Quoting With Confidence

A buyer asks for something made just for them. It is a compliment and an opportunity, and it is also the moment many sellers quote far too low because they are pleased to be asked. A custom piece is not a listing with a new label on it. It is your time, your ideas and your planning, so it deserves a price that reflects all three.

Start from your normal price

Take the price of the closest thing you already sell and treat it as the floor, never the answer. A custom request almost always asks for more than a standard item: a particular outfit, a longer wear, a name written in, a set taken at a certain time of day. Each of those adds to the work.

Count the time honestly

Write down every step, from planning and setting up to shooting, editing and sending. Most sellers are surprised by the total. If a standard set takes an hour and this one will take three, the price should show that, not quietly absorb it.

Add for the things only you can give

Some requests ask for something you would not normally offer, or something that only works because it is you. That has value beyond the hours. A small premium for genuinely bespoke work is normal, and serious buyers expect it.

Say the price once, plainly

Give one figure, say what it includes and when it will be ready. Avoid long explanations or apologies, which invite haggling. A clear quote reads as professional, and a buyer who wants the piece will usually accept it.

Take payment before you start

Custom work cannot be resold to anyone else, so ask for payment up front. It protects your time and filters out the buyers who were only ever browsing. Anyone serious understands why.

Keep a note of what you charged

Record each custom price and how long the work really took. After a few requests you will have your own price list, and quoting becomes quick, calm and consistent.