Philip Pemberton wrote: > * "We don't deal with SMEs or freelance consultants." (shockingly > common, even with an offer to pay up front via BACS or credit card) So don't tell them you're freelance, and certainly don't offer to pay by credit card. They probably have no way of accepting credit card payment, and just the mention of it will cause many to label you as more trouble tha= n you're worth and bail out. They will tell you they can't do the job for some reason or quote a ridiculous price. Either way you go away and they can stop wasting time on you. The usual way to pay foreign manufacturers i= s via bank wire transfer. My bank charges $40 on my end of each transfer. This is yet another reason to make the total order large enough. If you are a unknown entity, then they may expect a large portion of the cost up front. That's fair if you are truly unknown and have no Dunn and Bradstreet or equivalent rating. From the manufacturer's point of view, they are running the risk of sending you the finished goods and never hearing from you again. Even if you are known to the manufacturer, it's reasonable to pay some part up front for large orders. This should be about what it costs the assembly company to buy the parts if you have them doing the kitting, since that's u= p front cost on their end. For example, we're having Djula doing a build for us right now and we sent him $25K up front to cover parts costs. We'll still owe him another chunk on delivery after we've had a chance to inspect the product. > * "We're not interested in any less than -off qty" (where x is > between 1k and 10k units) Some manufacturers are set up for high volume only, and doing small lots breaks their process. Others understand that it's really just a matter of money and price the small jobs accordingly. If you want really small lots, like under 100, then you probably need to find a local place and pay a considerable premium. You may need to find a different place to put the ki= t together. Some manufacturers are only that and aren't set up to do purchasing and keep track of stock. > * "We're already making a product for someone else that's similar > to yours, and we don't want them to throw a hissy fit." That's not a problem in China ;-) > * Utterly insane prices (=A31800 per board if I supply PCBs and > parts, > no through-hole parts mounted, 100off qty, no discount for higher > qtys.. > I could buy a P&P machine and DIY it for less than that) "We don't want to do small jobs. Run along kid until you grow up and are ready for a real manufacturing run.". > Target quantity is 25 to 50 to start with (initial production run). > Final intended quantity is around 250 units if sales go as > projected... Geesh, grow a pair and get at least 100 made. If you're not serious, you can't expect others to be either. Anything less than 100 and it's understandable why many won't want to bother. At small quantities it will be mostly setup charge anyway. The incremental cost of going from 50 to 10= 0 won't be that large if you get realistic prices for each. The 1800/board quote you got may well have been the 100 lot price divided by the number of boards you asked for. > Does anyone know of any reputable manufacturers who could assemble > something like this at a reasonable price? I you decide to get serious, give Djula a chance to quote the job (djula@datatehnik.com). ******************************************************************** Embed Inc, Littleton Massachusetts, http://www.embedinc.com/products (978) 742-9014. Gold level PIC consultants since 2000. --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .