I've approached this from a different stand point. Although I have an interest in learning, I only own a coulpe welders, torch, sawzal, and a recently purchased shear.
I heard about MFGQuote from this website and put a few RFQ's on it. I found exactly what you guys have already mentioned: a large variance in pricing, lots of non-USA bids, ect.
In contrast though, I was able to use that website to help me find a couple machine shops in the USA to do my work for me. I'm not a 'big fish', but I have enough pride to keep my work in the USA whenever possible. Now that I've found these two machine shops (each with different specialties), I go directly to them to bid stuff out.
Without that website, though, I would have been very limited on machine shops (local to me).
So, that's a perspective from the other side of the road. I certainly see where you guys are coming from too.
Have a good day!
Michael
Hey Michael,
I am one of the businesses benefiting from buyers such as yourself on MFG.com. I have been a member now since March 2006 and I am signing on again for another year. One of my biggest customers is from MFG.com that I have been doing work for since 2006. Now in the last year I have become one of their top three suppliers and they are a huge part of our business. We do almost all their prototype work, and once approved we do the production runs afterwards. We are not a rock bottom pricing supplier either, we just provide our customers with outstanding quality parts delivered on time with (as they have told us) excellent customer service!
I would never have found this customer without MFG either because they are located in New Jersey and we are in Massachusetts. We also have a few other consistent repeat customers from around the USA that we intitially did work for on MFGQuote, and they now send us RFQ's without going through MFG, nor do we compete with other suppliers through MFGquote, because we have proved ourselves to be a valuable supplier to those customers and they in turn rely on us for getting the jobs done, not only right away, but right away, and done right the first time!
Despite what all the nay sayers say, and there are an overwhelming number......I have been very successful using the service. For what it's worth.....I seldom make enough to cover the cost of the service each month by acquiring a job here or there, however, given the fact I have repeat customers coming in every month who started out as MFG buyers, I am WAY ahead cost wise at the end of the year, making the yearly fee a drop in the bucket when it comes to advertising (I also get work from the web, thanks to MFG keeping my company listed in the top ten), which for all intents and purposes is the main reason I still sign up each year.....not to mention, I seem to inevitably always end up with at least one repeat customer each year that helps grow my business while I sit at my desk and run my business, rather than spend countless time lost in cold calls and dropping off business cards, which for me..........a key phrase here....."which for me"......has never been successful.
There are a lot of people in this forum who have known of me now for a couple of years at least. I'm not a bullshitter, and I'm not affiliated with MFG.com.
For me.......again, key phrase here....."For Me"......MFG.com works beautifully......I've learned how to work the system......I know fairly well, which buyers to quote, and which to avoid, and I am targeting a certain type of buyer, that I know I can be of great service to, and for the most part, once I do a job or two for them, the relationship of buyer to supplier continues to grow and we find ourselves becoming another repeat supplier found from the comfort of my office chair.
We are "in effect" like one of the machine shops that Michael uses for his work. We try to stay local (300 mile radius) and we try our best to meet customer requirements, that will keep that customer sending his RFQ's to us, but just as he found out......there are shops out there, that do great work, for a fair price, that suit his need, and they are NOT local..........that is exactly where my business comes in, and we have had very good success in becoming one of those suppliers, just as the ones for Michael did who are not local.
So....before I get my brains beat in by those of you steadfastly opposed to MFG......I know it is "NOT" for "EVERYONE".........but for "ME"....it works!
I have no problem paying the yearly fee, because in the long run......"MY" dividends continue to outweigh the investment!
Good Luck in what ever you choose to do!
Best Regards,
Russ