PlasticsGuru
Short-run production quote: waste of time
I wanted to try out their short-run production option and it was a complete waste of time. I spent a couple of hours uploading and configuring 20 or so components. The entire process was slow and cumbersome and redundant. I had 3D CAD and 2D drawings for every component and had to go through every prompt about every detail of every part (material, finish, order qty, inspection requirements, cert requirements, etc.) Some of the materials/processes that I needed ended up being unavailable (foam, die-cutting, etc.) so I had go back and remove those components before I could proceed any further. Then some of the more "standard" components, such as injection molded parts with special tool action needs, triggered a "custom" quote. So I submitted the request as such. That resulted in email requests asking for all of the same information that I had spent hours entering, plus an explicit request for the target price. What does an engineer enter for the target price when you've provided a fully detailed design that has already gone through previous DFMs? $1? $2? I thought the point was for you to provide a spec and for them to provide the quote. So I dodged the target price prompt and elaborated on some of the other stuff. Then I was asked for a target price again and whether I needed full assembly or just components. I mentioned that they weren't capable of manufacturing all of the parts in the assembly, so just components. And I was being forced to respond on the price target again so I mentioned that my request was for the best price that can meet the specifications, etc. The response was kind of shocking. They said that they were not the best fit for the project and that I should find someone else that can make all of our components under one roof. What the heck? I thought this was a part fabrication job shop, not a marriage counsellor. I'm going to stick with Quickparts or Xometry from here on.
Response from FictivApr 27, 2026
Thank you for the detailed feedback. It’s clear that you invested significant time preparing and submitting your project, and the outcome did not justify that effort. That’s understandably frustrating, especially when you came in with complete design documentation and a clear expectation of getting a usable quote. The experience you described is not the intent. For more complex production programs, particularly with processes like injection molding, we do ask for additional inputs to ensure quotes reflect real manufacturing constraints such as tooling strategy, volumes, and program requirements. In cases where a target price is available, it can also help guide those decisions. That said, having to re-enter or restate information you’ve already provided is not a good experience, and your feedback highlights a gap in how efficiently that information is carried through the process. Regarding capabilities, you’re right to expect clarity upfront. When certain processes or materials are not supported, or when a project includes a mix of requirements that fall outside our current scope, that should be clearer earlier in the workflow so you’re not investing time configuring parts that cannot be fulfilled. We recognize that being told we’re not the right fit without more constructive guidance can feel abrupt and unhelpful. The intention in those cases is to avoid leading a customer down a path that may result in delays or unmet expectations, but that should be paired with clearer context and more helpful direction. We appreciate you calling this out in detail. It directly informs how we improve both the quoting experience and how we engage on more complex, multi-process programs.