Hand off your material RFQs. Get 3~4 competing quotes on one page.
Send me the spec and quantity. I'll reach out to 3~4 suppliers, follow up until they quote, and send back a side-by-side comparison of price per pound and lead time in 2~3 business days. $1,000 a month flat, month to month, and your first RFQ is free.
- I quote 3~4 suppliers, including your existing vendors, and follow up when reps are slow to reply.
- You place the PO directly with the supplier. I don't mark up material or take supplier commissions.
- The flat monthly fee covers both live orders you need to buy now and price checks while you're bidding a job.
What comes back
Here's an example RFQ. The suppliers are made up, but the prices are typical of what distributors are quoting on 6061 right now.
Split it: Supplier A for the round bar, Supplier B for the plate. Two POs, $9,377 delivered.
- Why:
- Supplier A is cheapest on the bar, and Supplier B is cheapest on the plate by a wide margin. Splitting saves $617 over the best single source and $1,102 over Supplier A alone, and both lines arrive in 2~3 days instead of 5~7.
- On the second PO:
- Supplier B ships FOB origin, so the $190 freight is in the total either way. The only cost of splitting is a second PO and a second delivery to receive.
- If you'd rather keep it to one PO:
- Supplier B does both for $9,994, with the bar at 5~7 days.
6061-T6511 Aluminum Round Bar, 2" dia, 12 ft long
| Supplier | $/lb | Ext. Price | Lead Time | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Supplier A· 20 pcs | $4.75 | $4,190 | 2~3 business days Fastest Domestic | Net 30, delivered |
Supplier C· 20 pcs | $5.05 +6.3% | $4,454 | 3~4 business days Domestic | Net 30, FOB Origin |
Supplier B· 20 pcs | $5.45 +14.7% | $4,807 | 5~7 business days Domestic | Net 30, FOB Origin |
6061-T651 Aluminum Plate, 24" × 48", 1" thick
| Supplier | $/lb | Ext. Price | Lead Time | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Supplier B· 10 pcs | $4.45 | $4,997 | 2~3 business days Fastest Domestic | Net 30, FOB Origin |
Supplier C· 10 pcs | $5.20 +16.9% | $5,840 | 3~4 business days Domestic | Net 30, FOB Origin |
Supplier A· 10 pcs | $5.60 +25.8% | $6,289 | 5~7 business days Domestic | Net 30, delivered |
Supplier Totals
| Supplier | Items | Max Lead | Freight | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Supplier B Net 30, FOB Origin | $9,804 | 7 business days | $190 | $9,994 |
Supplier A Net 30, delivered | $10,479 | 7 business days | $0 | $10,479 |
Supplier C Net 30, FOB Origin | $10,294 | 4 business days | $220 | $10,514 |
Best split: Supplier A on line 1, Supplier B on line 2 Saves $617 vs the best single PO | $9,187 | 3 business days | $190 | $9,377 |
- Suppliers quote per foot, per piece, or per pound. Every quote is converted to $/lb and total delivered cost so you can compare them directly.
- A clear breakdown of whether to put everything on one PO or split the order across suppliers after factoring in freight and minimums.
Why not just get two quotes yourself?
Getting two quotes gives you the lower of two numbers, not necessarily a competitive price. Because I track distributor list prices every day for Material Price Book, I can tell when both quotes are high and bring in another supplier who is sharper on that alloy or shape.
What I handle
I send your RFQ to 3~4 metal and plastic suppliers, or more when stock is tight or the spec calls for it, and follow up until the quotes are in. Every quote is normalized to price per pound and checked against the distributor list prices I track daily on Material Price Book. You get one comparison page with the numbers, lead times, and a clear recommendation. If you have a hard-to-find alloy or strict mill requirement, I'll track it down and tell you upfront if I can't find a good source.
What stays with your shop
You always place the PO yourself and keep your own supplier relationships. I don't mark up material, broker orders, or take commissions from suppliers.
How pricing works: $1,000 a month flat. First RFQ is free.
A full-time buyer runs $4,500–$6,000 a month with payroll taxes. I'm not a replacement for one. I'm the part of material buying you can hand off: the quoting, the supplier follow-up, and the comparison. I charge a flat $1,000 a month, month to month, for a single-location shop up to around 50 people. That covers both live production orders and price checks while you're estimating jobs. If you have multiple locations or want help quoting hardware and outside processing, we can scope that after your first RFQ. Your first RFQ is free so you can see the turnaround and the numbers before paying anything.
Who runs this
I'm Eric Na. I built Material Price Book and write The Material Report, our newsletter on metal pricing for machine and fab shops. Because I already track distributor list prices and work with metal suppliers every day, I can turn RFQs around quickly and spot when a quote is off. When you submit an RFQ, it comes straight to me and I'll reply within one business day.