TrustpilotMay 13, 2026
Jayne Boggs
There isn't enough words to explain the gratitude I have towards HeroTime! From the beginning to...
Hero Time vs Panda Game Manufacturing, LongPack and Whatz Games
Panda Game Manufacturing, LongPack Games and Whatz Games are the factories most publishers compare first. Hero Time is the alternative they add when they want a lower minimum order, faster production and a factory that keeps a full record of every game it makes. Here is how we compare, with numbers you can check.
- 1,000-unit minimum order (500 sets if really needed)
- Lead times from 30 days
- Quote back in 48 hours, landed cost included
Approved by:
Disney FAMA
The Short Version
Four numbers we commit to in writing, on every quote.
1,000
Unit Minimum Order (500 If Really Needed)
From 30 days
Lead Time From Approved Files
48h
Quote Turnaround, Landed Cost Included
300+
Publishers Since 2019
Side by Side: What Usually Decides It
We don't publish other manufacturers' terms: they change, and you should get them from the source. The left column is what publishers tell us they usually meet at large overseas factories. The right column is what we do, and every line can be checked on this site or on Trustpilot.
| Service / Point | Typical Large Overseas Manufacturer | Hero Time |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Order & Fit | ||
| Standard minimum order quantity (MOQ) | Often 1,500–3,000+ units | 1,000 units |
| Small crowdfunding or indie runs | Case by case, often declined | We will help out with 500 sets if really needed |
| Who we work with | Established publishers | 300+ publishers since 2019, first-timers to large houses |
| Speed | ||
| Standard lead time | ~60 days | From 30 days (30 simple card games, 35 medium-weight, 45 heavy; up to 90 for heavy miniature games with new molds) |
| Quote turnaround | Varies; often over a week | Within 48 hours |
| Setup costs | Often billed separately, after the quote | Included by default |
| Landed cost (duties, VAT, tariffs, freight) | Discovered after the invoice | Quoted upfront, via Prime Ship |
| Cargo-ready to loading | 21 days to a month | ~7 days, via Prime Ship |
| Systems & Records | ||
| How your order is run | Email threads and spreadsheets | Our own ERP system, a $200,000+ investment |
| Your order history | Depends on who you ask | Every quote, email, file version, bill of materials (BOM), QC issue and fix recorded against your game |
| Reprints and new products | Start again from scratch | Start from your record: the same materials, molds and fixes |
| Before printing | Problems found on the press | Each printed part's color risk graded 1–5, and the print method chosen to match |
| Communication | ||
| Your day-to-day contact | Shared inbox or a rotating sales rep | One dedicated, fluent-English project manager |
| File setup (prepress) questions | Relayed through support | Direct line to the engineer |
| Production updates | On request | Photo and video updates from the floor; a Western production manager in the factory |
| Sign-offs | At the end | You approve every critical step |
| Quality & Trust | ||
| In-house production | Mostly outsourced or subcontracted | 80%+ in-house, in one factory in Yiwu |
| Quality standard | Ask, and hope it's written down | AQL General Level 2 — Critical <0.6%, Major <1.5%, Minor <4% — published |
| Quality checks | One check at the end | Three: incoming materials (IQC), during production (IPQC) and finished goods (FQC) |
| Print precision | Not stated | Heidelberg offset presses, color alignment within 0.15 mm |
| Damaged components on arrival | Your problem to solve | Free replacement, shipped direct |
| Reviews | Curated testimonials | Live and independent — Trustpilot 4.9, 80+ reviews |
| Certifications you can verify | Varies | Disney FAMA (FAC-115925), ISO, FSC, BSCI; Kickstarter-recommended |
| Your Files & IP | ||
| Confidentiality | NDA on request | NDA before you send anything; NNN agreement available |
| Printing | Often subcontracted | Never leaves our factory |
| What an outside supplier sees | Your whole game | Only the file for their one part; max 2–3 suppliers per process |
A Factory That Remembers Every Game
Most factories run orders through email and spreadsheets, so what they learn on your game lives in someone's inbox. We invested over $200,000 in our own ERP system (enterprise resource planning) so that nothing about your game is lost.
Everything on One Record
Every quote, email, file version, bill of materials (BOM), mold and material for your game is stored in one place. Your project manager and the factory see the same record.
Every Problem, With Its Fix
Before production we list every possible quality issue for your game and agree a solution for each with the factory scheduler. The list stays on your record.
A Head Start on What Comes Next
Reprints, expansions and new games start from what already worked: the same materials, molds and solutions. New products are faster to quote, sample and develop, with fewer surprises.
