Just got this email. Looks like Sunny from iTead is departing iTead and opening his own fab service. The prices seem to be favorable as well.
He writes:
I am sunny .Thanks for repeat customer's support to my business and glad to share my good news with new customer . I have built my own company ,MIER .Our shopping mall will come to embrace everyone after our Chinese traditional Spring Festival .
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73135424/iTead%20-%20Mier/sunny1.gif)
This chart is for larger pcbs, 5pcs, green, 2layer, hasl.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73135424/iTead%20-%20Mier/sunny2.gif)
"Purchase with us now you will be a VIP member of MIER and get good price at our shopping mall at max time . Contact us if you have any suggestion ,you useful advice will be appreciated . "
Sunny's new email:
mier_itead@sina.com
Links are broken?
Jacob
Quote from: jkokura on January 13, 2014, 03:56:27 PM
Links are broken?
Jacob
Thought that may happen. Uploaded to dropbox. They should be working now.
Pricing seems fine for 5x5, but then it gets expensive. The 50 copies of 5x10's are $83? That's high.
Jacob
I agree it is expensive, just sharing what I received. Going to stick with my regular fab as it is much less expensive.
Actually, overall it is very cheap, just some are a bit more than iTead and Seeed. Compared to standard fab pricing, it is all dirt cheap.
At first, I kind of liked the idea of a lower cost option, but the more I think about, I have become a bit more apprehensive about it.
There seems to be more competition amongst PCB vendors in Asia, which is good. There seems to be a race to the bottom of pricing which could cause issues over time. Businesses try hard to maintain their profit margins. If selling prices go down they can only cut costs through higher volume, more efficient processes or (most likely) cutting quality. I am not too keen to deal with lower quality boards just to save 25 cents a board or less. I'd rather all of these business compete to deliver the highest quality PCB possible at their current (or slightly higher) pricing.
I'm sticking to Seeed for small batches and iTead for the 300 and over, they just can't be beaten and i've always had great service.
I also got that email from Sunny, i've exchanged a bit with him about the pricing on greater quantity and larger size pcb. Is reply was that at the moment he could'nt do better than what showed above, but that if with time the buisness grows the pricing will change.
That's good to know, Rej. Thanks.