Millions of buyers flock to Etsy to request custom orders for t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other items. Many people also order Etsy personalized gifts because they’re much more meaningful than the ready-made items they can easily buy in retail stores.
Strategic Etsy sellers know that people want personalized products, so they promote customized items on Etsy to get unique requests from shoppers and ramp up their sales.
Like all Etsy sellers, you can benefit from letting buyers request an Etsy custom order by adding custom listings to your store. These listings are also known as private listings or custom orders.
As an Etsy seller, you stand to benefit from custom requests. You can foster loyalty by offering buyers personalization. With customer loyalty comes repeat orders and, therefore, increased sales.
Do you want to know how to create Etsy custom orders for your store? I can help you.
I created this article to discuss how you can add a private listing to your Etsy store. I will also provide tips to help you maximize your private listings.
How To Enable Custom Order Requests on Etsy
Here’s how to enable custom ordering on Etsy.
1 – Sign in to your Etsy seller account.
2 – Click Shop Manager (beside the Your account icon).
3 – Click Settings.
4 – Click Options.
5 – In the Options tab, click Enabled “Request Custom Order” button will appear on your shop under the Custom order requests box.
6 – Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Save after you select Enabled “Request Custom Order” button will appear on your shop.
Go to your shop’s homepage once you select Save, and you’ll see Request Custom Order under Shop Options.
Buyers can send you messages to request a personalized order. You can find these messages in your Custom Requests folder.
Whenever buyers send you personalization requests, you’ll see a Make this a custom order button on the right-hand side of the Dashboard. This button allows you to create custom listings on your Etsy store.
The button for custom order requests only appears when customers send the initial custom item request. The button will not reappear if a customer messages you regarding the same order.
You can now add a custom listing to your Etsy shop whenever you want. Now it’s time to start building or creating an Etsy private listing.
How To Create a Custom Listing for Your Etsy Shop
Here’s how to create private listings on Etsy.
1 – Go to your shop’s page and head to your inbox. Open the message from the buyer.
2 – Click the Make this a custom order button. If you don’t see it, you may not have enabled it or are dealing with an existing buyer.
3 – Click Build the custom order.
4 – Fill in the necessary information like any other regular listing.
- Listing title
- Item details
- Processing time
- Category
- Different sizes available
- Photos
- Shop policies
- and more
5 – Review the information you entered to ensure accuracy.
6 – Click Publish
The purchase link will appear in the chat window for your buyer to click and see the private listing. That’s how you create a private listing on Etsy.
When you create a private listing, Etsy sends the buyer a notification email with a button for purchasing their custom item.
Etsy will also charge you a small fee for a private listing once you’ve sold the item.
Only the specific buyer you shared the link with can see the Etsy private listing.
You need Etsy SEO for regular public listings but not for private listings. You don’t need to worry about doing keyword research and adding keywords to a private listing.
Here’s how to access private listings.
1 – Go to Shop Manager.
2 – Click Listings. You’ll see all your private listings.
Other buyers can also request custom orders from an existing listing in your Etsy shop.
You can reserve an existing listing page for any buyer. Edit the listing title and add text like “Reserved for [customer’s name].”
Some customers may not want their names to appear in your shop. In such cases, you can ask the customer for a term or descriptor you can use.
You can also include an image to show you reserved the listing for a particular buyer.
Images To Upload On Custom Order Requests
Custom listings are personalized items you create and sell to specific buyers. These items don’t exist in your shop.
As such, you may not have an image showing the product. Etsy also doesn’t allow you to upload a photo until you finish the custom design.
When you edit the Request Custom Order link, the customer could have already made the purchase. As such, you must edit the link as soon as possible. Alternatively, you can publish a new listing and send the link to your customer.
Communicate Properly and Promptly With Customers
You sell and offer custom items to increase sales, but you won’t achieve that overnight. You must communicate properly with potential buyers to succeed like other Etsy sellers.
Listen carefully to your customer’s requirements and clarify information. Doing so helps you create the item according to the customer’s exact specifications.
Timely replies increase engagement rates. Streamline your communication process by saving snippets in your messages.
Here’s how.
1 – Go to Messages.
2 – Click Compose.
3 – Click All Saved Replies.
3 – Etsy has a message template for Custom orders that you can send to potential customers. Under Custom Orders, click the pencil icon on the right of Custom order request to edit the message and make it unique to your shop.
Address all these essential details when communicating with customers.
- The item’s price
- Any amount customers need to pay upfront
- Payment timeframe
- Order creation timeframe
- Delivery timeframe
Immediately handling concerns and issues makes the Etsy custom order process much smoother for you and your customer.
Create a Public Listing for Trending Custom Orders
You’ll see some orders turn into lucrative ideas when you’ve created and sold many customized orders.
Don’t hesitate to create public listings on Etsy for your best-selling custom orders. Doing so will allow even more customers to see your items in search results and hopefully make a purchase, driving organic traffic and sales to your store.
The Bottom Line
Hopefully, my article made creating private or custom listings easier for you.
Don’t hesitate to start your path to success on Etsy today. Follow the tips I outlined in my article, and you’ll make a sale quickly.
However, remember that promoting custom orders isn’t the only strategy for success on Etsy. You must also learn other ways to make money on Etsy to succeed on the platform.