Your order moves through a fixed sequence of checked stages, from order check and planning to printing, sourcing, production and packaging. Each stage is signed off before the next one starts.
Quality You Can Read, Not Just Trust
Our quality standard is written down and published. Every finished game is checked against AQL General Inspection Level 2 (acceptable quality limit): Critical under 0.6%, Major under 1.5%, Minor under 4%.
- Three checks, not one. We check materials when they arrive (IQC), parts as they come off each machine (IPQC) and finished games before packing (FQC).
- Risk graded before we print. Our production manager grades the color risk of every printed part from 1 to 5. Heavy blues, purples and greens can smudge or shift, so for those we may switch to UV printing or Pantone colors (PMS) before the press starts.
- Precise presses. Our Heidelberg offset presses keep color alignment (registration) within 0.15 mm.
- A Western production manager on the floor. Moris Lubin, who worked with suppliers to toy brands such as Otto Simon and Intertoys, runs production in Yiwu.
Help Beyond the Press
We help you make the product, not just print it: from the first prototype to the shipment at your door.
- Prototypes before you commit: up to 10 prototypes, made with final materials.
- Miniatures and custom parts: 3D design for injection molding, done with our miniature specialists.
- Artwork set up for print: we check and prepare your files so colors and cuts come out right.
- Shipping and landed cost: door to door with our partner Prime Ship, duties included.
- Support across time zones: our team works from China, the United States, Argentina, Malaysia and other countries.
- For big publishers: a dedicated production line and up to $200,000 in manufacturing financing (Hero Time Plus, from 30,000 units a quarter).
If You're Talking to Panda: Five Questions Worth Asking
Panda Game Manufacturing has a long track record and a portfolio of well-known titles. If a manufacturer's résumé is your main criterion, they have one, and we respect that. Whoever you choose, get these answers in writing first.
Ask them
- When does my project actually start? Ask for the current queue, not just the production time.
- What is the MOQ for my exact component list — and does it change if I add a component?
- How long from quote request to a priced quote?
- Who is my day-to-day contact, and are they physically in the factory?
- Which of my components are made in-house, and which are subcontracted?
Hero Time's answers
- Lead time: from approved files, 30 days for simple card games, 35 for medium-weight, 45 for heavy; heavy miniature games with new molds up to 90 — and you hear the reason before you order.
- MOQ: 1,000 units. We will help out with 500 sets if really needed.
- Quote: within 48 hours, setup costs included, landed cost shown.
- Contact: one dedicated, fluent-English project manager with a direct line to the production floor.
- In-house: 80%+ of production in our own factory in Yiwu. Printing never leaves the building.
If You're Talking to LongPack: Five More Questions
LongPack Games is a large, established manufacturer with a broad component range, and they make it easy to request a sample. If breadth of catalogue is what you need, that's a real strength. These are the questions that separate a catalogue from a production partner.
Ask them
- Which site makes which part of my game, and who manages the hand-offs between them?
- Who owns the tooling (injection molds) at the end — you, or the factory?
- What acceptable quality limit (AQL) is applied, and is it published somewhere you can read?
- If a shipment arrives with damaged components, who pays for the replacements and the freight?
- Where can I read reviews you don't control?
Hero Time's answers
- One factory: 80%+ made in-house in Yiwu. Where a non-printed part needs an outside supplier, we use at most 2–3 per process and they see only that part's file.
- Tooling: ask us the same question — you get the answer in writing from your project manager before you pay a deposit.
- AQL: General Inspection Level 2 — Critical under 0.6%, Major under 1.5%, Minor under 4% — published on this site.
- Damaged components: free replacement, shipped direct to you.
- Reviews: Trustpilot, 4.9 from 80+ reviews. Anyone can read them.
If You're Talking to Whatz Games: Questions About Records and Reprints
Whatz Games has made games since 2011 from its base in Jiaxing, China, and exhibits at shows such as UK Games Expo. If you want a long-running factory with a trade-show presence, that's a real strength. These questions matter most when you plan reprints and new titles.
Ask them
- Where is my order history kept, and can I see it?
- If I reprint in a year, how do you match the first run?
- How do you handle colors that are hard to print?
- Who checks quality during production, not only at the end?
- What does the quote leave out?
Hero Time's answers
- Records: in our own ERP system. Every quote, file, bill of materials, QC issue and fix sits on one record for your game.
- Reprints: we start from your record, with the same materials, molds and solutions.
- Hard colors: graded 1–5 before printing, with UV printing or Pantone (PMS) colors where needed.
- Quality: incoming, in-process and final checks (IQC, IPQC, FQC) to AQL General Inspection Level 2.
- The quote: nothing hidden. Setup costs and the landed cost are included.
