---
title: "Contact the Shop Outside Messages? Calls, Email and WhatsApp"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/contact-workshop-email-whatsapp-video-call/"
section: "The Cutting Table"
author: "Hana Lindqvist, The Quiet Geometer of Seattle"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/hana/"
published: "2026-09-12"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "contact marketplace seller outside messages, video call custom cushion maker, send photos to cushion maker, whatsapp cushion workshop, custom cushion questions live chat"
---

# Can I email, WhatsApp, call or video call you instead of sending messages?

*Most people want a voice on the line. What helps more is a photo and three numbers.*

Also asked as: Can I email you the photos?; Do you have WhatsApp?

> **The quick answer:** No, there are no phone or video calls; all communication runs through marketplace messages, which the shop answers quickly, much like a live chat. Once it has replied to your first message, attach photos, drawings and PDF or JPEG plans in the same conversation. If the app still refuses an upload, the shop has accepted drawings and photos by email or WhatsApp.

![Teal-green velvet box cushion with mustard-gold piping on a black lacquered piano bench over herringbone oak](https://cushionguide.com/media/piano-bench-cushions/teal-green-velvet-piano-bench-cushion-mustard-piping-1600.webp "A slim teal velvet pad cut to the exact bench top; mustard piping on both seams echoes the warm oak parquet.")

## Key facts

- Communication is handled in marketplace messages.
- Phone and video calls aren't offered.
- Replies come fast, much like a live chat.
- Photos and drawings can be attached once the shop has replied to the first message.
- PDF and JPEG plans are accepted.
- Email or WhatsApp has been used for photos and drawings when uploads failed.
- Measurements can be sent in inches, down to the nearest ¼ in, or in cm.
- A finished custom cushion can differ from the ordered size by about 0.5 to 1 in (1–2 cm), so write exact measurements down.
- The standard seat and bench cushion thickness is 4 in (10 cm); name another in your message if you want it.
- There is no showroom: close-up photos, videos and palm-sized swatches of about 4 x 4 to 6 x 6 in (10 x 10 to 15 x 15 cm) stand in for one.

## What to send instead of a phone or video call

1. Your question in words: size, fabric, thickness or price.
2. Wait for the first reply. It usually comes quickly.
3. Then attach photos of the space in the same conversation.
4. Add a drawing with measurements. A PDF or JPEG plan is fine.
5. Answer the reply. The shop guides you step by step.

## What if a photo or PDF upload won't go through?

- ✓ Try once more in the same conversation, after the shop's reply.
- ✓ Still stuck? Say so in words. The shop has accepted drawings and photos by email or WhatsApp so it can review them and quote.
- ✓ Keep those for files only. The conversation itself stays in messages.

## Why a measured drawing beats a video call

A call feels faster. It rarely is. You describe a window seat, someone pictures it, and nobody writes anything down.

A photo and a measured drawing stay on the page. The shop can read them twice and answer with numbers you can keep. The [quote checklist](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-quote-what-to-send/) lists what belongs in that first message. A [drawing of a custom shape](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-shape-cushion-drawing/) or a [paper template](https://cushionguide.com/guides/paper-template-for-custom-cushion/) travels better than any description.

What would you point at, if you could turn the camera around?

Words fade.
Measurements stay.
Write them down.

> **Tailor's margin:** No video call is needed for a custom cushion: after the shop's first reply, send photos of the space and a drawing with measurements.

> A PDF or JPEG plan with measurements, attached after the shop's first reply, does more for a custom cushion quote than a phone call.
>
> — Hana Lindqvist

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** The app won't let me attach a photo. Can I email it, or just call?

**The workshop's answer:** Attachments only work after the shop has replied, so once it answers you can attach photos and drawings in the same conversation, with no email needed. The shop keeps questions in marketplace messages rather than moving to the phone.

**A common question:** My drawing won't upload. How else can I send it?

**The workshop's answer:** Try again in messages first. Otherwise the shop accepts drawings and photos by email or WhatsApp for a quicker review, and a PDF or JPEG plan works too.

**A common question:** Could we video call so I can show you what I need?

**The workshop's answer:** No. All communication happens in messages. Send the measurements and photos of the space there, and the shop guides you step by step.

**A common question:** Is there anyone I can talk to live about the cushions?

**The workshop's answer:** Everything runs through messages, but replies come quickly, so it works much like a live chat. Ask about sizes, fabrics, thickness or pricing there.

**A common question:** Can I see real customer photos or a video before I buy?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Ask in messages and the shop sends real customer photos, videos and reels, including someone sitting on the sofa for scale, or links to similar finished cushions.

## Questions buyers ask next

### What should a first message to a cushion maker include?

Enough to start: what you're making, for which piece of furniture, and the main measurements. Photos and drawings follow in the same conversation once the shop has replied, since attachments aren't delivered on a first message.

### Can I get a photo of my cushion before it ships?

Usually, yes. Ask in messages and the shop photographs finished pieces before dispatch; custom shapes get measured final-check photos for your approval. It isn't guaranteed on the busiest days.

### Which file types work for a cushion plan?

PDF and JPEG plans are both accepted. Attach them in the conversation after the shop's first reply. If the app refuses the file, say so, and the shop can take the file alone by email or WhatsApp.

## Related at the atelier

- [Why was my order canceled or my card declined, and what should I do?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/order-canceled-card-declined-what-to-do/): An order is usually canceled because your bank declined or blocked the payment, sometimes flagging it as suspected fraud, and a declined payment makes the marketplace cancel the order automatically.
- [Why can't I attach a photo to my first message?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/attach-photo-first-message-seller/): You can't attach a photo to your first message because the marketplace blocks attachments until the shop has replied once.
- [Can I see real customer photos or a video before I buy?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/real-customer-photos-video-before-ordering/): Yes: ask in a message and the workshop sends real customer photos, videos and social media reels, including someone sitting on the floor sofa to show scale and how far the base cushion compresses.
- [Kids Floor Sofa Rainbow Arch in Rust Corduroy, Seen From Above](https://cushionguide.com/readings/rust-corduroy-rainbow-arch-high-angle-toddler/): Before ordering a corduroy kids floor sofa, ask four things: the fiber content, which way the ribs run on the side band, what is in the foam, and when it will arrive.
- [Chair Cushions in Coral, Navy and Rose Stripe: The Piping Call](https://cushionguide.com/readings/coral-navy-rose-striped-box-cushions-stacked/): For striped dining chair cushions, self piping cut from the same stripe gives the calmest, most tailored edge, because the outline melts into the pattern.
- [When a custom cushion is the wrong size or color: remakes, fixes and what to send](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-remake-wrong-size-color/): If a custom cushion arrives the wrong size, let the foam recover for 72 hours, measure across the flat middle, and send tape photos of length, depth and thickness with your order note.
- [Choosing a custom cushion maker online: twelve questions first](https://cushionguide.com/guides/how-to-choose-a-custom-cushion-maker/)

*— Hana*

---

Written by Hana Lindqvist (https://cushionguide.com/masters/hana/) 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/contact-workshop-email-whatsapp-video-call/