to another person. More thought is put into a custom gift rather than purchasing something already pre-made. I get to read stories behind the meaning of why they are requesting this certain phrase or song lyrics or date. Someone could be battling cancer or someone could be having a rough month or someone is about to have their first baby. It's literally always different and I love that side of custom orders. Personalized gifts makes things a little more exciting to know you somehow had a say in the design of the product.

With the upsides, there is always some downsides. Custom orders can never be pre-made. So, with that said, every order has to be made from hand daily. Part of me just wishes I had more pre-made stuff to just package and ship out quickly. Wouldn't that be just so easy? A lot of shops design their, lets say, t-shirts…then they order them…then they sit there until someone orders them…then they package them. That would be cool and all but there are a lot of t-shirts out there and you don't really get a say on what you can put on them. That's just an example, though.

Another downside is the amount of time your customer needs to expect from their custom order to be crafted and the shipping time as well. Some requests ask for their purchase to be delivered to them in 4 days. Well, explaining that shipping could take up to five unless you want to pay more for priority and of course it is first come first served. I go down the list of orders and craft them in the order they were received. It can take me anywhere from 2 to 5 business days to get the order out to them. So it is frustrating not being able to fulfill special requests like being able to have it at their door step the exact same week they ordered it. But sometimes I am just too busy to give special privileges. Also…the character limit can be a bit of a pain. I hate giving "rules" in my descriptions for customers to read and understand character limits. So I let the picture explain the amount of room available for hand stamping requests. I still get those customers who request an entire book on a 1.5 inch by 1 inch dog tag … I kid you not. Sometimes I scratch my head and ask myself 'how do they think I will be able to fit all of that on a dog tag?' So I email them and work with them on a new saying. It takes more work and time but it's part of the job. 

My custom order routine is pretty basic. Everything I have is either sizable or can be hand stamped to whatever they like (if it fits, it stamps). On my Etsy account, just leave your instructions in the Notes to Seller box during check out. For my Main Shop anything that is customizable will have a pop up when you add it to your shopping cart and it'll ask for a personalized phrase or the size of your wrist. I have to make sure to always have my supply order kept up with. This can be a challenge but it becomes a habit.  I have rolls of leather for my anchor bracelets, mason jars full of raw cut aluminum and key rings for key chains, and etc. I have to stay pretty organized at all times to quickly get these orders out. It does take a while to build up your supplies without you feeling like you just dropped $500 for metals, chains and leathers all at once. So I built my collection up slowly and just maintained small bulk orders from time to time. It makes it seem more affordable that way.

That was a little insight on my views on the pros and cons for owning a shop that deals with custom order requests. Feel free to leave your input in the comments :-).

PS: I just updated my logo to something more eye catching. I love the masculinity of a deer head mixed in with the craft side of burlap flag streamers. Let me know what you think!