I just finished up a Tiffany Style Lamp for a customer who lives in Scotland. Doing custom work via Etsy has been an eye opener as to a different way of making sales that I have been used to. Doing custom work without ever meeting the customer has been a mixed bag. Communication problems can happen and I have wanted to make darn sure that both parties agreed on what was going to happen. I found that sending glass samples to the customer so they actually see the glass is a very good idea.
Packing and shipping custom work is an eye opener as well. The lady at the post office has gotten to know me on a first name basis and is very helpful as to the best ways to ship items. I am also finding that that spray foam like you use for filling up cracks is great too. I can wrap the items in plastic, put it in the box and then fill the box up with the foam. As long as the glass pieces does not move in the box we are good to go. Insurance and tracking is a must as well. I am not going to do all that work and then have the item broken and have to do the job all over again without the insurance money to pay for it. So far that has not happened, but you can't be too careful.
For the most part doing custom work via on-line has been a great experience. I have enjoyed making friends via facebook with several of my customers and have been able to take pictures so they can see the progress along the way. When they ooh and ah over the photos it make me feel good. I have also posted the photos on my facebook site so my family and friends can see what I am up to. Never want to miss a good opportunity to advertise!!
