Success at Ponoko

We’re just about 16 hours away from launch. So we’ve collected together a bunch of questions commonly asked about Prime. And planted the answers to them here.

If you have questions that are not covered below please ask them here.

So here you go:

What is this all about?
It’s about the world’s easiest way to make and sell your product ideas.

Making (and selling) your product ideas is tough, traditionally reserved for experts with deep pockets. But Ponoko has reinvented how products are designed, made and distributed by being the first and the world’s largest place for anyone to both make and sell their product ideas online.

Some people have achieved amazing things using Ponoko and the new Value Prime service gives you an even easier, faster, more economical and more environmentally friendly way to succeed.

Bottom line is … you can now let your creativity run wild, turning digital ideas into real things for you and others to enjoy, with just a few mouse clicks!

When does Prime launch?
Prime launches at 3:00pm Wednesday May 13th US Pacific time. See details here.

How do I buy Prime? Where exactly do we go to sign up for the new Prime, and at what time?
The signup link will be posted on this blog (in a new post) at this time. And an email including a link to this new blog post will be sent to everyone who subscribed to be a part of this ‘Latest Group’. To buy Prime just click on that signup link and follow your nose to fill out your details, etc.

How long is this special sign-up period before it goes to full price?
This super launch deal is available for 7 days from launch, and the first 100 people will get a 30-day free trial period too. After the first 100 subscribers the free 30 days is not available and after 7 days all Prime pricing goes up.

Will the $27 per month launch offer be ongoing?
The $27/month + $0.87/minute making + $3 packaging deal is yours ongoing if you get it during the 7 day launch period. If you cancel and/or subscribe for Prime after this period you will pay the $39/month + $1.35/minute making + $5 packaging rate.

What are the Prime costs for shipping within the US and NZ?
All orders for more than $100 (making + materials) will ship for free. See details here. 

What are the Prime costs for international shipping outside of the US and NZ, to places like Canada, Australia, UK, EU and Asia?
They are changing! Shipping costs are made up of 2 parts: the packaging charge and the delivery charge.

ALL Prime packaging reduces from $10 to $5 wherever the package is being shipped (or from $10 to $3 if you subscribe to Value Prime during the 7 day launch period).

Also, ALL Prime delivery rates will be charged on the weight of your item, rather than the volumetric weight - this will make the biggest difference for the large but light items. In addition, all Northern Hemisphere orders can now be shipped from our USA node, rather than our NZ node. This is designed to cut cost, speed up delivery time and lower the carbon footprint of all products from Ponoko.

Next on the list are making facilities in other countries other than the USA and NZ. The fastest way for you to see these open is to tell us who would make a great Ponoko franchise owner. Fill out the “Refer a Manufacturer” form here.

Is there a minimum contract term? Or setup fees?
No. And no. Nor is there an upgrade fee. It’s a month-to-month service that you can cancel at any time (with no cancellation fee). We’re trying to make it as easy as possible for everyone to participate.

Does Prime apply to anything I want to make?
Prime is for anything you want to make, or make and sell using our Designmake service.

Does the Prime per minute making price apply to metals?
No. Metals will be cut at the Designmake Free plan price. The reason for this is that metals is a new manufacturing process for us and we need to test it all out before we get bold with our pricing for it - but it’s a brilliant price at the current Designmake Free plan level anyhow! Rest assured that all other materials fall within the Prime per minute making price. And you will pay the lower Prime plan packaging and delivery charges for shipping your metal creations too.

Will I need to re-upload my designs in my existing Designmake Free account to get the new Prime pricing applied to them?
No. If you have design files in your existing Ponoko Designmake (free) account, each of them will be automatically re-priced without you needing to do anything.

What if I have an existing Prime account?
There’s 2 ways you can approach this - it’s your choice:

1) Do nothing and (a) your monthly price and making rates will remain EXACTLY the same as you currently pay; and (b) you’ll get all of the new Value Prime features rolled into your existing account. In short, do nothing and you’ll get more features for what you currently pay.

… OR …

2) Cancel your current Prime account then sign up for a Value Prime account and (a) your monthly price and making rates will CHANGE to those stated here for Value Prime; and (b)  you’ll get all of the new Value Prime features. In short, make a change and you’ll get more features for the new pricing.

Any chance you’ll add titanium, polypropelene, glass, cork, and… and….
As a Prime subscriber you’ll be able to request any material you like and if we can source it and make it, you’re on! And remember, you do not need to buy a whole sheet from the supplier, we’ll handle the big lifting for you so you only need to pay for a P1, P2 or P3 size.

Do I have to sell via Ponoko to use Prime?
No. You can use Prime to make things only, or make and sell elsewhere. But if you want your things to be promoted to design stores for retail, yes you will have to sell via your Ponoko Showroom. Note that selling on Ponoko does not stop you from selling elsewhere too. And be aware that it cost you nothing to set up an e-commerce online store on Ponoko and you can list an unlimited number of items for free and pay zero sales success fees too!

Is there a annual discount for Prime?
No, not at this stage.

Does Prime exclude any country?
No. It is for everyone in the world.

Can I pay using PayPal?
No. Payment methods at this time are VISA or MasterCard. Other methods, like Paypal, are in the works.

Will I be sent a receipt upon my own monthly anniversary or every calendar month?
You will receive a payment receipt every month you remain subscribed, on the anniversary of the date you signed up. You can cancel at any time and you will not be billed again.

What does Prime mean for someone like me who is not interested in selling products but just wants a one-off project made?
Prime saves you money if your one off project totals about $50 - $70 or more. You also benefit if you want to request unique materials that are not included in our online catalog, if you want one-to-one advice before you commit and hit the make button, you want your order to jump the queue and go to the top of the list, if you want to get a free quote for your DXF design files, get free delivery or the wealth of other additional features listed here.

Can Prime services be used in conjunction with coupons you sometimes make available?
Coupons for Designmake Free users will not be able to be used by Designmake Prime subscribers.

How do I get my products into retail design stores using Prime?
If you wish to sell into retail using Prime, we’ll make and ship your items to you as normal, then you’ll get them retail ready, packaged and shipped direct to retailers. The only criteria is that you’re committed to making it happen!

Are stainless steel, aluminum and brass available to Prime users only, or everyone?
They are available to everyone. But if you want to request other materials (including other metals) you will want to be a Prime subscriber.

Does Designmake Prime include a ‘make preview’ like the one in Photomake?
No. But with the Prime pre-purchase one-on-one expert design consultation you’ll to get a 6-point design file report before you commit and make an order.

When are you adding other making processes, like CNC and 3D printing and WaterJet?
Stay tuned for some more things that are revolutionary. 

Do you have a list of online material sourcing sites, to make a Prime material request?
Yes, it will be published on this blog next week. It contains more than 25 suppliers for more than 25 new materials we can make your creation from.

Can you make using materials I supply, like vinyl records, ipods and things like that?
The best way to make these types of things happen is to make a Prime materials request. You tell us what you want and if we can source it and make from it, then we’ll do it! The key thing for us is that we can put the material into the public materials catalog after we’ve made the first thing using it - this way everyone gets to benefit from new materials.

Is there a way to find all of the ‘Certified Stores’ in one place?
At this stage no. But we’re very keen to see a planned upgrade to our Showroom go live, to make it much easier for you to search for cool stuff.

What currency are your prices stated in?
US$.

Wahoooo!

Now get ready because we’ll be providing the sign up link to Value Prime on THIS blog at this time.