Depending on where you shop, these terms are sometimes used interchangeably-- but that's not the case for my shop. Custom, customizable, and personalized each describe different things. Two of these services I offer in my shop. One of them I do NOT, not even by custom request. In this article, I'll do my best to highlight the distinctions as they relate to my business.
Personalized items:
To me, the term "personalized" means something with your name on it. (The first personalized thing I ever owned in my life was a wagon that had a tiny red license plate with my name on it.) For the items in my shop, I offer personalization by providing embroidery services to add a name, short phrase, or monogram to an item purchased from my shop. There is an extra cost for this service to cover the extra expense of time & materials.
The personalization option will take the basic item and make it specific to the customer by adding words (in the font and/or embroidery location that you choose) but it doesn’t involve a change to the design of the item. Personalization (embroidery) must be purchased in addition to the item you want to be personalized. (I have not yet figured out how to attach the personalization option at the listing level. For now, you'll need to purchase the item and the embroidery add-on separately.)
You can be involved as much or as little as you are comfortable with-- no worries! Thread color options are available in the drop-down menu of the listing. If you don't feel comfortable choosing for yourself, I am willing to help. I have over 100 font options that I can use to embroider your item. My usual process involves "auditioning" the name, phrase, or monogram in every font available in my software to see which fonts look best depending on the combination of letters in the words. Then I send a screenshot of the best-looking options for customer selection. But sometimes people want me to make all of the decisions for them. Either way is OK.
* PLEASE NOTE: I do not offer embroidery services for anything other than personalizing items purchased from my shop. I do not digitize logos or embroider things other than names, short phrases, or monograms.
Customized items:
I do offer to CUSTOMIZE an order using different fabrics, trims, layouts, etc. To start the process, I need to know exactly what the customer is imagining because it might not be possible to make what someone has in mind. (Some creative ideas cannot be achieved with needle & thread.) I may describe this as "custom planning" but it is not custom-designing from scratch.
The term "customized" means changing the look (color, fabric, trim, etc.) but not the design of the product. I offer most of my products in many different fabric combinations. But sometimes none of the options available are just right for the customer. For example, if owls are your thing, but I have no aprons with owls on them-- you can request a customized apron in the fabrics of your choice. There is a process, and many details will need to be discussed and decided on before ordering. Make sure you’re as specific as you can be because vague requests for handmade items usually don’t end well. The bottom line is that I always want the customer to be happy with their customized purse or apron-- I want to get it just right! That often takes quite a few back-and-forth email conversations to get the details worked out. But it's worth it in the end.
So what is CUSTOM then?
When I think of a truly “custom” product, I think of something I would have to design from scratch, test the pattern, and then sew. Or something that would be tailored to a specific customer's measurements. This type of work involves complicated pattern drafting (design work) or changing an existing pattern substantially. There is a lot of work involved
🚫 I do NOT do custom designing through my website or Etsy shop. I'm sorry but I won't recreate great-grandma's apron from a blurry photo. I may feel bad saying no, but I won't make clothes for an alpaca. (For real, I've been asked!) I definitely will not copy someone else's work. I realize that most people don't know what they're asking, so I will be very polite about it-- but I for sure will be declining the request.
✔️ If you want to change a small detail, that’s different. Add or remove a pocket? Yes! Simple alterations like shortening an apron or raising the armhole on the Pinafore? Yep, I can do that. (Please note that alterations require a small upcharge. Details of the alteration need to be discussed and approved before a listing is made available to purchase the service.) Orders that are altered, personalized or customized take more time and communication, so there’s going to be a premium charged for that service.
PLEASE NOTE: Items that are altered, customized, or personalized are NOT returnable on most platforms. This includes Etsy and probably just about every other website.