[Dualkit]

Only 5 jobs Besc? I see you bidding a lot you must be striking out more than me.
I have got a whopping 8 jobs here in 20 months. I noticed prices falling way down, I scored a few $40-$60 an hour jobs dollar jobs on another free site
at the end of 2007, easy stuff that repeats, but the customer slowed down and I might get $500 off them every other month. That was the first customer I found when I started being a job shop and searched the internet for work, It
has been all downhill since. At least I always got paid. I have been adjusting my prices downward to try to fill open time. I am not going lower so I am getting closer to giving up here. What I found shocking is people asking for even additional price reductions for repeat work, I politely tell them no even though I would love to tell them off.

[cncjunky]

I am pretty new to the site and haven't gotten any jobs. So you guys make up all their parts and ship them out before you get paid? I've bid on a few jobs, but it seems like there is alot of competition.

[besc]

Well. Ive always done the work then asked for the money. From now on its half down before I start. Dont know how anyone else does it.

[SBC Cycle]

As a general rule, if I know that a job is being quoted out on the internet I don't bother quoting it at all. I'm not shy about asking them. No sense wasting my time or theirs. It is a FACT that someone will lowball you and it only costs them 30 seconds of time to do it.

The absolute last thing I want to know is how much someone undercut me. It might tempt me to lower my price. Price wars don't help anyone, including the consumer. This is economics 101.

[Dualkit]

As a general rule, if I know that a job is being quoted out on the internet I don't bother quoting it at all. I'm not shy about asking them. No sense wasting my time or theirs. It is a FACT that someone will lowball you and it only costs them 30 seconds of time to do it.

The absolute last thing I want to know is how much someone undercut me. It might tempt me to lower my price. Price wars don't help anyone, including the consumer. This is economics 101.

That is unbelievably true. I personally knew a guy that scored some jobs on here by bidding volume pricing on one's and two's thinking he would get the volume work once his quality was proven and the item took off. He would bid $5
on one part that would be a 2 minute cycle time and a 4 HOUR set-up for a quantity of TWO!!!!!!!! He would get angry during the set-up process and say
he should have bid way more. Then he would call the customer and tell him he needed $50 a piece and he wouldn't be taken advantage of. This guy screwed himself, of course the customer would not go for a 900% price increase. Thankfully the guy sold his machines and went out of business.

[SBC Cycle]

Now what's the customer supposed to do when he expected to pay $5 for a part and he can't realistically get it for less than $50 (or even $20)? His customers (future and existing) aren't going to sit for 400 percent increase either. Guys that lowball jobs screw themselves and the people they work for.

[m-134b]

That's exactly it, I when I put out an RFQ, I already have a rough idea of what something is going to cost in the quantity I want. It all depends on the shop, the response I get from them, and their reputation in the field. I normally won't go with the lowest bidder, it's a sure way to get bit in the rear on either quality, or get sticker shock when they ramp up the price due to biting of more than they could chew at a price they can't swallow!

Sincerely,
Ken Bolin
BPI

[universalfab]

Got ripped off 1 time doing a small job for somebody on the internet and that was it. I always get paid first or I won't do the job. I put my time and money into tooling and material and then they turn around after it's done and figured out that they don't want it now or they were wrong about the need for that part, nope, never again. I'd suggest everyone else do the same, unless you like getting burning your money.

[a1cadcam]

i have gotten around 6 jobs from here.. but in the last couple of yrs, i have not been that active.
i do not 'buy' work... and just because someone else bid low... if i cant do it for that or less, i stay out of it.

i take a credit card number up front for security and accept cheques on completion but nothing gets shipped before it is paid in full... depending on the cost of material and tooling... i might ask for 50% deposit.

i have not been screwed yet... but there always is a first itme...

i believe an up-front, blunt, lay all the cards out on the table approach when dealing with people is the best thing... i try to be honest and not to hide anything... i think it goes a long way.

anyway, this does not have anything to do with the original thread topic
i'll go back to reading...

good luck!
Phil