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3D Hubs really should implement a system similar to eBay where both the buyer and seller review one another after an order is completed. Right now, a Hub has no way of knowing the reliability of a potential customer or how previous transactions have worked in the past (aside from the canceled, open and complete orders count). Factors like how quickly payment was made, how receptive the customer was to recommendations, how quickly they confirmed successful pickup/shipping so the Hub can get paid etc. all would really help in deciding whether or not a Hub takes on a customer. As a busy Hub, I do not want to spend time on customers that have a history of cancelling after payment requests are sent or that are unnecessarily difficult to work with when there are others who are much more flexible and understanding of how 3D printing works.

It also better protects the Hub; if a customer insists on using too low of an infill or the wrong material despite warnings from the Hub, and their print breaks as a result, the Hub has no ability to protect itself from a negative review. As a fellow Hub, I wouldn’t want to work with that customer, but I have no way of knowing that any of that occurred and would just think the other Hub made a bad print. This could really hurt other Hubs, seeing as reviews and rankings really are what makes orders come in here.

I’ve seen this pop up a few times, but have yet to see anything come of it, but I think it’s a very important feature! Reviews for this type of business really should be a two way street, but right now it really only benefits the customer base.

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This is a fantastic idea. It helps hubs and customers. I generally start all conversations using the assumption the customer knows nothing about 3d printing. This can come off as condescending to more knowledgeable customers though as of now it’s worth the risk to ensure the customer is well informed.

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Thank you for sharing your idea. In fact we are already working on match making the most reliable Hubs with equally reliable Customers. We believe this will be beneficial for both sides and help to build long lasting good relations between both parties. We’ll keep you posted and probably ask for feedback once we have something to share.

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Won’t a system like this put new customers and new/young Hubs at a disadvantage though?

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Can you explain how?

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If you’re doing a match-making type system, I don’t see how a new customer could be placed with a more experienced Hub and vice versa. If new customers are always matched with new Hubs, I could see it being a turn-off to both parties involved.

You may not want new customers matched with new Hubs, seeing as it’s very important a good impression is made the first time around so customers return to not just that specific Hub, but 3D Hubs in general. I’m not doubting the capabilities of a new Hub, most probably do just fine in terms of print quality, but it can be a bit overwhelming at first getting used to the way Hubs’ ordering process works. It also would help to have a more experienced Hub deal with someone who has little knowledge of 3D printing, so they can better guide them in a way that does not come off as condescending to the customer.

It will also be very frustrating for a newer Hub to constantly have to deal with inexperienced customers new to 3D Hubs, who don’t understand the limitations of 3D printing. In my experience, new users tend to cancel orders more when you have to add costs for more material or support removal which I don’t mind because I have a base of customers who do actually proceed with orders. But if those were my only orders and I rarely actually made a sale, I could see it getting very frustrating.

I just don’t know if match-making is the best way to go about it, it seems like it would take options away from the Hubs and customers in terms of choosing who to work with.

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I agree to you, if a part breaks because of the costumer the hubs should review them too.

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Agree, working with one customer use said that the part is 0.9 thickness but it had to be 1.0 mm and the other part is 0.8 and it had the be 1.0 mm. They wanted it not to be flexible too. Their is not thickness to be stable.

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I’m sorry but I think this is a terrible idea.
I do a lot of things that are experimental that very few other hubs offer. If I’m offered a project in untested waters(new material for example) I let the client know and they understand that it might not work out. If it doesn’t work out and I have to cancel the order does that make me unreliable?
I 100% support any ideas that provide more information to the customers so THEY can make better decisions but tinkering behind the scenes with filtering information and trying to think for the customers is not helpful to anyone. Why not just show them the stats?

We are technical people and our customers(people who place orders and pay for them) are very rarely morons(if this is not your experience then I suggest raising your prices). Nothing gets the hubs more worked up than metrics (like rankings) applied to our hubs without understanding what they are based on so I don’t think metrics that we cannot even see are going to go over well.

I believe transparency is critical for this open marketplace to prosper.

-Jesse

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So much this! People don’t want a system that thinks for them, they want to see all their options and make a decision for themselves regarding what they think is the right choice. I want my customers to choose me, the same way I want to be able to choose who I am willing to work with. If it’s a calm week, I have no issue working with a customer who might take more time to work through the order process because they are less experienced. But I want to be able to make that choice for myself.

Additionally, I don’t want to be pigeonholed into doing only certain types of orders because those are the types of orders I do most frequently (this hasn’t been brought up here, but I saw it mentioned in another Talk post about matching Hubs with specific order types). That was kind of the whole point of joining this site; to have the opportunity to print orders that are a bit more unusual and stray from my typical dental forms and mechanical prototypes.

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