Quote
A project manager scopes your game with you: quantity range, component choices, materials and alternatives, size suggestions to optimise material use, and any custom or sourced parts. Up to 5 quote revisions.
Quote turnaround: under 48 hours.
Our Quote to Order Process
Everything that happens between your first enquiry and your games arriving — every stage, how long each takes, and exactly what is paid when. No stage of this is a surprise, which is the point of publishing it.
The Four Stages
- 1
- 2
Order Preparation
Artwork setup and sampling. Templates, print-file consultation, safety marking and labelling, secure file upload, Artwork Issue Report, then your authorisation of the final setup files.
5–30 days, depending on print-file quality and components.
- 3
Production
Order preparation, sourcing and buying materials, printing, assembly according to the shipping plan, with photo and video sharing throughout.
30–90 days, depending on game weight and complexity.
- 4
Shipping & Fulfilment
We contact shippers, clear Chinese customs, load containers, clear destination customs, and deliver from port to your warehouse — or fulfil directly to your backers.
Shipping 5–20 days, depending on channel.
Stage 1
The Quote: A Project Manager, Not a Salesperson
Most quote requests in this industry go to a sales desk, which forwards them into a factory, which sends numbers back days or weeks later. Ours don't. Your quote is handled by a project manager who is empowered to make real decisions — to quote, to commit, and to enforce standards and requirements for your game on the factory floor.
Empowered to Decide
Your project manager can quote, commit and enforce standards and requirements for your game in the factory. They aren't relaying your questions to someone else and waiting — they have the authority and the ERP data to answer.
Fluent English, Real Advice
Every project manager speaks fluent English and knows manufacturing, not just sales. They can advise on materials, suggest processes worth adding, point out cost-saving options, and help you plan stretch goals and add-ons.
Invested in Your Game
This is not a salesperson passing you along. It's one person who stays with your project and is invested in it succeeding — through quoting, production, and delivery.
Under 48 hours to a quote, against an industry standard of two weeks or more. That's not a service promise bolted on top — it's a direct result of the project manager having the authority and the ERP data to price your game themselves, instead of queueing a request through three departments.
What Your Project Manager Actually Does at This Stage
This is the stage where good advice saves the most money, so it's worth using properly. Your PM will confirm every component with you, work through assembly and insert design, suggest materials and alternatives you may not have considered, flag cost-saving options, and help you plan stretch goals and add-ons if you're crowdfunding. You can revise your quote up to five times without it becoming a problem — exploring options is the point of this stage, not an inconvenience.
Stage 2
Order Preparation: Artwork & Sampling
This is the stage that most often decides whether the rest goes smoothly. File setup is where most defects are born, so it gets the most structure — and the single most useful thing you can do is consult us regularly while you're still creating your artwork and print files, rather than after they're finished.
Artwork
- Get customised component templates
- Consult us on printing file creation
- Add proper marking and labelling on boxes to pass safety tests
- Upload files to a built-in secure SharePoint folder
- Receive a comprehensive Artwork Issue Report
- Authorise and confirm final artwork setup files
Sampling
- Up to 10 prototypes for your upcoming crowdfunding campaign
- One free pre-production sample, one month before mass production starts
- Video and photo sharing — see the sample on screen before it ships
- Sample shipped to one or multiple addresses
- Sample Issue Report, used by the factory floor for QC
- Revisions of artwork files to prepare for mass production
Artwork setup runs 5–30 days, depending on print-file quality and the components involved. Revisions are flexible and depend on your own timeline as the publisher.
Stage 3
Production Lead Times by Game Weight
Production time is driven by complexity, not by how busy we are. These are the real figures we quote against:
Simple Card Games — 30 days
Straightforward card-based games with minimal component variety.
Medium Weight Games — 35 days
More component types, more materials, more assembly steps.
Heavy Weight Games — 45 days
High component counts across many material types.
Heavy Miniature Games with Molds — 90 days
Where new moulds have to be tooled from scratch before anything can be produced.
Want to lower cost? You can reduce overhead costs by increasing your lead time by 20 days. It's a straightforward trade and worth asking about if your launch date has room in it.
Payment Terms — What Is Paid, and When
Payments are tied to stages, not to arbitrary dates. Here is every payment point in the process:
| Stage | What is paid |
|---|---|
| Quote Stage | Charged for additional services you choose (Kickstarter support, artwork and 3D design, fulfilment services, safety testing, playtesting, rulebook review, and more). |
| Sample Stage — Prototyping | You pay for crowdfunding campaign prototypes. 50% is returned to you upon mass production. |
| Sample Stage — Pre-Production Samples | 1 sample free of charge upon 50% payment of mass production. |
| Sample Stage — Shipping | Shipping is charged, express or standard, to one address or several. |
| Mass Production Stage | On completion of mass production, the remaining balance of the invoice is paid — covering mass production and shipping. |
| Fulfilment Stage | Crowdfunding fulfilment is paid after confirmation and validation of all addresses, and before the fulfilment project begins. Long-term storage and fulfilment is pay-as-you-go monthly. |
Stage 4
Shipping, Fulfilment & Certification
Shipping Plans & Terms
DDP, DDU, CIF and FOB available. Initial addresses across US, Canada, EU, UK, AU, NZ and worldwide. Recipient types include residential addresses, Amazon, the Hero Time warehouse, or a third-party warehouse.
Fulfilment
US, EU and China warehousing for worldwide distribution, crowdfunding fulfilment directly to backers, help with BackerKit pledge manager, automated fulfilment calculators, and long-term fulfilment with sales growth assistance. Storage charges depend on warehouse location.
Safety Certifications
For all necessary countries. Safety certifications take 14 days after the completion of mass production — worth building into your timeline rather than discovering late.
Shipping prices and fulfilment plans are calculated approximately across various channels and lead times, so you can compare options before committing to one.
Optional Add-On Services
Chosen at the quote stage and priced separately: Kickstarter support, artwork and 3D design, fulfilment services, safety testing, playtesting, and rulebook review.
For how your game is physically made and on which machines, seeour manufacturing process and facility. For how your files are kept private through all of this, seeIP protection. For our inspection standard, seequality control.
