Online selling
Confirm the details of a custom order
Write down every choice the buyer made, repeat it back to them and get clear approval before you start. Put the exact text, dimensions and materials in one place. Personalized items are hard to resell, so a mistake is costly to both sides.
A text to start with
I'm making a custom [item]. The buyer chose: [option, color, material, size]. The personalization text is: [exact text, spelling and punctuation as given]. Requested dimensions: [values and units]. Build a confirmation summary I can send for approval. List anything still undecided, state what the buyer must approve and say what has to happen before production begins: [my condition].
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Custom order confirmation
Order or conversation reference: [ ] Item: [ ] Option selected: [ ] Color, material and finish: [ ] Personalization text, exactly as the buyer wrote it: [ ] Source of that text, message or form: [ ] Spelling confirmed by buyer: [ ] Font or placement, if chosen: [ ] Dimensions and unit: [ ] Options still undecided: [ ] Assumptions I made that need confirming: [ ] Summary sent on: [ ] Buyer's approval, quoted: [ ] Changes requested after approval: [ ] Condition that must be met before production starts: [ ] Production started on: [ ]
Spelling, changes and assumptions
Compare the personalization text with the buyer's original message character by character, including capitalization, punctuation and spacing. Names and dates are where errors cost the most. Check that any change after approval is recorded with the buyer's agreement, since a casual follow-up message can quietly alter the order. Look for materials, finishes or sizes you assumed instead of confirmed. Verify the unit on every dimension. If the summary leaves an option open, mark it undecided rather than choosing for the buyer.
Ask another agent to check the result
Compare the personalization text in this summary with the buyer's original message and flag any spelling, punctuation or spacing difference. Identify changes the buyer has not approved and any material, size or finish I assumed instead of confirmed.
Get approval in writing
Send the summary and wait for the buyer to confirm it as written. Keep their reply with the order record. If they want changes, update the summary and ask for approval again before starting. Begin production only when the condition you listed has been met.