Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

My product is simply just a see through vinyl bag that is waterproof, has a waterproof ziplock, is roughly in the shape of a triangular prism, and one side of the bag is made of a waterproof clothy material  instead of vinyl (like nylon, gortex or cloth with plastic lining).  I did make a prototype myself, but the adhesive I used to bind the plastic together doesn`t hold up well in water, and it`s quite hard to get the ziplock to be completely waterproof ( i just cut out the ziplock from a glad ziplock bag).  I can`t melt and fuse plastic together to completely seal them and make it waterproof, so i figured it`s best to get a professional to do it.  I live in Toronto and I`ve talked to companies willing to make it for me and they said they`d have to charge me around $1000 to perfect the preliminary research and design and probably around another $1000 to make the prototype.  I know some of these other prototypes cost a lot more, but a lot of the them are a lot more complicated and involves molds and circuits.  Mine is a relatively simple vinly bag, so I`m just wondering if paying $2000 to get this done is a ripoff.  I figured i can defintely get this made more cheaply somewhere else. But where can I find them? And if I can, I don`t know if I should, because the company I was talking to acutally consolidates all the processes together (research, prototype, and manufacturing), so those stages ensures my design is not flawed and the prototype they make wll be almost identical to the real product that I can manufacture.  In other words it seems like the whole experience will be more under control and it`s more likely that my product won`t be sloppily made.  I`m just wondering if I should go ahead with this or keep looking for cheaper ways to do it myself, even if it means wasting more time to scramble around (my budget is pretty tight).

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Tracy Barnhart, Owner
Giverny, Inc. / Mini Me Geology
http://www.GivernyOnline.com
http://www.MiniMeGeology.com

Hi JBiggs,

Depending on quality USD 2,000 may not be too expensive to have that done in the States for your product (research, prototype, manufacturing feasibility study, etc). Depending of course on how much research they need to do - because it seems you've already done a lot.

I work for a product development company in China, so if you are willing to have this stage done a little further away from home then we can help you out.

Check out our website, www.china2west.com and if you're interested then send me full details and specification with photos to mark.clayton@china2west.com, alternatively I can send you a form to assist this. We'll then have a look and do some research for free before telling you the cost for us to prototype and indicative mass production costs. There is no obligation to use us for production.

It sounds like an interesting project and I'd like to give it a shot. Also we should (I say should not can) make a working prototype for you without making moulds and cutting tools.

If you don't decide to go with us then, let me know how it goes State side, I'm always interested in the differences between prototyping and developing there and here in China.

Mark

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Mark Clayton

China 2 West Services Ltd.

303 Ping An Building,

Yuan Lin Road, Ji Da,

Zhuhai, 519015 China.

+86 756 3828382

www.china2west.com

$2,000 seems a little high.  Are they doing design as well as the prototype?

I have competitor up in Canada that is trust worthy

Agile-Manufacturing

905-852-0794

2 Campbell Drive, Suite 103
Uxbridge, Ontario L9P 1H6
Canada

Ask for Richard he's a good guy.

CW

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Chris Wentworth Owner Action Prototype & Urethane Casting 714-978-0333