How to offer revisions on a multi-phase Gig

#1

I’m looking to sell things like banners and business cards. I design them, then they’re printed through a service like Vistaprint.

Obviously this requires 2 phases. First, me taking a couple days to design. Then Vistaprint taking a couple weeks to print and ship. How am I supposed to do this? I can’t make revisions after it’s printed and shipped. So, the simple solution is just to make the proof and message the buyer for confirmation to continue. What if they don’t respond? I’m stalled and the clock is ticking. Or, if the buyer decides they want a revision after it’s shipped? Or God forbid they cancel after shipping and they get the banner they want payed out of my pocket? Maybe some of this is factored into the shippable items? Never done something like this so I appreciate any advice.

Thanks

Vistaprint/Print on Demand
#2

Not sure. I would split the gig into two gigs. One for design and the other for production. Otherwise you do face the issue you mention. And in reality, I would probably just do the design, and as part of delivery refer them to production companies to deal with the risks of production.

#3

That would make it easier… but then for the design part I don’t stand out from the bazillion other sellers doing the same thing. I think many people would appreciate having a full circle, since then I get to be the one that works through getting the design uploaded and working and everything.

And, it really wouldn’t be feasible to do a gig that’s just production, since I need to design within pretty tight specifications for the printing and the communication between multiple sellers and the buyer would almost certainly not work out.

I do believe custom offers over $100 have milestones? Something like that would probably be the ideal solution, but I’m still wondering if there’s a way I can make this happen otherwise.

I believe it’s an idea that could catch on, since it’s just making it that much easier for the buyer by removing the extra steps. (Because that’s what people are buying. Convenience. Any of us could sell any of these gigs, it just takes the time to learn.)

#4

I can’t speak for others, but I don’t use Vistaprint and if that’s included by default in your gig then I would not purchase your gig.
Convenience for me means that I can take your design which is in a standard format, send it over to a local printing company and get my cards the next day.

Personally I’m not looking for a seller who has partnered up with a printing company. I’m looking for a designer that has a unique style that fits my needs.Printing is the easy part that I can get from a local company (save on shipping, time etc.).

#5

Yes, I did mention both business cards and banners, but I’m currently focusing on banners. You say “send it over to a printing company.” Will your design actually be printable by them? There are a lot of specific details like size, bleed, resolution, etc that need to be taken into account. If the seller isn’t willing to work with these constraints or does so poorly, the design is fairly useless. I’m designing specifically for these products. I can guarantee they’ll print right and print well, whereas no one else can since there is no “standard format” between various manufacturers. Trust me, getting something to a printable stage can be a headache.

All that aside, even if you wouldn’t purchase it (assuming someone else would) any ideas how I could go about doing this?