Creating your first quote request

Quoting existing items

For your first quote, you may want to start with an item that you will need to restock within the next few months.

After you get a feel for your first quote, we recommend quoting all of your existing items in Lumi to see if you can get better unit costs and/or manufacture closer to your distribution to save on shipping.

Quoting new items

You should only quote final designs that are ready for production. This is because each specification — size, material, construction — dictates the amount of time and money it will take to produce your items.

If your designs aren't final, then the quotes you receive won't be accurate. Seemingly small design changes, like adding a color or changing the material can have big implications on your quoted pricing.

Before you create a new quote request, you'll need to create an item. An item is similar to a SKU. It's an individual component with all the specifications and instructions a supplier needs to manufacture it.

Items make it easy to manage specifications and create orders without having to reenter information.

When creating an item, the required specs for each type of product varies, but the more information you have, the more accurate your quotes will be. Before you create an item, you should have this information on hand:

• The material you want to use
• The dimensions of your item
• The printing method and number of colors required

Create an item →

After you create an item, you're ready to quote! When you create a quote request, you'll select the item you'd like to quote and all of its specs are automatically added to the quote.

You'll also need to enter quantities, delivery details, and deadlines for bids and delivery.

• Quantities: You'll enter the desired order quantity in addition to a projected number of annual units. The number of annual units gives suppliers an idea of order cadence, as well as volume, helping them offer you the best price.
• Delivery details: If you plan to have your order shipped to you (vs pickup at the factory) you'll need to create a location in your Lumi account for where you want it shipped.
• Deadlines: When entering your target delivery date, reference the delivery schedule for product-specific lead times. When entering your deadline for bids, we recommend setting your deadline for bids at least 2 weeks away to get the most quotes possible. The quote request will not be visible to suppliers after this deadline, but you can edit the deadline at any time to extend it

Create a quote request →

After you send your quote request (to the marketplace and/or a specific supplier), keep an eye on your inbox. You will receive email notifications as quotes come in. You can also track quotes in the Quoting view.

Before or after sending a quote, suppliers may ask questions for clarification on your specs. You'll get email notifications about these messages and you can also find them directly on quote requests.