How to Sell on a Pre-Order Basis
Last update: 21/06/2025
When you launch yourself as a fashion producer, developing a collection and nailing every design detail is only part of the job. Today’s topic leans more toward entrepreneurship: how to distribute your production when you’re just starting out.
Not everyone has the capital to finance a full-scale manufacturing run—and even if you do, the investment can feel risky. Selling on a pre-order (made-to-order) basis is an excellent alternative. The idea is simple: you present a product catalogue and ask the buyer—whether an individual or a reseller—to fill out an order sheet specifying how many units, which sizes, and which styles they want.
Early in my career, I used this method, and at first, everything went smoothly. Then my customers realized they could request any style in any size and print they fancied, and they got creative: images flooded in for products that had nothing to do with my line. I had left the term pre-order far too open, and they assumed I would manufacture whatever they asked for—very different from my intent.
Lesson learned: I designed a proper order sheet. It featured a grid with a photo and code for every style, each print option, the sizes available, and a box for the quantity the client desired. Customers could now select exactly what they wanted to buy. I committed to a written delivery date, calculated the budget with precision, and set out a payment schedule—also in writing.
The results were night and day better. Communication improved on both sides, my operation looked far more professional, and I could move forward—even though I was still a fledgling designer managing my own brand.
When you leave all the choices to the client’s imagination, confusion reigns, and both parties suffer. You, the maker, must spell out the product clearly—because you know it best. Working this way also keeps budgets lean: you need only the prototypes required for catalogue images and the order sheet, so with a minimum of samples, you can start selling. Of course, you must meet the delivery dates once the order comes in; the client is counting on those pieces.
Starting out in fashion as both a designer and entrepreneur calls for multiple strategies to keep each step meshing smoothly. With solid organization and clear communication, it is possible. I hope these insights prove useful to anyone in the early stages of the journey.
Ileana Hernández
Fashion designer, educator and founder of "Anaely Academia", where she guides entrepreneurs with her DPE methodology—Design, Production & Entrepreneurship—helping them create, produce and launch their own fashion brands.
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