We’ve added a major new feature to PCBShopper. You can now specify how quickly you want your boards to arrive.
Up until now, PCBShopper quoted prices based on the manufacturer’s default lead time (the time between when you submit your order and when the boards are manufactured), and it showed you multiple shipping options. But if you were in a rush to get your boards, there was no way for you to indicate that you were willing to pay more for shorter lead times. Now there is.
In the Printed Circuit Board Specs form, there is now a field labeled “Boards arrive in”. If you leave this set to “Default time”, PCBShopper behaves as it did before: it quotes prices for the manufacturer’s default lead time. But if you set it to a specific number of days (business days, actually), PCBShopper will quote shorter lead times and/or faster shipping. PCBShopper even figures out the cheapest way to get the boards to you on time, either by paying for faster shipping or paying for shorter lead times or a combination of the two.
Notice that you do not specify the lead time – it’s PCBShopper’s job to figure that out. Instead, you specify when you want the boards to arrive at your door.
As always, remember that PCBShopper’s shipping times and prices are estimates. If you’re on a firm schedule, double-check PCBShopper’s numbers with the manufacturer.