Made to order and files to download

Some things you make for one customer: an engraved gift, a custom cake, a portrait, a song, a garden plan. Your online store can ask them what you need to know before they pay, tell them when it'll be ready, let them approve a proof, and send them the finished files to download.

Ask questions before they buy

1. Open Lists › Products and pick the product.
2. Under Questions for the customer, click Add question.
3. Write the question, like "Name to engrave", and pick the Answer type: Short, Long, Choice (type the choices separated by commas) or Date.
4. Turn on Required if they must answer. For short and long answers you can set the Longest answer: "4,000 letters" is room for song lyrics or a letter.

The questions show on the product's page, above Add to cart. Their answers are in the order on your Store screen and in your "New order" email. Long answers have a Copy button.

Offer more choices and extras

• More choices is for something else they pick, like a style or a color, on top of the first choices (like a size). Each choice can cost more: type the extra cost, like 5.00.
• Extras are things they tick to add, like gift wrap or rush delivery. Give each one its cost.

The price on the product's page adds up what they pick, and the cart lists it.

Say how long it takes

Set Made to order to how many days you need. The product's page says "Made to order: ready in 3 days", and each order shows the day it's due on your Store screen (in red once it's late).

For rush delivery, add an extra like "Ready in 1 day" with its cost, and set its Makes it ready in to 1 day. Orders with it are due sooner.

Send files to download

Set How customers get it to Files to download. Then either:

• Upload the files now under Files sent when they pay, for things that are the same for everyone, like a printable planner. Customers get a download link right after they pay.
• Leave it empty for things you make for each customer. You send their files from the order when they're ready.

Files can be up to 500 MB each, so videos are fine. We keep them on our servers, not on your site.

Send a proof, then the finished files

Open the order on your Store screen. Under Making it:

1. Click Start making it if you want the order marked In progress.
2. Click Send a proof, upload a preview (a short clip, a draft, a low-resolution picture) and add a note. The customer gets an email with a link to their order page, where they can listen, watch or look, and then Approve it or Ask for a change. You get an email either way, and the order shows Approved, or their change and In progress again.
3. When it's finished, click Send the finished files, upload them and add a note. The order is Delivered, and the customer gets an email to download them. Downloads work for 90 days.

Write to the customer sends them a message about their order at any time. They can answer on their order page or by replying to the email.

The customer's order page

Every order with questions, a due date or files has its own page on your site, linked from each email. It shows what they told you, when it's due, the proof, their files and your messages. Only someone with the link can see it. To share it again, open the order and click Copy the link.