WoodMarvels.com is no longer a PRIME Ponoko member

I got my first start in the laser world thanks to what I learned from Ponoko – before then, I was searching for a method to cut my designs and shipping them around the world WITHOUT me having to cut and ship them myself. At that time in my life, Ponoko ruled!!! I had maybe 20 designs, no orders and they were Mana from Heaven as far as I was concerned.

Over the years, I’ve used Ponoko and was very satisfied with their customer service – they were and still are a fantastic company to deal with! Not many companies are as well managed and responsive to their customers as they are… a testament to the great team they’ve cultivated in NZ and the USA.

As WoodMarvels.com grew, so was the promise that Ponoko could grow with me regarding physical product sales but then we started to diverge paths. As my sales went up, I established relationships and even friendships with laser cutting shops around the world… from Brazil to Indonesia, Japan to France… even South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and a host of other countries. Ponoko started to feel limiting as they ONLY had a few select hubs, and here I was, with access to exponentially more!

For the past year, if not two, when ever I got an order for a physical laser cut model from WoodMarvels.com, I’d get it cut and shipped from within the country of the customer. It goes with my original mission to be environmentally friendly – cut locally, ship locally – and economically as well. Shipping something from NZ or USA to Greece is bloody expensive regardless of which hub I picked. PRIME discounts don’t work with their partners in those parts.

If I get an order in Greece, yep… there’s a customer who can help me cut and ship the order within a day or twos notice! I also have sold a few Commercial Production Licenses around the world too, which I’ve sent orders to.

So, here I am paying for a PRIME membership (I was one of the first guys to join PRIME when it started years back) that I was simply no longer taking advantage of. I then decided to keep it for 3D printing @ 3DMarvels.com which I hope to launch later in the year as pricing is now dramatically lower for those services… well, my contacts in that industry are growing and I’m quickly coming to the same position as I am for laser and CNC. I don’t have access YET to quality 3D printing shops around the world but that is changing. RAPIDLY!

Questions to myself

If I get a physical laser cut kit order, will I use Ponoko? The answer for more than the past year has been no. If I need to R&D a 3D printed model or get an order, will I use Ponoko? Again, the answer is no – I have other sources now. I don’t sell CNC kits on WoodMarvels.com but if I did, would I use Ponoko? Nope – I can quickly find a shop that does this to my specifications and standards as well!

Where does that leave WoodMarvels.com relative to Ponoko?

Well, I’m not going anywhere and I know neither are they! I’m still the largest showroom on their site and will keep growing my catalog there though with the phenomenal growth here at WoodMarvels.com, it’s a little behind product wise compared to what’s available on my site. I hope they keep growing, they are doing an amazing job bringing 3D, laser and CNC possibilities to people around the world – both consumers and designers. I’ll keep blogging about them as I’m sure they will of me… and I wish them the absolute best of luck. WoodMarvels.com is a very specific case and its influence in the industry still astounds me daily… I never would have imagined ever being in this position!

If I was a designer without an established network of cutting shops,
I’d recommend Ponoko in a heartbeat!