A No-Sales-Pitch Read
What to Expect When You Work With Us
Every project we’ve ever done benefits when the client knows exactly how this works before we start. So here it is — the realities, the deposits, the deadlines we hold, and the things we’ll need from you. Same limits exist at our competitors. They just don’t tell you.
This guide is here so you know what you’re getting into, how the toy industry actually works, and how we can help you best. If anything seems shocking, just ask. You’ll find the same constraints at every plush manufacturer — the only difference is whether you’re told upfront.
The most important thing to know: we do all of the work. What we need from you is your approval at each step so we stay on the right track.
You Get a Ballpark Quote
Your ballpark quote is an approximation, not an exact contract price. For 90% of our clients, the ballpark lands within 0–10% of the final price.
Nobody in the toy industry can give an exact quote without making a sample. Giving us more information up front won’t change that — the sample is what locks in the number.
Most accurate
- •Toys in the 5″–14″ range
- •Quantities under 5,000 pieces
Less accurate
- •Very simple toys (e.g., a ball)
- •Very large toys (24″×16″×15″ and up)
Not because we can’t do them — we just have a smaller database to compare against at those extremes.
Examples of why a final price could shift: you got quoted for a 7″ medium toy and your design is actually very chunky (round) at 7″. Or, you requested a quote at 7″ but the design details are only possible at 12″.
If you have a hard budget, tell us. We can design within a target price (within reason) by adjusting size or simplifying details.
A note on competitors who “guarantee” an exact price upfront
If a competitor promises an exact price before a sample exists, they’re either guessing or planning to cut corners later when they realize they under-quoted. There’s no third option.
You Place a $500 Prototype Deposit
We call this an investment in your idea because the $500 is 100% credited toward your production invoice. You don’t lose it — it just moves with your project.
The deposit includes everything in our Basic Startup package. 90% of clients sail through this stage with $0 in extra fees. You can add books, sound, plastic figurines, or a wearable mascot — those would be separate deposits, also 100% credited toward the production of those items.
What we do
- Assign a project manager who contacts you in 1–2 business days
- Update you weekly at minimum — even when we’re waiting on something
- Reach your PM anytime — email, call, or post to your member page
- Tap our 30 years of factory and supplier relationships on your behalf
What we’ll need from you
- Quick approvals at each step (this is the rate-limiting step)
- Specific feedback — “eyes 20% bigger,” not “cuter”
- Deliberate change requests — each one can add weeks
- Be nice to your PM. They get things done for you.
Important: your prototype won’t be “perfect”
The prototype exists to lock in the design and the exact price — not to be the final retail product. So expect:
- ×No sew-in label
- ×No hangtag
- ×No safety testing — do not give to a child (testing happens during production runs of 300+)
- ×Likely a feature or two you’ll want adjusted
When you spot changes, we show them on a digital photo-edit (included in your Service Level). The perfect sample comes during production, before the full run starts.
Where we hold the line (and why)
Our system has been refined over decades. When we’ve adjusted it to fit a single client’s preferences, it’s ended badly — for them and for us. So three things we don’t bend on:
We don’t go “until you’re happy”
Your Service Level includes a defined number of changes — enough for 98% of clients. Some clients are never finished iterating, and that’s a cost we can’t absorb at this price point.
We don’t make the prototype “perfect”
A prototype’s job is to confirm design and exact price. The perfect sample shows up later, in production. We’ll get your 100% approval before any full production run.
We don’t restructure our process per project
Our system is what lets you tap thousands of dollars of expertise for a small fee. Custom workflows have always cost everyone more — in time, money, and headaches.
We Quote an Exact Price
When the prototype is complete (or near it), we can give you exact pricing at multiple quantity options. If you need a lower price than what comes back, the only meaningful levers are:
Significantly reduce size
Example: 12″ reduced to 7″. Small detail tweaks won’t move the price meaningfully.
Significantly increase quantity
Example: 1,200 pieces up to 6,000. Volume discounts are real, but they need real volume.
You Place a Production Order
Once you’re happy with pricing and quantity, we write up a Letter of Agreement (LOA) — a plain-English sales contract that locks in quantity, price, deposit, and what happens next.
Final payment is due when we ship. The $500 prototype deposit you already paid is credited off your final invoice.
The 100% approval rule
Before we cut a single piece of fabric for the full run, we make a production sample with your real materials, your real labels, your real artwork — and ship it to you for approval. This may be your first time seeing the actual production materials. (At times, labels are completed earlier and approved digitally.)
If it’s not 100% right, we document changes, do photo-edits, get your approval, and make a new sample. We cannot start production with “okay, start, but change this one thing” — even small changes ripple through the whole toy. We hold this line because we get a lot of calls from people whose toys arrived wrong from another manufacturer, and fixing that after the fact is too expensive for anyone.
A word on materials
For most production runs under 10,000 pieces, we source from existing materials available in the market. This is normal for the plush toy industry. At higher quantities, we can custom-make materials specifically for your project. 90% of clients are thrilled with the first materials we present. If material specifics matter to you, ask us early — it’s a deeper conversation.
When “nothing’s happening,” we’re working
There may be weeks where it feels like nothing is moving. Behind the scenes we’re ordering and shipping in materials, printing sew-in labels and hangtags, printing plastic bags, and running safety tests. Your weekly update may simply be: “Materials inbound, no client action required.” That’s a feature, not a delay.
Specific feedback wins
When you do have changes, the more specific the better. “Make it cuter” is opinion. “Eyes 20% bigger; ears half an inch lower” is direction. Everything on a plush toy is connected — changing one feature can shift other proportions, sometimes to the point you want to undo the change. So make changes deliberately.
You Accept Delivery
When your toys arrive, count all the boxes before signing the delivery waybill. Signing means you’ve received the correct quantity in good condition. (For more on how bulk shipping works in our industry, see How Shipping Works.)
Common carriers don’t deliver door-to-door like UPS. They typically deliver to a business address, Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm. We can arrange residential delivery — we do it often — but it’s not as smooth. The cleanest options are shipping to a business location or having someone responsible at home for the delivery window.
About defects
As you sell, you may find a defective toy. This is normal. Your LOA states up front that the industry-standard defect rate is up to 1–3%.
Stated in your LOA. Direct-from-factory product hasn’t been pre-screened by wholesalers and retailers the way retail-floor product has.
Most production runs come in well under the industry standard.
If something more serious goes wrong, don’t panic. There’s no 30-day window where you have to inspect every piece. Just set aside any defective product, send us photos, keep us posted on quantities, and we’ll work with you to replace, credit, or repair anything beyond the 3% rate. This rarely happens. We want you happy with your toys, and we figure out together what that means.
If anything in this guide is news to you, ask. Most of what surprises clients later was hidden in the fine print — or simply not said — by other manufacturers. We’d rather you know now and decide if we’re the right partner before you’ve put a deposit down.
— Rob Bishop, Custom Plush Toys
Now you know what to expect.
When you’re ready, pick a prototype package and we’ll get a real toy in your hands.
