Commissions quoted with confidence, not courage
Hivara is inventory and production software for custom and made-to-order makers. Quote every commission from a real recipe, check materials before you say yes, and price one-of-a-kind work so the one-of-a-kind hours get paid.
- Free Starter plan
- No credit card
- Cancel anytime
A custom product in Hivara
Product
Custom Made-to-Order Item
SKU CUSTOM-001
Material
Base Material
tracked in each · Supplies
Supplier
Maker Supply Co.
Variations
Size, Color
Track everything that goes into a custom product
From raw materials to finished stock, Hivara keeps custom makers on top of:
- components and supplies
- kit items
- finishing materials
- packaging
A custom product in Hivara
Product
Custom Made-to-Order Item
SKU CUSTOM-001
Material
Base Material
tracked in each · Supplies
Supplier
Maker Supply Co.
Variations
Size, Color
Built around how custom makers actually work
Every quote is a small gamble
Custom work means pricing before making. Recipes with materials, allowances and hours turn the DM's 'how much?' into arithmetic instead of adrenaline.
Scope creep eats the invoice
'Can you make it a bit bigger?' changes the materials and doubles the hours. A recipe-backed quote makes change requests re-quotable in minutes — politely, with numbers.
Materials promised are materials committed
Saying yes to three commissions against one shelf of stock is how deadlines die. Order-time stock checks show what's genuinely available before you commit the calendar.
Deposits, timelines and cash flow
Custom work ties up materials and weeks before payment completes. Deposits priced from real cost — not vibes — keep the queue funded while it's being built.
What a custom made-to-order item really costs
This is the math Hivara does for every product you make — every line from a real bill of materials, updated whenever a supplier price changes.
Custom carries a premium precisely because it can't be batched — the quote should never apologize for that.
Custom Made-to-Order Item
- Base materials
- $6.50
- Customization supplies
- $1.20
- Packaging
- $0.80
- Your time (1.5 hrs @ $15/hr)
- $22.50
A day in Hivara, for custom makers
- 1
Template your common builds
Base recipes for the shapes requests usually take — materials, allowances and hours ready to scale.
- 2
Quote from the recipe
Adjust size, materials and finish on the template; the price falls out with margin intact.
- 3
Reserve and build
The accepted commission draws its materials when work starts — the shelf always reflects what's promised.
- 4
Learn from every job
Actual hours versus quoted hours per job sharpen the next quote — the estimate gap closes with data.
Questions custom makers ask
How do I price custom and commission work?
Estimate materials from a template recipe, add hours at your real rate with a complexity buffer, then a custom premium — typically 20–50% over an equivalent stock item. The premium isn't greed; it's the price of unbatchable work.
Should I take a deposit for custom orders?
Yes — commonly 30–50%, and at minimum your materials cost. A deposit priced from the recipe protects you from cancellations while signaling that custom work is scheduled, professional production.
How do I handle scope changes mid-commission?
Re-quote from the recipe: new size or materials update the math in minutes, and the customer sees a number instead of a mood. 'Let me update the quote' is easier to say when the quote is a document, not a feeling.
How do I manage materials for made-to-order work?
Check stock when quoting, reserve when accepting, draw down when building. The pipeline view — what's promised against what's on hand — is what lets you accept three commissions without lying to one of them.
How do I get better at estimating custom work?
Track quoted hours against actual hours per job. Most makers underestimate by a consistent, personal percentage — once you know yours, the buffer stops being a guess and the quotes stop hurting.
Hivara for other crafts
Guides for custom makers
All guidesRun your custom products business like a business
Know your true cost and profit, track every material, and produce by scan. Start free — no credit card. Or try the free pricing calculator first.