How to Commission Custom Wooden Figurines for Your Shop

To commission custom wooden figurines for your shop, send an enquiry with a photograph or reference image, agree the design and quote, approve a sample, then move to production. Sampling takes about 15 days and carries a sample fee, and bulk production takes about 30 days from sample approval. Minimums and pricing are agreed privately, based on the design and quantity.

What can be customised?

Custom work covers four broad things. The first is an exclusive animal or shape, designed around a photograph or reference image you send. The second is a change of colouring on an existing style, so a piece from the collection can be finished in colours that suit your shop, season or brand. The third is a laser-engraved base, with a name, date, short phrase or your brand name. The fourth is a small exclusive series made for one shop or site.

All of this is hand-carved and hand-painted decorative work, not toys. A figure designed for you looks like a considered object, not a generic souvenir, which is why independent gift shops, museum shops, pet businesses and garden centres ask about it.

Custom orders on our custom page are for shops, organisations and brands ordering in quantity. If you only want a single personalised piece for yourself, that is better handled through a standard engraved piece from the collection.

Can you commission a figure from a photograph?

Yes. A customer's photograph or reference image is a normal starting point. It might be a breed of dog your customers love, a cat from a local rescue, a bird common to your area or a mascot for your attraction. Send the clearest images you have, from more than one angle if possible, and tell us what matters most: the colouring, the pose or a particular marking.

We talk through the design with you before anything is made. That conversation is where the shape, size, colours and any engraving are agreed. It is also where we tell you honestly what a hand-carved piece can and cannot capture, so that the sample does not surprise you.

If you do not have photographs, a sketch or description works too. Reference images simply make the process quicker.

What are the steps, and how long does each take?

The process has six stages. You send an enquiry and your references. We confirm the design and send a quote. We make a sample, which takes about 15 days and carries a sample fee. You approve the sample, or tell us what to adjust. Bulk production then takes about 30 days, counted from your sample approval. Finally, we confirm delivery arrangements with you when the order is ready.

The two timings are separate. The 15 days for sampling and the 30 days for production are not counted together from your first message, because the time you take to approve the sample is yours to decide. If you have a deadline, such as a season, an opening or an event, tell us at the start.

We do not give a total delivery time on this page, because it depends on how quickly designs and samples are agreed.

• Enquiry and references
• Design and quote
• Sample: about 15 days, with a sample fee
• Sample approval
• Production: about 30 days from approval
• Delivery arrangements confirmed when the order is ready

What kinds of custom projects make sense for a shop?

The strongest projects have a clear reason to exist. A visitor shop might commission an animal linked to its site or collection. A pet business might ask for breed figures with the pet's name on the base. A garden centre might choose a bird in seasonal colours, and an online shop might want a design that no other seller has.

Smaller projects work too. Changing the colouring on an existing piece, or adding your brand name to an engravable base, is a lighter way to test an idea before you commit to a new design. Both are worth raising in your enquiry, because they tell us how far you want to go.

Whatever the project, keep it focused. One or two well-chosen designs usually sell better than a long list, and they are easier to sample, approve and display.

What do minimums and pricing look like?

Minimums and pricing are agreed privately, based on the design and quantity. They are not published, because a simple change of colour on an existing piece is a very different job from a new figure designed from scratch. The sample fee is also agreed privately, before the sample is made.

To get a useful answer quickly, tell us roughly how many pieces you have in mind, how many different designs or colours you want and whether you need engraving. A realistic range is more helpful than an exact figure.

Our standard wholesale terms for in-stock pieces are separate. They are a minimum first order of £150, free UK delivery over £300 and in-stock orders dispatched within 3 days. Custom orders follow their own terms, which we confirm when we quote.

How should you prepare before you enquire?

A little preparation makes the first reply far more useful. Gather the reference images, decide on the animal or animals and note any colours, wording or logos you want. If you are engraving, write the exact text, and check the spelling.

Think about where the pieces will be sold. A museum shop might want one design tied to a collection, a garden centre might want a bird in seasonal colours and a pet business might want breed figures with a name on the base. Knowing the setting helps us suggest a size and finish.

Finally, decide how many people will approve the sample. If a manager or a committee needs to sign it off, say so at the start so the timing is realistic.

How do you start?

Use the enquiry form on the custom page. Tell us who you are, what you would like made, roughly how many and by when. If you have reference images, you can send them by replying to our first email, because the form itself does not take uploads.

If you would first like to see the existing range, browse the collection, or read about our standard terms on the wholesale page. Our guide to selling personalised and engraved gifts in store is a useful companion if engraving is part of your plan.

Frequently asked questions