Hey all, I’m a student working on a PCB for a group project, and shipping costs are killing my budget. The fabrication price was okay, but the $27 shipping fee on a $78 total feels steep. I went with a 2-layer board (60x110mm, 30 pcs) because we’re testing in parallel and need spares. Anyone know of manufacturers with lower shipping, especially for small runs like this?

 

who did you get the quote from? what kind of shipping?

JLC is fast and low cost. default shipping is using courrier. cheaper shipping may be possible if instead of courrier you select postal service. this will likely add couple of days to delivery.

 

Hey all, I’m a student working on a PCB for a group project, and shipping costs are killing my budget. The fabrication price was okay, but the $27 shipping fee on a $78 total feels steep. I went with a 2-layer board (60x110mm, 30 pcs) because we’re testing in parallel and need spares. Anyone know of manufacturers with lower shipping, especially for small runs like this?

How complex is your design? How many total pins?

Have you looked at making your own PCBs, at least until you have a tested and proven final design?

 

What country are you in? What country is the board manufacturer in?

 

If this is a Chinese shipment, There is one board MAN that offers Global Direct that is fairly cheap.

 

I feel you—shipping can really add up! I recently tried ALLPCB and was surprised by the price drop with their new-user deal ($30 off PCB + $30 off shipping). My small 2-layer order ended up at just $4 total. Check their site here https://www.allpcb.com/activity/one-dollar-campaign/. Might be worth a look for your project!

 

who did you get the quote from? what kind of shipping?

JLC is fast and low cost. default shipping is using courrier. cheaper shipping may be possible if instead of courrier you select postal service. this will likely add couple of days to delivery.

I have tried different online calculators to estimate the cost, I have tried JLCPCB too, getting similar results

How complex is your design? How many total pins?

Have you looked at making your own PCBs, at least until you have a tested and proven final design?

Yeah, we have already done that part, designed a prototype on a weroboard, we are sure about our circuit, and its not that complex.

I feel you—shipping can really add up! I recently tried ALLPCB and was surprised by the price drop with their new-user deal ($30 off PCB + $30 off shipping). My small 2-layer order ended up at just $4 total. Check their site here https://www.allpcb.com/activity/one-dollar-campaign/. Might be worth a look for your project!

That $4 total sounds tempting, especially for a first run! I checked it out—definitely a good deal with the discount. I am kind of concerning that shipping times can vary with the cheaper options, so it might not suit tight deadlines. Still, for a student project, it’s a solid start.

 

I'm afraid if you're in the US, you're screwed. The tariffs are ever changing or not changing at the whim of "dear leader" (largely based on what he's trying to distract from or who mocked him) which has caused many shippers to cease delivery to the US. The elimination of the "de minimis exemption" where low cost packages were not tariffed and usually not subject to customs inspection has further complicated the issue – dear leader's Sharpie eliminated the exemption with not though given to how millions of packages would be processed. There may be minimum charges of $80 – $200 per package.

The low cost option in the US is OSH Park, where you can get three boards made for $5 per square inch but for a board of any size, the cost quickly becomes exorbitant.

Just telling it like it is. Foreign trade to the US has been largely cut off.

 

I have tried different online calculators to estimate the cost, I have tried JLCPCB too, getting similar results



Yeah, we have already done that part, designed a prototype on a weroboard, we are sure about our circuit, and its not that complex.



That $4 total sounds tempting, especially for a first run! I checked it out—definitely a good deal with the discount. I am kind of concerning that shipping times can vary with the cheaper options, so it might not suit tight deadlines. Still, for a student project, it’s a solid start.

Good point on timing! The $4 included free shipping with Fedex for me so I got it in like 5 days after I place the order which is faster than I expected.

 

he fabrication price was okay, but the $27 shipping fee on a $78 total feels steep.

For me the DHL shipping from China is the same as the shipping charge from a factory 60 miles away. Things may have changed but last year JLCPCB likes DHL.
The only way I can do better is to combine several projects into one.

 

I have a design I'm sitting on that was going thru JLCPCB, for grins I uploaded to ALLPCB to get their quote and yes, with first time customer of $30 off PCB and $30 off shipping, the total is low, BUT the tariffs and taxes (from China) are anywhere from 47-100%. I think you'll find the $27 is duties (tariffs) and taxes and there's no way around that, except have made in USA. Check DigiKey. My ALLPCB order was for 10 PCBs with parts and assembled for $109 with a further $30 first time discount for $79... BUT customs duties and taxes was additional $72.

 

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Thanks everyone for your suggestions ..... this discussion proved surprisingly helpful, better than my expectations ..... I'm glad I discussed it here before placing order ..... I think I'll go with ALLPCB as my price is cut down plus free shipping ..... JLCPCB is a little over priced ....