Manufacturing

Once you have finished designing and developing your product, it is time to reach out to manufacturers to get quotes and start planning your next steps. Finding the right manufacturer is just as important as the quote itself.

Where to look:

• Online directories like Alibaba, ThomasNet, or Maker’s Row.
• Industry forums, trade shows and conventions.
• Recommendations from your network or other creators like you. Do not be afraid to ask around. Also, take a look at factories used by creators you will find in our platform in this article.

Questions to ask:

• Do they specialize in your product type?
• Do they meet quality standards (e.g., ISO certifications)?
• What’s their minimum order quantity (MOQ)?

At the end of this article you will also find a list of vetted manufacturers. These are manufacturers that have worked with creators in Hive and successfully delivered quality products.

Before reaching out to manufacturers, make sure you have a clear idea of what you need. This ensures you get accurate and relevant quotes.

What to Prepare:

• Detailed product designs or blueprints. If you have miniatures or plastic components, you need the STL files of the designs to get accurate quotes.
• A list of required materials or components.
• The quantity you need (prototype, small batch, or mass production).
• Any special requirements, like certifications or packaging.

Tip: The more specific your details, the easier it will be for manufacturers to provide precise quotes.

When requesting a quote, you need to be very specific and very detailed. The more information you provide the higher the chance you get an accurate quote.

What to include in your RFQ:

• Product specifications. Be very detailed and research to find the specs you want. For example if it is a paper component, know the size, the quality of the paper you want (what is the weight of the paper - 300gsm, 330gsm, does it have a blue core or a black core), the finish material (glossy, matte, linen finish). You will get what you ask, and if you do not ask you will get whatever they have to give you!
• Order quantity. Request a quote for multiple production quantities so that you can adjust your strategy based on how your campaign is doing.
• Delivery timeline. Ask a detailed explanation of the manufacturing process. Each factory has their own, you need to know it and understand it, so that you can accurately predict the timeline of your project.
• Payment terms. Know how much you pay in advance, how much on completion of mass production. Are there any prototypes included in the price. Will you get a production copy before approving mass production?
• Additional services. If you plan to sell to the EU you will need certain certificates (e.g. CE). Depending on the target age of your customers you may need extra certificates for Amazon and US retail stores. When shipping out of the factory is the palletization cost and materials included in the price? etc

Tip: Provide visuals, such as sketches or 3D renderings, to minimize misunderstandings.

You can download from here a template for an RFQ of a board game that has a base box, a miniature pack, an Early Bird bonus pack and stretch goals.

When you receive quotes, pay attention to the following key components:

• Unit Cost: The price per individual item, often varying by quantity.
• Tooling Costs: Charges for creating molds, dies, or other production tools.
• Delivery Terms: There is a difference between EXW and FOB price quotes. These are tied to your fulfillment plan and you can read this article to learn more.
• Turnaround Time: How long it takes for production and delivery.

Depending on where you are planning to sell your product, you will be required to provide some certificates. Those certificates are provided by authorized testing labs. You do not need to contact those labs directly, you should ask your manufacturer about those certificates and they will contact the lab they work with to provide them.

To get those certificates your manufacturer will need to send product samples for testing, so it is better and faster if you leave this procedure to them.

You will need different certificates based on the type of product you have and the target consumer age, and of course based on the country.

Based on the information we have on January 2025, below you can see some cases. Please make sure to verify the requirements with your local authorities to ensure compliance. The below cases should be used as food for further investigation.

EU Certificates

To import a product targeting children of 13 year or less, you will need to have a "CE Certificate". This includes the tests below:

1. EN 71-1:2014+A1:2018 Safety of toys-Part 1: Mechanical and physical properties

2. EN 71-2:2020 Safety of toys-Part 2: Flammability

3. EN 71-3:2019+A1:2021 Safety of toys-Part 3: Migration of certain elements

You will also need to place the CE logo on your box.

UK Certificates

Similar to the EU, you will need the UKCA logo on your box, and currently if you already have the tests for the CE, you do not need anything more.

US Certificates (Amazon)

If you place your product on Amazon, then they will require the following certificates:

1. ASTM F963-17 / ASTM F963-23

2. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) compliance

3. Phthalate testing

Don’t just choose the lowest price — look at the overall value.

What to compare:

• Quality assurance processes
• Production timelines
• Customer support and communication
• Additional fees and/or hidden costs

Tip: Negotiation is common! You can often secure better terms by discussing volume discounts or long-term partnerships.

• Skygames

Expert in the mass production of plastic components and custom parts, ensuring scalability for projects of all sizes.

Projects they have manufactured:

- Catapult Kingdoms by Vesuvius Media
- Ceres by Artipia Games

• Wingo Games

• LongPack Games