Where We're Honest About the Limits
A comparison page that only says nice things about its author isn't worth your time. Three cases where Hero Time is not the right fit — or not the 30-day version of it.
Runs under 500 units
We don't do them. 1,000 is our standard run, and we will help out with 500 sets if really needed. Below that, a print-on-demand service will serve you better than a factory will.
Manufacturing outside China
One factory, in Yiwu. If your policy requires US or EU production, we're not the answer — and we'd rather tell you now than after a quote.
Mold-heavy miniature games in 30 days
New injection-mold tooling takes time. Plan on up to 90 days for a heavy miniature game that needs new molds. We'll still make it; the 30-day figure just won't apply, and you'll know that before you order.
Why Publishers Choose Hero Time
Confidence is not a promise. It is a system. Here is what that system controls.
A Quality Standard You Can Read
AQL General Inspection Level 2 — Critical under 0.6%, Major under 1.5%, Minor under 4% — is published on our site, not quoted on request. Problems get found on our floor, not in your backers' hands.
AQL Level 2, Published
From 30 Days, Not 60
Lean, fully managed production lines. Errors surface early, scheduling holds, and your launch date stays a launch date.
Lead Times from 30 Days
You Approve Every Critical Step
Every key stage is signed off by you and by a Hero Time manager. No vague checkpoints. No surprises at the end.
ISO-Certified Workflow
One Person, Who Knows Your Game
A dedicated, fluent-English project manager who sits in direct contact with the production floor. No sales rep relaying half a message to a factory you never see.
Direct Line to Production
We Make It Right
Damaged components are replaced free and shipped direct. If something goes wrong, we fix it — which is the whole reason our review profile is public.
4.9 on Trustpilot
Your Files Stay in One Building
Printing is never outsourced, so your print files never enter another company's system. We sign an NDA before you send anything, and an NNN agreement when you want the stronger instrument.
NDA / NNN Available
Disney Approved, Kickstarter Recommended
Rated 4.9 on Trustpilot: the highest customer feedback rating of any tabletop game manufacturer.
Disney FAMA Certified
Facility and Merchandise Authorization certified by the Walt Disney Company (FAC-115925).
Kickstarter Recommended
Listed as a recommended manufacturer by Kickstarter, the world's largest crowdfunding platform.
ISO, FSC and BSCI
Our factory is ISO, FSC and BSCI certified for safety, environmental responsibility and worker care.
Reviews We Can't Edit
A public review profile is the one proof a manufacturer cannot fake. Ours is open, verified, and anyone can read it.
Questions Publishers Ask When Comparing
Is Hero Time cheaper than Panda, LongPack or Whatz Games?
We don't publish other manufacturers' pricing, and we'd be wary of anyone who claims to know it. What we can do is get you our quote within 48 hours — with setup costs included and the landed cost (duties, VAT, tariffs and freight) shown upfront via Prime Ship — so you can compare it line by line. When you do, ask whether their number includes the same things.
What is Hero Time's real minimum order quantity (MOQ)?
1,000 units is the standard production run. If you really need a smaller run, we will help out with 500 sets. We don't manufacture runs below 500.
Do you really make everything in-house?
80%+ of production happens in our own factory in Yiwu. Printing never leaves the building. Where a non-printed component genuinely needs an outside supplier, we use a maximum of 2–3 per process, they sign a Supplier Manufacturing Agreement, and they receive only the file for the one part they make — never your full game.
What quality standard do you work to, and where is it written down?
AQL General Inspection Level 2 on every finished product: Critical defects under 0.6%, Major under 1.5%, Minor under 4%. It is published on our Quality Control page along with the five operational principles behind it, so you can read it before you ask us a single question.
How do I know your reviews are real?
They're on Trustpilot, not on our site. 4.9 from 80+ reviews, open to anyone, and we can't edit or remove them. Read them before you request a quote.
Which certifications can I verify independently?
Disney FAMA (Facility and Merchandise Authorization, certificate FAC-115925), ISO, FSC and BSCI. We are also listed by Kickstarter as a recommended manufacturer. Ask your project manager for the certificate documents.
Can you match a game that was first printed at another factory?
Yes. Send us the printed game or an approved sample, and we match our print to it and check the color against it before mass production. For large runs with colors that are hard to control, we can make an offset press proof first.
How do you keep track of my order?
In our own ERP system. Every quote, email, file version, bill of materials and quality issue is recorded against your game, and your project manager and the factory work from the same record.
Do you help develop new products, not just print them?
Yes: up to 10 prototypes with final materials, 3D design for injection-molded miniatures, and a full record of past orders, so new titles and expansions start from what already worked.
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