Open custom orders
Active custom orders sorted by ship-by date, with deposit and materials notes.
Templates · Order and invoice tracking
Order tracker template for Etsy and handmade sellers
Custom and wholesale orders don't fit the standard Etsy receipt view: there's a deposit, materials you bought specifically for the piece, a ship-by date the buyer is counting on, and orders coming from Etsy, your own site, and a craft fair all at once. This template gives handmade sellers one manual list to record each custom and wholesale order with its deposit, materials line, ship-by date, and paid/shipped status.
The problem
Why custom orders are hard to track
A custom piece has a deposit up front, materials bought mid-build, and a balance on completion — across multiple sales channels. The default marketplace order list doesn't capture any of that.
- A custom order took a 50% deposit but the balance-due isn't tracked anywhere.
- You bought yarn or beads specifically for one order and lost track of which order.
- A buyer's ship-by date is looming and you're not sure what stage it's at.
- Orders come from Etsy, your Shopify, and a market, so there's no single list.
- You can't tell paid-but-not-shipped from shipped-and-done across channels.
The workflow
Record each order from quote to shipped
Create one record per custom or wholesale order and move it through deposit, materials, and shipping in one place. Entry is manual — there's no marketplace sync.
- 1
Open the order record
When an order is confirmed, record the order number, buyer, channel (Etsy, own site, market), amount, and ship-by date.
- 2
Log the deposit
Record the deposit amount and date, and mark the balance still due.
- 3
Note materials bought for it
Record a materials cost line for supplies bought specifically for that order, and attach the supply receipt.
- 4
Update paid/shipped status
Mark the order paid when the balance clears and shipped once it's dispatched.
- 5
Attach confirmation and label
Attach the order confirmation and the shipping label so the full order history is in one record.
Record structure
What to record for each order
These fields cover what a marketplace receipt leaves out: deposits, dedicated materials, and cross-channel status.
- Order number
- Your own order reference, e.g. 2026-CUSTOM-018, consistent across channels.
- Buyer
- The customer, kept as a record so repeat and wholesale buyers are tracked.
- Channel
- Where the order came from: Etsy, your own site, a market, or wholesale.
- Deposit
- Deposit amount and date, with the balance noted as still due.
- Materials cost line
- Cost of supplies bought specifically for this order, with the receipt attached.
- Ship-by date
- The date the buyer expects dispatch, so you can sort by urgency.
- Amount
- The total order value and currency.
- Paid / shipped status
- Paid-pending-ship, shipped, or fully complete.
- Confirmation and label
- The order confirmation and shipping label attached to the record.
Example setup
An example folder setup
One way to keep custom and wholesale orders organized in your workspace.
Wholesale orders
Larger B2B orders with their own deposit and balance terms.
Order materials receipts
Receipts for supplies bought per order, attached to their order records.
Shipped and paid
Completed orders moved here so the open list stays clean.
Common mistakes
Mistakes to avoid
- Relying on the marketplace order list for custom work it wasn't built to track.
- Not recording which materials were bought for which order.
- Forgetting to flag the balance due after a deposit.
- Letting Etsy, own-site, and market orders live in three separate places.
- Marking an order shipped without noting whether the balance was paid.
How it helps
How Cash Workspace helps
One cross-channel order list
Record orders from every channel in one manual list so nothing depends on a single marketplace view.
Deposit and materials together
Keep the deposit, the balance, and the order's materials line on one record.
Receipts and labels attached
Attach supply receipts, the order confirmation, and the shipping label to each order.
Related
Related templates and workflows
Wholesale order tracker
Track B2B order deposits and balances.
Ecommerce expense tracker
Organize seller costs and supply receipts.
Handmade seller finance organizer
Organize the wider finances of a handmade shop.
Receipt organizer
Keep supply and shipping receipts filed and findable.
All finance workflows
Browse the full Cash Workspace workflow library.
FAQ
Handmade order tracking FAQ
- Does this sync with my Etsy or Shopify orders?
- No. Entry is manual by design, so you can record custom and wholesale orders from any channel in one place. Cash Workspace does not connect to or pull from any marketplace.
- How do I track materials I bought for one order?
- Record a materials cost line on that order's record and attach the supply receipt, so the cost of supplies bought specifically for a piece stays linked to it.
- Can I track the deposit and balance on a custom order?
- Yes. Record the deposit amount and date, note the balance still due, and update the status to paid once it clears, so the full payment picture is on one record.
Organizing help — not tax, accounting, or legal guidance
Cash Workspace is a free workspace for organizing invoices, expenses, receipts, clients, and documents. This page is organizing guidance only — not tax, accounting, legal, or bookkeeping guidance. Cash Workspace does not connect to your bank, does not scan or read your receipts for you, and does not move or collect payments. Whether an expense is deductible depends on your situation, so confirm it with a qualified accountant or tax professional.
Keep every custom order in one list
Start a free workspace and record each custom and wholesale order with its deposit, materials, ship-by date, and status so nothing depends on a single marketplace view.