Trade Guides
Shower Glass and Mirrors: Measured Orders and Deposits Online
How to offer a shower glass quote online that buyers trust: configuration choices, measure visits, deposits and mirror sizing rules your shop can build.
A shower glass quote online should give the homeowner a real price range in a few minutes, then take a deposit to book the measure, with the final price confirmed once your installer has measured. Mirrors are simpler and can often be ordered and paid in full from the homeowner's own measurements. Treating the two differently is what makes online ordering work for a glass shop.
Two kinds of glass order
Glass shops usually sell two very different things online.
- Shower enclosures (frameless, semi-frameless, framed doors, fixed panels, steam units). These depend on wall plumb, curb slope and tile thickness, so most shops want their own measurement before cutting tempered glass, which cannot be cut after tempering.
- Mirrors and simple panels (bathroom mirrors, wall mirrors, tabletops, shelves). These are flat shapes with clear sizes, and many customers can measure them accurately themselves.
Your checkout can handle both, with different rules and payment steps for each.
Building a shower glass quote online
For enclosures, the goal is a confident estimate, then a booked measure. The flow can walk the customer through a handful of clear choices:
- Configuration. Door only, door and panel, corner, neo-angle, tub screen. Show simple line drawings of each.
- Approximate size. Opening width and height in inches, with a note that these are for estimating.
- Glass. Clear, low-iron, frosted or patterned, and thickness options you offer.
- Hardware finish. Chrome, brushed nickel, matte black, brass, and handle style.
- Extras. Protective coating, a header or no header, towel bar handle.
The checkout then shows an estimate with a clear label: "Estimated price. Final price confirmed after measure." That honesty matters. If the homeowner sees a firm price and the final invoice is higher, trust is gone.
| Stage | What the customer sees | Payment |
|---|---|---|
| Estimate | Price range or estimate from their choices | None |
| Book measure | Date request and site questions | Deposit |
| Final quote | Exact price from site measure | Balance or second deposit before fabrication |
| Install | Install date confirmed | Balance on completion, if not already paid |
The amounts and timing are your policy. Some shops take a measure deposit that is credited to the order, others take a larger deposit once the final quote is accepted. We compare approaches in deposits vs. pay in full, and countertop fabricators face the same question with template-visit deposits.
Site questions that save a trip
Before the measure visit, a few questions help your installer arrive prepared:
- Is the tile finished, or is the shower still under construction?
- Is there a curb, or is it a curbless shower?
- What is the wall material behind the tile (wood studs, steel studs, concrete)?
- Are there any obstacles: niches, benches, a window in the shower?
- Photos of the space, if the customer can upload or send them.
Asking these up front means fewer measure visits wasted on a shower that is not ready.
Safety glazing and code notes
Glass in and around showers and tubs is generally treated as a hazardous location under common North American codes, which means safety glazing (such as tempered glass) is typically required. Your products likely already meet this. The checkout's job is to keep options limited to compliant glass for enclosure products, and to keep any decorative or non-safety glass options limited to products where they are allowed. Homeowners and installers should confirm requirements with local code.
Mirror ordering rules
Mirrors are where a homeowner can complete the whole order online. The rules are mostly about shape and size:
- Minimum and maximum sizes per thickness and product.
- Edge work. Flat polish, bevel width, and whether the price is per linear foot of edge.
- Shapes. Rectangle, round, oval, arch, with the relevant dimensions for each.
- Cut-outs and holes. Outlet cut-outs, mounting holes, with positions measured from a stated edge.
- Mounting. Clips, J-channel, adhesive or a frame, and whether hardware is included.
Pricing can combine area (per square foot of glass) with linear-foot edge work and per-item cut-outs. The checkout should calculate all three and show them.
Pausing and coming back
Bathroom renovations take time. A homeowner might price the shower glass while the tile is still going in, then come back weeks later to book the measure. Customer accounts with save for later let them keep their configuration and pick it up when the shower is ready, and automated reminders can bring them back.
How Inlay handles this
- Inlay runs a guided estimate flow for enclosures and a direct order flow for mirrors and panels, themed to your website on your own subdomain.
- Square-foot pricing, linear-foot edge work and cut-outs are calculated by your trade rules, with code-style checks limiting enclosure products to the glass options you allow.
- You can take a deposit or full payment per product through your own Stripe account, and Inlay takes 0% of sales (Stripe's processing fees still apply).
- Customers get accounts, save for later, a final review step and editable emails for confirmations, reminders and abandoned-quote follow-ups.
Book a 20-minute demo to see your glass and mirror products in Inlay.