QuotedPartAnswers · Updated 2026-10-30
Customers compare my quotes to Xometry. How do I compete?
Price one of your own parts: Drop a STEP model or PDF drawing — about 90 seconds, no account.
Your part priced in about 90 seconds, no account.
Compare the quotes line by line before you cut your price. Xometry's own CNC machining page says metals are held to ±0.005 in under ISO 2768 unless you specify otherwise, a standard inspection is included, and material certifications, CoCs and FAIR reports are options you add (checked October 30, 2026). A buyer who is comparing a bare part to your quote with certs, a first article and a named engineer is comparing different products. On our example 4 × 3 × 1 in 6061 bracket, our pricing engine gives $464.53 for 1, $83.77 each for 10 and $41.17 each for 100 at starting US rates: use your own rates to find yours.
See how QuotedPart connects to your workflow with its API, MCP server, autonomous quoting and shop-specific learning.
Compare like with like
Ask the buyer to send the marketplace quote, or the options they selected. Then fill in the same fields for yours. What you need to know is: material grade and temper, tolerance on the print versus the marketplace's default, finish, whether certs and inspection reports are included, delivery date and shipping, and the quantity each price is for. If the buyer chose the cheapest lead time option, the two quotes may be a week apart.
Then price the extras at your own rates. A marketplace's standard price excludes optional paperwork, so if the buyer needs it, add it to the comparison. At a $75 hourly inspection rate the table below shows what common extras cost you to produce; those minutes are examples, so use yours.
| Extra | Time | Cost to you |
|---|---|---|
| First article report with measured values | 45 min inspection | $56.25 |
| Certificate of conformance | 10 min to prepare and sign | $12.50 |
| Material cert pulled and attached | 10 min to find and attach | $12.50 |
Which jobs to stop chasing
Single, simple prismatic parts in common alloys with default tolerances and no paperwork are the jobs where an instant-quote platform is built to be fast and consistent. If your price on that kind of job is regularly beaten, look at your rate card before your pitch, and check that you aren't spending 30 minutes quoting parts you could only win at a loss. Set a minimum order price, and decline the rest politely.
The jobs you can win are different: repeat orders where the buyer wants the same part from the same hands, tolerances that need a conversation, parts that need a design change, lots with certs and lot traceability, and anything a buyer needs by Thursday from someone within driving distance. For those, the quote is not the product; the process is.
Showing value without discounting
Say what a buyer gets from you that an instant quote doesn't offer: a person who has read the print, a call about a tolerance before it becomes a scrap part, a DFM note that saves money on the next order, a pickup option, faster rework if something is wrong. Put these in the quote itself in one or two short sentences, not in a sales letter.
Quote quickly. A fast, clear quote competes with a marketplace on the one thing it does well. If you can answer simple RFQs the same day with a PDF that shows quantity breaks and lead time, the buyer has fewer reasons to leave. Also keep the quote to the point: a marketplace page is easy to read, and a three-page letter is not.
Sources and limits
Claims are dated where they can change. Product calculations are examples from the stated inputs, not a promise about a customer's quote. Competitor wording is attributed to the source shown.
- Xometry's CNC machining page says metals are held to ±0.005 in (ISO 2768) unless specified, that all machined and sheet metal parts receive a standard inspection included in price and lead time, and lists material certifications, CoCs and inspections as options; its standard lead time is stated as 3–7 business days. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- Bracket prices are from QuotedPart's pricing engine with the US starting catalog; they are an example, not Xometry's price or a market average. QuotedPart is not a marketplace and does not make parts.
Questions
Should I match the marketplace price?
Only if the quotes really match on tolerance, paperwork and lead time, and the price still covers your cost at your rates. Matching a quote that excludes things you include loses money on the job.
Are marketplaces my enemy?
They're one way a buyer finds capacity. Some shops sell through them; others focus on direct customers. Decide by the margin each channel actually earns you.
Price one of your own parts
Drop a PDF drawing or a STEP file. QuotedPart reads the print, measures the model and prices it in seconds, on default shop rates you can change.
Your STEP file or PDF drawingDrop a PDF drawing, a STEP file or both
Free. No account, no email. Priced at our default US rates until you set yours.
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