An online store for handmade and personalised gifts: names, deadlines and deposits handled before you start.
Personalised gifts are lovely to make and hard to sell through chats. The spelling of a name changes across three messages, the reference photo is buried in the scroll, the buyer needs it 'by Saturday, please', and once you have engraved 'Happy 25th Riya' nobody else can buy it.
A store keeps those details attached to the order, takes money before you start, and states your lead time and returns rule up front — so the conversation is about the gift, not about the logistics.
Personalised orders in DMs vs on a gift store
| Question | Personalised order in a chat | Your gift store |
|---|---|---|
| The name to print | Typed in a chat, sometimes spelt two ways | Written by the buyer on the item and saved with the order |
| Reference photo | Somewhere above forty other messages | Attached to the order item |
| The deadline | 'Can you deliver by Friday?' in every chat | Lead time on the product, and a paid express option at checkout |
| Money before you start | Requested, sometimes skipped | An advance or full payment taken at checkout |
| Returns | Awkward once the name is printed | Personalised items marked final sale; damaged or wrong items still covered |
| Sending to someone else | Two addresses mixed up in a chat | The buyer enters the recipient's address at checkout |
Get your gift shop ready
- Each personalisable item as its own product, with requirement notes and photos switched on
- What buyers must send, written on the product: exact spelling, font choice, photo orientation
- Your lead time per item, and a last-order date before each festival
- A final-sale line for anything printed, engraved or made to a name
- An express delivery option for deadline orders, with its own charge
- Gift packing offered as an option with its own price
- Photos of real finished pieces, with names you have permission to show
What you get
Names and photos on the order
Switch on requirement notes for a product and signed-in buyers add the name, message or a reference photo to the item before checkout. It is saved with the order, not lost in a chat.
Read more: Names and photos on the orderA deposit before you start
Take part of the order online at checkout and the rest on delivery, or switch COD off so personalised pieces are always prepaid.
Read more: A deposit before you startExpress for deadline buyers
Offer a paid express option beside standard delivery, each with its delivery time shown at checkout.
Read more: Express for deadline buyersFinal sale for personalised pieces
Mark printed or engraved products final sale: no change-of-mind returns, while damaged, defective or wrong items can still come back.
Read more: Final sale for personalised piecesThe cards above are live illustrations of the product with sample data, not a real store.
How to take personalised gift orders online
Create a product for each gift
Start from the Gifts & Occasions template, then list each personalisable piece with its base price and add the choices that change the price — size, finish, gift box — as options.
Switch on requirement notes
In the product editor, turn on 'Allow requirement notes & photos' for every item that needs a name, message or reference picture.
Say exactly what you need
In the description, spell out the details you need, the character limit for names, and the photo format that prints well.
Set lead time and capacity
Write the making time on each product and set stock to how many you can finish in the coming week, so you never take more than you can make.
Take money before you start
Connect your gateway and set an advance on COD orders, or switch COD off so every personalised order is paid in full.
Add express and final sale
Turn on express delivery for deadline buyers, and mark personalised products final sale so the returns rule is clear before payment.
Confirm before you make it
When an order arrives, read the note and photo on the order, message the buyer once to confirm spelling, then start.
Questions sellers ask
- How do buyers send the name or photo for a personalised gift?
- Switch on 'Allow requirement notes & photos' for the product. After adding it to the cart, a buyer signed in to your store can write the name or message and upload a reference photo, and you see both on the order.
- Do buyers need to sign in to add a note?
- Yes, notes and photos are for signed-in buyers — one tap with Google today, with phone-number sign-in rolling out. Buyers who are not signed in can send details through the WhatsApp button on the product.
- Can I refuse returns on personalised items?
- Mark them final sale. Buyers cannot return them for a change of mind, but can still return an item that arrived damaged, defective or wrong — which keeps you fair and within the rules buyers expect.
- What if I spell the name wrong?
- Then it is your mistake to put right. Accept the return, and if you offer return pickup you can make it free whenever the error was yours.
- Can buyers choose a delivery date?
- Not with a date picker. Show your making time on the product, offer express for tight deadlines, and agree the date with the buyer when you confirm the details.
- Can a buyer send the gift straight to someone else?
- Yes. They enter the recipient's name and address at checkout, and can add a gift message in the requirement note for you to include.
- Can I offer gift wrapping?
- There is no separate gift-wrap checkbox. Add 'with gift box' as an option on the product with its own price, or list gift packing as a small add-on product.
- How do I handle the festival rush?
- Post a last-order date, set stock to the number you can really finish, and switch products off when you are fully booked. Turn them back on once the rush is over.
- Can I take bulk orders from companies?
- Yes. Approve company buyers for trade prices with minimum quantities, and they can ask you for a quote on larger orders from the same store.