A Pottery Pickup & Shelf Policy That Actually Works (Free Template)

Ask any studio owner what their biggest day-to-day headache is and a good number will say the same thing: the shelf. Finished pieces that have been sitting there for six weeks. Customers who swear they never got a notification. Staff who aren't sure whether it's "okay" to move something yet. The problem isn't usually negligence — it's the absence of a clear, written policy that everyone (staff and customers alike) can point to.

A pickup and shelf policy won't solve every problem, but it removes the ambiguity behind most of them. Once the rules are written down and shared upfront, those tense conversations stop being arguments — I noticed the difference in our own studio within a week of putting ours on the wall. Below is what a solid policy covers, how to land on a fair hold period, and a complete template you can copy, drop your studio's details into, and use today.

Why a written policy matters

Shelf space is finite. Every unclaimed piece sitting on a finished-work shelf takes up room that should be turning over. Beyond the physical cost, there's a fairness issue: customers who pick up promptly shouldn't compete for shelf space with pieces that have been there for months. And there's a staff issue: without a clear policy, every "can I move this?" decision falls to whoever is on shift — which means inconsistent answers and the occasional awkward confrontation when a customer finally shows up for their piece.

A written policy does four things at once:

• Sets expectations before a dispute arises. Customers who know the rules upfront have no grounds for complaint later.
• Frees up staff. "It's in our policy" is a complete sentence. No one has to invent a rule on the spot.
• Protects you legally. A signed or acknowledged policy is far more defensible than a verbal understanding if a customer escalates.
• Gives you permission to act. Once the hold period expires and you've sent the agreed reminders, you can move, donate or dispose of unclaimed pieces without guilt.

What a good pickup policy covers

A complete policy doesn't need to be long — a single page is plenty — but it should address every stage of the piece's journey from finished kiln to collection. Here's what to include:

• Turnaround time. How long after painting or making does a piece typically take to fire and be ready? For PYOP studios, pieces are commonly ready within 3–7 days after firing. Be honest about your current turnaround rather than promising a faster time than you can reliably deliver.
• Where and when to collect. Your studio address (obvious, but worth stating), collection hours, and whether customers need to bring anything (their confirmation email, a reference number).
• The hold period. The number of days you'll keep a finished piece on the shelf before it's considered unclaimed. More on this in the next section.
• Reminders. How many reminders you'll send, by which channel (email, SMS, or both), and at what intervals. This protects you — you can show you made a reasonable effort to contact the customer.
• What happens to unclaimed pieces. Donation, studio use, disposal, an unclaimed-work sale — whatever your approach, state it. Vagueness here is where disputes start.
• Any storage fee. Some studios charge a modest daily or weekly fee after the free hold period closes. If you do, spell out the amount and when it starts.

Setting a fair hold period

There's no single right answer, but patterns emerge when you look at how studios handle this in practice. Many studios hold finished pieces for 30 to 45 days before treating them as unclaimed. Some busier studios — particularly those with very limited shelf space — shorten this to 2 weeks, while others with more room extend to 60 days. The right number for your studio depends on how much shelf space you have, how fast your work turns over, and how proactively you chase pickups.

One shelf-management approach that many studios find useful is the dot system: when a piece arrives on the finished shelf, staff add a coloured dot sticker to the label each week it hasn't been collected. After a set number of dots — five is common, which works out to five weeks — the piece is flagged as unclaimed and the end-of-hold-period process begins. It's a low-tech visual that makes the state of the shelf legible at a glance, and it gives staff a consistent, objective trigger rather than relying on memory or eyeballing dates.

Whatever hold period you choose, the most important thing is consistency. Decide on a number, put it in the policy, and apply it to everyone equally. Exceptions creep in when the policy is soft — and exceptions are where arguments live.

The free template

Copy the text below, replace the items in square brackets with your studio's details, and you have a policy ready to post, print, and send. Keep the language plain — this should be readable by a first-time visitor, not just a regular.

Communicating the policy

Writing the policy is step one. Getting customers to actually read it is step two — and that's where most studios fall short. The goal is to put the policy in front of customers at every natural touchpoint, not just in a PDF buried on your website.

• Signage at the point of registration. A small printed card next to the registration station, or a sentence on the QR code stand, is often the first time a customer thinks about pickup at all. Keep it short: "Pieces are held for [X] days after notification. Full policy below."
• The registration confirmation message. Whether you use a paper claim ticket or a digital confirmation, include the hold period and a link to (or the full text of) your policy. This creates a timestamped record that the customer was informed.
• The ready notification itself. When you notify a customer that their piece is done, include the collection window and a sentence reminding them of the hold period. "Your piece is ready! Please collect by [DATE]." is clearer and more actionable than "Your piece is ready."
• The finished-work shelf. A small sign on the shelf reading "Pieces held for [X] days from notification — see staff for details" catches the eye of anyone browsing the studio and reinforces the policy passively.

The more places the policy appears, the harder it is for a customer to credibly claim they didn't know about it — and the less often staff have to be the ones to deliver bad news.

Automating the chase

The biggest reason pickup policies break down in practice isn't that studios don't have one — it's that following up manually is tedious, easy to forget, and inconsistent. When the reminder depends on someone remembering to send it, some customers get three reminders and some get none. That inconsistency undermines the policy even if the policy itself is well written.

Automating your reminders solves this. Set up a sequence — say, a first reminder at day 7 after the ready notification, a second at day 14, and a final notice at day 25 — and every customer gets the same treatment without any manual effort. The key detail: SMS reminders get opened far more reliably than email, which matters a lot for pickup chasing. A text that arrives at 10am on a Tuesday gets read. The same message as an email might sit unread for a week.

This is exactly the problem ClayTrack's automated reminder system is designed to solve. You can send both email and SMS notifications on a schedule you set, branded with your studio's name, powered by Twilio or SimpleTexting. Customers see a message that looks like it came from your studio, not a generic platform. And you can see at a glance which pieces are approaching their hold deadline, so nothing slips through the cracks. For studios that have tried the manual-chase approach and found it unsustainable, automation is the practical next step — and tracking pieces systematically is what makes that automation possible.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a studio hold finished pottery?

Many studios hold finished pieces for 30 to 45 days before treating them as unclaimed. Some busier studios shorten this to 2 weeks, while others extend it to 60 days. The right number depends on your shelf space and how quickly work turns over. Whatever you choose, write it down, display it prominently, and stick to it consistently so customers know what to expect and staff have a clear rule to follow.

Can I charge a storage fee for uncollected pottery?

Yes, many studios do charge a small storage fee after the initial free hold period — a common approach is a flat daily or weekly fee once the free window closes. If you plan to do this, state the amount, when it starts, and how payment works in your written policy. Be upfront about it at registration so customers aren't surprised. Some studios find that clearly communicating a storage fee, even a modest one, is enough on its own to improve pickup rates.

What should I do with unclaimed pieces?

Common approaches include donating pieces to a community organisation, using them as studio display or teaching examples, auctioning them at a studio sale, or disposing of them. Whatever you choose, the key is to state your policy in writing before it becomes relevant, so customers have been informed. It also helps to document when reminders were sent before you take any action — having that record protects you if a customer comes back and disputes the timeline. See our guide to reducing unclaimed pottery for more on building a systematic approach.

A policy doesn't need to be complicated to be effective. The studios that handle unclaimed pottery best aren't necessarily the ones with the strictest rules — they're the ones whose rules are clear, consistent, and communicated from the first moment a customer walks in. Start with the template above, adapt it to your studio's reality, and put it somewhere customers will actually see it. The shelf will thank you.