Sell customized or personalized digital products

Some digital products can’t be prepared in advance: a name added to a print, a custom illustration, a document filled in per client. Mark those as a Custom product and Filemonk holds the order until you upload that buyer’s file, then emails them when it’s ready.

Before you begin

• Custom products are on paid plans. The app offers an upgrade when you pick the option. See Filemonk pricing and plans.
• You handle each order by hand, so this suits low volume or made-to-order work rather than high-volume catalogues.
• Decide how you will collect the customer’s details, usually a line item property or a form on the product page. Filemonk delivers the file; Shopify collects the personalization.

What customers will see

The customer checks out normally. Instead of an immediate download, they see your “not ready yet” message on the download page, telling them the file is being prepared. When you upload their file and send the email, they get a download link like any other buyer.

Set it up

Mark the product as custom

1. Click Filemonk in the left menu of your Shopify admin.

2. Click Digital products in the app’s menu and start a new digital product, or open an existing one.

3. Work through Product and Variants as usual.

4. On the Content type step, choose Custom product instead of Downloadable files.

   

5. Click Continue. A Custom product card sums up what happens next: you get an order notification, you upload that buyer’s files on the order, then you email them.

6. Click Complete setup.

From now on, buying this product creates an order that waits for you. In the Digital products list, its Connected variants column reads All variants (Custom product).

To change a product that is already set up, open it, click Edit files on the variant card, then click Change beside Content type.

Deliver each order

1. When an order comes in, click Orders in the app’s menu and open it. The list marks it Files uploaded for custom products once you have added something.

2. Find the Custom files card on the order and add that buyer’s content with one of its four buttons:

   1. Upload files, to upload what you prepared from your computer.
   2. Add from library, to pick something already in your content library.
   3. Create from link, to point at a file hosted elsewhere.
   4. Assign licence key, to give them a key instead of a file.

   

3. Click Send email in the top right of the order to send the customer their download email.

Custom files needs a paid plan. On the Start plan the card shows an upgrade prompt instead.

Check your setup

Place a test order for the custom product. It should appear under Orders without a download link, and the download page should show your waiting message rather than files. Then upload a file against it and confirm the email arrives. See Create a test order.

Troubleshooting

The customer got an empty download page and no explanation

The “not ready” message on the download page is yours to write. Set it in the download page editor so buyers know their file is coming rather than assuming it failed. See Customize the download page.

Custom product isn't offered on the Content type step

It is a paid feature. The app shows an upgrade prompt in place of the option on plans that don’t include it.

The customer was emailed before I uploaded anything

The product is still set to Downloadable files, so Filemonk delivered whatever was linked immediately. Change the content type to Custom product, then handle that order by hand.

I uploaded the file but the customer heard nothing

Uploading and emailing are separate actions. The customer is not told automatically. Send the email from the order once the file is attached.

FAQ

How do I know what to make for each customer?

From the order itself. Whatever the customer entered on your product page or at checkout travels with the Shopify order, so open the order to see their details, then prepare the file.

Can one product have both ready-made and custom files?

The content type is set per product and variant, so a single variant is one or the other. To sell both, use separate variants or separate products.

Can I reuse a file across several custom orders?

Yes. Nothing stops you uploading the same file against more than one order, which is useful when several buyers want the same variation.

Do download limits apply to custom products?

Yes. Once you deliver the file, it behaves like any other download, including limits and expiry. See Limit the number of downloads per order.

What if the customer wants a revision?

Upload the corrected file against the same order and send the email again. They get a fresh link to the new file.

Related guides

• Create a digital product, for the full product setup flow.
• Manage your digital orders, where custom orders are delivered.
• Customize the download page, to write the waiting message customers see.