Your First Week: A Build-to-Order Shop on Kaniva

This is the shortest path from a new Kaniva store to a real custom order moving through your shop. It assumes you picked Build to order when you created the store, so Setup already knows you make things after they are ordered.

Day 1: finish Setup. Confirm your shop answers, then connect Stripe so you can take payment — Connect with Stripe needs no API keys. Add the address you ship from, then either a Shippo key for live label rates or the fallback rates if you want to start simple.

Day 2: switch on instant quoting. Every new store comes with starter services, materials and thicknesses already loaded under Custom Parts. Change the rates to your own — material cost, cut rate, pierce cost, bend cost — then switch quoting on. Customers can now upload a DXF or STL and get a price straight away. If your work is not priced by the part, add a build-to-order product instead and describe the options.

Day 3: run a test order. Quote a part yourself, pay with a test card, and open the order in your admin. The customer's file is attached to it. Create the work order from the order page so the shop floor has a job with its bill of materials — that is the moment Kaniva is doing what you signed up for.

Days 4 to 7: ship it and tidy up. Pack the test order at the packing station and print the label (or mark it shipped). Then add your logo, set your lead time, and if you are moving from another platform, ask us to migrate your products and customers for free. By the end of the week you have run one real order the whole way through.