--- title: "Can't Attach a Photo to Your First Message? Wait for One Reply" url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/attach-photo-first-message-seller/" section: "The Cutting Table" author: "Rosa Delgado, The Porch Keeper of Savannah" author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/" published: "2026-04-17" updated: "2026-09-24" keywords: "can't attach photo to first message, send photo to seller, attach drawing to custom cushion order, upload image at checkout custom shape, marketplace message attachments" --- # Why can't I attach a photo to my first message? *Because the marketplace wants a hello before a picture. It isn't you, neighbor, and it isn't your phone.* Also asked as: It won't let me send the picture.; It won't let me send it until you reply. > **The quick answer:** You can't attach a photo to your first message because the marketplace blocks attachments until the shop has replied once. After that first reply, send photos of your space, sketches and drawings in the same conversation. Custom-shape listings also let you upload images at checkout, and if uploads still fail, the shop suggests another way to send them. ![Close-up of a silver-gray pebble-textured box cushion corner with matching piping on top and bottom edges](https://cushionguide.com/media/atelier/silver-gray-box-cushion-corner-self-piping-detail-1600.webp "Edge detail: matching welts top and bottom and a crisp box corner on a silver-gray pebble weave.") ## Key facts - The marketplace blocks attachments on a buyer's first message to a shop. - Photos and drawings can be attached after the shop's first reply. - Custom-shape listings include an image upload during checkout. - If uploads still fail after the reply, the shop offers another way to send the photo. - Photos of the space help the shop quote custom work. - Measurements on a drawing can be written in inches, with half and quarter inches (½ in, ¼ in) accepted. - Seat and bench cushions are 4 in thick as standard, so say so in words if yours should differ. ## “Why won't it let me send the picture?” Pull up a chair, because this is one of the questions we hear most. Somebody measures a porch swing, snaps a photo, writes a lovely first message, and the paperclip does nothing. The marketplace holds attachments on a buyer's first message to any shop. Once the shop writes back, the same conversation takes photos, sketches and drawings like any other chat. ## “So what do I send first?” 1. **Send the words**: Say what you're making and for which piece of furniture. The [quote checklist](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-quote-what-to-send/) lists what helps. 2. **Wait for the reply**: Then attach photos of the space and your drawing in that same conversation. Photos of the space help the shop quote custom work. 3. **Ordering a custom shape?**: The custom-shape listing asks you to upload images during checkout, so your drawing travels with the order. The [custom shape drawing](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-shape-cushion-drawing/) Pattern shows what to draw. ## What if the photo still won't upload after the reply? Try once more after the reply, because uploads sometimes only work then. If the photo still won't go, tell the shop in words and it will suggest another way to get the photo and the sketch across. A photo of a [paper template](https://cushionguide.com/guides/paper-template-for-custom-cushion/) laid on the seat travels well, too. So what are you measuring for, the swing or the window seat? > **Tailor's margin:** A first message to a shop can't carry a photo; send the words first, and once the shop replies, photos and drawings go in the same conversation. > For a custom-shape cushion, upload the drawing at checkout on the custom-shape listing, and it travels with the order instead of in a separate message. > > — Rosa Delgado ## Buyer questions **A common question:** Why won't my first message take a photo? **The workshop's answer:** The marketplace only lets you attach images once the shop has replied. After that first reply, send your photo or drawing in the same conversation. **A common question:** I'm ordering a custom shape. Where does my drawing go? **The workshop's answer:** Once the shop replies you can send photos in the chat, and custom-shape orders also let you upload drawings and photos during checkout, so nothing has to be sent separately. **A common question:** It still won't let me attach a photo of my space. How do I send it? **The workshop's answer:** Try again once the shop has replied, since uploads sometimes only work then. If it still fails, the shop offers another way to send the photo and the sketch so it can see them. **A common question:** Can you send me a photo of my cushion before it ships? **The workshop's answer:** Usually, yes. Ask, and the shop photographs finished pieces before dispatch; custom shapes get measured final-check photos for approval, and the order ships once you confirm. Ask for the ship date in writing, neighbor, since nothing is guaranteed on the busiest days. ## Questions buyers ask next ### Is the photo block something the shop switched on? No. It's a marketplace rule on a buyer's first message to any shop, not a shop setting. One reply from the shop opens the conversation to photos, sketches and drawings, so a short hello in words gets things moving. ### Which photos help most with a custom cushion quote? Photos of the space and the furniture the cushion will sit on, plus a drawing with every measurement written on it. With those in hand, the shop's answer can be a quote instead of another question. ### If I upload my drawing at checkout, do I need to message it too? No. On the custom-shape listing, the image you upload during checkout travels with the order, so nothing has to be sent separately. Photos can still go in the conversation once the shop has replied. ## Related at the atelier - [Why does Klarna still show an open invoice after my order was canceled?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/pay-later-invoice-after-canceled-order/): Once the shop has canceled your order, it is fully closed on the shop's side and nothing is owed, even if Klarna still shows an open invoice. - [Can I email, WhatsApp, call or video call you instead of sending messages?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/contact-workshop-email-whatsapp-video-call/): No, there are no phone or video calls; all communication runs through marketplace messages, which the shop answers quickly, much like a live chat. - [Can I get an invoice for my custom cushion order?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/invoice-for-custom-cushion-order/): Yes, you can get a PDF invoice for your marketplace order: once the order is placed, ask in marketplace messages and the shop creates the invoice and attaches it in that conversation. - [Stain first aid for cushions: coffee, juice, mud and muddy paws](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-stain-removal-first-aid/): To clean a cushion stain, blot it with a white cloth, never rub, then dab from the outside in with cool water and a drop of mild soap after testing a hidden seam. - [Window Seat Cushion in Three Prints: Ordering It Right](https://cushionguide.com/readings/three-mix-and-match-print-cushions-window-bench/): To order a window seat cushion right the first time, send the exact end-to-end size, the thickness, and the fabric and piping code for every cushion in one message. - [From your drawing to your doorstep: how a custom cushion is made](https://cushionguide.com/guides/how-custom-cushions-are-made/): A custom cushion is made in order: your measurements and fabric code arrive, shaped pieces get a drawing you approve, then the fabric is cut, the foam is cut slightly oversize and wrapped, and the… - [How to draw a custom-shaped cushion so it isn't made mirror-image](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-shape-cushion-drawing/) - [One printable cushion measuring worksheet for any shape you order](https://cushionguide.com/guides/printable-cushion-measuring-worksheet/) *Porch light's on — Rosa* --- Written by Rosa Delgado (https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/answers/attach-photo-first-message-seller/