How long does it normally take before GF is shipped out?

I was thinking of using GF basic and Form 3 from Formlabs

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I understand the aggravation for waiting. It was a much longer wait than expected, but I was happy to wait while they worked out issues–I had worked for a company that put marketing dates ahead of engineering, and so lots of unhappy customers and returned products. And I’ve met folks who gave up on the wait for the GF…

But any popular product can also face back orders–even if no issues to be worked on before shipping–if demand exceeds capacity, they simply can’t ship product fast enough. And usually orders spike (for any company) before the holidays.

And as @Jules noted, don’t make any plans to quit your job until you have many months experience with the machine and have established your business. And be sure you love making what you plan to base your business on.

I started my business while I was still an engineer, so I could afford lots of tools and the GF was an additional tool to expand what I was already doing (and doing things I never imagined before). It took many years until I was in a situation to cut the safety net & try to survive on my own. I did it because I love creating my leather goods, and not just because I wanted a business…

I’d argue in your 20s you are at a good age to be patient on the big stuff (though young enough to not have any patience–been there, done that :wink:)–lay good ground work and it’s great to experiment and try different things that don’t involve such a big expense, but you really need to be comfortable with the GF–it’s relatively easy to run, but there’s a learning curve for all the programs to create designs and get all the settings to get the exact results you want.

And not sure if you’re planning to have a website, get a shop on Etsy or other marketplace, sell in person at shows, consign/wholesale, but it can take years to really get things going. Some folks are lucky and hit the market with a new item everyone wants, but that is rare. I don’t want to dampen your enthusiasm, but just to temper it a bit.

But one thing that I thought about when I quit my good job was that if my own plans didn’t work out, I could go back to work… I’m so glad I took the chance & working for myself, but I admit at times I miss the big paycheck.

And during the waiting time, you can get your business licenses (pending where you live you’ll need state & city, and even verify where you live you can run a small business from your house!). Work on your logo & business card designs, and if you’re going to have hang tags or just use stickers, how will you wrap/package the goods/ship, and if you’re going to try doing in-person shows–start on a list. Larger events usually 6-9 months before the event you need to apply. And all the things you need for your booth & displays–so there’s a lot more to running a business than just making stuff… But it can be very rewarding!! Good luck!

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Actually we were promised shipping in about 3 months (Sept order, December deliveries). Didn’t happen. Years passed. :yum:

They’ve never been good estimating time. :grin:

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One very good way to help your anxiety would be to download copies of Gimp and Inkscape and build skills and ideas in those. The financial cost of those is zero, but the time and effort necessary to learn then is considerable and the sooner started the better.

I was skilled in Gimp before, but had never looked at Inkscape and the six months I waited for delivery became barely enough time to come up to speed in that.

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I ordered the basic and it took 5 weeks…I just received it on Oct 30…it was supposed to be here on Oct 22. When I emailed GF they said they were going to refund my shipping costs for the delay. UPDATE: ITS NOV 11 2019 STILL HAVENT RECEIVED REFUND PROMISED.

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I see you’ve already gotten some wonderful advice from the community! Our shipping estimates do vary depending on the model, so that is a factor as to why some get their Glowforge printers faster than others.

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