Designers Questions...Answered

Do you ever do custom orders for your buyers? Such as, you will let a buyer pick out the fabric, design style, etc? Why or why not? Do you usually charge more for these types of sets, or the going rate that your other sets sell for? Would you let a buyer mail you fabric to use, and if so do you take a certain amount off the cost of the set?

The designers in our eBay group said yes, they do take custom orders when time permits. They also need to have enough fabric to do a custom set. Some of the designers have had fabric sent to them, and that is fine too. When figuring the cost of the set, they will take off the amount spent on fabric. This question got the designers talking about how much they quote, and how hard it is to quote pricing on custom sets. Many of the designers in the group would like to be informed by the buyer of how much they are wanting to spend. That way the designer knows your budget beforehand. Then they can come back to you and say, yes, I can make something in that range, or no, I can't. If you have a set design in your head, and you are not willing to compromise anything about the design, it is best to ask the designer for a price. If, let's say, you are open to any design ideas...lets say you want an appliqued pair of overalls with puppies, but you can leave all the details to the designer, then you can tell them your price range since it is not as specific. I hope all this makes sense, LOL! And, from what I am reading in the group, many of the designers have trouble with how many customs they are taking on. They really don't like to turn down the business, even if they have a list of orders to fill. Be sure if you are asking for a custom to say it is completely okay if you need to pass it up :)

This one was posted for the buyers, but I will discuss it here:

What is your consensus on groups overall? Should a designer be in one or not be in one?

This one was kind of split. Some of our buyers don't always search by groups, so in that case it wouldn't matter to them. Most of us search by well known groups, because there are so many and there is only a handful we can even remember to search! Basically, if you are already an established designer with a good emailing list, and get repeat business from your clients, then a group may not effect your sales. If you are a new designer, we think it is more important to be in a group so you can have a searchable term in your auctions, and have the help of more experienced ladies in your field.