Anybody using MFG.com we are a new machine shop looking for work knockin on doors,faxing,calling its tough out there. Word on the streat is that MFG is just a bidding war and after you pay your monthly dues $500.00 theres nothing left. I am looking to keep my sl-20 spinning more than my truck tires any input would be appreciated
Thanks
hardcore

Well we are 100% free~!!!!

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Thanks,
Paul G
http://www.3dxhobbies.com
http://www.cnczone.com
http://www.rfqwork.com

We did MFG.com for about three years, we got more work from this site in a few months. MFG.com is a money vacuum, in my opinion.

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www.atmswiss.com

MFG is pretty tough. I've been doing it since July, 2005. In the past 2 years we were fortunate enough to meet 3 great repeating customers from different parts of the country, in addition to a few other larger one or two time orders. Over this time its accounted for about 500k of our sales. Probably could have been more, but our 3 machines were at capacity with these existing and non-MFG clients orders. So we bought a brand-new $240k mill/turn this summer just in time for the slow-down, lol. Thankfully one of the MFG customers who was probably our #3 in sales hasn't slowed down as much as some of our bigger local #1 & #2 sales customers. In effort to make up for some of the slow down, I've been looking back to quoting MFG and following up on some past opportunities missed due to capacity. It is tough out there. Just my 2 cents worth.

I have to say its more of a bidding war than anything. Most months I barely broke even with the $550.00 payment to them to be able to quote the jobs. Most of the people you work for will tell you upfront that they are there to get the "bottom of the barrell price" and the next time they will be posting it on MFG again. NOT calling on your company like the they say when you are signing up.

Many jobs I lost went for less than the price of the material they were made of. People who won MUST have been stealing the material to do the jobs. I live in the midwest manufacturing belt and I get material very inexpensive.

Its good to hear you had a good experience with them. Early on we did capture some work, but it all slowly went away over our time with them, until we were just paying to bid, with no return. We do still do work for a couple of companies that we got through MFG, but it is very few and far between.

$550 a month would be VERY hard to swollow, last week they called and offered to let us back in for $295 a month, no set up fee, one year term. Someone may be getting hosed.

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www.atmswiss.com

I tried MFG.com for a year. I was the low bidder many times and very competitive on the rest of my bids. For over $2000 I got exactly ZERO jobs. I run a one man die cutting & tooling shop so two grand was a big investment that their salesman talked me into with no rewards. They have offered me cut rates to sign back up but that will not happen unless they change their pricing structure. I told them if they would charge a fee for jobs acrually won I would consider signing on. But that is not likely to happen, They don't understand that a business needs to get value for the money we spend.

humm about the same thing here i have a small one man machine shop and i mostly do prototype i have talked with them a couple of time in the past they always send me submision info but i have not regitered with them yet and from what i am reading here it would be risky for me to do so
i agree with you they should charge in regard to awarded job, a % of the awarded job in return for the service would be better, ah well i guess ill stick with my current way of doing thing, knock on door .

Thanks for all the input everyone I am still not using MFG still knockin not too many callin and the ones that do want it free thinkin a carry out pizza place would have been a better idea $27.00 pizza $7.00 in material & labor & get paid rite now. Or large brass fitting program,buy tooling,cut to length,machine,flip,machine,debur,wrap in foam,pack in crate wait 30 days or more for payment for $7.00 each WTF?