ISO custom-makers of Inverness capes

[Todd Bradshaw]

At some point, I think you have to get real, and no amount of bold, capitalized or italic text changes that fact. The vast majority of those who make custom, one-off products are small businesses. I spent thirty five years building fancy custom sails for boats as such a business and there is unfortunately no way I could have done it without being promptly paid in full when the job was done and the goods were delivered. I have to pay my suppliers for the materials I use, in full and within about 30 days. If I'm lucky, I can get the project done, delivered and paid for within that window. Otherwise, that money comes straight out of my bank account until the customer gets around to paying for the product. When I go to the grocery store, I have to pay on the spot for the food I am buying, so prompt payment for the work that I have done is a priority.

In some cases, this might also require a fairly substantial pre-production deposit to make sure that the customer was actually serious about the job before any materials were purchased or any work begun. This is how you protect yourself as much as you can when you are in a custom shop, bespoke goods situation, like it or not. The fact that you want a custom-built garment is great, but asking the tailor to finance the project is in most cases likely to be a deal-breaker and something that a small custom shop just can't afford to do.

Paying with a credit card might be one way to handle the financial part, where the garment maker gets prompt payment for his or her work and you can make payments as you see fit to the credit card company. Another option would be to make payments to yourself, saving the money until you have enough to order and pay for the cape, but asking the tailor to build a custom garment and finance it until you can pay for it is not very realistic.