Best Tools for E-commerce Custom Orders & Wholesale Invoicing: HoneyBook, Bonsai, Dubsado Compared
For e-commerce sellers moving beyond simple add-to-cart sales—think custom product design requests, wholesale orders for boutiques, or high-value personalized items—your ability to send professional quotes and invoices is key. Shopify, Etsy, or Amazon handle standard sales. But for direct client work or larger B2B deals, tools like HoneyBook, Bonsai, and Dubsado help manage those special orders. They handle quotes, contracts, and invoices, but each has a different focus for your online business.
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The quick answer
HoneyBook is best for e-commerce brands offering highly visual custom products (e.g., personalized art, custom apparel designs, event decor) where presenting a beautiful mood board or product mock-up with the quote matters. It’s the easiest to set up. Bonsai is best for solo makers or small Etsy shops transitioning to custom commissions or direct sales, needing simple quotes, clear contracts for custom work (e.g., design revisions, production timelines), and easy invoicing outside of the platform. Dubsado is best for established e-commerce businesses managing a steady flow of B2B wholesale accounts, multiple custom product lines, or high-volume personalized item production, where automated follow-ups for bulk orders, payment reminders, and custom client portals for order tracking are valuable. It requires more setup time.
Side-by-side breakdown
HoneyBook: $19-$79/month. Offers visually appealing quote templates, great for showcasing custom product mock-ups or design concepts. Includes built-in payment processing, which is useful for collecting deposits on personalized or wholesale orders directly, without relying solely on a payment gateway tied to your e-commerce platform. Good for custom apparel, bespoke jewelry, or large-scale event decor sellers.
Bonsai: $24-$49/month. Simple to use interface, quick to create a basic quote for a custom item or a wholesale reorder. Strong contract templates useful for outlining custom product specifications, revision policies for design work, or bulk order terms. Can track time spent on custom design requests, which helps with pricing. Ideal for a crafter selling custom pet portraits or a small print-on-demand shop handling a specific design request.
Dubsado: $20/month flat. This tool needs more setup time but is powerful for automating repeat processes. For e-commerce, this means building automated sequences for wholesale account onboarding, custom product design approval flows, or sending reminders for recurring B2B orders. You can create custom forms for design briefs or product specifications, integrate with your calendar for client consultations on custom orders, and build branded client portals for your wholesale partners to view past orders and invoices. Best ROI for managing many B2B accounts or complex custom product fulfillment.
When to choose HoneyBook
Choose HoneyBook when the visual presentation of your custom product quotes or design proposals is key to selling (e.g., custom furniture, elaborate wedding favors, branded merchandise). Use it when you are taking deposits for high-value custom projects, want easy payment processing for those non-standard orders, or need a quick way to get a custom design agreement signed and paid without sending clients back to your main shop page. It's fast to go from a custom inquiry to a paid, approved project.
When to choose Dubsado
Choose Dubsado when you are handling 10+ wholesale accounts or custom design clients per month and need to automate your communication. This could be sending automated follow-ups for bulk order quotes, payment reminders for custom production runs, or automated onboarding for new B2B partners. Pick Dubsado when you want a deeply customized experience for your wholesale clients or custom product buyers, including branded client portals where they can review orders, approve designs, and pay invoices. Be ready to invest initial setup time to build these flows, but it pays off in saved time for managing volume.
The verdict
For most e-commerce sellers new to managing custom orders or wholesale accounts, start with HoneyBook or Bonsai. Both let you quickly send professional quotes and invoices for non-standard sales. They will get you set up to manage these special clients in a day. Move to Dubsado once you're consistently managing enough B2B clients or complex custom orders that the time saved by its powerful automation becomes obvious. Do not start with Dubsado if you are just dipping your toes into custom orders or wholesale; the setup time might slow down your first big non-platform sale.
How to get started
Before you get your first custom product design request or wholesale inquiry, create a template for your custom order quotes or B2B invoices. This should clearly show your custom product packages, design revision policies, payment terms for bulk orders, and shipping options. Sending a professional, structured quote signals you're a legitimate business, even if it's your first time. Aim to send your first custom product quote or wholesale invoice within 24 hours of a client expressing interest in a non-standard order.
RECOMMENDED TOOLS
HoneyBook
Beautiful proposals, contracts, and invoices for service businesses
Bonsai
Simple proposals and contracts for solo freelancers
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do these tools accept payments directly?
Yes. All three have integrated payment processing using Stripe or their own processor under the hood. Clients can pay invoices directly within the platform without needing a separate payment link.
Can I use my own contract template?
Yes in all three. Bonsai has the largest built-in contract library for common freelance agreements. HoneyBook and Dubsado allow full custom contract text that clients can e-sign inside the proposal flow.
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